Matthew C. Yee’s White Rooster -Lookingglass thru April 26th

---

“White Rooster” is Theater Gold at Lookingglass, Grounded with Humor, Heart and Heritage - Review By: Paul Lisnek   

****/4

Lookingglass Theatre’s latest World premiere, “White Rooster” written by Matthew C. Yee, is a play with music that takes the stage with a striking blend of music, memory, and mythological folklore. It is filled with humor, heart, and a truly haunting magical beauty of the supernatural. In Yee’s hands, this original work (six years in the making) is more than a play — it’s a magical education on the complexities of family, self-identity, and mythological stories that get passed down through cultural (certainly Asian culture) generations.

“White Rooster” is a dark but humorous ghost story about Min, a young woman desperate to leave her decaying hometown after a family tragedy. While trying to move on, she gets caught up in a surreal world of ghosts and spirits, old curses and apparent inherited obligations requiring her to marry a white rooster when her fiancé is killed. It’s Chinese folklore meets ghost-town America.

Yee’s script is confident, grounded and clearly personal, but the story resonates across cultures weaving sharp humor with tenderness and with a remarkable balance and with a sense of timeliness. It’s a theatrical experience unique to the stage (tho certainly reflective of the creativity expected of Lookingglass Theatre).

The ensemble cast is incredibly strong. Every performer is a standout illustration of energetic comedy that energizes the early scenes and grows to a sense of vulnerability that defines the play’s final moments. The cast’s chemistry gives life to Yee’s vision and expectations as the play’s director. Of course, the physicality and grace of the performers, one should not forget, are true hallmarks of Lookingglass Theatre; it is why they are known for nurturing and presenting new ensemble based productions that are indeed “theater without a net” (a once season tagline description that has happily stayed with its productions thru the years representative of the kind of work created by few others ); it so uniquely defines this crown jewel among Chicago theater companies. 

Yee directs his story, his characters, his creation with precision and passion. It’s intimate and connective with the audience. I know this to be true because as an animal lover myself, I found myself sitting only feet away from the action, feeling emotional about the clever puppetry crafted for this play and integral to the production. His use of shadow puppetry and design, and dreamscape lighting effects adds a layer to the storytelling that made me consider the number of sleepless nights Yee must have had to craft these fascinating elements as an ultimately essential way to get the story told in an effective way. It’s becoming clear to the Chicago theater-going community that a hallmark of a Yee play is the original music and lyrics he relies on to establish scenes and moments in his plays.

Since Yee makes his original music-lyrics and actor-musicianship an always present part of his writing, it’s worth noting that in this work, the music is an enchanting element woven seamlessly into the storytelling, rather than sitting apart from it. Yee’s music becomes another character in the play allowing the story to tell what the characters do not reveal. In this way, the music does not interrupt the story, it expands it.

With “White Rooster” Matthew Yee establishes himself as a talent beyond the gifted actor our city (and Broadway) already knows him to be, not to mention this directorial debut adds to his repertoire of skills. Between his last writing effort to take the stage (2023’s “Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon”), Yee is now rightfully considered to be one of Chicago’s most exciting playwrights. Lookingglass is this playwright’s playground for promising new works; and once again this incredible theater proves that bold, heartfelt storytelling can still thrill, challenge, and move an audience. Well done Matthew and Lookingglass!

“White Rooster” runs at Lookingglass Theatre thru April 26th with tickets available at: www.LookingglassTheatre.org