The Mysterious Elephant is Amazing and Delightful!

Dear Glorious Goodfellows!

Greetings now and greetings again. Have you seen THE MYSTERIOUS ELEPHANT yet? Well, if you have then thank you dear reader, thank you! You stir in our souls a bubbly feeling akin to light touch of butterfly wings tittering across our rusty hearts. And if you haven't...Why good god, man! What's been stopping you?

The Chicago Tribune:
An ingenious mash-up of literary and visual styles, Strange Tree Group's "The Mysterious Elephant and the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins (*Who Kill Him)," is Charles Dickens somehow crossed with Tim Burton and Monty Python—at once lowbrow and highbrow and no-brow at all. Imagine a world of black ankle boots and striped stockings, of self-reflexive meta-theatrics, Edwardian kitsch and a winking spirit that is ridiculous and ironic yet deeply, deeply felt."The Mysterious Elephant" deserves to be seen—from any seat in the house.

The Windy City Times:
The Mysterious Elephant is a thorough delight that playfully toys with the whole notion of storytelling...

TimeOut Chicago:
Playwright Schwartz thrives at the intersection of goofy and ghoulish, and the quasi-Victorian Elephant environment only makes the obligatory invocations of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams even harder for us to avoid. Schwartz, though, also cuts her creepiness with a kindness less common in the cartoonists' work.

The Chicago Reader:
The Mysterious Elephant and the Terrible Tragedy of the Unlikely Addington Twins* (*Who Kill Him) provides a banquet of toothsomely morbid wit to savor. Galen Pejeau's jumble of set pieces and the ensemble-created costumes and props convey the sense that they opened a long-closed trunk in an attic and put on the show with the contents—and I mean that as a compliment.

ChicagoCritic.com:
...This show is well-written, surprisingly clever and filled with humor, rich characters and excellent performances. There is much to admire and laugh at in this special show. You need to experience an Emily Schwatrz comedy to see a wonderful new voice emerging. This is a delightful, fun show. Laughs and cleverness abound—The Strange Tree Group does Chicago storefront theater proud.

And your little Blog Too!

Christopher Walsh: http://chicago.metblogs.com/
The elephant (yes, there is an elephant on stage) is a hell of a creation, with a patchwork design that makes it look like a giant, well-loved stuffed animal. It is actor-operated by Thomas Zeitner, who also plays accordion as part of the musical ensemble. When you see the show (are you going to see the show? Go see the show!) take a moment during intermission or something and get a look at the elephant up close.

Paul Rekk: http://prekk.blogspot.com
...A flume ride of romance, intrigue, humor and corpses that stops just short in order to punch you in the heartstrings with a painfully gorgeous refrain of "Oh, Elephant". Honestly, Strange Trees, that's really all it took before my belly laughs transformed to welling tears. You've done something magical. Keep doing it.

Rob Kozlowski: http://robkozlowski.blogspot.com/
This show is an absolute riot, combining adorably unabashed old-fashioned comic sensibilities with hip postmodern self-awareness, throwing at us a veritable goulash of styles and even the accursed pillars of the Chopin Theater's basement are utilized imaginatively. I implore you - nay, I command you - to see this show, spread the word, communicate with glee your enthusiasm for this kind of fantastic creativity on Chicago's stages, and if you are lucky, you will be rewarded with more of it.

It is true! If you attend why then we can accomplish two things:
1 entertain you beyond all human capacity to believe that you could ever be entertained on the planet of earth!
2 Have enough money to rent more theatre space for more shows

So do attend friend, do! There are only two official weekends left in our run and you don't want to miss this delightful experience. See what good theatre is all about. Don't leave wishing you had never even been born. Come to our show and live again! For you will find true joy in the basement of the Chopin Theatre. Along with one very happy ele-friend and several pleasantly attired trees.

Theatre doesn't have to be painful.
Sometimes, like now, it 's a beautiful fiery phoenix of awesomeness.

Come and see!

Get your tickets online while you still can at:
www.strangetree.org

With fondest hopes of meeting you at theatre,
STG