Dante Dies!! (and then things get weird)
by Walt McGough
June 5 - July 13, 2008
Sideshow Theatre Company
Chicago Dramatists
scenic designer Lisi Stoessel
lighting designer Kevin Cannon
sound designer Ben Warner
"Lying, incidentally, is not a sin when done creatively."
Partway along the journey of his life, Dante finds himself mourning a lost love, feeling morose and, for some reason, in Hell. Trying to find his way home, he encounters incredible suffering, infernal bureaucracy, some sins of his own, and the aggressive attention of a competitive hot dog eater. Each step downward brings him closer to a personal reckoning with his own story, and maybe a chance to find an answer or two. Enacting the story single-handedly, versatile performer Matt Fletcher brings over fifteen different characters to life as he tracks Dante's progress through the nine circles of Hell in this unexpected and epic adventure.
Press
★★★★
"Impressive young talent at play."
Time Out Chicago
"Recommended! Very funny, smart and touching... a truly wonderful performance!"
New City
Reader Recommended!
"Lively, poignant... Fletcher is most compelling."
Chicago Reader
"Hilarious and dazzling… An amazing theatrical feat! The fact that it appears so simple and seamless shows how these Sideshow Theatre artists are truly storytelling magicians."
Windy City Times
"Vivid, intimate, visually arresting... confirms visually arresting theater doesn't necessarily require a big budget. Sideshow impresses!"
Daily Herald
"A wonder—funny, touching, inventive, beautifully realized and utterly captivating."
Edge Chicago