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When we buy tickets forUK events, we usually goto GET ME IN! There youcan find great deals ontheatre tickets such asTeenage Cander Trusttickets but also on a lotof amazing concerttickets

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Jade Heart shines at Chicago Dramatists

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Sunday, May 30, 2010; Posted: 04:05 AM - by BWW News Desk

The World Premiere of Jade Heart is running now through

May 30th at the Chicago Dramatists Theatre. Written bySenior Network Playwright Will Cooper and directed byArtistic Director Russ Tutterow, Jade Heart explores theuniversal question: "Who am I?" The piece goes further toponder if this question answerable or does it just leave thequestioner with more questions?

Abandoned as an infant by her Chinese mother, JadeMcCullough, is adopted and raised American. She grows upin a white, middle-class home with only half a jade heartand half a world between her and the rubble of her past. Asshe grows into womanhood, Jade is on a quest to find theother half of that jade heart and with that, the missingpieces of her identity. It's like Annie for a new age (butwithout those mortifying songs).

I have to congratulate local playwright Will Cooper for thistruly insightful original work. Although the show is a mere90 minutes, he doesn't rush it. He takes his time inpresenting a beautiful piece about one's struggle for

identity. Not only does he give you a girl struggling in relation to her family and in relation toher culture, he also layers in attention to China's one-child policy (established in 1979 to limitpopulation growth). Sure, our relations with China are far different than they were thirtyyears ago. Nonetheless, Cooper reminds us that the repercussions of this horrific humanrights violation are something that we're only starting to really deal with today.

This production of Jade Heart is completely worthy of its Jeff Recommendation. Tutterownegotiated the space quite well, taking the audience from the quiet intimacy of the familykitchen to the sprawling fields of China with ease. The cast handled the dark and somewhatexistential subject matter quite effortlessly. That's probably the easiest call of the day tomake. Nonetheless, some special notice should go to Gordon Chow and Melissa Canciller. Handling most of the ancillary characters in the show, they brought humor, compassion andthree-dimensionality to many of these characters allowing Cooper's world to come to life. Mr.Chow was downright charming as the Duan, Jade's boyfriend, and Ms. Canciller was hilariousas Jade's nemesis, Mei. She brought humor to the downright nastiness known asyour childhood best friend. (I shudder when I think of my own.)

Support your local playwrights doing good work like Jade Heart. Before you know, they mightbe the toast of Broadway. (Ask Tracy Letts how that turned out). This stellar cast will only

around until May 30th, so catch them while you can.

www.chicagodramatists.org

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Trish Vignola is a writer/performer with the critically acclaimed"Best Church of God" and is an Alumni and Staff Writer for "BigNews: Chicago". When she's not writing for the stage, she'spublishing her skewed sports musings atwww.bleacherreport.com. Trish has a B.A. from FordhamUniversity and an M.A. from Rutgers University. She is a memberof Actors Equity and is currently one of the Assistant Directors forthe Second City National Touring Companies.

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