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Theatre Mon May 03 2010
American Blues Theater Revives Tobacco Road
In the Depression-stricken cotton fields of rural Georgia, the Lester family lives in poverty, struggling to pay for their land, clothed in tattered garments. Jeeter Lester, the patriarch, refuses to leave his land, claiming a job in the city would be impossible to bear. And so his family remains in their beat-up shack, scraping the bottom of the barrel in order to survive.
This is the premise for Tobacco Road, a horrific and honest portrayal of a struggling family during the worst years of the Great Depression. Based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell and adapted by Jack Kirkland, Tobacco Road is a darkly humorous play, featuring characters with unpleasant facial deformities and parents more concerned with what will happen to their bodies when they die than actually living their lives. Subtle humor aside, the play touches on serious issues, focusing on the shocking decisions the Lesters makes that ultimately leads to the decay of this once proud and profitable family.
Now this long-running play--the second-longest running drama in Broadway history--is coming to the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Directed by Cecilie Keenan, Tobacco Road will be revived by American Blues Theater to celebrate the ensemble's 25th anniversary. Previews run May 21 - May 23; tickets cost $20. Opening night is set for Thursday, May 27 at 7pm; tickets are $50. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday matinees are $32; Friday and Saturday evenings, $40. Tobacco Road will run until June 20. For ticket information call 773-871-3000 or send an email to tickets@victorygardens.org.
