Deb and Sandy are auditioning Tim for the role of the Wolf in an adult adaptation of The Three Little Pigs, but there’s a mysterious haze in the basement of the Mortier Civic Playhouse and that, along with interruptions from the director of ‘the Scottish play’ that’s having its opening night upstairs, is making things, well, even hazier. Then the mysterious Liz shows up throwing the room into utter chaos and revealing the deep, ancient evil at the heart of the community theater audition process.
Directed by Catastrophic core artist Jeff Miller, whose past directing credits include Catastrophic hits Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, and Baby Screams Miracle. Miller also teamed with actor Luis Galindo to co-direct Suzan-Lori Parks’ The Book of Grace in 2022, in which Galindo also starred. The Houston Press hailed the production as a triumphant “resurgence of the magical power of theater.”
It is Magic features an all-star cast of Catastrophic core artists: Amy Bruce, Tamarie Cooper, Dillon Dewitt, Luis Galindo, and Courtney Lomelo.
THE PLAYWRIGHT
MICKLE MAHER ’s plays have appeared Off-Broadway and around the world, and have been supported by grants from the NEA, the Rockefeller MAP fund, and Creative Capital. They include There is a Happiness That Morning Is; Song About Himself; An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening; The Hunchback Variations; The Strangerer; Spirits to Enforce; Cyrano (translator), The Cabinet; Lady Madeline; The Pine; An Actor Prepares (an adaptation of Stanislavsky’s seminal book); and Small Ball. He is a cofounder of Chicago’s Theater Oobleck, and has taught playwriting and related subjects at the University of Chicago, Columbia College, and Northwestern University. His plays are published by Hope and Nonthings.
It Is Magic marks the 11th of Maher’s plays to be produced by Catastrophic, making him the company’s most oft-produced playwright.
“This is peak CATASTROPHIC THEATRE, and the entire production is on FULL TILT BOOGIE from start to finish. … It’s funny, it’s quirky, and it is unlike anything else you are likely to see anytime soon.”
Luis Galindo, Courtney Lomelo, Tamarie Cooper in IT IS MAGIC. (photo by Anthony Rathbun)
