Suburbanites figure prominently in revival of macabre 'Shockheaded Peter' musical
In 2001, Northwestern University undergraduate Ed Rutherford experienced a most unusual musical. Now he wants to introduce it to you.
The show is “Shockheaded Peter,” a darkly comic collection of cautionary tales about the consequences that befall disobedient youngsters. And it's being revived by Chicago's Black Button Eyes Productions.
“I was captivated by how thrillingly unusual it was,” said Rutherford of the tuner, which is based on Heinrich Hoffmann's 19th century children's book “Der Struwwelpeter.”
“One of my first responsibilities is to create something engaging for an audience,” Rutherford said. Something, he added, “an audience can sink its teeth into, delight in and enjoy.”
The quirky “Shockheaded Peter” is such a show.
Rutherford first encountered the musical - by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott, with music and lyrics by The Tiger Lillies - when it played Chicago as part of a North American tour. Now, 16 years later, Rutherford, artistic director of Black Button Eyes, is helming his company's Chicago storefront premiere. After spending several years securing the rights, he approached two favorite collaborators: set and puppet designer Jeremiah Barr, a Bensenville native, and costume designer Beth Laske-Miller, of Park Ridge, about a revival.
Barr - who's been designing and building sets since he was a student at Fenton High School - was intrigued by the set, props and puppetry design challenges presented by this macabre musical with its gallows-style humor.
“We approached it in a funny, tongue-in-cheek way,” he said, “nothing gruesome or grotesque.”
The violence is stylized and exaggerated for comic effect, said Rutherford. One example: the tale of a boy who refuses to stop sucking his thumb, until a tailor cuts it off.
Some Hoffmann tales, like the one about bullies taunting a neighbor boy, still resonate, said Rutherford, who believes the contemporary analogies will be clear without having to beat the audience over the head with them.
“This piece is in fact a morality tale … about parents neglecting children, children behaving badly and punishing (bad behavior) appropriately,” said Wheaton native Kat Evans, a Metropolis, First Folio and City Lit veteran who puts her acrobatic training to use as Fidgety Phil, a boy who can't sit still.
She says the show makes its points through creepy yet comical tales that, during rehearsals, have the cast erupting in laughter.
“Every single aspect of this production has been carefully tuned,” said Evans. “I'm utterly impressed with the cast and their versatility. I'm in awe of them every day.”
Among the cast members showcasing special talents is Lisle native Ellen DeSitter, an actress and visual artist who learned to stilt-walk seven years ago while performing at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin. Like Evans, DeSitter's “specialty skill” serves her character, the towering Agrippa.
That so many cast members possess those special skills presents a challenge for Rutherford and movement director Derek Van Barham, who must ensure that spectacle - including the puppetry - doesn't overwhelm the storytelling.
“That's something you have to consider when you have a visually stunning show,” DeSitter said. “You don't want to lose your audience.”
Rutherford counts theatricality among “Shockheaded Peter's” assets.
“There's a very physical element that has to be effective visually and done safely,” he said.
Fortunately, the actors are up to the task.
“The cast is fearless,” said actress Jessica Lauren Fisher, a show alternate and Libertyville High School graduate.
“Not only are they immensely talented,” she said, “they're willing to do anything and they trust each other completely ... It's a crazy dark show and they've been able to turn it into something funny and so enjoyable.”
“Shockheaded Peter”
Where: Black Button Eyes Productions at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, (773) 935-6875 or
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 16. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
Tickets: $32