“It Is a Masterpiece of Acting”: Timothy Edward Kane in An Iliad

Playing at The Court Theatre in Chicago until December 11, An Iliad, adapted from Homer’s epic poem by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, features one man – actor Timothy Kane – as Homer. A daunting task. So much text. So much text!

Tim Kane is married to one of my dearest friends, Kate Fry, and the show was in previews while I was in Chicago for the reading of my script, so I was unable to go and see it. It now sounds as though I am missing a Theatrical Event of the highest order. Tim and Kate are the humblest of people, despite their glittering careers, and I am not sure if they even read their reviews (I know Kate doesn’t read hers).

But that never stops ME from reading their reviews.

Chris Jones, at Chicago Tribune, writes in his review:

Overall this is, for sure, one of the most remarkable performances of the theatrical year. There’s nothing pretentious about what Kane does (under the direction of Charles Newell), nor any sense of rhetorical pomposity. Crucially, it just feels like Kane — whose ravaged physical appearance is very different from his usual all-American charm — is spilling out the contents of his mind and heart, in service of some higher duty. Acting work at this level is often marked by a palpable unselfishness, a willingness to subjugate self to character and material, and that’s exactly how it feels here. It is a masterpiece of acting — the clear high point of Kane’s career to date — that should not be missed.

The long “recitation of wars” section, remarked upon in every review, is the clip above. I am most struck by the stillness and simplicity of his body language, in comparison to the complex and driven language. It is riveting.

Chicago people: you still have a couple of weeks to catch this performance. Buy tickets here.