Dah Teatar's The Story of Tea at Chopin Theatre

Chekhov lovers rarely have to wait long for a fix in this town; with (by my count) five versions of Uncle Vanya, four Three Sisters, three Cherry Orchards and two Seagulls on the boards in just the five-plus years that TOC's been around, we could call ourselves Chekhago. This week, fans of the Russian master should be in ecstasy—a stately, tragicomic ecstasy—with Sarah Ruhl's adaptation of The Three Sisters opening tonight at Piven Theatre Workshop and Bob Falls's production of The Seagull in previews at the Goodman for its opening a week from tonight. Word of another Chekhov-related event reached us after our print deadline, but I think it's worth chekh-ing out (sorry): The Chopin Theatre hosts the Serbian company Dah Teatar on Wednesday for the only Chicago performance of its current U.S. tour. The Story of Tea, pictured above, "uses Chekhov’s Three Sisters as a frame to hold different stories and topics together," according to a press release:

Trains and missed opportunities lead to missing people, missing languages and missing truths. This performance explores the meaning of memory in relation to truth, especially harsh truth. The questions raised in the show are not about hidden truths, but rather about how we treat harsh truth. What happens when, for example, the truth about the abduction of people on a train, during the wars in The Balkans, is recognized? What are the implications of information that we get through media, information that is not properly or humanely treated? What is the role of memory? What are the forms of amnesia in our time and how do we create ritual anamnesis? By extension, of course, we are asked to consider how our own country’s truths are being concealed, and by whom?

The Story of Tea is performed in English and Serbian, 8pm Wednesday October 20th at the Chopin Theatre. Tickets are $20, students and seniors $10, at the door or you can reserve by calling 773-278-1500.