Bricklayers Chicago Sun-Times
But there is something about “The Bricklayers of Oz,” dancer-choreographer Jessica Deahr’s ingenious new hip-hop dance-theater piece for Chicago Dance Crash, that is so imaginative, so playfully revisionist, so of the moment in its biting social commentary, and so superbly realized by all the artists involved, that it feels like an instant classic all its own. Sophisticated enough to please any adult, and propulsive and glittery enough to captivate young audiences, it should enjoy a life far beyond its current brief engagement through Aug. 5 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. (The Broadway Playhouse would be an ideal commercial venue for the show, but the producers there have their own ideas for that often underutilized stage.)
The bricklayers work like mad to get the job done, but when they are unceremoniously locked out of the posh celebratory party for the completion of the road project, a powerful sense of rebellion takes hold. Things are going to change in Oz, particularly for the Wicked Witch. And you can see it and feel it in the dancing that is exceptional in its acrobatic fearlessness, freedom and precision.
All in all, “The Bricklayers of Oz” lays down 75 minutes of thoroughly engaging storytelling. And when next you watch Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion ease on down that Yellow Brick road, you will undoubtedly remember just who paved the way.
