Weird and wonderful White Rooster at Lookingglass

The mind of writer/director/co-composer and Lookinglass ensemble member Matthew Yee is a fertile and wild ranging one with a bent towards bizarre.  So it's no surprise that his Lo Mein Western White Rooster that includes everything from Chinese myths to chicken soup is one heck of a ride through metaphor, music, and a hero’s journey. Oh, and this is a beautiful live action shadow puppet play too!

The hero on the journey in this case is Min, played with growing self awareness by Sonnie Eraso, who plays with a dead sister (played by other worldly Noelle Oh) and is married off to dead grandson Pong (played by newcomer Reilly Oh) in the form of a rooster. The entire ensemble is “all in” to this magical realism trip through themes of familial obligation versus personal autonomy, superstition, exploitive capitalism, toxic family dynamics,death and incessant hunger and want in a harsh landscape (artistically rendered in the set by Natsu Onoda Power). Caitlin McLeod’s puppets often steal the show. And the entire endeaver is set to a Yee and co composer Justin Cavazos’s almost metal country western indie score. The show defies categorization and is one of those things you just drag your friends to see. It’s an incredibly wacky spin to take with this what’s-gonna-happen-next story. 

The show includes the hallmark dramatic physicality that Lookingglass is known for, but it also brings something new: a distinctly Asian viewpoint to a story about the American West. Considering how many Chinese people were conscripted into physically building the mythologically White West, it’s a vision past due.  Be sure to look into some of the historical references that Yee contemplated in the making of the show here: https://tinyurl.com/49wae6c7

I also want to note that the prominence of puppets in this piece is at once a nod to Asian storytelling traditions and a testament to how Chicago's vibrant puppet scene and more importantly the region's artistic development infrastructure, from the festival to Chicago Puppet Lab and Chicago Puppet Studio, allows artists to craft unique and inspiring work where objects define our humanity.

White Rooster has already been extended to April 26, 2026 so get there!  It’s playing Wednesdays through Sundays at the  Joan and Paul Theatre, 163 E Pearson in Chicago’s historic Water Tower. For tickets and information go to:

https://lookingglasstheatre.org/plays/white-rooster/

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