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Review: 'Lady Chaplin & Her Tramp: The Life and Art of Charlie Chaplin'
June 20, 2006
By Paul Kosidowski
Oona O'Neill Chaplin is certainly one of the more interesting characters in 20th century American history. The estranged daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, she was a minor debutante and celebrity in her own right even before she became Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife. Devoted to Chaplin, she bore him eight children and still had time to become involved in the various controversies that swirled around her husband in the later years of his life. So first step for Michael Stock's new play at the Piven Theater Workshop was a sure one -- he found a good subject.
June 20, 2006
By Paul Kosidowski
Oona O'Neill Chaplin is certainly one of the more interesting characters in 20th century American history. The estranged daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, she was a minor debutante and celebrity in her own right even before she became Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife. Devoted to Chaplin, she bore him eight children and still had time to become involved in the various controversies that swirled around her husband in the later years of his life. So first step for Michael Stock's new play at the Piven Theater Workshop was a sure one -- he found a good subject.
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While Stock touches on several aspects of Chaplin's life -- his "serious" artistic aspirations, his embrace of Communism -- the story focuses primarily on Chaplin's obsession with young girls, Oona included (they met when she was 16 and Chaplin was 54). In fact, a large chunk of the evening is given over to the theory (posited in Joyce Milton's biography, Tramp: The Life of Charlie Chaplin) that Chaplin's onscreen and offscreen relationship with Lita Grey (wife number two) was Vladimir Nabokov's inspiration for Lolita.
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Lady Chaplin & Her Tramp: The Life and Art of Charlie Chaplin runs May 20-June 25 at the Piven Theatre, 927 Noyes St., Evanston, Ill. Tickets (312) 335-1650. Website: www.piventheatre.org.