On Thursday, after an existential crisis and a nearly two-year hiatus, Chicago’s famed Lookingglass Theater Company officially returned to public performances at its Michigan Avenue Theater in the city-owned Water Tower Pumping Station. Appropriate for a company known for its physically oriented performances, the new production is “Circus Quixote,” created by longtime ensemble member David Catlin and his wife Kerry Catlin, with the circus-based assistance of Sylvia Hernandez-Distasi. Designed and developed by. Earlier on Monday morning, LookingGlass also inaugurated a new lobby, café and bar space, funded by a grant from the State of Illinois and with an entrance at 163 E. Pearson St.
Founded in 1988 by former Northwestern University classmates, LookingGlass has long had a number of distinguished members, including Joey Gregory, Laura Eason, Mary Zimmerman, and J. Nicole Brooks, many of whom now work mostly in film and TV. But the most famous of these is David Schwimmer, who rose to global fame on “Friends,” one of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time. Schwimmer is expected to cut the ribbon on Monday and spoke to us from his home in New York. The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: You grew up in Los Angeles. How is your family?
Answer: Everyone is fine but I am suffering a lot. We know many people who have had to evacuate their homes.
Q: It’s been a long time since you’ve been back to Chicago and it’s been a long time since you performed Lookingglass.
A: It is. But I’m really happy to be back. I hope our company’s return will be as exciting for the city as it is for me. Listen, I think what happened over the last four years with the pandemic and us having to close our doors and lay off about 70% of our employees was incredibly difficult for us. First, we were not able to produce, then we came back with an original show but we had to shut it down again. And the Magnificent Mile, like many other theaters and arts groups, has faced difficulties.
Q: Like many people, I was worried that LookingGlass was gone forever.
Answer: I will not lie. Over the years, there has been a lot of waste and things have become a bit discouraging, especially when it comes to finding new sources of contributed income at a time when people are not giving much to the arts. At times we all asked each other if we should close up shop, having been doing this for over 30 years, we should be happy with the work we have done and the jobs we have created. Or do we dig in, put on our big-boy pants and ask, can we find a new way forward in this environment while staying true to the mission of our core work? I thought we just do it, try to come back and give it everything we’ve got.
Q: You’re a very famous and very busy person, beyond Lookingglass and Chicago. So what does this comeback mean for you?
A: I decided to lean on LookingGlass and double down. I join our Board of Directors for the first time. Of course, I’m donating, but I’m also trying to meet new people in Chicago and get more investment for us from the business community. We want to revitalize this entire corridor on Michigan Avenue and make LookingGlass a fun destination for parties, speakers, classes, even stand-up comedy. It should be a lively place, even when we don’t have a show playing, and that’s our goal now. We’re talking Hubbard Street Dance, Broadway, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. We want to turn our space into a shared art center and work on other larger spaces as well. This is the conversation we have been having.
Question: Admirably ambitious.
Answer: We need to start slow and grow rapidly over the next three to five years as we build our new production model. We have some incredible new shows in the pipeline, but one show I would love to bring back is Mary Zimmerman’s “The Odyssey,” which is a wonderful story about returning home. But this is a big show and we can’t do this in our region and hopefully be successful in this too, so we have to find new producing partners.
Q: There has been some change in attire over the years.
Answer: Yes. Some people want to step back. But we want our comeback to be about the new guard and the best of the old guard. We have new leadership and they are fantastic and we really hope we can inspire people to come back to the city. This is the key.
Q: Are you going to direct or star in a show?
Answer: I definitely am. I can’t wait to get back on the Lookingglass stage, where I haven’t performed since doing “Our Town” (in 2009). We may fall flat on our faces, but we really need the help of the entire community to meet this challenge. We need the governor, the mayor, this entire neighborhood, too.
Q: I know there has been a long-running struggle to get a sign on Michigan Avenue, where a lot of people once passed.
A: We need to get that foot traffic back to where it was before. And we need the city’s help in letting people know that there is a theater here.
“Circus Quixote” January 30 through March 30 at the Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Will run at the Lookingglass Theater on Michigan Avenue; 312-337-0665 and www.lookingglasstheatre.org