The White Snake at the Goodman Theatre Made us all Ssssssmile

Tanya Thai McBride (Green Snake)
and Amy Kim Waschke (White Snake)
in The White Snake.

Seeing is believing (or is believing seeing?) in Mary Zimmerman's "The White Snake" at the Goodman Theatre, and there's a lot to see in this modern version of an ancient Chinese fable. I attended the play with my son and daughter, ages 11 and 9, and we all loved it. Told with plenty of action and humor, the story follows a serpent spirit as she transforms into a human and falls in love with a mortal man. 

Raising questions of love and doubt, we were all immediately pulled into the tale by the actors, multiple narrators and puppets. The visually stunning, yet simple, sets and costumes transported us to another time and place. 

Tanya Thai McBride
played The Green Snake
with loads of energy
and humor.

The night we went, I believe my children were the youngest in the audience, but this play is appropriate for ages 10 (or in our case 9) and up. This being a student blog, I asked my son to write a mini review himself....

The White Snake, playing at the Goodman Theatre, is a wonderfully crafted visual masterpiece. When I watched this play I instantly got engaged and watched deeply until the very end. The play has a wonderful balance of humor and drama. About every character is humorous but are put under dramatic circumstances. Greenie, which was my personal favorite character, had undeniable charm but managed not to outshine the rest of the cast. Everyone in The White Snake compliments each other, you could say, rather than outshining one another. In all I had a wonderful time watching this play and what I most loved was that the spirit never died out. I definitely recommend the White Snake. —Ethan S.

One of the most stunning scenes lit up the theater
 beautifully with lanterns.

The White Snake, Written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, plays at the Goodman Theatre through June 8, 2014. For tickets call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org.