‘The Attic’ Is A Theatrical Feast For The Senses
An extraordinary fusion of storytelling, dance, aerial artistry, music, and visual spectacle, The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying On My Back turns one woman’s life into a theatrical experience so full of movement and invention that you won’t want to look away.
As I was watching this show, a fleeting thought floated in and out of my mind. There is a great deal of concern about AI and technology invading our creative spaces. We all talk about it, and it’s impossible to know exactly what will happen, but there are some things – some unbelievably human things – that a computer model could never touch. And this show is one of them.
The Attic: Things I’ve Seen While Lying On My Back focuses on a narrator. This woman has lived a life both similar to and different from others, and, in various ways, shows you, age by age, what she experienced while lying on her back. From being a baby laying in her crib to finding the love of a husband to enduring sickness, you follow her life story.
Written, directed, and choreographed by Tony Award-nominated former trapeze artist Shana Carroll, this breathtaking show is also based on her life story. Inspired by a medical procedure she was having, she realized she could tell her story through everything she experienced while lying on her back. That is some kind of inspiration.
There is no way to quantify The Attic in words, but I will do my best. With modern dance, aerial feats, visual projections, live singing, and so much more from a company of 10 performers, I was literally disappointed every time I had to blink for fear of missing something.
This show is a wonder for the eyes, ears, and imagination. The cast wears white clothing, letting the lights and visuals create different impressions depending on the scene. The sounds of waves crashing or birds chirping surround you at times, as do a Prince-inspired song and various other music pieces playing behind the action.
The narrative covers sections of Carroll’s life, each giving you the essence of being there. As a baby, she doesn’t know how to use her limbs or move fluidly, and adults on stilts in 70s clothing arrive to care for her. Slightly older, the cast wears dress-up clothes, and then phone cords criss-cross the stage as she becomes a preteen.
The performers are astounding, climbing a pole with their feet, swinging on a trapeze, dancing in the air with silks, balancing each other at great heights, and using large rings to tell a story. You may have seen mind-blowing acts like these elsewhere, but the combination of theatre, storytelling, dance, and aerial acts for over two hours is truly astonishing.
One sequence is designed on the bed itself, where hands come through the mattress as one player performs on top. I found myself holding my breath, wanting to see every single detail of the sequence. I couldn’t get enough, and I wish I could watch it again now, but the Goodman video will have to suffice.
Luckily, you still have time to go, and with an ending moment that may be the most jaw-dropping conclusion to a performance that I’ve ever seen, you cannot miss this. This dazzling production is unlike anything else, and if you love the theatre as I do, this is something you’ll be talking about for years.
The Attic runs for approximately 2 hours 10 minutes with one intermission. It is recommended for ages 8 and up.
Goodman Theatre: The Attic Chicago Review – The Attic is playing at The Goodman Theatre through 10/4/26. Tickets can be purchased on the Goodman Theatre website or by calling (312) 443-3800. Goodman Theatre is located at 170 North Dearborn in Chicago.