Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter
“3 out 4 stars - A Worthwhile Way to Kick off spooky season...atmospheric play...Brian Parry gives a weighty performance as Captain Gorodetsky.”
written by Timothy Griffin
directed by Ed Rutherford
October 10 - November 23, 2025
“Jeff Recommended”
“5 STARS: a fascinating tale of murder and mayhem on the high seas”
“one of City Lit’s finest productions”
Based on Chapter Seven of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, this gothic horror high seas adventure tells the shocking events aboard the cargo ship transporting Count Dracula’s belongings from Transylvania to England. Suspicion, paranoia, and madness infect the crew as the harried sailors disappear one by one. Full of creeping mystery, vibrant language, rich characters, sinister vanishings, violent sea storms, swashbuckling action, monstrous puppetry, and, of course, a boatload of terrors, this is the Dracula tale you’ve never seen.
World Premiere co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions.
Cast
Crew
Jeremiah Barr (Props & Puppets) Jeremiah is happy to be a part of the Strange Cargo team. Some of his past credits include RUR (scenic design), Glassheart (scenic design), Night of the Hunter (scenic design) with City Lit Theatre; A Shadow Bright and Burning (scenic/props design) with Black Button Eyes; A Town Called Progress (scenic/props design) with Promethean Theatre Ensemble; Betrayal (scenic/props design), The Language Archive (scenic/props design) and The Pillowman (scenic/props design) with AstonRep Theatre Company. You might have also seen his TD handy work with Blue in the Right Way, Idle Muse. Jeremiah is super pleased to be working with such a great cast and fantastic crew and wishes them all the very best. A big shout out to Samantha for all her love and knowledge of cats that keeps him on his toes.
Liz Cooper is excited to be designing at City Lit again! Some of her favorite City Lit designs include Glassheart, Night of the Hunter, and Thirteen Days. Other favorite design credits include A Shadow Bright and Burning, Mary Rose, The Authorized Fan Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Ghost Quartet, and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes), I Promised Myself to Live Faster, The Golden Girls Lost Episodes at Golden Con 2022, The Drag Seed (The Chopin, Chicago and La Mama, NYC) and Christmas Dearest (Hell in a Handbag), and, The Winter's Tale (Oak Park Festival Theatre). She is an Artistic Associate at City Lit. Her light plot for Christmas Dearest was included in Live Design's 31 Days of Plots in 2021.
DJ Douglass (Projection Design) is absolutely thrilled to be working with City Lit. With a passion for creating immersive audio and visual experiences, DJ was recently honored with his second Jeff Award nomination for their outstanding projection work on The Network with Invictus. Over the years, DJ has brought their exceptional talent to a variety of productions. Their notable recent works include Network at Invictus, Reasons: A Tribute to Earth Wind and Fire, Blue Heaven, and Real Housewives of Motown at Black Ensemble Theater, where their innovative designs have captivated audiences. Additionally, DJ's creative contributions can be seen in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Hoist, and To the New Girl with Foundlings Theatre Company, as well as in Shadow of Birds with Glass Apple Theatre. Their collaboration with Bare Knuckle Productions on Who is Tyler Durden further showcases their versatility and skill. DJ would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to their loving wife Ida for her continual support and encouragement throughout their artistic journey.
Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager) is positively chirked to be back at City Lit for the umpteenth time. Previous City Lit shows include The House of Ideas, The Birthday Party, Hay Fever, The Virginian, Hound of the Baskervilles, London Assurance, Hauptmann, Cocktail Time, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and MANY more. She has also had the pleasure of working with Midsommer Flight, Raven, A Red Orchid Theatre, Black Button Eyes Productions, Commedia Beauregard, Promethean Theater Ensemble, Hell in a Handbag, A Crew of Patches, Polarity Ensemble Theater, Red Hen/Chicago Jewish Theater, ARFTCo, L.I.V.E., and Accomplice.
Joe Griffin he/him/his (sound design/composition) has been a recording engineer/sound designer for over 30 years. His recent work includes War of the Worlds at Lifeline Theatre and Fahrenheit 451 and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Moraine Valley Community College. He’s also created sound designs for Commedia Beauregard’s Bard Fiction and A Klingon Christmas Carol, The Time Warp Trio and So You Think It’s Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? at Lifeline, and assorted shows for Mercury, Eclectic Full Contact, House, Bohemian, Annoyance, and Steep Theatre companies. Joe thanks his brother Tim for inviting him aboard this voyage.
Timothy Griffin (Playwright) is a Chicago playwright and actor, and an Honors graduate of Illinois State University. His plays, including MURDER IN MIRTHBURG, TICKLEBRAINS, RE: ALICE, and ONCE UPON A TIME… IN DENMARK! have been performed in Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City, Miami, and Chagrin Falls (Ohio). He was a four-time finalist in the Deathscribe International Festival of Horror Radio Plays, and his screenwriting work includes the short films THE CELLAR JOB and SNARE, as well as the cult creature feature TAIL STING. Favorite acting work includes the titular roles in HAMLET and RICHARD III, DIAL M FOR MURDER (Tony), BOOTH (Junius Booth), THE BOOK OF WILL (Burbage), and THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (Satan). He is also a writer of novels and short fiction and is an accomplished musician and fight choreographer.
Carrie Hardin (Dialect Coach) is pleased to be returning to CityLit, after most recently coaching House of Ideas last season. Other CityLit credits include Night of the Hunter, Murder in the Cathedral, Playboy of the Western World, and London Assurance, among others. You may have heard her coaching efforts around town with First Folio, Lifeline Theatre, Babes with Blades, Pegasus, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Aston Rep, Idle Muse, Redtwist, and Loyola University Chicago, where she also teaches. Many thanks to all involved, and to her family for putting up with her near-constant quiet mumbling in different voices.
Beth Laske-Miller (Costume Designer) Previous BBE credits include Mary Rose, Nightmares & Nightcaps (Jeff Nom 2019), Shockheaded Peter (Jeff Award winner 2018), Goblin Market, and Coraline. Beth also works frequently with; Hell In a Handbag Productions - I Promised Myself to Live Faster (Jeff Award winner 2024) A Fine Feathered Murder (Jeff Award winner 2023), Poseidon! An Upside-Down Musical, and L’Imitation of Life. City Lit Theatre Co.- RUR, House of Ideas, Innocence of Seduction, and Fuente Ovejuna. She holds an MFA in Costume Design from CalArts, and a BA in Costume/Fashion Design from Indiana University.
R&D Choreography (Violence Design) is Victor Bayona (he/him) and Rick Gilbert (he/him). We are all sails set for our first time working with City Lit! R&D was founded in 1997 for the purpose of improving the power and effectiveness of Chicago area theatre through the art of violence design – choreographing better fights for better shows. We have designed violence for nearly four hundred productions and films. Our work has been seen at dozens of Chicago area theatres, including Backroom, Chicago Opera Theatre, Citadel, Factory, Goodman, Haven, Lifeline, Lookingglass, Metropolis, Oil Lamp, The Paramount, Piven, Steep, Steppenwolf, TUTA, and Theo.
Ruby Lowe (they/them) (Scenic Designer) is honored to help bring this gorgeously gothic work to the stage. Favorite credits include scenic design for Into The Woods (FVTC) and Heathers (point2 Productions), lighting design for Ride The Cyclone (NCC), and master electrician at Raven Theatre for over two years. Check out more of Ruby's work at rubylowestudio.com. Endless love to the boys, my partners, and my parents. Enjoy the voyage!
Ed Rutherford (Director) is pleased to rejoin City Lit, having acted in The Wind in the Willows (twice!), The Sign of the Four, and State Street. As Producing Artistic Director for Black Button Eyes Productions, directing credits include Ghost Quartet (Jeff Nom: Director- Musical), Evil Dead the Musical (Jeff Nom: Director- Musical), Shockheaded Peter, and Coraline. Promethean Theatre Ensemble: artistic associate, directing The Liar, The Last Unicorn, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Beyond Therapy. Book & Lyrics: Murder, ReWrote and Mary Rose. As an actor, he's performed with Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. NU Theater degree, MBA Kellogg. ed-rutherford.com
Reviews
Colin Douglas/Chicago Theatre Review/10/21/2025
Perfectly presented during the Halloween season, City Lit’s co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions is an absolutely timely artistic pairing.
In a creative attempt to read between the lines of Bram Stoker’s “found footage” concerning the horrifying legend of Dracula, talented Playwright Timothy Griffin brilliantly fills in the missing details in his new play. In STRANGE CARGO: THE DOOM OF THE DEMETER we learn the tragic details of the voyage from Eastern Europe to Great Britain. We discover the name, the wisdom and the strong religious beliefs of wise Captain Gorodetsky (beautifully portrayed by Brian Parry, who was seen at City Lit in HOUSE OF IDEAS and the more recent R.U.R). As the Captain, Mr. Parry is the very heart of this story, and his performance beats with the pulse of authority and an empathy for his crew.
Upon boarding, theatergoers will immediately meet each of the ill-fated eight crew members of The Demeter. Through the seafaring saga Griffin delves into themes of brotherhood, male bonding, and the contagion of paranoia and fear. The crew members include First Mate Basarab (portrayed with power and passion by Alex Albrecht); Second Mate Mr. Post, strongly played with understanding and sincere humanity by the marvelous Robert Howard (AUGUST WILSON’S SEVEN GUITARS); Gusa, a miraculously multitalented Jennifer Agather (A WINTER’S TALE at Invictus) plays an agile young man, whose background and strong relationship with Basarab remains cloaked in mystery until near the end of the play.
Having worked with Redtwist, Idle Muse and Chicago Shakespeare Theatres, Andrew Bosworth makes a particularly energetic, erudite and eloquent Mr. Abramoff. Riles August, a recent Chicago transplant, portrays Mr. Olgaren with dignity, strength and determination; an ensemble member with Theatre Above the Law, Ross Compton’s portrayal of Mr. Bucatar is thoughtful and thrilling; As Mr. Petrofsky, Nathaniel Kohlmeier creates a tempestuous, athletic young sailor who frequently seems to be looking for a quarrel; and Cameron Austin Brown, as the innocent, young Turkish enlistee, Munir, often incites the crew’s wrath simply because he’s not Russian.
Talented newcomer to City Lit, Herb Metzler is absolutely stunning and captivating as Yorga. We meet the older Rumanian gentleman in the first scene. He arranges the transportation of several large boxes of soil, from Transylvania to England, aboard The Demeter. While observing the crew members loading the coffin-sized crates onto the ship, Yorga convinces the Captain that its mandatory that he accompany the parcels to their destination. Throughout most of the play, the audience watches the elderly gentleman lurking around the ship throughout the voyage. And then, mysteriously, the crew begin to disappear.
The play is Directed with his typical macabre spirit and mysterious style by the Artistic Director of Black Button Eyes Productions, Ed Rutherford. This talented artist is often called Chicago’s Maestro of Theatrical Horror. If this co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions is any indication, one would hope that Mr. Rutherford will return to helm additional shows, particularly Timothy Griffin’s highly anticipated upcoming sequels to this play: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO RENFIELD and THE DUBIOUS ACCOUNT OF DRACULA.
Helping Mr. Rutherford bring this play to life is another talented crew of artists. They include Ruby Lowe for her massive and majestic seafaring Scenic Design. Timothy’s talented brother, Joe Griffin, has created a realistic Sound Design and Original Musical Composition that add so much to the story’s mysterious quality. Jeremiah Barr competently provides the many period properties and shadow puppets. Liz Cooper has Designed a Lighting Plot that adds a ghostly, supernatural atmosphere to the play; and DJ Douglass has devised a nice Projection Design that keeps the audience informed as to where and when each scene occurs. And Beth Laske-Miller has outdone herself with her believable and detailed late 19th century Costume Design.
Perfectly presented during the Halloween season, City Lit’s co-production with Black Button Eyes Productions is an absolutely timely artistic pairing. Ed Rutherford’s Direction is just right for presenting Timothy Griffin’s creative take on the Legend of Dracula.
Julia W. Rath/Around the Town/10/20/2025
Timothy Griffin has created a fascinating tale of murder and mayhem on the high seas
Timothy Griffin has created a fascinating tale of murder and mayhem on the high seas entitled “Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter.” Adapted from the seventh chapter of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, this horror classic is about a Russian cargo ship and its travels from Transylvania through the Bosporus, past Italy, past the Dover Straits, and into the North Sea—with England being its final destination. But all the while, its crew is being bumped off one by one, and nobody knows what’s happening or who the murderer might be. Over time, as the number of deaths increase and the crew’s paranoia grows, rationality starts to fail and delusions set in. As the story gets eerier, the audience becomes riveted by the intrigue. Considering that the word “doom” is in the title, the question becomes: “To what extent is the ship doomed?” “Can something can be done about it or is this a fait accompli?” A co-production between City Lit Theater and Black Button Eyes Productions, this world premiere presentation, directed by Ed Rutherford, is perfect for the Halloween season!
At the Demeter’s helm is Captain Gorodetsky, played to perfection by Brian Parry, with his characteristic charisma and formidable stage presence. Whether reading excerpts from his log or in dialogue with his crew, he not only commands the ship but commands the audience. Alex Albrecht as Chief Basarab, the ship’s first officer, also gives us a remarkably convincing performance with his two-faced demeanor: one when he addresses the captain and crew and the other when he is in contact with Gusa (Jennifer Agather), a sailor whose tongue was once cut out but has now returned as a perfectly articulate entity, real or imagined. Strong performances likewise distinguish Robert Howard, who plays Post, the third in command, as well as Ross Compton, as Bucatar, who insists that he personally must accompany his special cargo on board, consisting of a large wooden box in the shape of a coffin (which the advance piece tells us contains Count Dracula’s personal effects). Additional crew members are played by Riles August Holiday (Olgaren), Andrew Boworth (Abramoff), Cameron Austin Brown (Munir), Nathaniel Kohlmeier (Petrofsky), and Herb Metzler (Yorga).
There are lots of nicely conceived and executed surprises throughout the show, some of which have to do with folklore and superstition. Oft-mentioned is the possible existence of mythical beasts and mystical beings which sailors have purportedly encountered in their journeys throughout the centuries. Among the things I learned during the course of the play is what a jonah is. According to the internet, a jonah is an expression for a person who is believed to bring bad luck. The term originates from a sailor’s superstition about the biblical prophet Jonah, whose presence on a ship led to a great storm. Furthermore, just as there is a superstition not to wish actors good luck before a theatrical performance, it’s considered bad luck to whistle on board a ship, for why would someone want to jinx the voyage or bring about misfortune to himself and others?
The lighting and sound by Liz Cooper and Joe Griffin respectively are fantastic, especially the display of disastrous weather! I loved the lighting effects that recreate furious tempests at sea, not to mention the sounds of thunder, pouring rain, and pounding surf. The fog is extremely well done too. It is sufficient to provide a hint of the weather that these sailors experienced, but it’s not overpowering for the actors or the audience. Projection design by DJ Douglass is great. The depiction of waves crashing and splashing onto the ship’s hull could not have been handled any better, not to mention the cursive script noting the time and date for each scene, which extends roughly from the beginning of July to the beginning of August in an unspecified year. The multipurpose set design of a ship’s interior is great, thanks to Ruby Lowe, together with props and puppets by Jeremiah Barr. I liked the prime focus being on the steering wheel (which, theoretically, some crew member is supposed to man at all times). It was also fun to watch the actors on the climbing ropes, which they use to adjust the sails (that exist in our imagination). Then too, there’s the ship’s railing, from which people might be thrown overboard or might hurl themselves overboard. Finally, there is the ship’s bell with its multipurpose uses, ranging from the length of a crew member’s watch and keeping time to warning the captain and crew of the likelihood of fog. Beth Laske-Miller’s costume design could not have been more authentic for the era, and dialect coach Carrie Hardin has done a fine job imparting Eastern European accents to the actors.
