Playwright: Nick Payne. At: Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave. Tickets: 773-649-3186 or www.steeptheatre.com; $20-$22. Runs through May 24
Exposed plumbing pipes zigzag throughout designer Chelsea M. Warren's multiplatform set for Steep Theatre Company's Midwest premiere of If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, a drama by playwright Nick Payne that exposes a modern-day British family in bubbling crisis mode. No doubt all that plumbing imagery is meant to be a metaphor—perhaps for a hidden interconnectedness, or perhaps for the way that so many of the characters' lives appear to be going down their drain.
Either way, the pipes provide a solid framework for director Jonathan Berry's simultaneously emotional and restrained take on If There Is…, which gained a certain degree of notoriety when Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal starred in the 2012 off-Broadway U.S. premiere.
I didn't see that production, but Gyllenhaal's appearance as the drifter uncle Terry might have imbalanced the play dramatically. If There Is… largely focuses instead on the character of Anna, an overweight and bullied teenager who is neglected by parents who appear to be more concerned for their careers than the happiness of family life.
Anna ( Caitlin Looney ) is not only targeted by her peers for her appearance, but for the fact that her mother, Fiona ( Cynthia Marker ), is an administrator at school. When Anna gets suspended for a fight, she soon falls under the thrall of her disreputable visiting uncle, Terry ( Shane Kenyon ), who is allowed to stay at their house reluctantly by her environmentalist father, George ( Peter Moore ).
Terry showers Anna with attention and go-getter confidence, and even tries to fight some of her battles for her ( with decidedly comic outcomes ). But when the real reason for Terry's reappearance becomes known and eventually drives him away, Anna grows increasingly distraught.
At Steep Theatre, If There Is… shines with its all-around powerfully acted ensemble who give the right amount of passion and resentment to their characters throughout. Berry and his finely modulated cast bring out all of the play's humor and pathos with equal measure.
Looney is lethargically subtle and devastating in her quiet and defeatist performance as the unhappy Anna. She pairs well with Kenyon's initially upbeat and very charismatic uncle Terry ( another fine performance from this actor who recently made an acclaimed Goodman Theatre debut in Buzzer ).
As the forever-busy father George, Moore gets across his character's analytical obsessiveness about trying to save the earth from global warming, even if it means that he's failing at his role as a father. As Fiona, Marker handles the difficult task of being both a concerned mother and one who is obviously disappointed at how her daughter has turned out.
With If There Is…, Steep Theatre shows once again why they're the go-to storefront theatre for compelling modern-day British drama. There's lots of pain to be ruefully shared, but also a glimmer of hope.
