Moment
Playwright: Deirdre Kinahan. At: Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave. Tickets: 866-811-4111 or www.steeptheatre.com; $20-$22. Runs through: Aug. 18
Gruesome Playground Injuries
Playwright: Rajiv Joseph. At: Rasaka Theatre Company at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. Tickets: 312-777-1070 or www.rasakatheatre.org; $20-$25. Runs through: Aug. 5
"Two local play premieres, one new to Chicago and the other new to the U.S., offer compelling contrasts when it comes to playwriting structure.
Steep Theatre's U.S. debut of Irish playwright Deirdre Kinahan's Moment is presented in a straightforward chronological fashion (with a few memory flashbacks worked into the second act), while Rasaka Theatre Company's Midwest premiere of Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries jumps back and forth in time to show key episodes in the lives of two friends.
The first act of Moment is a classic build-up as we get introduced to the Lynch family in modern-day Ireland. Aging matriarch Teresa (Maggie Cain) is having mental health issues, while her grown daughters, Niamh (Cynthia Marker) and Ciara (Julia Siple), prepare for a showdown with their returning ex-con brother Nial (Josh Odor), who has found fame as an abstract artist.
The exact dark secret of Nial's crime is eventually revealed, pulling in his new English wife, Ruth Pigeon (Carey Lee Burton); Ciara's husband, Dave (James Allen); and Niamh's new boyfriend, Fin (Alex Gillmor), into the long-festering trauma that changed the lives of the entire Lynch family in just a single moment.
Dramatically, Moment isn't that convincing when it comes to the explanation of why Nial committed his crime against teenager Hillary Kelly (a very amusing Grace Melon). Rather, Moment works better as a drama where we see the resentments and other family dynamics play out as we learn why the whole Lynch clan behaves as it does nowadays.
Director Jonathan Berry has cast Moment very well, with his performers giving genuine performances with Irish and British dialects that mostly stay in place. Although Moment is very traditional in its structure, its relatable characters and strong performers definitely pull you in.
Gruesome Playground Injuries, by its very nature, is more fragmented with its time-jumping structure, which doesn't allow you the chance to entirely connect with its two unrequited lovers who first meet as 8-year-old kids in the school nurse's office.
Kayleen (Mouzam Makkar) becomes the obsessive object of desire for Doug (Tim Martin), even though she doesn't return his affections. Sometimes Doug pulls dangerous stunts to get Kayleen's attention (with horrific results), while she reveals a disturbing self-harming habit.
Director Lavina Jadhwani creates a chilly and clinical production of Gruesome Playground Injuries in the basement of the Chopin Theatre, allowing audiences to gaze at her acting duo from three sides as they change costume (and stage injury makeup) in full view between scenes. There's some good dialogue and situations for the actors to work with, but the play itself just doesn't add up into a fully satisfying reason to care about these self-destructing friends.