People We Know
Playwright: Robert Tenges. At: The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis . Phone: 773-973-2150; $12-$18. Runs through June 6
Lady X
Playwright: David Cerda with Derek Czaplewski, Cheryl Snodgrass and Adrienne Smith. At: Hell in a Handbag Productions at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark . Phone: 800-838-3006; $15-$20. Runs through June 19
Mysteries lie at the hearts of both People We Know and Lady X, two wildly different world premieres currently playing in Chicago.
While Lady X is a campy spoof of 1930s and '40s films populated with by tough-talking dames caught up in a mob-related melee, People We Know is a contemplative examination that questions whether one truly knows the person you choose to spend your life with.
The serious stuff first at The Side Project: Robert Tenges' People We Know aims to give people pause about the state of their relationships.
The play initially focuses on the emotionally distraught Dianne ( Amy Johnson ) , a wife who is mostly secure in her belief that her teacher husband, Paul ( C. Sean Piereman ) , was wrongfully convicted of pedophilia.
Dianne's married friends don't know how to react to her. Tenges mines some great dark humor out of this difficult get-together situation, setting a comic tone for the play that unfortunately gets dropped for the duration.
The rest of People We Know is an overwhelming downer. Marriages problems between lawyer Maddy ( Kirsten D'Aurelio ) and college music conductor Eric ( Robert Koon ) and career woman Hannah ( Elizabeth Bagby ) and loving father Joshua ( Andy Hager ) both boil over past a breaking point.
Despite some very good performances that director Adam Webster draws from his cast ( the "lovemaking" between Koon and D'Aurelio is an uncomfortable hoot ) , People We Know will probably frustrate more than it will enlightenand that's even with the lack of a "did he do it or didn't he?" certainty to Paul's actions. Instead, Tenges seems more content to just sow seeds of doubt, whether it's in cryptic flashbacks with Paul, or self-aware monologues the characters share with the audience ( but not with their partners ) .
Now for the unabashed ( and frequently raunchy ) comedy: Hell in a Handbag Productions' Lady X continues the company's tradition of exalting and eviscerating old silver screen conventions and their glamorous stars ( played by both men and women ) .
Playwright/star David Cerda plays newly installed mob boss Scarlett Fontanelli, who rules her coop of dance hall hostesses with a Joan Crawford-like iron fist. When murders start occurring under Scarlett's watch, her employees ( led by Annie Gloyn's hilariously hard-boiled Mary Dwight ) debate whether or not to talk to D.A. Frank Graham ( Megan Keach ) .
In addition to Gloyn, great stylistic performances come from Hell in a Handbag regulars Michael S. Miller, Elizabeth Lesinski and, especially, Ed Jones as the aging prostitute Estelle Porter.
Lady X most certainly could benefit from some judicious cutting and tightening of the plot. But overall, it's no mystery that Lady X is a campy comedy confection from start to finishas you would only expect from Hell in a Handbag.