Created by Simone Jubyna
and the ensemble
Walkabout Theater at Speed Wash Laundromat, 4721 N. Damen
Phone: ( 312 ) 458-0566;
$15 suggested donation
Through June 4
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
'Chicago has theaters everywhere!' a passerby said in disbelief outside the Speed Wash Laundromat right before a performance of Psycho-so-Matic. That's right, this winning and quirky physical movement play is set in the found-space of an actual working Laundromat.
And why not? Walkabout Theatre gained national media attention for staging Downsize in various men's restrooms throughout Chicago in 2003. Like Downsize, there's a limited audience capacity ( about 20 ) , but you can also gawk in through the store's windows from the street if you don't mind missing out on the sound design by Steve Ritchie and Speed Queen washers.
Psycho-so-Matic probably won't garner the same kind of topical media attention as Downsize, but it is definitely a creative show that constantly surprises with lots of physical dexterity. That is, if you bring your interpretive skills along.
Running just more than an hour ( about the time it takes to wash and dry an actual load of laundry ) , Psycho-so-Matic features a quartet of oddball characters ( who would probably send you running and screaming away if you met them during the Laundromat's open hours ) . There's almost no dialogue, but the performers speak volumes with their physical movements and interactions.
Mike Driscoll plays an intense geriatric attendant complete with cane and taps on his shoes. When he's not pushing laundry soap, he blatantly flouts the taped-up 'No Smoking Area' signs. Mike Driscoll is a young man in red with a death-wish ( he carries a road-side crash memorial around with him ) , while Larry Underwood seems to be clinging onto his lost childhood ( represented by a child's body-size winter coat stuffed with laundry ) . Meghan Strell plays a high-powered business executive with cell phone practically glued to her side. Despite her demure purple suit, Strell's 'girls gone wild' side occasionally creeps out. Funky artist/dancer Laura Grey is thrown into the mix with the best entrance in a laundry bag.
Depending upon your interpretations of the characters and movements, you can see how lovers manipulate and protect each other. Or you might see Grey and Strell's race around the laundry tables as a metaphor for women comparing each other in terms of their fading youth and lack of status-defining wealth.
Psycho-so-Matic creator Simone Jubyna and her ensemble keep things smartly wide-open for audience interpretation. Even if you don't probe so deeply to attach meaning to the movement, the ensemble's amazing physical performances keep you constantly engaged.
Jubyna's choice of the Speed Wash Laundromat is an exercise in camp itself. From its acoustic tile wall paneling, ancient Royal Crowne Cola machine and dusty reward sign from the 'Midwest Association of Automatic Laundry Stores,' the Speed Wash is the perfect setting for the 1960s and '70s Laundromat that time forgot
Also, watch out for that famous teddy bear Corduroy from the children's book A Pocket for Corduroy to make an appearance. All these things make Psycho-so-Matic an overstuffed load that you don't mind spilling over because it's so much fun.