Playwright: Michael Bassett. At: 13Carat Productions at Theatre Building, Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-327-5252; $20. Runs through: June 29
A television writer wakes up from a three-month coma and speculates on what his friends have been doing in his absence. A married couple essays a 'swinging' threesome with a blasé surrogate. A stranger taunts a pair of cancer patients in the waiting room of a clinic. A Groom and his Best Man attempt a robbery on the day of the wedding. Four dramatic premises, four plays=4Play, get it?
The framework for the play festival named for the late Martin de Maat and sponsored by the likewise no-longer-operating Boxer Rebellion Theater mandated that all entries be based on one of an assemblage of paintings drawn from various periods. Those forming the foundation for the plays selected by 13Carat Productions to be presented under their collective title are not only displayed on the show's advertising materials, but are amplified by the extended music-video overtures to each segment ( elimination of which could probably shave a full 30 minutes off the two-hour running time ) featuring enigmatic photographic imagery accompanied by the original music of Andy Scott.
The stories inspired by these images exhibit contrasting tones sufficient to justify their anthology, but when all four plays share the same author—in this case, midwest expat Michael Bassett—certain similarities are inevitable: the uniformity of gender balance, for example, or the propensity of female characters to focus on themselves while the men exchange information in bona fide conversation. Fortunately, the four directors contributing their skills to the evening's entertainment are adept at coaxing out of their mostly young actors' performances concealing each play's flaws to make the most of its assets. ( If our wholesome suburban couple were not so comically clumsy in their alleged quest for sexual liberation, for example, we might suspect the true motive behind their charade. And though playgoers with medieval sensibilities might guess the identity of the jokester in the doctor's office, it's not for any overt hint or wink on the part of the interpreters. )
The remaining two plays bookending the evening's roster were still finding their stride at their final preview performance, but with the advent of the academics-on-summer-break season close upon us, 4Play ranks several cuts above the scholarly exercises and post-graduate flings certain to follow in its wake. Enjoy a look at this one while you can.
