Playwright: Craig Wright. At: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. Tickets: 312-943-8722; www.aredorchidtheatre.org . Runs through: Oct. 18
Ya' wanna' see acting? Beg, buy and borrow tickets to Mistakes Were Made, an arduous near-monologue featuring Michael Shannon in a dazzling display of contemporary histrionics. For those who've seen Shannon through the arc of his careerfrom riveting 20-year-old eccentric to commanding thirtysomething stage and screen presence ( and still eccentric ) it's a thrilling return to his storefront Chicago ensemble home.
Playing 10-15 years older than he actually is, Shannon portrays theater producer Felix Artifex ( meaning "happy artist" ) , who is on the verge of producing a big Broadway world premiere about the French Revolution with an A-list Hollywood star or two. Felix's officewith no air conditionerindicates he's seen better days ( Tom Burch, scenic design ) , yet he still has the clout to put movie stars on hold. As Felix works the phone, his deal comes thisclose ( sic ) to triumph, only to collapse under the increasing weight of his lies, shadings and hedging. Meanwhile, his money goes south in an abortive international scheme involving sheep dipI kid you notin Iraq.
Craig Wright's cagey, funny, driving and compelling play is 12-15 minutes longer than it needs to behey, it's a new workbut the language is rich. Wright's poetic screeds and vivid invective are more colorful than Mamet's because Wright goes beyond four-letter words ( although there are plenty ) . Felix is "the guy who cast Suzanne Somers as Medea. This was before the Internet, when having an opinion still mattered." How can you not sympathize with a man who describes a Broadway show as a "razor-edged pyramid balancing on my eyeballs?" Or calls up the image of "an origami Winchester Cathedral?"
Shannon flatters, cajoles, sweet-talks, pleads, browbeats and abuses the various folks at the other end of his multi-line phone as his world melts down. Not for a moment do Shannon's one-sided phone conversations sound false or forced, thanks to Wright's astute script and Shannon's delivery. The audience always intuits the words and emotions of the unheard speaker at the other end. As directed by Dexter Bullard, Shannon is cucumber-cool, unrushed and unforced at first, calmly choosing which phone line to answer and what attitude to take. Before our eyes, we see panic grab Felix by the balls and desperation fever his thoughts. We sympathize with Felix as he compromises his own passionate good intentions because he ruins it for himself more than for anyone else.
Wright's plays often are directly or indirectly political. Here, Wright shadows the Iraq War, as the title suggests. Felix producing a Broadway play is like the U.S. going into Iraq without a Plan B or exit strategy, justified by an ever-heavier net of lies, and denying responsibility for collateral damage ( the sheep dip fiasco ) . But leave politics to me; just go for Shannon's performance.