Playwright: Calamity West. At: Jackalope Theatre at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway. Tickets: www.jackalopetheatre.org; $15-$20. Runs through: April 2
Plays don't puzzle me very often, but Rolling stumped me. That it's female-centric and concerns three generations of women is clear, but that's all. My female viewing companiona bright, 20-year old, pro-Bernie collegianalso was stumped, and a stumped audience isn't usually a satisfied one.
Rolling is not as its publicity proclaims, the story of an established journalist accused of fraud over her ground-breaking story about campus sexual assault; a plot which would have sprung directly from recent headlines. Yes, the central character, Valerie, is a journalist who secretly returns home to escape media fallout after fraud accusations; but Calamity West's script is so skimpy with story exposition that we never learn the precise details of Valerie's story or the accusations, or why Valerie stays home for months. It doesn't really matter because Rolling definitely is not about journalism, sexual assault or fraud. Rather, it's entirely about female family dynamics.
Even so, the plot is skimpyalthough with a helluva lot of character exposition about Valerie ( Dana Black ), her mother Janet ( Ann James ), her younger sister Molly ( Abby Pierce ) and odd family friend Danny ( Pat Whalen ), a would-be journalist who's left his wife and child but isn't a romantic partner of either sister. The women are highly competitive, the hectoring mother always is proclaiming her honesty, Valerie shifts between sharp offense and prickly defensiveness and Molly bounces between them. Janet loathes her unseen mother, but Janet is so bile-tongued I suspect Granny's a sweetheart.
The minimal story comes in bits and pieces, with playwright Calamity West planting numerous seeds that produce no fruit. Early in Act I Molly importantly has her own condo, but in Act II she's living with Mom without explanation. Dad works the nightshift and is discussed, but never seen. He has no function, so why mention him at all? Act II begins with someone having died, but we aren't told who for 15 minutes. It's Granny, whose death liberates Janet but has no influence on the play's outcome. Molly and Danny are alcoholics, a point made several times, but yet another point with no impact on the outcome. At close, Valerie and Molly reach personal resolution ( although I don't know what divides them ) and Valerie leaves to fight for her good name.
West gives Rolling plenty of realistic stylewithering remarks, loaded lines, acerbic humorbut it illuminates character alone. The four actors give appealing, dry-but-edgy ultra-naturalistic performances under director Nate Silver, with especially sly delivery from James. Even Joanna Iwanicka's scenic design, a traditional box set, is effectively realistic ( atypical for Jackalope ). Rolling establishes its characters well, but without sufficient story I don't care. Rolling either is too minimal or too subtle for me.
More Windy City Times theater news and reviews at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gaynewsarticles.php .