Playwright: Robert Tenges. At: the side project, 1439 W. Jarvis St. Tickets: 773-340-0140 or www.thesideproject.net; $10-$20. Runs through Aug. 9
Abortion and easy access to firearms are introduced in the first few minutes of Whatever, a drama by Robert Tenges now receiving a world premiere at the side project. Sure enough, that gun goes off before the end, but the buildup to that moment is drawn out and ultimately dramatically bewildering.
Whatever starts with teenager Chloe ( Grace Melon ) and her medicated boyfriend, Declan ( Aaron Lockman ), falsifying a field trip note to trick her dad into giving her money for a scheduled abortion the next day. Later that evening, Chloe is petulant and rude to her father, Henry ( Josh Odor ), and his new girlfriend, Rachel ( Kirsten D'Aurelio ), who questions whether this relationship is one she should pursue.
The next morning, Declan's mother, Ivy ( Shawna Tucker ), lashes out at him for refusing to take his medication. Then at school, a grossly inappropriate relationship between Chloe and counselor Scott ( Bryan Breau ) is also revealed. Henry's boss Mike ( Mike Rice ) is also in the play, though his marital and health problems seem to take up more time than they really should.
Tenges has overburdened Whatever with too many surrounding people and circumstances around the lives of its central teen couple over a 24-hour period. Perhaps Tenges wanted to show a bigger picture of the community of adults around one unhinged teenager who is pushed to murder, but it doesn't help when so many of those characters are so woefully underwritten or only tangentially tied into the central conflict.
Tenges' decision to include a relationship between an adult and teenager feels ill-advised, especially since it's treated as just a basic plot point in the mechanics of the play rather than a major revelation in of itself. Tenges also spends far too much time with the underdeveloped adult characters, whose conflicts and dilemmas feel forced and far too lightweight in comparison to the unfolding drama between Chloe and Declan.
With such sketchy material, the cast under the direction of Adam Webster do what they can to enliven their characters. But there's only so much they have to work with, so they're not entirely at fault when their characters don't pass muster when it comes to believability. Since they have the most dramatically to work with, Melon's Chloe and Lockman's Declan come off best.
Whatever certainly started off with plenty of promise as a teen angst drama before Tenges steered it off in strange and tangential directions regarding the adults. And since Tenges wanted to pack it all in within the course of 24 hours, Whatever often feels rushed as it only scratches the surface of so many of the characters' personal problems.