Playwright: Tom Griffin
At. Mephisto Theatre Co.
at Chicago Dramatists
Phone: (312) 264-5441; $25
Runs through: Sept. 7
New-in-town Mefisto introduces itself with a good production of a not-very-good play; but one with a string of strong moments and wonderful opportunities for actors, of which the Mefisto cast takes advantage. Trouble is, The Boys Next Door is very nearly nothing but a string of moments. Rather than a tale with a continuing story arc, it's a quirky and episodic series of scenes. Supporting characters come and go, sometimes pointlessly and with scarcely a line, while the principals frequently break the fourth wall to tell the audience about thoughts or actions, rather than show them to us.
Many theater-goers may be familiar with the set-up from other productions of the play: four retarded or disturbed twenty-something men, wards of the state, share an apartment which allows them marginal integration with 'normal' society (minimum wage, or unskilled jobs). They are supervised by Jack, a social worker who makes daily visits. 'The problem is, they never change,' Jack says of his four charges, one of whom permanently is five years. But sincere and patient Jack is changing, burned out and at the end of his patience. Adding another, obvious layer, most of the normal people are physically damaged in some way—a hearing-impaired woman, a one-armed man—mirroring the emotionally challenged young men who somehow cope. The play pretty much peters out rather than ending, resolving none of the stories, which may be perfectly appropriate for people who never change. Whatever the flaws, there's a good deal of entertainment here, a lot of laughs (although the audience wasn't getting them when I attended), and some harrowing Act II scenes that are crude but effective, as one ward sees his brutal father for the first time in years, another testifies before the state senate and a third has a charmingly innocent and awkward date.
Under co-directors R. Weil Richmond and Spike Black, a first-rate ensemble of nine sharply sketches even the small roles through perceptive, nuanced physical and vocal choices. Richmond and Black themselves take the juiciest roles, donut-loving Norman and wired, compulsive Arnold. The quartet of boys is completed by Derrick Nelson as Lucien—a performance of quiet authority and sad sweetness—and Timothy C. Simons as bright, borderline-autistic Barry. Ryan Colwell is a sympathetic, low-key Jack. Joseph E. Hudson as the dad (a thankless role), and delightful Nancy Partapiano as Norman's equally shell-shocked girlfriend, offer fine supporting work.
Lisa Nation's costumes assist greatly: a padded fat suit for donutty Norman, Ed Grimley clothes for Arnold, geeky golf wear for Barry, etc. David Beaupre's compact set is full of believable, tract-apartment details. Choreographer Robert Gretta's tango that ends Act I is an unexpected little gem. The Boys Next Door has life.