|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
THEATER Trust
by Jonathan Abarbanel 2008-08-20
|
|
This article shared 3269 times since Wed Aug 20, 2008
|
|
Two people ( or more ) can have emotional intimacy without physical intimacy and vice versa, and when both intimacies are present it's a delicate balance, as emotional and physical intimacies are negotiated differently. Trust is a tale about the intersections of intimacies, written by prolific American playwright Steven Dietz ( best known for Lonely Planet and Ten November ) . Written in 1992, Trust assuredly is more glib than profound, yet even then Dietz was a veteran playwright who made his work pithy, stylish and witty so that—like a spruced-up piece of real estate—it showed well. It still does, under Christopher Maher's simple and clean direction in which a believable cast eschews flashy acting—which is possible with this text—to deliver all the script has to offer.
Playwright: Steven Dietz. At: Open Eye Productions at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark. Phone: 773-327-8970; $20. Runs through: Sept. 14.
Trust is a love triangle revolving around twentysomething rising rocker Cody Brown, who's engaged to Becca, a non-showbiz woman in the publishing trade. Even as they plan their wedding, Cody begins an affair with Leah, a thirtysomething female pop icon on the comeback trail. Becca herself has at least flirted with another man, and before the final curtain she's with Gretchen ( Brigitte Ditmars ) . As side dressing and playwriting padding ( and entertainingly so ) , Dietz provides a secondary couple, Roy ( Dan Granata ) and Holly ( Jill Schmits ) , to comment on the indecipherable codes of male/female dating ( they're not even close to relationship ) .
It sounds complicated but it's not. Dietz is a sharp story teller who uses projected titles, astute irony and direct narrative to the audience to introduce scenes, move the play swiftly and up the comedy quotient. Think Brecht meets Story Theater with a one-line Chekhov homage thrown in. Trust also is a prequel for Sex in the City ( remember, it was written in 1992 ) , for it very much is a woman's play. Sexy rocker Cody ( tall, good-looking Clayton Faits ) is a passive male who prefers predatory women to light his fuse, and he has them in sardonic older woman Leah ( earthy Anne Sheridan-Smith ) and Becca ( intelligent, flame-haired Kate Cares ) , who's not above playing her own games. Dietz is funny, too, with a crack about how New Age music 'makes you wish you were in an elevator,' or the question 'If you had to choose between a man and really good ice cream, what would you do?' If the play has a shortcoming, it's that Dietz is carefully non-judgmental and never suggests what's needed to make a relationship thrive.
Staged in a black box theater, Trust uses wheelie roadie boxes for furniture, two mini-light/speaker towers and a screen for limited but effective use of light and film projections. The production is remarkably well-suited to the intimacy of the script, which easily might be staged with more rock spectacle, but needn't be.
|
|
|
|
This article shared 3269 times since Wed Aug 20, 2008
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24 - "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...
|
| | Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23 - A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 - Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 - I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | THEATER Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' offers feminist, trans take on a troubling Jacobean tragedy 2024-04-18 - "Problematic" is a great go-to adjective to describe Women Beware Women. This 1621 Jacobean tragedy is by English playwright Thomas Middleton, who is probably best remembered as a collaborator with William Shakespeare on their pessimistic tragedy ...
|
| | Hubbard Street Dance Chicago announces programs for May 17-19 season finale 2024-04-17 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced program selections for Spring Series: Of Joy, the final installment of Season 46, Abundance. The engagement will include four unique works, once ...
|
| | LGBTQ+ film fest Queer Expression to feature Alexandra Billings in 'Queen Tut' 2024-04-12 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Pride Film Fest celebrates its second decade with a new name—QUEER EXPRESSION—and has announced its slate of LGBTQ+-themed feature, mid-length and short films for in-person and virtual events in April and May. QUEER EXPRESSI ...
|
| | Open Space Arts's COCK offers a complex but compelling take on relationships 2024-04-08 By Brian Kirst - Premiering in 2009, Mike Bartlett's COCK was a comic revelation, exploring notions about fluidity and sexual labelling long before they became commonplace discussions. Granted, conversations about these issues will always ...
|
| | Jeff Awards launches submission period for Impact Awards 2024-04-06 - The Jeff Awards announced the opening period for applications submissions for its 2024 honors to help inspire early career artists of color in the Greater Chicagoland area. Two recipients will be selected for awards of $10,000 ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items 2024-03-29 - Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...
|
| | City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26 - City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 seasonwhich will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...
|
| | The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26 --From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...
| |
|
|
|
|