Playwright: Nathan Allen and Chris Mathews. At: House Theatre of Chicago at the Chopin, 1543 W. Division St. Tickets: 773-769-3832; www.thehousetheatre.com; $20-$40. Runs through: Oct. 20
Playwrights should think twice before attempting to write long-form myth, whether copycat Celt a la Lord of the Rings, Wagnerian cycles aspiring to the weightiness of Angels in America, or a week-long Dungeons and Dragons marathon. Not only do the nebulous boundaries of the High Fantasy literary genre encourage tangential excess, but unlike prose, which allows the reader to review expository detail at leisure, live performance propels the action past us only once, escalating the importance of conciseness in imparting information.
Nathan Allen and Chris Mathews have opted to structure their story around a war waged betweenwhy not?storytellers: Hap the Golden, in physical appearance recalling an Old West patent-medicine peddler, and Irek Obsidian, currently occupying the body of a vaguely European dragon. Their followers include marauders of the land and sea, pastoral semi-deities both botanical and zoological, and, unsurprisingly, a small upstart tribe determined togasp!compose their own story. Since we are told that they dwell in a land called "New Plymouth," where a long-lost orphan is named "Virginia" and a rebel named "July" expresses a desire for independence, we might take these as clues to the direction our authors plan to explore.
Then again, we might be altogether wrong, too. When our narrative encompasses moral ambiguity, political strategy, filial obligations, growing pains, thwarted romance, action-adventure spectacle, pantheistic anthropomorphism and much invoking of "the greater good," the slightest hint of pattern recognition becomes as good a road map as any. What is needed for the third part of this projected trilogyCrownless King constituting its second chapterare study guides (CliffsNotes, playbill synopses, scripts/DVDs for purchase) providing theatergoers the necessary continuity to see its dramatic arc as its creators presumably did.
In the meantime, this House production summons up all of its muscular magic to keep us entertained, even if we are yet unsure how the many scenes of operatic oratory, stifled passion and/or thrilling combat connect up. Kay Kron's charismatic fox-girl and John Henry Roberts' brooding outlaw continue to draw our attention, while the introduction of Blake Montgomery's masked pirate captain and Brenda Barrie's wily monarch lend further intrigue to the travails of star-crossed young lovers and squabbling patriarchs. If the conclusion of this epic yarn next year doesn't include a few marathon three-part all-day performances, we can still hold out for an old-school ink-on-paper published edition.