Playwright: Steven Peterson . At: Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago. Phone: 312-633-0630; $32. Runs through: Oct. 10
Chicago Dramatists' world premiere production of Steven Peterson's The Invasion of Skokie couldn't have arrived at a more appropriate time. Though the play is set during the 1978 attempt by neo-Nazis to protest in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, its questions about free speech and tolerance gives a context to reflect on the current brouhahas around the proposed New York Islamic center to be built near Ground Zero and the Florida pastor who is threatening burn copies of the Koran.
That's not to say that Peterson's construction of The Invasion of Skokie is perfect. The play has some questionable character motivations and clunky dialogue now and then. But Peterson's heart is in the right place for an entertainingly timely comic drama that will tap the memories of many long-time Chicagoans while exploring some serious family and religious issues.
The drama happens mainly in the backyard of the Kaplan family, where they're celebrating a tardy Shabbes dinner and keeping tabs on the news about the proposed march.
Father Morry ( Mick Weber ) wants to get a gun as a show of force against the neo-Nazis, while his realtor wife, Sylvia ( Cindy Gold ) , is dead-set against that plan. Meanwhile, grown lawyer daughter Debbie ( Tracey Kaplan ) arrives with longtime Lutheran family friend ( and also boyfriend ) , Charlie Lindal ( Bradford R. Lund ) , to announce their plans to marry. And for comic relief, spacey "Uncle Howie" ( Michael Joseph Mitchell ) unexpectedly shows up and inserts himself into all the inevitable drama.
Playwright Peterson sometimes strains to keep everything swirling around designer Grant Sabin's lovely backyard patio set—particularly in the glaring mechanics to force some characters offstage to give others private moments.
And one head-scratching action follows a major blow up between Debbie and Morry. Instead of taking off with her fiancée, Debbie locks herself in her old bedroom and leaves Charlie to fend for himself ( though Charlie is almost part of the family, the Kaplans can't fathom their daughter marrying outside of the faith ) .
The company's acting under Richard Perez's direction is generally exemplary, though in some cases it feels incomplete. Weber largely operates as Morry in a constant slow burn when bigger temper flare-ups would be more than welcome. The other actors play well at holding their ground against Weber's Morry, but I wish he would have played the father with more of a tyrannical sense of self than what is currently on display.
Although it could do with a bit of more polishing, Peterson's The Invasion of Skokie should please plenty of Chicago-area audiences as it tackles local history and personal issues of acceptance. And in terms of timing, The Invasion of Skokie skillfully reflects on yesteryear's controversies with those of today.
