Playwright: Anton Keith Reddin
At: Eclipse at Victory Gardens,
2257 N. Lincoln
Phone: ( 773 ) 871-3000; $18-$22
Runs through: Dec. 19
Eclipse Theatre Company concludes its season of productions by playwright Keith Reddin with Big Time, a caustic portrait of greed in the 1980s.
Focusing on Paul ( Brian McCaskill ) , a consummate yuppie whose love of the deal and the money it provides has made him almost an automaton: he looks human but his lust for power and the dollar have rendered him emotionally deprived. He wants to connect with his girlfriend, Fran ( Janelle Snow ) , a sad and dissatisfied young woman who hasn't yet heard that a woman does not have to be merely the accessory of a successful man, but can't seem to, probably because his idea of a marriage proposal is closing a deal, making a merger. Paul has no friends. His acquaintances include Peter ( Thomas Jones ) , a photographer who has sold out his talent for serious photo journalism to become a People magazine paparazzi, Ted ( Kevin Scott ) , a competitor in the take-no-prisoners game of big business, and his boss and mentor, Diane ( Kerry Cox ) , whose abandonment of her all too eager pupil is the beginning of his downfall.
And of course a character like this has to meet up with a downfall. In this case, it has to do with his dealings with a Middle Eastern despot, who dupes the bank Paul represents out of money, which results in Paul being taken hostage, rescued, and finally, relieved of his position, which for someone like Paul, is like having one's personality excised.
Eclipse Theatre Company, under Steve Scott's even-handed direction, creates a slick, sleek version that perfectly complements the abused power and greed of the late 1980s. Chris Jensen's sterile set, colorless and with only the most essential props for each scene, underscores the lack of connection and emotion that pervade these characters' lives. Chris Corwin's paradoxically harsh and soft lighting scheme illuminates the dichotomy present here: the need for human connection being usurped by the hunger for power and money.
It's a solid production, with a strong ensemble, particularly Janelle Snow, who does more acting with her eyes and her tense, small movements than anyone else speaking dialogue.
Yet, I can't wholeheartedly endorse Big Time. In spite of solid production values, deft direction, and gritty performances, the play itself doesn't have backbone. It's as if Reddin had an idea ( late '80s greed and its effects ) and then built characters and an elliptical, unsatisfying story around it. In getting across his cautionary theme ( the loss of one's soul, really ) , he forgot to give us characters with whom we could connect. Fran is a doormat, Paul is a blustering, egotistical grabber, Peter sells out his art for fame and fortune, and so on. The point is, unlike good fiction or theater, none of these characters really change much. Aside from their being completely unsympathetic, we never see any metamorphosis; we never see any journey. And so we arrive at the anti-climactic ending feeling appropriately unsatisfied.