Playwright: Qui Nguyen. At: Theater Wit at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-327-5252; $25. Runs through: Oct. 28
Just when you thought the live theater was free of blockbuster cinema superheroes…
Wham! Pow! Ker-splat!
Theater Wit brings Qui Nguyen's Men of Steel to kick-punch its blend of superhero seriousness and spoof to the live stage in its Chicago premiere. And, wow, what a fabulous jumble Men of Steel turns out to be.
Men of Steel clearly spoofs the conventions of superheroes in comic books and movies, from the weakling-turned-superhero origin story to the eventual public turning against the all-powerful superhero. Nguyen also throws in some not-very-polished allegorical allusions to the United States as a superpower and its misbegotten blundering, plus a load of class-conscious outrage and gender-identity confusion.
That's a lot to cram into one play. So while you admire Nguyen for the multiple ideas that burst forth on stage, it doesn't hide the cardboard characterizations and preachy and tangential nature of the show.
Men of Steel opens with Kelly Ristow, as Lady Liberty ( think Wonder Woman ) , kicking the butt of Robert McLean, as Captain Justice ( think Captain America ) , who has blood on his hands for a vengeful murder. We then flash back to see what set the downfall of this U.S. icon in motion when Erin Myers, as investigative reporter Helen ( think Lois Lane ) , hounds E.B. Smith, as the gay vigilante Maelstrom ( think Batman ) , to find out who is betraying the identities of superheroes.
Along the way, there's a comical 1960s Batman TV-style battle with The Mole ( David Roby ) and a great comical meeting with ghetto wannabe superheroes Damon ( Bryson Engelen ) and Lucas ( Edgar Miguel Sanchez ) who may have superpowers, after all. There's also an odd detour to a trailer park to meet Roby again as the gender-confused Bryant, who has powers like Bruce Willis' character in Unbreakable.
All these characters meet up in a final climactic prison sequence that can be a head-scratcher if you don't go with the flow.
Under Jeremy Wechsler's direction, Theater Wit goes all out on Men of Steel with great production values and lively performances from the entire cast. Jeremy Getz's saturated color in his lighting design is an ever-shifting and atmospheric wonder. Laura Brookshire Kollar's colorful costumes are super, while scenic designer Sam Poretta's work with video designer Jessica Ross creates an action-packed world appropriate for any superhero.
The fight scenes choreographed by Kevin Murphy and Tony Sancho ( with spoofs of slow motion tumbling ) are also clamorous fun.
Men of Steel revels in its derivative pop-culture references, so don't go if you prefer superheroes to be confined to the silver screen. Nguyen may have trouble tying all his plot strands and issues together coherently, but he does have a knack with great comic dialogue and spoofing tried and true clichés. Most of all, Men of Steel is pure fantasy fun, plain and simple.
