Mr. Marmalade. Photo by Timmy Samuel____________
Playwright: Noah Haidle
At: Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, the Cornservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln; Dog & Pony, Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph
Phone: Chemically Imbalanced, 800-838-3006, $15, through April 29; Dog & Pony, 312-742-8497, $20, through May 5
By Jonathan Abarbanel
Due to the uninformed booking policies of Dramatists Play Service, a New York play licensing agency, there are two simultaneous productions of Mr. Marmalade. Double licensing is not so unusual with plays already in the repertory, but it's neither usual nor acceptable for a work's regional premiere, as in the present case. It's unfair—and potentially economically damaging—to the theater that believes in a play's merit and invests time and money to stage and promote its premiere.
Chemically Imbalanced Comedy's production opened March 22, and so can claim first bragging rights for this work by rising young playwright Noah Haidle. Dog & Pony's opened two weeks later, billing its production as 'the almost Chicago premiere.' The two versions are a study in contrasts as different in their approaches as to be apples and oranges. While there are strengths in the acting of both, the Dog & Pony ( D&P ) physical production is much more fully realized and carefully developed. Since spectacle is a valid and substantial aspect of theater, D&P's show serves both the play and the audience better.
In this dark, somewhat absurdist comedy, Mr. Marmalade is the imaginary friend of four-year-old Lucy, an only child in a single-parent household. Left alone far too often ( as her babysitter and her boyfriend go upstairs ) , Lucy has invented a vividly complex companion combining bits of a father figure ( her missing parent ) and easily-accessed TV sex and violence. Mr. M. is a busy business executive with a personal assistant, Bradley, to schedule his time with Lucy. He's also a physically abusive, coke-snorting, porn-collecting workaholic. Eventually, Lucy cuts him loose after a disastrous attempt at playing house.
Of course, the idea of a four-year-old who knows about sex, sushi, suicide, William Faulkner, condoms and the difference between uterus and prostate is absurd. Haidle's kids ( played by adults ) act like kids but have adult perceptions. His real theme may be that existential isolation begins at birth and never ends, and is reflected in childhood games. Or he may simply want to use children—Lucy eventually makes a real, five-year-old friend, Larry—for funny but unsubtle cultural satire. Exactly what Haidle intends with Mr. Marmalade is uncertain, even after seeing it twice ( and reading it two years ago ) , but it's written with cleverness and style.
Chemically Imbalanced Comedy ( CIC ) gives Mr. Marmalade a bare-bones staging with the simplest of scenic and lighting effects. Director Dave Whalley, as he has with other plays, pushes his cast in the direction of exaggeration and speed, which often replaces nuance; call it the live-action cartoon approach. D&P's version, staged by Krissy Vanderwarker, is more like a TV family 'dramedy.' It's a few minutes longer ( although both are less than two hours ) , and with more nuance. Its 'real' people are more real, although CIC's manic peaks have more punch. D&P's colorful, complete and imaginative scenic design ( by Grant Sabin ) also greatly enhances the experience.
Lucy, onstage the entire play, requires an actor of considerable charm and focus, which both shows provide in the engaging, similarly blonde Laurel Schroeder ( CIC ) and Kelly O'Sullivan ( D&P ) . Both Mr. M.'s are effective as well, although distinctly different. Marz Timms ( CIC ) is physically imposing and explosive while Dieterich Gray ( D&P ) is slimmer and more buttoned-down. However, the script specifies an African-American Mr. Marmalade, and Gray is not. It would be egregiously cavalier of D&P to claim they couldn't find a suitable actor of color. Indeed, why is Timms the only non-white actor in either production? The play surely provides multi-ethnic casting opportunities such as the Bradleys and Larrys ( excellent in both shows, even if lily-white ) .
