THEATER REVIEW BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE: Graceland. Playwright: Ellen Fairey. At: Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. Phone: 773-549-1815; $25-$30
Runs through: June 28
No, the title doesn't refer to Elvis Presley's Memphis estate. This Graceland is the cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, resting place to several historically significant families. In Ellen Fairey's play, however, it is also the hub of a giddy universe where going-on-40 New Yorker Sara Caruso, in town for her father's funeral, can: 1 ) wake up in bed with an aging tomcat, who might have been drinking with her daddy on the last night of his life, 2 ) be seduced ( with charming innocence ) by her host's precocious teenage son the next day and 3 ) revile her brother's ex-girlfriend, more recently their late papa's mistress—a turn of affairs that led the spurned swain to abandon his career plans and take up smoking dope "like a man going to the electric chair."
This play encompasses enough backstory for a Robert Altman movie, but Fairey deftly brings the dramatic arc to a satisfying resolution in just 75 minutes. Granted, the individual's search for closure after the abrupt loss of a dominating parent is a quest whose duration can be expanded or reduced to fit any time frame within the limits of tolerance, but Fairey never allows the progress of the grieving children who grudgingly accept solace from well-meaning strangers to feel rushed. Nor do the unlikely circumstances—the interruptive roar of low-flying jet planes from the annual lakefront Air and Water show, for example—under which their comfort is derived stretch our credulity entirely beyond its limits.
A major catalyst to our suspension of disbelief is the immediate empathy generated by the actors, guided by Matthew Miller's briskly efficient direction—in particular, the charismatic Brenda Barrie as the grieving Sara and the enchanting Jackson Challinor as her underaged cavalier, although Darrell W. Cox lends a winsome edge to the latter's youth-obsessed poppa ( "Cock-blocked by my own boy! This is some mythological shit we're dealing with!" ) . And William Anderson's scenic design, with its protean tombstone/coffee table and its sweeping mural of the city skyline peering over the "bone orchard" walls, keeps us located even in the cramped quarters of the Profiles storefront.
Ultimately, however, it is Fairey's off-center, but never mean-spirited, humor that rivets our attention on these ships passing in their screwball night, all the way up to the bittersweet resolution—whose very uncertainty, ironically, makes us want to know more of these characters and how their fortunes fare following these events.
THEATER REVIEW BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL: Sanctified. Playwright: Javon Johnson and Rick Sims. At: Congo Square Theatre, Chicago. Center for the Performing Arts. Phone: 312-733-6000; $40. Runs through: June 14
A savvy cast and snappy musical numbers are the saving graces of Sanctified, providing an entertaining show in the service of a really bad play.
Sanctified is a comedy about a baptist church with an aging and declining membership reluctant to embrace change, yet change is what young Pastor Jones initiates by inviting his opera singer cousin to direct the painfully bad church choir. But in Johnson's nearly invisible script she doesn't do much except argue with her cousin and exit. Then, there are two "delivery boys" who appear to be other-worldly guardian angels, but don't really contribute materially to the story. Meanwhile members of the choir, each in turn, reveal unsuspected musical talents leading to a predictable feel-good conclusion riddled with enough loose ends to unravel everything.
Playwright Javon Johnson peoples the play with familiar folk: the self-important church Deacon, the choir pianist who drinks, the feisty but wise old lady, the hip-hop kid and so on. But Johnson forgets basics such as exposition, so all we get are two-dimensional stick figures rather than real people. Is Rev. Jones married? Is he new to the congregation? We never find out, nor is his conflict with Brother Deacon resolved or the future of the church settled. Also, for reasons unknown, two teen-agers sing with the crusty choir oldtimers and the guardian angels have no power. In character development and story, Sanctified is a lazy, shallow sitcom fleshed out with songs.
But Johnson and Rick Sims provide break-out songs for many characters, and the cast delivers the goods in styles ranging from traditional gospel to soul to R&B to rap. Indeed, Sanctified intermittently discusses whether some types of music are inappropriate for celebrating God's glory, but this topic is given only passing attention, as are several other spiritual issues in a transparent reach for meaning. Still, Sanctified leaps to rockin' life when Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. breaks into the unexpected "Tougher than My God" rap or Donica Henderson delivers the soulful "In Your Eyes," or the drop-dead hilarious Ellis Foster ( with virtually no singing voice ) snaps into the rousing "A Little Talk with Jesus."
The talents of veteran performers such as Ernest Perry, Jr., John Steven Crowley ( big man, big voice ) and Laura E. Walls are beyond dispute yet put to minimal use by director Derrick Sanders. A gifted guide for actors and with good literary sense, Sanders seems satisfied with schtick this time around. Playwright Johnson has a good premise but only a first-draft script. He needs to cut out the lazy parts, develop real characters, deepen the content and pull the story lines together at the end. He should remember that an entertainment vehicle need not be superficial to be funny.
THEATER REVIEW BY JERRY NUNN: La Cage aux Folles ( pictured ) . Playwright: Jean Poiret. At: Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-327-5252 $22-$27. Runs through: July 11
The Bohemian Theatre Ensemble presents the musical La Cage aux Folles at the Theatre Building for the summer months. Perfect to celebrate Pride Month, this production takes the feather boas and the tap shoes out of the closet. For those of you who have not seen the original French movie or the American version, The Birdcage, the story is fairly straightforward. Two gay men, Georges and Albin, own a drag club outside their home. When Georges' son becomes engaged, their life together is quickly invaded by the very conservative parents of their son's fiancé.
The topic of the show is still relevant today. When mom comes to visit this summer, the porn collection goes in storage. By showing Albin being forced to change himself when relatives drop in, this gives the audience something they can all relate with. In 1996 The Birdcage missed this opportunity, picking comedy over touching moments. It was more poignant to see this expressed more thoroughly with this production.
Also in 1996, I was acting in a small independent movie with Michael Kingston, who stars as Georges. He has grown as an actor and provides the centerpiece for the show.
It was nice to spot Ryan Lanning, of Windy City Gay Idol fame, as Hannah and her sisters showing they can-can.
Placing the orchestra in the balcony was a creative touch. The movable pink set pieces added a spark. But what really brought the show to life were the characters. Although the director/set designer, Stephen M. Genovese, could have tightened things up a bit, audiences this summer should break out of their own cages and go see this highly entertaining colorful extravaganza.
