Playwright: Keith Huff
At: Live Bait Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St.
Phone: ( 773 ) 871-1212; $20
Runs through: May 13
BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE
She's a fresh young girl in the early stages of pregnancy and he's a grumpy old fuddy-duddy whose protective instincts are unexpectedly awakened by their joint efforts to nurse a baby bird. This dynamic could have produced a cute, if grotesque, comedy on the order of Educating Rita—or, at least, of the Kringelein-Flaemmchen subplot in Grand Hotel, from which it paraphrases—if not for director Alex Harvey's propensity to make misguided choices that almost, if not quite, sabotage its appeal.
Foremost among these is the conflict in tone over the play's duration. Harvey appears to be enamored of that brand of British farce where unpleasant people dig themselves deeper and deeper into trouble until they finally meet their comeuppance. As a result, the first act—set in the obligatory gloomy Victorian mansion—is played for madcap creepiness, with our host scurrying and cackling as his reluctant guest gasps and rolls her eyes before abruptly turning tender in the second act. The transition is further muddied by dialects ( his, English, and hers, Irish—even though this is supposed to be Chicago ) inaccurate to the point of unintelligibility and significant stage business performed on the floor downstage, rendering it invisible to audience members seated in the back rows.
Fortunately, Harvey's cast refuses to surrender to the confusion that threatens to overwhelm their characters. Having demonstrated their artistic traction in last season's The Fastest Clock In The Universe at Red Orchid, Larry Neumann, Jr., and Katlyn Carlson ( one of the smartest young actresses on the storefront circuit ) never stumble or lose their footing, no matter how slippery their plot. And while Patrick Brennan and an uncredited utility player, in multiple roles, have their work cut out for them trying to keep up, neither flags in his stride, accelerated by Tim Requarth's sprightly on-site musical accompaniment.
Even in an opening-night production brimming with textual and interpretive hurdles, however, we never wavered in our loyalty to our two adventurers. After all the sweat, the tears and the blood—did I mention the three murders?—that's really what Huff's play is all about.