PicksInSix Review: Revolution - A Red Orchid Theatre

REVOLUTION’s Natalie West: “True comic acting.”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

There’s a play running now through October 29 at A Red Orchid Theatre on Wells—”Revolution.” It’s a piece written by the fine writer and teacher Brett Neveu, and the play and story themselves become a real subject of conversation; they ask a lot of questions.  Mr. Neveu does so in touching on a great many different subjects along the way of its tightly-drawn 90-minute run. I enjoyed it muchly, don’t get me wrong here.  I’d recommend it to any aspiring playwright who wants to see how a first-rate writer can put together dialogue and conversation in an economic way, while still making its point.

Two friends, Puff and Jame, have just gotten off work and are in the back alley of the hair salon they work at together, a business called Revolution Cuts.  It really should be a celebratory moment for Puff.  She has just been promoted to salon manager. Today is her birthday and yet she seems unable to enjoy and celebrate the moment.  Puff (a strongly etched portrayal by Stephanie Shum) is a child of neuroses, as Mr. Neveu sees her.  Anxiety-ridden, with a fair lack of self-confidence, always asking the questions that push both these factors to the fore in her life.

Her best friend Jame, whose humor and lightness constantly supports Puff in the quest for calm, is an ever-present influence of wonder and positivity (in a charming, knowing performance by Taylor Blim).  The give-and-take between these characters shows Mr. Neveu at his best—sharp, sometimes repetitive, always encapsulating the generational feel of particular misgivings that often accompanies people in their 20s, starting out in life.

I say generational because now comes a twist in the story with the introduction of Georgia, a 50-something employee at a Ross store in the same mall.  Georgia (a pitch-perfect offering of true comic acting from Natalie West) is one of those folks we all know who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere, and she longs for it.  So she hangs out with Puff and Jame, telling stories that may or may not be true, wanting to be a part of the celebration, so she can find a way to distract herself from her own difficult life at home and at work. Director Travis A. Knight allows and encourages this uneasy-at-first melding of disparate minds to find their way to a common purpose, and it’s smooth and well done. But what that purpose is becomes the job of the audience to absorb and observe. And it magnifies a bit of the problem with the play for this writer.

There are lots of questions on several topics that affect the angst here:  Growing older. How to face your fears on a daily basis.  Making new friendships, while being loyal to those already in your life. Dwelling on life choices, wondering if they were the right ones. Dealing with regret and how it affects our lives.  All these ideas are righteously presented. The problem is that there aren’t many answers to digest; certainly there’s not that much of an attempt to do so, it seems.

But then again, maybe that’s the point.  Jame has taken on the role of being the rock for Puff in those panic-influenced moments, and she seems to do so gladly, as Georgia continually lobs little emotional one-liner distractions into the equation.  These are all ideas that we deal with in our lives.  Some are magnified more than others, depending on the circumstance. And remember, all this lands in the middle of what is to be a celebratory time.  In the middle of an alley after work.  It’s a little uneven and unfinished.  But boy, is it fascinating to watch and take in.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com
PHOTO|Evan Hanover

A Red Orchid Theatre
presents

World Premiere
REVOLUTION
1531 N Wells St, Chicago
through October 29

TICKETS
WEBSITE
(312) 943-8722
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PicksInSix Review: FULFILLMENT CENTER

“IT IS QUIET IN NEW MEXICO.”

In the opening moments of Abe Koogler’s “Fulfillment Center,” now playing in its Chicago premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre, Suzan (Natalie West), a mid-60s job applicant desperate for a holiday-season position in a massive New Mexico facility, is being put through the paces by an impatient manager Alex (Jose Nateras). Suzan finds herself in familiar territory: trying to make a potential new boss like her. The former singer has drifted from one place to another after a recently failed relationship, hungry for any job that will put a few bucks in her pocket and allow her a better living situation than her car at a local campsite. Suzan is clearly not qualified, but the urgency in her voice and the quirky compassion she has for Alex wins him over.

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Back at Alex’s home, Madeleine (Toya Turner) is moving in from New York, having recently closed the apartment they shared there. “It is quiet in New Mexico,” she says. Her online work will keep her busy and in touch with the real world, but she already knows that being an African-American woman will be challenging. And while she harbors some hope that Alex’s job is temporary and the two will pick up stakes again soon, she is shocked when he tells her there are conditions to that next step which add both to her anxiety and to Alex’s stress level. It seems a lot of insecurities have been bubbling up in their relationship and are now reaching a boil.

At the campsite, Suzan cozies up to another drifter John (Steve Schine), who seems more content to work on his car, rather than talking. That does not deter Suzan from the quest. Though he initially rejects her, she does not give up easily.

When an online conversation leads to a meeting between Madeleine and John, we begin to understand that they have more in common than an addiction to alcohol. Not unexpectedly, the sordid decisions made under the influence are steamy. But Koogler’s fine script has some surprises in store since these kinds of things almost always end poorly. The structure of the piece examines the many varied ways we communicate our own ambitions and expectations: through conversations, in online chat rooms, absorbed in our memories and in our reactions to those around us–both in the compassionate words being said and the unearthly rage that sometimes follows silence.   

Director Jess McLeod has amassed a perfect ensemble. West, an AROT ensemble member, whose fine stage work has been seen of late in AROT’s “Traitor” and Chicago Shakespeare’s “Nell Gywnn,” delivers a captivating performance as a troubled woman facing the later years of life alone. Even as West cleverly maneuvers Koogler’s smart study of loneliness, her desperation palpable, she never misses the wry and endearing humor that lies just below the surface. Schine plays John on the edge which fills the darker margins of the story. Turner is compelling in a multi-faceted role and connects well with Nateras as the young couple with the most to lose.

In the end, we all seek fulfillment in everything we do. The benefit of our choices and the relationships we make is not always up to us. Despite our feeling of satisfaction for a job well done, it is often not enough in the eyes of others, whose own level of fulfillment may not be realized. So, perhaps the point is, when all else fails, accept the reality that the road to true fulfillment has many paths along the way. No matter which one you choose, being truthful, compassionate and understanding will get you a long way every time.             

PHOTOS|Mike Hari

A RED ORCHID THEATRE
Presents
FULFILLMENT CENTER
through March 24th

1531 N Wells Street
(312) 943-8722
WEBSITE
TICKETS

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

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PICKSINSIX Review: NELL GWYNN

‘NELL GWYNN’ - FAST, FUNNY COMIC DELIGHT!

Based on the true-to-life story of the mistress of King Charles II, who rose from selling oranges on the streets and a life in the brothels of London’s West End, Jessica Swale’s uproarious comedy “Nell Gwynn” flips the historical script on politics, sex and society in an entertaining, large-scale production, the North American premiere of the Olivier Award-winning comedy now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through November 4th.

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Christopher Luscombe directed the original 2015 London production that premiered at The Globe Theatre. The lavish production Luscombe has conceived on Navy Pier features the lively and thoroughly engaging performances of Scarlett Strallen and Timothy Edward Kane leading a seasoned top-flight company in a richly told, fast, funny comic delight!

Imagine the moment in mid-17th century London that women replaced men playing women on stage. That is essentially the defining moment in time around which everything else revolves for Nell Gwynn. Discovered by Charles Hart (John Tufts), leading actor in the King’s Company, Nell is recruited to play the woman’s roles, much to the disappointment of Edward Kynaston (David Bedella) whose stage career was defined by the female roles he played in the plays written by John Dryden (Christopher Sheard). Thomas Killigrew (Bret Tuomi), the manager of the company, takes an interest in furthering Nell’s career and soon she is the leading actress on the West End stage. Together with her sister, Rose (Emma Ladji) and dresser, Nancy (Natalie West) the story of Nell’s stage career, and a budding romance with Charles, begins to unfold.

King Charles II has returned from exile and, without regard for his Queen Catherine (Hollis Resnik, in one of two superb split roles, the other as Ma Gwynn), taken up with Lady Castlemaine (Emily Gardner Xu Hall, who also plays French mistress Louis de Kerouaille). As soon as he spots her, nothing can stop Charles from his quest for the alluring Nell, including the high-handed Lord Arlington (Larry Yando) his chief advisor who is determined to undermine the relationship.

If this all sounds like a serious Shakespearean history, think again. “Nell Gwynn” is a fresh, imaginative, comic treatment that is beautifully scored by Nigel Hess and choreographed by Amber Mak. Clever, modern references pop up in the most unlikely places throughout Scales delightful script. The over-the-top, riotously funny David Bedella, and the wily comic Natalie West, shoot from a quiver full of comic zingers all night long.  

Hugh Durrant designed an elaborate period courtyard and the exquisite costumes for this visually rich production. Richard Jarvie’s wig and make-up design are inspired as is Jermaine Hill’s superb music direction. Make a reservation now. You will fall in love with “Nell Gwynn!”

PHOTOS|Liz Lauren

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
Presents
NELL GWYNN
through November 4th
Navy Pier
800 East Grand Avenue
(312) 595-5600

WEBSITE

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

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PICKSINSIX Review: TRAITOR

"Scathing and honest are often interchangeable."

First things first... if you are reading this and have not reserved seats, or have a friendly neighborhood subscriber who has one for you, don't delay. Sold out previews and advance sales have created the perfect storm for the A Red Orchid Theatre world premiere of TRAITOR, written by Brett Neveu and directed by Michael Shannon. The reasons are pretty clear. This is a smart, cleverly conceived, social drama that is creatively staged and bubbling up, top to bottom, with an enormously talented cast, led by founding Artistic Director and Ensemble Member Guy Van Swearingen.

World Premiere... TRAITOR is the new era adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, now a contemporary reflection of individual social and moral responsibility and the wide-ranging impact of our decisions on the environment, the community and our families. Rest assured, as serious as all this sounds, there is more than a fair share of outrageously caustic humor to go around.

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What it's about... East Lake is a town reborn, but it is facing at least two major crisies. One of them is Dr. Tom Stock, a Ph.D. who returned to his hometown to teach high school science and lead the design and development of the community's new economic engine, a state-of-the-art charter school. As the story unfolds, the family is fractured as Stock discloses that the new school grounds are seriously contaminated. Stock is determined to expose the truth publicly, and receives an initial ground swell of support. But his passion is in direct conflict with the interests of others that sets off a series of showdowns with business leaders, the town council and the local press, all leading to the collapse of family trust.

Curiously brilliant... if all this sounds complicated, you need to know that the pure enjoyment of this curiously brilliant story is in the telling. Audience and cast are indistinguishable at one point along the way, and this becomes essential to the powerful reckoning.

Who stands out... the interwoven connections between Swearingen's perfectly manic Stock, his supportive but frustrated editor/wife Karla, an exceptional role for Dado, and the opposing forces in East Lake, are fascinating. Ensemble members, Kirsten Fitzgerald, commanding in the role of Patty Stock, Larry Grimm, a fine, multi-layered performance as Walter Hove and Natalie West's Jenn Sheffer, who stirs the pot devilishly in her every scene, all add to the emerging pathos. Frank Nall(Howard), Kirstin E. Ellis(Madison), Missi Davis(Molly) and the youthful Nation Hendrickson, making his Chicago debut as Randal, are all stand outs in the cast of 18. How that is accomplished will not be told here.

Noble calling... this all felt like the first step of a new adventure. Addressing our moral responsibilities through art is a noble calling. If you want to sit in on that conversation, it is happening right now in the intimate confines of A Red Orchid Theatre in one of the most compelling, imaginative and interesting experiences you will ever have in a theatre.

PHOTOS|Michael Brosilow

A Red Orchid Theatre
Presents
TRAITOR
Written by Brett Neveu
Directed by Michael Shannon
through February 25th
1531 N. Wells Street
312-943-8722

WEBSITE

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