PicksInSix Review: ACT(S) OF GOD

Six characters in search of something.

With a teasing setup about a family gathering impacted by a letter that will alter lives, Kareem Bandealy’s dark comedy “Act(s) of God” was already a fascinating curiosity before anyone took their seats at Lookingglass Theatre Friday evening. As the play unfolds, it becomes curiouser and curiouser—a sprawling three-act theatrical experience better to be discovered than recalled.

There is, as advertised, a family weekend in a desert-plains home. It begins Friday, April 13, 2029, in a living room that has a ’60s-era retro-provincial feel. An old-time radio broadcasts an interview on a cosmic anomaly. While Mother (Shannon Cochran) busily sorts the mail, Father (Rom Barkhordar), a theologian, philosopher and narcoleptic, reads nearby. One of the letters is impossible to open. When their son Middle (Anthony Irons) arrives with Fiancée (Emjoy Gavino) and Youngest (Walter Briggs), and the power appears to fail, it becomes clear that other forces are at work, particularly when Eldest (Kristina Valada-Viars) finally drops in.

The deep convictions of Bandealy’s characters form the context of Director Heidi Stillman’s finely paced production about six characters in search of something. Mother provides the spiritual center of the family, a woman whose faith in God is reflected in her two sons, and shared by Father, although the men are skeptical about her conviction that God is a woman. Eldest, a lesbian writer, is more attuned to Father’s pragmatic views. She is at odds spiritually with Mother and Middle, whose grounded nature has brought him success, but little confidence or emotional security with his long-standing Fiancée. The impressionable Youngest has teetered between Mother’s obsessive nurturing and the radical views of Eldest all his life.

View fullsize

Technologically, we seem to be all over the map in 2029. There are state-of-the-art smart phones and something called “Telepathy 2.0” with wall clocks, Bundt cake, fruit, whiskey and trains. In its most reflective moments, Father recounts parables while Middle references the sciences comparing Mother to lonsdaleite, an element much harder and rarer than diamonds.

When a misunderstanding arises between Middle and Eldest, the resulting pent-up hostilities spiral out of control like any other family where age-old frictions exist, pivoting the trajectory of the work in another direction. It is then that the seasoned ensemble navigates a series of twists and turns on the way to unravelling everything that has come before.  

The versatile Brian Sidney Bembridge’s set and lighting are exceptional feats of engineering. The Mara Blumenfeld costumes, Rick Sims sound—the aural experience of this production is in a class by itself— and the collective skills of a wide-ranging list of technicians and craftsmen, all help to make the otherworldly “Acts(s) of God” a clever, absurdist adventure.

PHOTOS|Liz Lauren

LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY
Presents
ACT(S) OF GOD
through April 7th

821 N Michigan Ave.
(312) 337-0665

WEBSITE
TICKETS

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

ARCHIVE

PICKSINSIX Review: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEAS

"ONE STAGGERING VISION HEAPED ON ANOTHER."

First things first... If you are looking for a rousing adventure story, rich and rugged scenic elements, dynamic performances, imaginative puppetry and high-flying excitement above and below the waterline - or as the script says, "one staggering vision heaped on another" - Lookingglass Theatre Company's 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas is sure to rock your boat!

High seas exploits... The Jules Verne classics have been majestically reimagined for the stage and this fascinating science fiction epic bubbles up from the deep in a new stage adaptation by David Kersnar and Steve Pickering(Althos Low) weaving all the mystery and suspense of Captain Nemo's high seas exploits together with shipwrecks and sea creatures, great and small, in a thrilling evening of entertainment. 

View fullsize

What it's about... Prisoners from a Confederate prison camp escape and crash land a hot-air balloon on a remote island. In time they discover and recognize the Natalius from a familiar published work by the noted French expert Professor Morgan Aronnax, and meet its aging, anguished and sole surviving crew member, Captain Nemo (a spellbinding Kareem Bandealy). The story unfolds through the recollections of Professor Aronnax(the dynamic Kasey Foster), her compatriot, Brigette Conseil(a spirited performance by Lanise Antoine Shelley) and the swashbuckling harpooner Ned Land(a beefy, rugged role for Walter Briggs) who are central to the inner story of seas storms, intrigue and more than a few twists and turns. The superb supporting ensemble includes Thomas J. Cox, Joe Dempsey, Micah Figueroa, Edwin Lee Gibson, Glenn-Dale Obrero and an extraordinary stage crew who make the magic happen.

Fantastic voyage... Fans of the Jules Verne classics or the film version will find this reimagined story right in their wheelhouse, a fantastic voyage with a new, engaging twist of character relationships. 

A visual feast... Todd Rosenthal's ruddy, versatile set design is complemented by Sully Ratke's brilliant period costumes highlighted by Christine Binder's lighting and Rick Sims sound. The inspired circus choreography by Slyvia Hernandez-DiStasi, massive rigging by Issac Schoepp and the creative puppet designs of Blair Thomas, Tom Lee and Chris Wooten, make this David Kersnar directed production a visual feast. 

REFLECT... Lookingglass presents a post-show discussion entitled REFLECT following the 2:00 p.m. matinees on select Sundays. The June 24th topic: Jules Verne and Victorian Sci-Fi... the July 15th offering is Creatures From The Deep presented in partnership with scientists from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. For the complete schedule, visit: REFLECT.

PHOTOS|Liz Lauren

Lookingglass Theatre Company
presents
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEAS
Adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low
From the Books by Jules Verne
Directed by David Kersnar
through August 19th
821 N Michigan Ave.

TICKETS: 312.337.0665
WEBSITE

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

ARCHIVE