How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found

By Fin Kennedy

Directed by Richard Cotovsky

Produced by Mary-Arrchie Theatre

At Angel Island Theatre

Scathing personal view of modern society leads to drastic action

British playwright Fin Kennedy, a young relatively unknown playwright in the USA, is a talented, contemporary writer with an edge to his writing. His Midwest American Premiere of How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found, now playing at Mary-Arrchie Theatre, is a engrossing and cynical condemnation of modern society that causes a corporate middle manager to self-destruct.

With whimsical staging by director Richard Cotovsky and a cast of players sporting mostly authentic middle class contemporary British accents, How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found unfolds as a searing indictment of the foibles of modern society so filled with dehumanizing rituals, long working hours and electronic devices that render personal communication obsolete.

We meet Charlie (Carlo Lorenzo Garcia) as he is in the midst of a physical and emotional breakdown instigated by the death of his mother and all the corporate pressure from long hours doing marketing. Garcia is wonderful as the British middle class everyman with hints of Willy Loman. Garcia’s performance was deeply rooted in truth as he exhibits the neurotic foibles of a man at his wits end. Garcia navigates the action never fully realizing where reality and fantasy begin and end. We empathize with Charlie as the pressures mount and he disintegrates.   Garcia wonderfully delivers a cynically funny monologue about what he could do–but doesn’t as his world falls apart. Garcia’s performance alone justifies seeing this show!

Charlie is forced to  run from criminal charges place against him by his employers that we never learn if they are true. He ends up at Mike’s (Kevin Stark) house–a friend of his departed mother. Mike is an older man and an expert in identity change. He expertly demonstrates to Charlie how to manipulate the British bureaucracy so one person can completely disappear and never be found.  Since Charlie faces jail, he has nothing to lose by disappearing. Mike shows him how to become Adam.

This cleverly written and fast-paced show cover much with wit, humor and a stinging commentary. charlie–now Adam learns the truth that befuddles an identity change: you take your demons with you no matter who or where you are. He learns Mike’s most profound lesson: to enjoy the little things in daily life.

We witness fine acting with smart accents especially from Scott Danielson, Shannon Clausen, James Eldrenkamp, Kevin Stark and Carlo Lorenzo Garcia. Playwright Fin Kennedy is a refreshing new voice that we need to hear from more.

Highly Recommended

Tom Williams

Jeff Recommended

At Angel Island, 735 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL, Call 773-871-0442, tickets $20 -$22, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm, running time is 2 hours with intermission.