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Columbinus
By the United States Theatre Project
Written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli
Produced by Raven Theatre Company
6157 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Tickets: 773-338-2177 or www.raventheatre.com $25 (senior/student discounts)
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm
Running time is 2 hours 15 minutes with one intermission
Through March 15th
Columbine Story: Illumination Without Answers in an Ensemble Work of Uncommon Power
If you think there is nothing left to say about the Columbine High School massacre and the two creepy misfits who created it, you are dead wrong unless you have seen Raven Theatre Company’s new production of Columbinus. What’s different about Columbinus is that not only does it tell the horrific story without asserting blame or asking why, it also manages to do so entirely from a student perspective. This work belongs to an ensemble of young performers who let the audience inside the world of late 1990’s kids in privileged suburban America. Columbinus is their story.
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Conceived by PJ Paparelli and developed by a group of actors who became the United States Theatre Company, Columbinus is divided into two distinct acts. The first act is the story of any high school in anywhere, USA. The adolescent struggle to forge individual identity, the gossip, the bullying – all of the stuff all kids go through in high school – are brought to life in a rapid-fire dialogue of consciousness that moves at a constant thumping beat. The authority figures are voices offstage; the kids chanting puppets jerked about by their confusing world, and from the chaos all about, personalities emerge – personalities that include two very angry young men.
The second act deals directly with the events of the Columbine High School massacre and with the lives of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris who are played to absolute perfection by Matthew Klinlger and Jamie Abelson. The details of April 20, 1999 are well known, but become much more poignant when re-told by kids who were there, by kids you have come to know. The collective work of Todd Aiello, Devon Candura, Michael Peters, David Rispoli, Laura Schwartz and Jenny Strubin in creating the high school class is as masterful piece of ensemble work as I have seen in Chicago. You already know how this ends, but when the show ends in silence (there is no curtain call) it’s like it happened in your town.
Director Greg Kolack has clearly hit pay-dirt with his brilliantly cast show and he knows what to do with it. While the piece belongs to another ensemble, this ensemble under Kolack has managed to make Columbinus their own. The kind of interaction in the ensemble requires long hours of rehearsal and a director who knows how to lead. The technical aspects of the show are brilliant as well. Kelly Dailey’s giant chalkboard and gym floor set along Mike Tutaj’s sound and video projection design are loyal to the original production. So what if the concept isn’t theirs? The execution is flawless and adds immensely to this fast-paced show.
Simply put, Columbinus is one of the very best shows in town. The young cast is a joy to watch; they could not be better. Do not miss this show.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Randy Hardwick
randyontheglobe@yahoo.com for comments
Date Reviewed: January 27, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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