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Crossing California
Based on the novel by Adam Langer
Adapted by Alan Donahue
Directed by John Hildreth
At Lifeline Theatre
6912 N. Glenwood Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-761-4477, tickets $20 - $24 - $26
Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays at 4 & 8 pm
Sundays at 5:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Through June 24, 2007
World Premiere about Chicago’s California Avenue is a teen coming of age saga
Lifeline Theatre specializes in adapting novels for the stage. They usually select classic English and American grand novels but this time they have selected Chicagoan Adam Langer’s semi-autobiographical novel, Crossing California, set along Chicago’s California Avenue on the far north side of the city. It seems that California Avenue is the dividing line for Jews as they strive to make it here. When you emerge from east to west of California Avenue, you have made it as an upwardly mobile middle class family.
Adapted by Alan Donahue, Crossing California is a coming of age story set in 1979 Chicago that finds three families and their teens struggling to come of age.We see the Orthodox Jewish Rovner family where Larry Rovner (Dylan Lower) as a rock band leader conflicted with being religious and a rock musician. The fast-talking Lana (Amanda Gregg) is a wacky girl and sister to Larry.
The Wasserman family are a motherless Jewish family with a kind, nerdy dad, Charlie (Hanlon Smith-Dorsey) and two dysfunctional teen girls—the foul-mouthed Michelle (Katie McLean) and the politically aware middle school girl, Jill (Kate Nawrocki).
The Willis family has the single mother Deidre (Jaclyn Williams) and her 14 year old son Muley (Darren Myers) struggling to make it as African-Americans in a Jewish neighborhood. Muley like to make movies on his home movie camera.
The story deals with the adventures of these three groups as they go through all the adolescent trappings: dating, drugs, sex, school angst and family relationships. Muley, an African-American boy who loves Jill, a Jewish girl while Michelle aggressively and obnoxiously works to alienate herself from her peers while she tries to land Larry her true love interest.
This struggle for personal identity play features many references to north side Chicago parks, restaurants, schools and points of interest. Perhaps that is the ‘hook’ for this play? Local color isn’t enough to sustain two hours and thirty minutes of stage time. The teens stories are foul mouthed and predictable. The script is much too long and detailed as it tries too hard to cover the entire minutia from each of the three families. Judicious editing and a tighter focus would serve the play well. Also, the Michelle character, played strongly by the talented Kate McLean, is a most unlikable character. A strange choice as an anchor character.
I did like the work of Daren Myers as Muley, Dylan Lower as Larry and Hanlon Smith-Dorsey as Charlie. Stephen Loch does fine work as several obnoxious adults characters. If you were a teen sometime around 1979-80 in Chicago, you’d probably like this play. I found it to be too long and cliché-ridden. The performances were spotty yet there were enough laughs to sustain the work. While not one of Lifeline Theatre’s best shows, it is mildly entertaining.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2007
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