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Dead End
By Sidney Kingsley
Directed by Jonathan Berry
Produced by Griffin Theatre Company
At The Theatre Building Chicago
1225 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL
Call 773-327-5252, tickets $24
Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Through November 12, 2006
Engaging look at slum life in 1930’s New York City delivers
Griffin Theatre Company has once again mounted an ambitious work featuring 27 actors in an entertaining ensemble piece, Dead End now playing at the Theatre Building Chicago that was a landmark play in 1935 that caught the eye of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on its Broadway run. Dead End led to the passage of the Wagner Housing Bill that helped America with safe, sanitary low-income housing. It also launched the careers of the local teens found at the local Boys Club. With no prior acting experience, the teens played Broadway as “The Dead End Kids” for the 18 month run followed by over 90 spin off films as the “Bower Boys” including the Oscar-winning film adaptation of the play that featured Humphrey Bogart in an early gangster role.
I was impressed with the six players who made up the Dead End Kids in Griffin Theatre’s fine production. Russell Armstrong, John Dixon, Chuck Filipov, Dan Foster, Steve Genster and Joe Goldhammer were terrific as the unruly teens. They exhibited rich low-class New York accents as they deftly reminded us of those loveable 1930 misfits so full of macho and mischief.
This superb social commentary show aptly casts us back into the slum area where the ‘haves’ live next door to the ‘have-nots’ sharply showcasing the disparity resulting in both juvenile and adult anti-social behavior. Although somewhat dated, I think this show is partly a nostalgic look into our past and partly a reminder that there are still many youths affected by poverty. We see the kids playing in an alley and swimming in the filthy East River as they struggle for personal identity and a leg up on society. We see Gimpy (Dylan Lower) as the physically handicapped unemployed college educated architect expresses how tough it is to escape the humble environment of the slums. He dreams of designing livable low income housing yet becomes frustrated with his inability to find work.
When his old friend Baby Face Martin (Paul D’addario) returns from a crime spree to the NYC slums, Gimpy sees a way out by turning Baby Face in for the reward of $4,200. The play accurately portrays the struggles of the poor to survive despite seeing wealth right next door. The kids in the gang unite to pool their talents as a survival mechanism. We like and empathize with both Gimpy and the teens.
Griffin Theatre’s production is ambitious, well staged and filled with heart. Despite some mumbling, the ensemble delivers the mood and temper of the 1930’s Depression angst. You’ll enjoy this quaint nostalgia play.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2006
Jeff Recommended
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