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Grace
By Craig Wright
Directed by Dexter Bullard
At Northlight Theatre
9501 N. Skokie Blvd
Skokie,IL
Call 847-673-6300, tickets $34 - $56
Tuesdays at 7:30
Wednesdays at 1 & 7:30 PM
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 3 & 8 PM
Sundays at 2:30 & 7 PM
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Through February 26, 2006
Grace blesses us with a controversial drama
Grace, now in a riveting production at Northlight Theatre, smoothly directed by Dexter Bullard, is surely the most controversial and talked about show of the year. Murder, suicide, betrayal, blind faith and the search for meaning in one’s life are the explosive ingredients in this gripping drama.
Grace, written by Craig Wright (known for the wacky HBO series Six Feet Under) here attacks and questions religious fanaticism, blinding faith and the zealot’s penchant to attempt to convert everyone in their path to their religion. This powerful and dramatic piece examines the nature of faith, the belief in God and how extreme beliefs can color our perception of reality. The arrogance and self-righteousness of religion is deftly depicted here.
Wright sure takes a poke at the Evangelical Christians as he has Steve (Steve Key) the bible-tooting real estate developer speaking in preachy tones and gestures like a TV preacher. With his wife Sara (Chaon Cross full of trust and kindness), they move from Minnesota to South Florida where Steve preachers The Word as he blindly trusts that a Swiss banker will wire the funds needed to purchase hotels for his renovation business.
Jack Magaw’s revolving set depicts two apartments as one where we see the Christian couple and their neighbor, Sam (Michael Shannon eerie and convincing) both occupying the same set. Sam is a non-believing computer programmer who is embittered after becoming scarred by an auto accident that killed his fiancé and left him with a belief that he is now unlovable and purposeless. Add the bug exterminator Karl (Mike Nussbaum in rich German accent), the German WW II survivor whose experiences left him devoid of belief in God and we have the dynamics for high drama.
The play opens with a man murdering a woman and another man, then himself. It then flashes back to reveal how and why this occurred. This edgy show features Steve Key as the manic religious fanatic, Steve, who goes from blind believer in love with his wife and optimistic about his real estate business to a despondent soul whose faith is shattered leading him to murder and suicide.
Grace unfolds with biting humor, exaggerated pokes at religious zealots with seamless plotting that builds up the non-believers to wonder if there is indeed something out there while the believers question their faith as their world crashes. Wright presents a dark riddle where the characters become enmeshed in a life-death struggle that challenges the nature of real faith.
While Grace is a warning about fanaticism and blind faith, it shakes up audiences to ponder the effects of religious beliefs on human behavior. Does one’s hope depend on one’s faith? And if we lose our faith, do we lose our desire to live?
Grace will offend many, please some and surely get all of us talking. This high drama reeks with controversy and stimulating thoughts. Grace demonstrates once more the power of the live stage.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago Radio show
This show is eligible for a C.S.T. Equity Theatre Award
February 1, 2006
Jeff Recommended
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