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Leaving Iowa
A Comedy About Traveling
By Tim Clue & Spike Manton
Directed Tim Clue
At The Royal George Theatre
1641 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL
Call 312-988-9000, tickets $37 - $42
Wednesdays at 2 PM
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 5 & 8:30 PM
Sundays at 2:30 PM
Running time 2 hrs, 30 min with Intermission
Limited Open run
Leaving Iowa travels the back roads into our hearts
Leaving Iowa, a family vacation comedy, is an example of a work that delivers fine, richly humorous entertainment. Leaving Iowa is a tad too long and repetitious suggesting some cuts are in order. The opening night audience at the remounted production now playing at the Royal George Theatre laughed heartily and often and rightly so from Tim Clue and Spike Manton’s script.
Leaving Iowa is a worthy nostalgic ode to the good-hearted, patriotic average American small town father bent on getting his daughter and son to enjoy the yearly road trip in their station wagon. The story revolves around a journalist who returns home to Winterset, Iowa to find a ‘final resting place’ for his father’s ashes. This memory play is the son’s attempt to finally realize the depth of love his father had for him.
Told in flashback, Leaving Iowa is a sentimental comedy that speaks to everyone who ever had to endure the family car vacation to some vague and uninteresting historical sight with a well-meaning but naive father. Bradley Armacast leads an excellent cast through the car scenes where we see daddy getting lost with the kids moaning “Are we there yet?” so often that I wanted to take the wheel.
Tim Clue and Spike Manton have sprinkled several fine anecdotes filled with likable small town personas giving homage to the Iowa of the 1950’s. Dad is the nerdy mensch we’ve all met and secretly admired even when he irritated us to death. Brian McCartney, a large man and perfect ‘everyman’ type offers several outstanding rural man roles while Barb Wengerd was terrific as the daughter and as the gabby waitress. Kelly Cooper was excellent as Don, the son and narrator. The play has much to like including several funny vacation adventures that remind one of Mayberry in the Andy Griffin Show.
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Leaving Iowa grows on you as it meanders its way into your heart. If you stay with the show, the many repetitive car scenes, Leaving Iowa ultimately satisfies as a ‘feel good’ comedy. A quicker pace and some cuts would allow Leaving Iowa to emerge as a wonderful show. As presented, Leaving Iowa echoes “Are we there yet?” as a truism. If Leaving Iowa was a 90 minute piece, dad would say his famous, “You betcha!” with a confident smile.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed May 13, 2006
Jeff Recommended
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