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Requiem for a Heavyweight
By Rod Serling
Directed by Lou Contey
Produced by Shattered Globe Theatre
At Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theatre
2257 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Call 773-871-3000, tickets $27- $30 - $35
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Through March 8, 2008
Requiem for a Heavyweight is a masterpiece!
Shattered Glove Theatre, one of the finest Chicago Equity troupes, has mounted a major work, one of the strongest plays in recent memory in Requiem for a Heavyweight. Requiem first appeared as a TV teleplay in 1956 becoming a film in 1962. Rod Serling, from The Twilight Zone fame, sure had a handle on the underbelly of American society with his tale of the boxing world in the 1950’s. Director Lou Contey has assembled a cast of excellent character actors led by Bill Bannon as Maish Resnick.
Requiem depicts a washed-up prizefighter Harlan “Mountain McClintock (Sean Sullivan), who gets punched to a pulp in the opening scene, as he faces the sudden end to his boxing career. Serling’s realistically depicts the characters of the boxing world consist of grifters, thugs, hustlers and criminals. Director Lou Contey’s casting has Scott Aiello, Don Blair, Jamie Vonn, Craig Degel, Michael Falevits and David Bendena as the assortment of underworld goons.
Paula Stevens, as Grace, is the good soul who tries to help Mountain adjust to world outside of boxing while Bill Bannon (in the finest performance of his career) is the sleazy and selfish manager trying to survive on the back of McClintock. He is desperate to raise enough money to ‘buy’ another heavyweight. Mountain desperately tries to be both loyal to Maish and adjust to realities in the real world.
We quietly cheer for the lost McClintock as he emerges as much more that a pug—he is a noble, loyal and sincere simple guy struggling to maintain his dignity as he suddenly realizes that his dream of becoming the World Champion is lost forever. He now must find his place in the larger world. Sean Sullivan exudes the quiet integrity and honesty of Mountain. Sullivan is empathetic and lovable—we care deeply about this pug. Brian McCartney, as Army, Mountain’s second, renders a strong, honest portrait of loyalty and friendship as Mountain’s ally.
Serling deftly conveys the pathos of holding on to lost dreams in the face of reality while he explores the obligations of personal loyalty and common decency. Dignity verses loyalty and personal gain verses ethics are dramatically presented in a moving, gut-wrenching play. Requiem for a Heavyweight, in my opinion, is the greatest sports drama ever penned. In the hands of Lou Contey’s outstanding cast—Requiem is the champion of the world!
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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