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Tales of the Lost Formicans
By Constance Congdon
Directed by Kristin Gehring
At Circle Theatre
7300 W. Madison
Forest Park, IL
Call 708-771-0700, tickets $23
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 Pm
Sundays at 3 PM
Special Thursdays at 8 PM,
August 10, 17 & 24
Running time is 1 hour 50 minutes with intermission
Through August 27, 2006
“A user’s guide for a “typical” American family as seen through the eyes of extra terrestrials.”
Confusing, awkward mixture falls flat
Playwright Constance Congdon tries to mount three plays into one by using the motif of aliens from outer space here to analyze human behavior. It simply doesn’t work. Is this suppose to be funny? It wasn’t. Is it satire of alien encounters? Hardly. Once the gimmick wears thin, Tales of the Lost Formicans turns into an examination of yet another dysfunctional American suburban family complete with an alienated teenage boy and a grandfather whose Alzheimer’s disease is getting progressively worse. The family struggles with divorce, loneliness and frustration as each yearn for the stability of the past as their fear of the future makes life difficult.
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The extra terrestrial’s observations about the family could have been the source of humor but poor timing and an uneven pacing killed much of the humor. The performance I attended hardly a laugh could be heard in the intimate Circle Theatre’s smaller venue. My main problem with this show lies in the writing and the play’s structure. Scenes come and go, several stories are started, stopped and another story emerges until we lose interest. Congdon has too much going on with too little depth. Example, the how and why of the extra terrestrials are never hinted at and the crazy neighbor who ends up swallowing the barrel of a gun is never developed enough for us to care what happens to him. The son’s over use of the word ‘fuck’ is his distinguishing trait.
Better the play focused more on the grandfather’s Alzheimer’s and the daughter-son relationship. Too many storylines hurts this play. The best thing about this show is the terrific work from Mary Redmon as Evelyn and Karin McKie as her daughter, Cathy. Both gave honest and compelling performances. Larry Wiley was effective as the Alheimer’s sufferer.
Unfortunately, Tales of the Lost Formicans is a quirky show that lacks cohesion as it drags along pushing us toward a payoff that never comes. I felt cheated out of two hours of my time. Circle Theatre is brave enough to try edgy plays like this one and they usually do a decent job. However, this three generations of middle-American family show falls flat. Better the aliens take this play with them.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast.
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2006
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