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The Dumb Waiter & The Zoo Story
Two one acts produced by Signal Ensemble Theatre
The Dumb Waiter
By Harold Pinter
Directed by Aaron Snook
The Zoo Story
Directed by Ronan Marra
At Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division
Chicago, IL
Call 773-347-1350, tickets $15
Thursday, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time 1 hour 55 minutes with intermission
Through September 3. 2006
Signal Ensemble deftly lands classic one acts
The players at Signal Ensemble Theatre have reached such a high level that we come to expect they’ll mount a terrific show every time. They sure did nail two extremely difficult one acts: Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story. The founding members of Signal Ensemble, Ronan Marra, Joseph Stearns and Christopher Prentice presented a fabulous The Zoo Story while ensemble member Aaron Snook directed Stearns and Philip Winston in Pinter’s classic, The Dumb Waiter.
The Dumb Waiter, Pinter’s 1960 gem, is a suspenseful story of two hired guns that are secluded in a basement adorned with beds and a centered dumb waiter . They are killing time while waiting word about their next actual kill. Waiting and anticipation can be devastatingly difficult. Ben, (Joseph Stearns in an emotionally controlled rage) re-reads the local newspaper while Gus (Philip Winston) is his dim-witted partner bent on communicating his worries about food and how and when their handler will visit them. Director Snook paces the show nicely letting the tension build as Ben and Gus exchange complaints about their lives with Gus worried about food and Ben about weird items in the paper. Ben is seething and explodes several times toward Gus in frustration from anticipation of events. His cleaning his pistol gives us hints of the action to come.
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When a red envelop slides under the door with 12 stick matches followed by red cards with food orders from the dumb waiter. Ben thinks the place was a café at one time and the dumb waiter was used to move food orders up and down between floors. The tension builds as more orders come via the dumb waiter and a speaking hose allows verbal messages to be sent from the mystery person to Ben who mans the communication devise.
This shocking and emotionally wrenching play has Joe Stearns and Philip Winston at the top of their craft. The timing and pace lends the show toward a shocking ending. Shook’s production is intoxicating. Nice work by all including a terrific set by Ronan Marra.
The Zoo Story, Edward Albee’s first hit form 1960, features Joseph Stearns as the successful, urbane editor and Christopher Prentice as the young vagrant. The Zoo Story has Stearns doing his usual terrific work but ultimately the Albee one act is Jerry’s play. Christopher Prentice, as Jerry, was magnificent as the story-telling poor loser who recounts his trip to the zoo, his life in a four story walkup and his encounters with the landlady’s dog. Prentice delivers one of the finest, most engagingly hypnotic performances seen on a Chicago stage this year. The difficult long speeches and monologues test the metal of any actor yet Prentice is so natural and expressive that he becomes down right scary as the crazy vagrant. Prentice adds physical movements and facial gestures to effective convey Jerry’s rage.
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Both plays are subtle, beautifully written and, in the hands of four talented players, they become a wonderful evening of theatre. Signal Ensemble Theatre once more shows why they are among the finest non-Equity troupes in Chicago.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago Podcast
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2006
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