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The Shape of Things
By Neil Labute
Directed by Todd Mengay
Produced by Letting Go Theater
At the Athenaeum Theatre
2936 N. Southport
Chicago, IL
Call 800-559-1212, tickets $20
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time is 2 hours with intermission
Through November 5, 2006
Strong villain saves weak Labute script
HOW WOULD YOU CREATE YOUR PERFECT MAN?
Circle Theatre in Forest Park mounted a fine production in April, 2005 so I wonder why Letting Go Theater chose to do this work now? The play finds Evelyn (Danielle Hoetmer) as the graduate student in a small college who meets the nerd Adam (Garrett Matheson) while she is attempting to deface a sculpture at a local museum. She is questioned by the college student security guard, Adam, who also stumbles through hitting on her and stopping her vandalism.
The two hit it off in a whirlwind affair that finds Adam being made over in everyway by the dominating Evelyn. She gets Adam to wear contacts, get a new hip wardrobe as well as getting him to eat healthy and workout to lose weight. This shows the power of sex as the dominant force in a 20-smething’s life. This romance changes Adam as Evelyn gradually convinces Adam to get a noise job and to leave his friends. Is Evelyn sincere or does she have another clinical motive? See this show to find out. Its all too good.
Danielle Hoetmer is deliciously amoral and coldly manipulative as the graduate student bent on scoring her thesis. Hoetmer delivers a convincingly sociopath giving Evelyn a scary academic ruthlessness. Hoetmer’s performance was terrific.
Garrett Matheson plays the nerdy Adam with a believability and patient innocence that emotes empathy. We almost want to shout “Don’t Believe her!” My only problem with Matheson’s low keyed performance was at the end when he realizes that he has been deceived, Matheson’s doesn’t react with enough rage to ring true. Maybe its Labute’s script (not one of his best)?
The pace was slowed giving an uneven flow by the many blackouts to move curtains, etc needlessly since the staging was almost a bare black box. Better to keep the pace moving.
This is passable production features one strong performance---from Danielle Hoetmer.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2006
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