Buried Child
By Sam Shepard
Directed by Steve Scott
Produced by Shattered Globe Theatre
At the Greenhouse Theatre
“You think just because people propagate that they have to love their offspring?”— Dodge from Buried Child
Stunning production of Shepard’s Buried Child a ‘must-see’
Shattered Globe Theatre continues mounting excellent productions of classic plays and their latest work is Sam Shepard’s 1978 Pulitzer Prize winning Buried Child. Filled with building dramatic tension that begins with Dodge (Maury Cooper) watching TV, smoking and drinking while his estranged wife Halie (the fabulous Linda Reiter)–unseen launches into a monologue that plays out a life-long argument. That device works to both introduce us to the family as well as getting us to focus on the words that have so much subtext. Bu the end of that diatribe, we hard hooked into wondering about this most distressed family.
Kevin Hagan’s realsitic set depicting a rural farmhouse aptly sets the visual tone of delapatated dreams. Buried Child is a most macabre and perversely humorous tale of a Midwestern family burdened with a dark, terrible secret. When the grandson Vince (winning work from Dsvid Dastmalchian) and his girlfriend Shelly (the intense Helen Sadler) return to the family farm, we witness how the new generation comes to gripe with a startling re-examination of their past family dynamics. Vince isn’t recognized by his grandpa Dodge or his father Tilden (Gerrit O’ Neill in a powerful performance). Why–what has happened since Vince left six years ago?
Ripe with excruciating tension and painful memories, Shepard’s work reeks with mystery and fatalism. This crazy family’s secret dominates and destroys each member.
Shattered Globe’s production contains a fabulous cast of talented players. Maury Cooper, Gerrit O’ Neill and Linda Reiter anchor the work while David Dasmalchian was particularly effective. You’d be hard pressed to find a finer ensemble drama peopled with so many eccentric characters played as richly as Steve Scott’s players do in this riveting gem. Tension mounts as secrets become know as we witness the disintegration of the American Dream. This is Sam Shepard’s finest work. Shattered Globe Theatre effectively delivers an intense production of this timeless classic.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
At The Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., chicago, IL, Call 773-404-7336, tickets $30 – $35, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission, through July 12, 2009