Theatre Reviews

Othello: The Remix

Written, Directed, and Composed by GQ and JQ

Developed with Rick Boynton

Produced by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

A Streamlined, Modern Othello

When Jonathan Munby’s Othello played at Navy Pier earlier this year, as the first Chicago Shakespeare original production in the Shakespeare 400 Festival, widespread opinion was that it was a masterful telling of a story which is overly long for its simple plot. If you love this play’s characters, but have a problem with its pacing, the Q Brothers’ adaptation is just the thing for you. Having premiered in 2012 and played at Chicago Shakespeare the following year, this eighty minute streamlined version of is set in the modern music industry, and told through rap (as was a section of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, but this explores the idea in much more depth, while retaining the antic comedy). While Shakespeare fans may miss the Bard’s verbal acuity, the Q Brothers are no slouches as poets, and the four-man ensemble delivers these newer rhymes with a craft which, in its own way, requires as much practice as classical Shakespeare.

As his opener, Othello (Postell Pringle) declares how he rose from nothing to become one of the foremost rappers in the world. This is crucial—the boasting which caused rich, white Desdemona to become infatuated with him is all truthful, unlike in the original, and Othello believes that, in her, he has achieved the American Dream. (Othello is also much nearer Desdemona in age.) Desdemona herself is never seen onstage, but her wordless singing backs up Othello’s songs. She’s regarded by his fans as a positive addition to his artistic output, and adored by all. However, Othello’s newest find, Cassio (Jackson Doran), is a much bigger problem for one of the label’s lesser names, Iago (GQ). Besides how insulting it is do have to open for someone who is his junior in every regard, Iago cannot stand performing in Cassio’s boyband-style dance routines, and absolutely despises where his juvenile, cloying lyrics are leading hip-hop.

Othello will hear nothing against Cassio, of course, so Iago implements his wicked scheme. Tricked into supplying him with money is the techie Roderigo (JQ), a lugubrious nerd whose knowledge of gaming culture is too detailed for the authors not to be nerds, themselves. JQ plays several minor characters, and in a few scenes, has to rapidly switch between them, which he also did in the Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol. His extreme changes are all uproarious, and his Bianca and Ludovico, like his Rodrigo, have new gimmicks to keep them interesting. Jackson Doran is suitably annoying as Cassio, who merely pretends to be a player; it’s a little hard not to empathize with Iago sometimes. But Dornan also plays Iago’s wife Emilia, who, though often another source of comic relief in her desperation for Iago’s attention, also has a fierce drag queen sort of moral voice, which she uses to delightful effect.

The core of every Othello is Iago, and JQ’s is as mean as they come. Only in the tough-guy world of hip-hop could this scowling, pouting figure pass himself off as honest and well-intentioned, but so he does. Of all the dope raps in the show, JQ performs the two most memorable, in which he proclaims his reasons for hating Othello, and later, himself to be a mastermind. Clayton Stamper’s DJing is in precise coordination with the emotional arc of the story, but there’s something especially menacing about the moments in which he backs up Iago. Postell Pringle’s Othello, who as I note above, is much more noble and likeable than the original, is likewise charismatic. It seems like Iago has a challenge in bringing him down, which provides the story with much-needed tension. The non-opening night I attended, Chicago Shakespeare had achieved the rare feat of attracting a truly diverse audience. Even better, it satisfied them. Othello need not be interpreted as a morality tale, but having done so, the Q Brothers made it their own, and told it with enviable skill.

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The Book Club Play

By Karen Zacarías

Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox

Produced by 16^th Street Theater, Berwyn

In Which Running the Perfect Book Club is Serious Business

Karen Zacarías is everywhere. The D.C. based playwright had five world premieres this season, and her play Destiny of Desire will be performed at the Goodman next year. In the meantime, audiences at Berwyn’s 16^th Street Theatre have the chance to see the Chicago premiere of her uproarious social comedy, The Book Club Play, in which all the absurdities of self-conscious book-lovers (and those who pose as book-lovers) are satirized, the redeeming power of art is explored, and goofball caricatures develop hearts. The concept has obvious appeal for the theatre-going audience, which tends to be the kind of people who join book-clubs, and Kevin Fox’s smart, hilarious production was extended due to high ticket sales before it even opened.

Ana (Ann Filmer), the book club leader, introduces herself through direct-address as a person who feels greatly responsible for improving the lives of others. She does so with firm, condescending guidance, and nobody has benefitted from her micro-managing more than her dumber and less literate husband, Rob (Brad Harbaugh). The reason for her direct address is that she has volunteered for her book club meetings to be recorded by Danish documentarian Lars Knutsen, whose name carries great prestige. Hopefully, her book club (which she points out predates Oprah’s) will lead to more people throughout the nation resolving to become better versions of themselves, meaning, more like her.

At the first meeting we see, the members are discussing Moby Dick, which was chosen by Ana and Rob’s best friend, Will (Gary Alexander). Matching Ana in snootiness, Will is believed by her and Rob to be the tragic third wheel in their love-triangle, the object of his affections being Ana, of course. New member Lily (Jennifer Glasse), who is Ana’s subordinate at their newspaper, inadvertently offends Will by picking up on his obvious homosexuality. But since she’s the only black member, the others often say awkward things to her, too. The fifth member of the group is Jen (Hannah Gomez), a paralegal with a scandalous past, and the poorest member of the club. But unlike Rob, she actually does read the books, and her enlightenment was Will’s project, not Ana’s. Perhaps it’s the influence of the camera, but the meeting is much tenser and less formal than Ana hoped.

The next meeting, for which Jen choose Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, goes even worse. Rob actually read this book, and is deeply disturbed by how much of his marriage he recognizes in it. As romantic tensions, occupational resentments, and plain old dislike flares among the members, Ana realizes that their chosen authors are noticeably lacking in diversity, and asks Lily to pick something for next time that will shake things up. Lily picks Twilight. For that meeting, Jen challenges Ana and Will’s power by inviting a new person, the literary professor Alex (Jesse Dornan), who sees value in keeping abreast of pop culture since his fiancé dumped him for not being Edward Cullen. This does not go over well with the leaders of the club, but Alex is not so easily cowed by them, or by Lars Knutsen’s all-seeing camera.

This is, obviously, a piece which requires an excellent ensemble of actors. The Book Club Play has gone through many revisions since its first professional staging in 2008, and certain names are always changed to fit the location of each performance (in this version, Ana and Lily work for The Daily Herald). A potential pitfall is that the characters may come off too broad, but in this production, director Kevin Fox guides them along a journey on which they develop more depth as they explore literature from different angles, or at least, we come to know them better. For example, Brad Harbaugh’s Rob and Hannah Gomez’s Jen start as cheerful, but hapless, schlubs, with Jen a little more anxious, and Rob less aware of his unhappiness. Jennifer Glasse’s Lily is smarter, but uncomfortable with the elitism she feels pressured to adopt because of that—she does not want to become another Ana. As the most realistic characters, they inspire the most sympathy and provide people who are less the critical theory-type with somebody to root for, while still displaying plenty of easily recognizable foibles.

The half of the club with a greater affinity for intellectual discussion all have type-A personalities, which allows for both more aggressive comedy and impassioned discussion of the merits of different types of literature. Jesse Dornan’s Alex is a strange, somewhat unsettling presence, and we clearly feel the group dynamic shift with his entrance. Gary Alexander’s Will and Ann Filmer’s Ana are the targets of most of the play’s satire, and at times seem almost too smug to be believed, but the actors are so funny, each of their moments are treasures. Most of the actors also play a minor character who delivers a brief monologue to cover for the rest of the cast’s costume changes between scenes, and these moments, too, combine humor with occasional unexpected insight into the impact a book can have on a reader. Besides the inter-personal drama, the question at the core of the play is whether pop-culture should be regarded as a guilty pleasure at best, or whether it can be embraced whole-heartedly by people whose tastes also include the classics. The Book Club Play itself is a people-pleasing comedy which never gets too heavy or challenging. However, it is done so well, that, like one of the books under discussion, it may be the right thing at the right time to be a greatly rewarding experience.

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By Samuel D. Hunter

Directed by Brad Akin

At Steep Theatre, Chicago

“Hello love seekers! You’ve reached the message line for The Few’s personal ad section….”

“Danny callin’ again… Looking for lady co-pilot to navigate end times. Spacious bunker with comfortable bed, running water, tape deck… Me: over 60. You: under 40. Let’s ride!”  -A caller seeking a romantic connection.

Kudos to Steep Theatre for selecting Samuel D. Hunter’s brilliant play, The Few, now in its Midwest premiere.  Hunter (The Whale and Pocatello) writes about weird characters on the margin who live damaged lives filled with regret. They are stuck lamenting what happens when life gives them what they don’t want. They compensate with food, religion, or alcohol.

Hunter’s naturalistic dialogue is deeply psychological, which allows actors to exude more from how they express themselves than the mere words. In the hands of director Brad Akin’s three players, Hunter’s characters become fully developed and most empathetic.  We meet  QZ (Dana Black), the proprietor of the weekly newspaper The Few, who struggles to deal with Bryan (Peter Moore) who has just returned from four years of unexplained absence. There are in Northern Idaho near a truck stop just of the Interstate. Bryan and QZ were lovers working together on the trucker-oriented paper Bryan founded to aide the truckers’ loneliness from driving cross country.  Bryan and his friend Jim, veteran truckers, empathized with the alienation and loneliness of the truckers.

But, once Bryan mysteriously disappeared, QZ turned the paper into more of a classified site where truckers could make romantic connections. (The playing of the phone messages from classified clients was both funny and  revealing.) Throughout this 80 minute drama, mystery elements get our attention: why did Bryan leave without warning? Why is QZ so bitter? and why is Matthew (Travis Coe), the gay teen paper employee, so determined to get Bryan to revive his ideas for the paper? This puzzle keeps us engaged, as does the deeply empathetic performances.

Despite the bitterness and odd relationships of these three damaged souls, somehow we are empathetic to each. That is a testimony to Akin’s direction and Hunter’s writing, but mostly to the outstanding performances by the three players. Peter Moore is doing the finest work of his career playing the tormented, flawed, and disillusioned trucker-turned-newspaperman struggling with life meanings as seen through alcohol. Dan Black using her acting skills to depict contained rage and bitterness marvelously.

Travis Coe presents Matthew as a lonely lost gay teen trying to find a place, a family with-which to anchor his existing and give his life purpose. Coe has the insecure manner of the teen down by presenting Matthew’s questioning tone, his insecure body language, and the apologetic mark at the end of each of his remarks, statements or questions. Coe was terrific throughout this play!

The Few is a sleeper; it is a one of the finest acted plays you’ll see this year! We empathize with these three sad lives. We relate to the strange plot twists, and we are satisfied with the conclusion. The realism and the honesty of these three characters play as if we had a spy camera in the newspaper trailer to record actual events. Steep Theatre, which long been producing fine theatre, has mounted one of the best shows of the year. Don’t miss this wonderful, honest, and character-driven play. It will reach into your heart.

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