Kill The Old Torture Their Young

By David Harrower

Directed by Kathryn Walsh

At Steep Theatre

Steep Theatre does not meet expectations

I have always been a fan of Steep Theatre, because they are one of few non-equity companies to produce strong ensemble work with polished production values. I am sorry to say that Kill The Old Torture Their Young greatly misses the mark.

Kill the Old Torture Their Young follows a filmmaker who returns to his hometown to make a documentary about the city and its inhabitants. All of the characters are unhappy with their current disposition, and desperately searching to connect to someone or something. Harrower has written a meandering script with characters I did not care for or about. I would think the actors were making it up as they went along, but past worked has shown me these actors are smarter than the lines they were saying.

Unfortunately, director Kathryn Walsh did nothing to breathe life into the script or fix the flaws. The play clocked in at less than two hours, but the lack of pace made it feel like four. The lengthy and superfluous scene changes did not help matters. Every actor was in his/her own play, none of which appeared to be three-dimensional. The one standout was the underused Patricia Donegan. The overall design was uninspired and did nothing for the production.

Steep Theatre had a knockout first year in their new space, which is why I have faith the future will be better than this production.

Not Recommended

Reviewed by Chris Arnold

Kill The Old Torture Their Young is at Steep Theatre 1115 West Berwyn, Chicago IL. 2 hours with one ten minute intermission. For tickets call (866) 811-4111, and are $18. For more information go to www.steeptheatre.com or call (312) 458-0722. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8pm. Through November 7.