The Typographer’s Dream
By Adam Bock
Directed by Matt Schwader
Produced by 5th Floor Productions
At Stage Left Theatre
Quirky comedy unveils how our work can define us.
5th Floor productions offers a funny off-night (Monday & Tuesday) comedy that dares to deal with how our profession defines us as a person. The three—Annalise (Eva Gil) is a geographer; Dave (Max Lesser) is a Court Reporter-stenographer; Margaret (Sarah Kinsey) is typographer—exploration of the idiosyncrasies of their jobs in a quite funny and truthful comedy. These three actors gave honest, heartwarming performances.
The Typographer’s Dream (from the press notes): “is an examination of art and business, boundaries, and learning to tell your own story. For example, if you are what you do, what happens when you hate your job? With humor and heart, this play explores how work weaves its way into the fabric of our lives and friendships. These struggles and universal themes are sure to resonate with our audience, especially in these tough economic times.”
We discover that these three are friends and Ananlise and Dave are an item. Playwright Bock cleverly examines when we become aware that are concepts of life have changed effecting how we perceive our work and our self image. Our relationships change and our dream can become a nightmare. We empathize with these three nerds rapped with their professions. Their passion for work colors their live too much. One of the finest scenes involved Annalise criticizing Dave for never using the word “I.” When referring to himself, he uses the word “you,” which drives Annalise crazy.
The Typographer’s Dream is a bargain ($15 per ticket) and it is a well directed, swiftly paced work with razor sharp comedy nicely played by the cast. Our relationship to our work is expertly examined with loads of humor.
Recommended
Tom Williams
At Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, Chicago, IL, tickets $15, www.5fp.org, Mondays & Tuesdays at 7:30, running time is 75 minutes without intermission.
[mappress address=”3408 N. Sheffield, Chicago, IL” ]