Daily Archives: November 12, 2011
Stagnant 'Middle Ground' at Side Project
By Devlyn Camp
When one plays a game they’re applying strategy with chance. I know this plan can work, and hopefully my opponent will unknowingly cooperate.
Cards are dealt, words are exchanged, poker face. This multiple-person dance of intelligence carries on, while somewhere in the back, we, the theater crowd, sit at the slots and leave it all on chance. There’s not much strategy to picking the right show. We drop in a coin, pull the lever, and pray to Dionysus that there’s an intermission getaway if the play bombs. We’re playing the slots, Chicago theatre-goers, and in our game there’s no Tommy Glenn Carmichael.
Anyone who is out and about regularly seeing shows is bound to come across a dud. It’s unfortunately inevitable. And if any readers caught my recent soapbox digression, it’s my opinion that such duds are typically lacking comedy. In the case of Side Project Theatre Company’s ‘Through the Middle Ground,’ there is much more lacking. It begins with an extremely drawn out, very quiet opening dialogue. The audience’s attention has already ducked out.
The two act play takes place in an apartment where a soldier returns home to his girlfriend after battle. He is different, but so is she. The only thing he seems to enjoy in life now is his new stray pet bird. This exposition is formed within the first scene, and then… nothing. As the powerless piece keeps on, it seems there’s actually no plot. There are two people talking, a caged bird, and an on-stage dripping faucet that holds more attention than the entire first act. It’s all small talk and long silences with little effort from the actors. As far as critical analysis goes, there’s so little to discuss.
But it’s easy to whine away at the flops, although they’re bound to happen. As with anything, we take them in stride. There are shows that have no story, no intelligent dialogue, no intrigue… a.k.a. goose egg. Sometimes we have to look back at the flatlined failure and remember: They can’t all be Book of Mormon.
What do you think? Post your comments below. Let’s talk.
THROUGH THE MIDDLE GROUND
The Side Project Theatre Company
Through December 18th
Tickets $20, available at thesideproject.net
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
‘The Gray Girl’ Shines Bright at Factory Theater
By Devlyn Camp
It’s been a stream of tough plays lately, at least for some of us. It feels like it’s been a few weeks since something opened that was at least somewhat exciting to talk about, tweet about, or tumblr on (whatever that means, kids). But then, enter Factory Theater. The final show to open in their 2011 season, ‘The Gray Girl,’ is an unexpectedly spooky crime-thriller of the 1950s. Both haunting and powerful, the scenes open lit by an upstage panel of windows silhouetting the posed characters. Each scene reveals a new piece to the case of two missing reporters who co-authored an exposé on Chicago crime in Riverview Park. These pieces and parts open skillfully staged flashbacks and introduce more intriguing characters.
The show takes a great twist with a ghost haunting the criminal in charge, politician Richard Morse (Shannon Parr). In tense scenes in which the power goes out, she haunts Morse and his henchmen as they hunt their escaping kidnapped journalists. Matt Engle directs beautiful hide-and-go-seek chases with flashlights and lighters taking the place of stage lights. Engle sets up keen suspense as many characters’ stories weave in and out of the main plot. He also has good writing to thank for that edge, by Colin Milroy (also playing the lead). Milroy’s 75 minute work brings a large story to life quickly and cleverly, while including decent subplots and funny characters. While sustaining its dramatic edge, ‘Gray Girl’ brings out some good laughs along with its jolting gasps.
While our encounters in live theater can be hit and miss, it’s so wonderful to applaud at the curtain call and mean it. Not that that is rare, just that it is wonderful, and Factory Theater hits the nail on the head in entertaining its audience with this new work. Prepare to be spooked.
Any thoughts to add? Comment below! Let’s talk.
THE GRAY GIRL
Factory Theater
Through December 17, 2011
Tickets $15-20, available at thefactorytheater.com
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
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