Rooted in the Mistakes of the Past

Labyrinth – Broken Nose Theatre

Beth Steel’s powerfully intoxicating drama is a roller coaster ride through the whirlwind world of international finance. It’s about swaggering, profit-hungry American banks lending excessive amounts of money to countries on the brink of bankruptcy. The play drives the audience at breakneck speed inside the 1980’s Latin American financial crisis in a hard-hitting trip through a nightmarish Wonderland world of debt and would-be redemption.

The hero of Ms. Steel’s story is John, played by William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (“The First Deep Breath” at Victory Gardens), a young man who enters banking with a curious skepticism, bold candor and a convincing air of innocence. As the story progresses John grows strong, displaying his eagerness to learn more and an obsession to achieve, just like his heroes. Throughout the two-act drama, Rose’s character attains a great deal of knowledge and experience, and he quickly learns to assert himself and take big chances. John finds out who he can trust and depend upon, who he should either avoid or, around whom, tread softly and cautiously. The villain of this true tale is the financial machine that drives the plot and wreaks havoc with lives and entire countries, while luring every character into the seductive world of money.

John’s mentor and friend is sharp-witted Charlie, played with take-no-prisoners ferocity by popular Chicago actor, David Weiss. He’s been a standout in other Broken Nose Theatre productions, including the excellent “Plainclothes” and “At the Table.” In Steel’s riveting play, Mr. Weiss is a fierce, driving force until the tables turn and Charlie falls prey to the greed and seemingly uncontrollable force of the financial milieu. Robert Koon is gritty and forceful as Howard, the Big Boss and supervisor at the top of the financial ladder. And Elise Marie Davis is Grace, a much-welcome female character in this mostly male world. She’s unflinchingly strong as a journalist who knows all the right people and questions to ask them, in order to get her story.  

John is also haunted by the ghost of his father. Played with charisma and command by Darren Jones, this veteran of the Chicago stage plays a man who was imprisoned for fraud and whose son apparently is the apple who doesn’t fall far from the tree. He’s a wise man who knows how to inspire and manipulate his son when John finds himself in the middle of a coke-fueled morass.

Staged with creativity and a firm hand by Spenser Davis, Beth Steel’s 2014 drama hurls the audience through the intricate world of international banking at breakneck speed. Therese Ritchie’s intimate scenic design puts theatergoers smack, dab in the middle of this story. Making excellent use of his ensemble, Davis keeps this production in continual movement, much like the high stakes financial world this play depicts. We watch in horror as John, an innocent, eager young man, is seduced by the devil that is money, drugs and power to sell his soul. That the story is true makes this nightmarish tale even more meaningful, scary and a cautionary life lesson. In addition to its entertainment value, Beth Steel’s story demonstrates how today’s world financial problems are rooted in the mistakes of the past.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas 

Presented January 31-February 29 March 7 by Broken Nose Theatre at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.

Tickets, which are pay what you can, are available in person at the Den box office by going to www.brokennosetheatre.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.