Everyone Here is Sick

The Malignant Ampersands – A Red Orchid Theatre

Imagine meeting and spending 90 minutes with a family where every single person is sick. These folks are not just experiencing the discomfort of a cold or the flu, or even the more long-lasting serious effects of Covid-19. Everyone here is sick with some kind of life-threatening disease, quite likely a form of cancer. And there doesn’t seem to be any cure for these family members, much less a means of relief. 

In this new play by A Red Orchid company member Brett Neveu, now having its world premiere, audiences will find a real Halloween horror story. You see, with one exception, and that could even be argued, each and every character in this drama has a terminal illness. That single exception is Bobbie, an affable Starbucks barista who is addicted to pills—any pill at all. But this likable character provides the only bright light in this depressing play.

These are the Malignant Ampersands, a family whose name is Neveu’s deliberate distortion of “The Magnificent Ambersons,” Orson Welles’ classic 1942 film. In fact, the publicity materials call this play a “very unofficial sequel” to this movie. For those unfamiliar with it, “The Magnificent Ambersons” tells the story of a wealthy Midwestern family who, despite their mansion, money and selfish entitlement, slowly deteriorate and completely fall apart. Apparently the Ampersands were also very rich and quite healthy at one time; but as we see them now, they are all cursed with poverty and fatal maladies.

The multigenerational Ampersand clan is headed by West (a feisty John Judd), an elderly gentleman whose degenerative decay makes him preach bizarre, unsubstantiated theories about doctors and the medical profession. Hiker (played with ferocity by Meighan Gerachis) has a form of cancer that has caused her hands to fall off. She lives with a younger relative named Jamie (Sherman Edwards, eventually bursting onto the stage like a demented  game show host) who she claims is covered from head to toe with oozing sores. 

Corey (the always reliable Steve Schine) seems to be the poor, befuddled head of the family. He does what he can with little or nothing, but somehow finds the necessary money for the family’s medication and doctor appointments. Summer (winning ARO newcomer Emilie Maureen Hanson) is the sweet, captivating teenage cousin who appears to be normal, but is actually suffering from brain cancer. The affliction causes her to experience auditory and visual hallucinations, like certain buzzing and scraping sounds that we can also hear, and the continual appearance of an ever-lurking Shadow Creature (a frightening, life-sized puppet, brilliantly designed by Lolly Extract and Jabberwocky Marionettes). Or is does this scary monster really exist? 

Then we have Gabe Ampersand. As portrayed by talented company member Travis A. Knight, this character is the heart and soul of Neveu’s play. He’s a likable young man with a positive attitude. Gabe devoutly believes he’s the only healthy member of this family and has escaped the curse that’s afflicted everyone else. But as the play progresses, we learn that the young man wakes up every morning spitting up blood. Gabe’s sole job, and only social life, is to drive his various family members to their doctor appointments and to pickup and mete out their medications. 

As the keeper of the pills, Gabe meets Barista Bobbie (cheerfully played by Jackie Seijo) at the Starbucks, and gratefully accepts the smoothie he originally made for Summer, who suddenly left the coffee shop. The two hit it off and Bobbie invites Gabe to his apartment that night for a party. Gabe offers to bring along  some wine and, possibly, some pills. When he arrives at the party, the play suddenly takes a positive turn. It seems like Gabe might’ve actually found his first friend, or perhaps even a love interest. But then again, Bobbie might just be looking for a gullible drug dispenser.

The horror these characters experience seems ever-present and everlasting. There’s no promise of a happy ending for these people, let alone an explanation for the strange happenings and plot shifts the audience must endure. For instance, where does their money come from to shop at Starbucks, the Burger King and other places mentioned in this play? Why is almost every consumable prop in this play represented by tiny bottles of Boost Power Drink? What is this creature that keeps turning up behind the plastic curtains that form the upstage wall of the Ampersand home? Interestingly, all the characters in this play have been created and named so that actors of either gender, as well as non-binary performers, can be cast in these roles. Brett Neveu has written some exceptional plays in the past, including “Traitor” and the upcoming “Eric LaRue” at Big Indie Pictures; and Dado has somehow managed to direct this strange production, both inspiring her company and keeping them on task. However, except for the fine acting, that’s a hallmark of every production at A Red Orchid, this peculiar play has very little to offer audiences.   

Not Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 6-November 27 by A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-943-8722 or by going to www.aredorchidtheatre.org.

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