Secrets and Lies

Four Places

Everyone has his own secrets that he keeps buried deep inside. When someone else catches on to this hidden or unexplained bit of knowledge in their friend or family member, an untold mystery begs an explanation. Thus, when Ellen and her brother Warren take Peggy, their elderly mother, to lunch, their goal is to unearth a disturbing truth about their parents. The lunch date at Peggy’s favorite restaurant will also serve as a neutral space for Ellen and Warren to share some important news with their mother and spring their solution to their parents’ problem. But along with the daily specials, a generous portion of lies are also served.

The late Chicago playwright, Joel Drake Johnson, wrote an array of acclaimed dramas, including AS THE BEAVER, THE END OF THE TOUR and THE FALL TO EARTH. His plays are known for their layered and realistic characters who are depicted with brilliant comic and tragic potency. As in his 90-minute one-act FOUR PLACES, Mr. Johnson mainly wrote about loneliness, fear, relationships and dying. His most commercial success was RASHEEDA SPEAKING, which premiered at Chicago’s Rivendell Theatre, and then went on to a Broadway production that starred Cynthia Nixon and Tonya Pinkins. Joel once said, “I am interested in creating stories with characters who, despite their flaws, bad decisions, selfish inhibitions, awkward or comic interactions and tragic setbacks, push themselves on to an enlightened understanding of their place in the world.” In this excellent new production, Directed with great sensitivity, love and understanding by Lauren Berman, theatergoers will find all of these elements.

Deceptively simple in its construction, FOUR PLACES looks at four characters (although an unseen fifth person plays a large role), portrayed by four talented actors, and is set in four different locations. The locales, Designed by Bob Pinta with simplicity, yet an attention to detail, are all in place when the audience enters the intimate Bramble Arts Loft venue. It’s through Elliot DePappe’s Lighting Design that our focus shifts from place to place. And embellished with Aaron Harris Woodstein’s realistic Sound Design (especially in the Ladies Room), as well as Helen Neppl’s authentic Properties, the audience is immersed in each of the story’s settings.

Ellen and Warren have heard from their parent’s caretaker that Peggy and her husband of fifty years may be a danger to one another. The aging couple have the usual physical ailments, which have been amplified by emotional outbursts and telling each other lies. To get through the day, Peggy’s been serving boozy beverages to her husband and, she confesses, sharing in the ongoing happy hours, herself. But in addition to hearing that their parents have become alcoholics, there’s other dangerous behaviors that require Ellen and Warren’s immediate attention. Johnson’s drama, laced with a few unexpected laughs, is often difficult to watch because of how the exposure of secrets and the telling of lies both comfort and hurt.

Lauren Berman has assembled a dream quartet of talented actors. As Ellen, a widowed professional psychologist, Andrea Uppling has become the adult who’s been caring most often for Peggy. Their longstanding weekly lunch dates have given Ellen the opportunity to check in with her mother, but today she’s harboring a secret that she reluctantly needs to spring on Peggy. She also learns a great many secrets about a mother she thought she already knew. 

Michael Stejskal plays her often angry brother, Warren. He’s a high school teacher with his own hidden secrets. In addition to learning more untold information about his mom and dad, and having to deal with the burden of caring for his aging parents, Warren’s recent divorce has left him filled with loneliness and guilt. Now he’s faced with a very difficult decision concerning the welfare of his beloved father and mother. 

Barb is an affable, overly affectionate, very caring and often gossipy server at the restaurant. She knows Peggy and Ellen well. However, sometimes Barb offers Peggy a little too much friendliness for the older lady’s comfort. But it appears that Barb’s understanding of Peggy’s needs is greater than the lady’s kids demonstrate. She’s played with passion and precision by the excellent Amber Dow.

But the central figure, and the real star of this production, is Valerie Gorman, as Peggy. This is almost a tour de force and she is absolutely brilliant in this demanding role. Having appeared in many excellent productions around Chicagoland, such as at Citadel, Metropolis, Redtwist, Raven, Oil Lamp and other theaters, Ms. Gorman is the real heart and soul of this production. The sheer amount of lines this veteran actor had to master, as well as her ability to seamlessly journey from complacency to worry to anger and then back again, is simply astounding. Although supported by a truly stellar cast, Valerie Gorman is the best reason to see this incredible production.

Lauren Berman’s heartfelt production of FOUR PLACES is an entertaining and enlightening evening that’s filled with secrets and lies. As the play quietly unfolds, the audience discovers more and more information about each of the four characters. This is a play for anyone who has either been in the situation of seeking their own caretaker, or has had to consider personally stepping in themselves and taking charge of an ailing or elderly relative. The decisions to be made are often difficult and sometimes sad, But it’s a scenario that most of us will eventually face. Joel Drake Johnson’s riveting play gives that moment of passage a clear and honest voice.    

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 16-November 2 by Four Chairs Theatre at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 North Clark Street, Chicago.

Tickets are available at the door or by going to www.4chairstheatre.org. or www.brambleartsloft.com.

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