Unsung Moments of Everyday Life

Do Something Pretty

Melissa Ross is a gifted young playwright who really appreciates those quiet, unsung moments of everyday life. She certainly knows how to focus on and celebrate them. Most writers ignore or shy away from such commonplace incidents, but Ms. Ross employs them to her advantage. In THINNER THAN WATER, the playwright boldly looked at a family of siblings, all with their own individual problems, as they dealt with the death of their father. In A LIFE EXTRA ORDINARY, Ms. Ross took a sweeping look at both the good and the bad moments of Annabel’s life, narrated by the young woman from her grave.

 Once again at Rivendell Theatre, four talented theatrical artists work together to tell the ordinary story surrounding two sisters, and the young men who love them. Death also plays a part in this story, but it doesn’t personally involve the characters onstage, as in some of Melissa Ross’s plays. The one commonality found in all of the playwright’s scripts is to showcase the ordinary—the everyday life. In doing this, our mundane existences suddenly don’t seem so commonplace, after all. As we’re enjoying a play by Melissa Ross we see ourselves in it and realize that her characters are just like all of us. We’re reminded how every person in this world is, in their own way, extra ordinary.

So in DO SOMETHING PRETTY we travel back to the late summer days of 1992. Families are returning from vacations. Schools and colleges will be starting up again soon. Meanwhile, late at night in a small blue collar town apartment, somewhere in Massachusetts, tween-aged Phoebe sprawls on the sofa next to Jason, her sister’s teenage friend. They munch Doritos, listen to a walkman and mindlessly watch whatever’s playing on TV. They banter, they argue, they share, they try smoking marijuana…and then things go a little bit further. Suddenly Evie, Phoebe’s older, college-bound sister, walks in on them.

Evie has been worshipped by Jason all his life. He deeply loves her, but not exactly in that disgusting, carnal way of other dudes. Evie treats Jason like a doormat, like an old pair of shoes or an obedient pet. She loves him as a dear friend, with whom she can count on to always to be there to help, but nothing more. So Evie jokes, ridicules and agues with Jason, while she showers and dresses to go out. 

Then teenage macho man Matt roars into the driveway to pick up Evie for a party. He’s a swaggering loudmouth, a braggart who thinks he has to continually exert his phony masculinity and dominance over Evie to impress Jason. It doesn’t work. But because of a dangerous situation occurring in their neighborhood, Evie asks Jason to please stick around until she gets back, and watch over Phoebe.

Jessica Fisch returns to Rivendell to direct Melissa Ross’s world premiere of DO SOMETHING PRETTY. Ms. Fisch’s directorial work has not only been enjoyed previously at Rivendell (I WANNA  F**KING TEAR YOU APART), she also recently guided Paramount’s stellar production of DEAR EVAN HANSEN and Marriott’s excellent CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. At the intimate Rivendell Theatre, Ms. Fisch stages her production with considerable understanding and skill. She draws the very best performances out of each of her four talented actors, creating a realistic, mini time capsule of the early 90’s and of these young people. Theatergoers will see something of themselves in each character.

A very talented young actress, Katherine Mallen Kupferer is, in a way, Rivendell Theatre royalty. Her mom is Artistic Director, Tara Mallen and her dad is gifted actor Keith Kupferer. But Ms. Kupferer is a dynamite performer on her own merits. She lights up the stage as middle school student, Phoebe, in DO SOMETHING PRETTY, and has an unaffected natural quality that radiates with realness. Katherine works so well with the entire cast, but she especially shows comfort playing off gifted Reilly Oh, as Jason. He’s a magnificent, effortless actor, who never shows the audience how hard he’s working. But this actor’s always in control. Reilly may be remembered for his hilarious portrayal of Z, in Theo Ubique’s musical production of BAKED! Melissa Ross’ plays may be examinations of “complicated, messy, outrageously human women,” but in her new play, a young man named Jason totally dominates the story.

Jocelyn Zamudio is equally impressive as Evie. Having been enjoyed on almost every stage in Chicago, Ms. Zamudio appeared in SANCTUARY CITY, at Steppenwolf, BILLIE JEAN, at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and RUST, at the Goodman. Here she’s beautifully believable as a hardworking high school graduate, more than ready to ditch this small town and begin a whole new life at college in Maine. Like Cyndy Lauper, this girl just wants to have fun, but Evie’s still her little sister’s protector and she’s counting on Jason to help her with this responsibility. Jocelyn evokes both our frustration and our empathy as we watch her try to balance being a surrogate parent for Phoebe and a young woman attempting to branch out and enjoy her new freedom. And in the play’s least sympathetic role, Jasper Johnson makes his noteworthy Rivendell debut. Seen at A Red Orchid Theatre in both VEAL and IN QUIETNESS, Mr. Johnson creates a character or who is the total antithesis of Jason. Mr. Johnson’s very good at playing the antagonist of DO SOMETHING PRETTY, in a way that still offers a moment of empathy for this studly poseur.

A shoutout to Lindsay Mummert for her authentic, detailed and intimate scenic design, dressed to the hilt with Sam Lancaster’s truckload of realistic props. Eric Backus# has designed a soundtrack that’s comprised of 90’s rock music, loud cars and detailed sound effects emanating from the bathroom. And Saawan Tiwari adds yet another level of character with her carefully chosen costume design.     

This is a play that probably won’t change anyone’s life. But it’s a production with will haunt audiences for a long time. It evokes as many smiles as tears, and will be impossible to forget. There are everyday people and scenes filled with the familiar as well as those moments that stand out, making theatergoers laugh in delight or cringe in repulsion. An evening of memory and compelling character study combine in DO SOMETHING PRETTY to tell a finely detailed story that’s filled with all the richness that makes up those unsung moments of everyday life.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented May 2-June 6 by Rivendell Theatre, 5775 Ridge Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 773-334-7728 or by going to www.RivendellTheatre.org.

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

Photos by Michael Brosilow