Fanatic Fandom

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

Teenage obsession turns into a sad and sinister fetish in Samantha Hurley’s absurdist, over-the-top, one-act comic drama. Meet young Shelby Hinkley. She’s a petite, 14-year-old eighth-grader who’s pretty intense and rabidly obsessed with movie star, Tobey Maguire. Did I say obsessed? Shelby is consumed, fixated on and dominated by the handsome young actor. It’s 2004 and being the self-proclaimed president of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club is pretty much Shelby’s entire existence.

Living in remote Bumfuck, South Dakota, the teenager leads a very sad life in her basement bedroom. Although we never see her, she has a loud, vulgar mother who constantly nags her daughter from the top of the stairs. Mom is a cruel and crass woman who’s addicted to buying tchotchkes from QVC and the Home Shopping Network. Shelby’s dad is in prison for stalking actress Charlize Theron. The lonely teenager has only one gal pal at school who she can hang out with or call on her landline phone. Sadly, however, Shelby’s not allowed to call her a “friend.” The other students and teachers tease, torment and totally make fun of Shelby. She’s like a mashup of two Stephen King horror novels. Shelby’s a blend of the horribly-harassed teenager in Carrie, but without the magical powers; and she’s also a teenage version of Annie Wilkes from his book, Misery. So Shelby’s obsession with Tobey Maguire, and her kidnapping and holding him prisoner in her basement, kinda makes sense. Shelby’s fanatic fandom for Tobey Maguire is really all she has in life.

Portraying Shelby in all her unbounded freakiness is brilliant New York actress Alex O’Shea. Ms. O’Shea is familiar with Chicago, having graduated from Northwestern University’s MFA program. In addition to working in television, Alex is a member of an improv and a sketch team at the Oi Theater. In the role of Tobey Maguire, Chicago actor Jasper Johnson is a talented graduate of the Theatre School at DePaul University. He’s been seen in DO SOMETHING PRETTY, at Rivendell Theatre, A QUIETNESS, at A Red Orchid and LETTERS HOME, with Griffin Theatre. And famous Windy City drag performer, Lucy Stoole (Ty Huey) plays Shelby’s Mom, the Paparazzi, an enormous Tobey Maguire poster that comes to life, and is an absolute hoot as real estate agent, Brenda Dee Cankles.

The production is directed with manic energy by Tyler Struble. Often a collaborator with playwright, Samantha Hurley, they premiered this, her first play, Off-Broadway at Nancy Manocharien’s the cell theatre. The show also played the Off-West End Southwark Playhouse in London. Tyler also directed Hurley’s RE(VULVA) at Avalanche Theatre Company, and served as assistant director for SIX MEN DRESSED AS JOSEPH STALEN at A Red Orchid—both in Chicago. Scenic designer Trenton Jones created the basement setting for this production, which perfectly captures a teenage bedroom while resembling a massive shrine to Tobey Maguire. The stage is overflowing with mounted photos and posters of the teen heartthrob, as well as a plethora of Shelby’s personal affects and several boxes of her parents’ stored memorabilia. Kudos to both Elly Burke for all her hundreds of props that bespeak 2004, and to costume designer Madeleine Reid for Tobey Maguire’s two outfits, as well as the costumes for Ms. Cankles and, of course, Shelby Hinkley.

This dark, laugh-out-loud comedy about obsession taken to the next level, however, has certain plot elements that are hard to swallow. Unbelievably, Shelby has somehow managed to kidnap Tobey Maguire as he was leaving the dentist office. Why he goes to a dentist in South Dakota is never explained, and I have no idea how a tiny teenager like Shelby managed to accomplish this feat. But in fairness, Tobey Maguire was under the powerful influence of the drugs given to him by his doctor for a wisdom tooth extraction. 

As the lights come up we discover Tobey in handcuffs, shackled by chain to a pole in the basement. Shelby has planned to marry Mr. Maguire and is counting on him to develop Stockholm Syndrome, which Shelby calls “a psychological bond.” That, she says, is the next best thing to love. But I find it difficult to believe that Shelby managed to haul Tobey Maguire into her house and down the stairs, all by herself, without her mother knowing about it. 

We view Shelby as hyperactive, yet sympathetic, both sides of the character which Ms O’Shea portrays perfectly. Throughout the play she constantly teeter-totters between being a sad sister and a psycho sinner. As the play progresses, Tobey Maguire complains more and more about how being famous is a curse and he wishes he wasn’t an actor. But the weakest section of the script is where Tobey reappears, somehow dressed as Spiderman, and breaks the spell of the earlier scenes. He shatters the fourth wall while speaking directly to an audience member about how fame is fleeting. Why? This was the moment in the play in which the fantasy of the situation was shattered. But then we suddenly “return to our regularly scheduled program” and theatergoers realize that Shelby is now coming to her senses. She realizes that this Maguire guy isn’t anything special and the play comes to a logical conclusion, at least for the world of Shelby Hinkley and the other characters.

There’s a lot to like in Refracted Theatre Company’s gutsy production of I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE. The best thing about the production is the freaky and frenzied, energetic and carefully measured performance by gifted actress, Alex O’Shea. I would love to see this young actress in other roles because she’s so captivating and absolutely believable as a young teenager. Ms. O’Shea totally inhabits this somewhat unbalanced character who’s desperately trying to bring an ounce of happiness to her otherwise bleak life. Jasper Johnson has the more difficult task of balancing and underplaying his role, but his portrayal of a famous movie star is legitimate and believable. I know audiences will love the black comedy and the take-no-prisoners performance of a character who has, in fact, done just that. Simply be prepared for some of Samantha Hurley’s otherwise hilarious play to cause an unexpected crack in the surreal, unbalanced universe of Shelby Hinkley’s fanatic fandom.  

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 18-October 31 by Refracted Theatre Company at the Den Theater, in the Bookspan venue, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Tickets are available at the Den box office, by calling  773-697-3830 or by going to www.thedentheater.com or www.RefractedCo.com.

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

Photos by Joe Mazza/Brave Lux