Avery Crozier’s script has nary a pronoun—you won’t find a “he” or “she, ” or “his” or “her” in the dialogue, just the use of gender neutral names. This gimmick has a larger purpose: The entire cast has memorized every part in the play, and each night the audience votes to decide who will play whom. The resulting auditions are underwhelming, as is the show itself, directed by Weil Richmond, who also performs. (Frank Farrell conceived a similar but superior version of this idea for the North Lakeside Players, called “The Audition.”) The story centers on a grants manager candidate interviewing for a job at a museum—a mouthful of a premise that feels too obscure for the broad comedic outlines of the play. If you can get past the blinding-white set and sad pacing, what you’re left with is a limpid would-be screwball comedy. LaKeith Hoskin (a member of the cast during the show’s original 2001 New York run) is the one bright spot in this mess—the kind of actor who can steal a scene in his sleep. (Nina Metz)
At the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green, (312)733-6000. This production is now closed.
