Review: Wedding Play/About Face Theatre

In About Face Theatre’s “Wedding Play, ” Adam, the neurotic writer, frantically warns his director that his play-within-the-play doesn’t work. Like its theatrical counterpart, writer/ director Eric Rosen’s piece doesn’t work either. Adam writes a show that’s an alleged confession for the murders of his wife and their child and casts his ex-lover as the villain. Their history is examined from several perspectives, requiring a tedious repetition of over-the-top dialogue. Rosen reveals no new insight with each new layer of information, which hampers the show’s pacing. The ensemble’s performances are uniformly strong and sharp; standout performances include Sean Cooper as the mysterious, off-kilter playwright, Benjamin Sprunger as his disgruntled ex, and Joe Dempsey as the fiercely ambitious, menacing director desperate for his shot at the big time. But all the energy the cast brings to the script can’t deepen the observances or create the love that’s missing between the characters. (Lisa Buscani)

At the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. This production is now closed.