With terrorism, the economy and a seemingly unending war dominating the headlines, the abortion debate may seem one of significantly less importance than it was back in 1993 when Jane Martin’s “Keely and Du” premiered. But the fight between the right to life and the right to choose is as tempestuous as ever—and I applaud Infamous Commonwealth Theatre’s decision to tackle the topic in their season on righteousness. Unfortunately, this play is little more than a hot-button hit of its time, with poorly developed characters and uninspiring rhetoric in place of any real urgency or dramatic action. Genevieve Thompson as Keely, the pregnant rape victim held captive by the “Operation Retrieval” group, and Joanna Maclay as her kind and matronly captor Du, work hard to build a relationship between these two women through the clipped, snapshot-style scenes (though they are able to create some warm and honest moments in a few of the longer sequences), but for the most part, Martin’s play feels caricatured and sorely lacking in both the heart and political potency this topic demands. (Valerie Jean Johnson)
At the Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, (773)338-2177. This production is now closed.
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