Review: We Live Here/Theatre Seven

George Zerante, Cyd Blakewell, Jessica London-Shields, Cody Proctor/Photo: Amanda Clifford

RECOMMENDED

Chicago’s a tough town but it’s good for a story. Theatre Seven takes a handful of our anecdotes and brings them alive with performances and staging that evoke the joyous aggravation of urban life.

The narratives run the gamut, from the universal (baseball frustration, unusual train conversations) to the highly personal (kidney-stone pain, the end of relationships). The show’s eight contributors capture the city’s effects on its citizens in poignant, powerful ways. You don’t move into Chicago, we’re told, Chicago moves into you.

It’s impossible to highlight standout performances here; everyone’s a rock star. But Paige Collins and Keith Neagle’s reunion piece offers a bittersweet twinge, and Cyd Blakewell’s bike messenger battle with Chicago’s roads is finely detailed and physically fun. Margot Bordelon and Cassy Sanders’ inventive staging save us from the talking-head monotony of the usual monologue. It’s a slice of crazy life. But it’s ours. (Lisa Buscani)

“We Live Here,” Theatre Seven at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 North Lincoln, (773)404-7336. Through September 11.