Andrew Hobgood, Jessica London-Shields, Shariba Rivers, Chris Fowler/Photo: Evan Hanover
RECOMMENDED
If you take the events surrounding Virginia Woolf’s suicide, turn them into an art installation, and then plummet her updated self into a “No Exit”-like Hell, then you have a germ of an idea of what Morgan McNaught’s “The Terrible” is about.
Woolfe (Jessica Landon-Shields) is a performance artist whose final art installation is filming her own drowning via an iPhone and an internet stream. She expects this to be her comment on life, and all the crap that goes along with it. What she doesn’t expect is to wake-up shortly thereafter in a room with three other people. Christopher (Chris Fowler) is a likely gay, mostly confused man whose life was cut short by a bullet to the brain. Gertrude (Shariba Rivers) is a woman who lost her child to another woman during the days before World War II. Everyone present is being guided through counseling sessions led by Fred (Andrew Hobgood). While Sartre’s masterwork posits that Hell is other people, Fred’s methods and cruelty may lead one to believe that Hell is only one person, and that is Fred. Or, perhaps just therapists as a class of people.
Director Jesse Roth’s production is strongly informed by a sense of play, despite addressing a serious and dour topic. While each of the participants in the tale must repeat his or her own death ad nauseam, the absurdity of the situation and the antics of those present are seen through a playful lens that mocks while at the same time exploring deeper meanings.
The play comes off as a bit weird, but interestingly so. It sticks with the viewer long after the lights go down. And those lights are an instrumental part of the production’s success. So are the set and the sound. This is one of the best examples of a cohesive design concept that I’ve seen in a while. Kudos go to Claire Chrzan (lights), William Boles (set), and Morgan Lake (sound). For most of the show, I was able to forget that I was an outside observer and just be immersed in the world the play creates. (Christopher Kidder-Mostrom)
The New Colony at The Den Theatre, 1333 North Milwaukee, thenewcolony.org, $20-$25. Through November 21.
Related Stories
The Road Less Followed: A Review of The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz at The House Theatre of Chicago RECOMMENDED Like the Pevensies and their wardrobe, the eternally youthful crew at The House Theatre return to "The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz" after twelve years away. Phillip Klapperich's twisted adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel places a greater emphasis on personal agency and the endlessness of the path of life. Featuring a dexterous and multi-talented ensemble lead by Kara Davidson…- After All: A Review of Small World at The New Colony This world premiere is a modern-day vision of hell that outstrips the imaginings of Dante or Hieronymus Bosch. It's also a comedy.
- A Terrible and Beautiful Time: Performances at Links Hall Capture the Creative American Zeitgeist January at Links Hall is an intensive course in the complexity of our American identity.
- The Devil and The Details: A Review of Scapegoat; Or (Why The Devil Always Loved Us) at The New Colony RECOMMENDED Mixing the vulgar hilarity of "Veep" with the behind-the-curtain drama of "House of Cards" and borrowing a healthy dose of both show's disinterest in playing to an audience that doesn't want to keep up, "Scapegoat; Or (Why The Devil Always Loved Us)," the thirtieth world premiere in less than ten years from The New Colony, is politically and emotionally precise. Exploring the…
- A Less Fun Impact: A Review of Fun Harmless Warmachine at The New Colony This well-intended world premiere from The New Colony feels like another in a long line of excuses for the very people it is trying to hold accountable: men.
- Once Again And Better Than Ever: A Review of Once at Paramount Theatre The Tony Award-winning musical gets its regional premiere at Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
