Raven Theatre’s “Ironbound,” with Lucy Carapetyan/Photo: Michael Brosilow
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Certain political figures are telling lies about immigrants, so it’s time to remember what’s true. Most immigrants work incredibly hard. Many do the dirty, dangerous jobs no one else wants—like working assembly lines and cleaning houses and picking crops. The American Dream can take a long, dreary time to achieve, and sometimes it never happens.
“Ironbound,” a 2015 Martyna Majok play getting its Chicago premiere at the Raven Theatre, focuses on a Polish immigrant woman who works in a factory and cleans houses. In a stunning performance by Lucy Carapetyan, Darja is practical, funny, loving and as independent as she can afford to be. She’s a survivor, and she keeps standing up for her own needs despite a system that is stacked against women, immigrants and the working class. It’s a sharp, poignant production, full of dark humor and real heart.
It’s about time a Chicago company did this play. It is set in a hardscrabble New Jersey town, but characters yearn for Chicago—our city is a focus of dreams. Carapetyan had been in rehearsal for the play at Steep Theatre in Chicago back in 2020, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. She later played the role of Darja in Maine.
Majok, a Polish immigrant who also wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Cost of Living” and “Sanctuary City,” (which played last year at the Steppenwolf), said in an interview with Newcity that she based Darja’s story on her own mother’s.
Directed by Georgette Verdin with a set by Lindsay Mummert, the action takes place at a grungy, graffiti-tagged bus stop, lit by harsh neon lights that sputter during scene changes. A pair of sneakers hangs on an overhead wire, and yellow police tape on a fire hydrant suggests that a crime has recently happened, and will likely happen again. Sound designer Christopher Kriz brings us buzzing night insects and the rumble of buses and cars.
Raven Theatre’s “Ironbound,” with Lucy Carapetyan and Nate Santana/Photo: Michael Brosilow
At the stop, Darja goes back and forth in time between different men. One is her first husband, Maks (Nate Santana), also from Poland. He wants to go to Chicago to be a blues musician, and though she loves him, Darja doesn’t want to follow.
Another man is Tommy, played by Richie Villafuerte, who tries to convince Darja to take him back despite his serial philandering.
Then there’s Vic, played by Glenn Obrero, a teenager who wants to help Darja after she’s been beaten by her never-seen second husband. Another never-seen character is Darja’s troubled son Alex, the man she’ll never give up.
This is not a romantic play. Darja has come to see love as a transaction—I’ll make noise in your arms if you give me money to help my son. Her attitude is the opposite of Maks’, who cares more about bringing forth what’s inside him than money. He wants to show Darja that life has to be more than just constant labor, but she doesn’t feel she has a choice.
The small cast is excellent. With the help of dialect coach Elise Kauzlaric and Polish language consultant Julie Jachym, both Santana and Carapetyan use credible Polish accents and occasional Polish dialogue. Santana’s performance highlights Maks’ strength—he’s a dreamer but not an idler. He’s practical, but also loves music and finer things in life.
As Tommy, Villafuerte is hilariously obnoxious in a swaggering, Jersey-guy style—a Lothario in a grey postal uniform of shorts and black socks. He appeals to Darja’s practical nature—he may be a fool, but he has Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Aside from Darja, the most touching character is Vic, a wide-eyed, vulnerable kid who turns tricks for fun and money, and wants to be friends with Darja despite their differences. An exchange between them made me cry, and I wasn’t the only one.
This isn’t a perfect play—there are gaps in our information about the characters—particularly Maks, Darja and Alex—that I wanted filled. But it’s a powerful play and a rare one, in that it puts a spotlight on a regular working-class woman, bravely negotiating a difficult life. We need more attention on the people who really make this country run, instead of the people who run over them.
“Ironbound” runs through November 2 at Raven Theatre, 6157 North Clark. Showtimes: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm; Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $45 (student, military and industry tickets are $20), available at raventheatre.com.
