Sibling Self-Sacrifice

You For Me For You – Sideshow Theatre Company

 

Two starving North Korean sisters share a ceremonial meal of tea and rice, each unselfishly trying to persuade the other to enjoy the last bit of food. Minhee (a heartbreaking performance by Helen Joo Lee), the eldest, is very sick; her younger sister, Junhee (played with amiability, exuberance and valor by Jin Park), is trying to help her older sibling get well and become stronger. Both girls seek the aid of a Smuggler, trying to valiantly flee their country for a better life. Only Junhee makes it. Minhee finds herself trapped at the bottom of a well, while her younger sister travels to America. There Junhee begins a new existence, a dream life, where she finds employment in a New York City hospital, meets a young Southern fella who seems to care for her and basks in Western consumerism. Meanwhile, Junhee finds herself continually thinking and worrying about Minhee, back in Asia.

This Chicago premiere of playwright Mia Chung’s story of sibling self-sacrifice is given a sparse, but visually impressive and creative new production by Director Elly Green. Staged on a deceptively simple, high-tech set by scenic designer William Boles, with startling lighting and sound design by Cat Wilson and Christopher M. LaPorte, this drama easily travels from scene to scene. The play’s timeline isn’t linear, or even very clear, the story has a dreamlike (or nightmare) quality. One day curiously stretches into several years, with time continually moving forward and backward, at every turn. The locale and environments change almost as fast as the dialogue. This creates an Alice in Wonderland quality that becomes an absurdly fantastic odyssey for the two young women.

There are many sparkling moments in Mia Chung’s play. The way she’s created the dialogue spoken by the American characters, filled with a few recognizable words, mindless babble and humorous gibberish, is quite clever. Listening to these lines, the audience can almost understand how a North Korean woman would hear and interpret English, particularly as it’s spoken by glib, fast-talking New Yorkers.

In addition to Junhee and Minhee, the playwright has created a multitude of other supporting characters, all portrayed by an ensemble of four talented actors. Particularly impressive is Katy Carolina Collins, who portrays Liz, and a number of other humorous women. Patrick Agada is also quite funny as Wade, the gentle, soft-spoken Man From the South, Junhee’s Mr. Right. John Lu nicely plays, among others, the Smuggler who helps Junhee out of North Korea; and Gordon Chow appropriately stern as the insensitive Doctor, the Rice Musician and others.

This unusual story of self-sacrifice, of sibling love and sister loyalty, is really a tale of assimilation. Mia Chung’s fantasy isn’t just about North Korea. It’s a story of adventure, about starting over again and making the best of a new situation. There’s much to admire in the way Ms. Chung has painted these two strong female characters who live for each other, yet go on to create their own, individual scenarios. This production, told in episodes and installments, is a dazzling fantasy for smart theatergoers to admire and enjoy.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

 

Presented March 4-April 8 by Sideshow Theatre Company at the Victory Gardens upstairs, Richard Christiansen Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available by calling the box office at 773-871- 3000 or by going to www.victorygardens.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.