A Comedy That’s For the Birds

Birds of a Feather

A Comedy That’s For the Birds

Finding your soul mate is never a simple matter, whether you’re a heterosexual male and female, two men or a couple of women. But just imagine the difficulties incurred by a pair of same-sex birds, especially when they’re in captivity. Two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo became world-famous celebrities when, together, they became a bonded pair, and then incubated, hatched and raised an abandoned chick. What’s surprising is that Roy and Silo were a same-sex couple. 

The story of these two chinstrap penguins was the subject of a 2005 children’s picture book, And Tango Makes Three, co-written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole. While it won numerous awards and citations, the book became the center of controversy and figured in numerous cases of censorship. Its strong themes of family, love, acceptance and adoption were overlooked by conservative parents who objected to their children reading about homosexuality.

Writer and playwright Marc Acito, author of How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater, adapted the children’s book into a two-act comedy, with serious overtones. Acito meshed the story of Roy and Silo with the tale of another pair of very real wild birds, Pale Male and Lola. These two real-life red-tailed hawks became nationally famous when they were discovered nesting on the ledge of a New York condo.The birds’ high-rise home was torn down but they continued to rebuild their nest and raise their young in the skies of the Big Apple. Add to the stories, one pair of birds in captivity, one pair of birds who were free, a couple of subplots about human beings. They also experience their own problems with coupling. Acito demonstrates through his play that whether a couple is straight, gay, animal or human, finding your mate and maintaining a solid relationship is never easy.

In this Chicago debut, directed with obvious love and care by Jacob Harvey, all of the characters are portrayed by a cast of four talented and very likable young actors. Marika Mashburn, always a treat in no matter what role she undertakes at the House Theatre, is delightful as a lonely Manhattan Zookeeper. She also opens the play as Paula Zahn, in a spot-on impersonation of a bitter, professional woman. Abu Ansari, another talented veteran of several House Theatre productions, is very funny as a nerdy Birder, as well as real-life millionaire, Richard Cohen.

But this production truly belongs to the two youngest actors who lovingly play both pair of birds. Paul Michael Thomson, seen in CST’s “Shakespeare in Love,” Brown Paper Box’s “The Baltimore Waltz” and The Greenhouse’s excellent “Machinal,” is terrific as both Roy and the Pale Male red-tailed hawk. He has a romp with a few other characters, as well, demonstrating his dramatic and comic versatility. His two birds couldn’t be more different as he shape-shifts into each role with ease. Handsome Aaron Kirby has performed at Drury Lane, Indiana Rep, The House, the Goodman and Redtwist Theatre (where he was twice nominated for a Jeff Award). Kirby plays Roy’s caring partner, Silo, as well as their grown daughter chick, Tango. He also dons a curly wig to portray Lola, the red-tailed hawk who’s Pale Male’s current mate. Both actors seamlessly morph in and out of each role with ease and their chemistry together onstage is always caring and considerate.

Christina Leinicke has fashioned a wardrobe of creative costumes that help delineate each character that this gifted quartet undertakes. She does an especially good job with the two pairs of adult birds, as well as with Roy and Silo’s grown daughter. Thanks to Ms. Leinicke, the actors can easily switch from one costume to the next in the shadows, created by Lighting Designer Will Coeur. Mr. Coeur is also responsible for creating the panoramic projections of various Manhattan locales, viewed upon Joe Schermoly’s semicircular backdrop, which is a big part of his scenic design that morphs from the zoo’s penguin house to the top of a high rise building. And Jeffrey Levin has amassed an array of realistic sounds and original music that enhance Mr. Harvey’s well-directed production.

This play isn’t perfect, but the production is. It has a few scenes that clutter up the main plot and add unnecessary bulk to the story. But it’s always entertaining, very funny and raises questions about several issues concerning gender and sexuality. Although the human episodes, especially those of the Birder and the Zookeeper, offer a nice contrast to the avian stories, they could easily be eliminated so that the play could be a single, feather-lined one-act. Marc Acito’s comedy is at its best when devoting its attention to Pale Male and Lola and, particularly, to Roy and Silo. It’s a pleasure to say that this play is, after all, for the birds.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas             

Presented April 27-June 17 by the Greenhouse Theater Center,  2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 773-404-7336 or by going to www.greenhousetheater.org.

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