Like a Prayer

Grace

Like a Prayer

Shocking the audience by opening his play with three murders and a suicide, and then reversing the events like a tape being rewound, Craig Wright’s taut one-act is a mystery, of sorts.

It’s not a whodunnit because we immediately know who is committing the crimes. Rather, it’s a taut, why-did-he-do-it brainteaser. As the bodies return to life, moving backwards in time, we eventually return to the beginning to see how and why this heinous deed occurred.

With a knowledge of what’s eventually going take place, the remaining 90 minutes are filled with an atmosphere of tension and uneasiness. The audience is fearful and jittery, yet somewhat hopeful, waiting for that horrible, climatic moment to take place. But what would prompt a person to kill three other innocent people and then take his own life?

Steve and his young wife Sara have recently relocated from Minnesota to Sunshine, Florida, where they’re living in a modest, cookie-cutter apartment complex. They’ve made this move because Steve believes that God has directly spoken to him, instructing him to open a chain of new, evangelically-based hotels. With very little of his own cash in hand, Steve’s been promised a huge sum of money by an unseen partner in Switzerland to begin this enterprise. Steve, and to a lesser extent, Sara, is far too naive and trusting. This shady business deal has “scam” written all over it, and the audience will immediate realize it. But Steve is so blindly caught up in his conservative, right-wing beliefs that he can’t see the obvious.

Sam is Steve and Sara’s next door neighbor; however, because of Pauline Oleksy’s uniquely creative scenic design, the audience may, at first, think he’s the couple’s roommate. Sam’s apartment is so identical to Steve and Sara’s that the two living rooms become interchangeable. Once we finally understand this artistic conceit, we’re able to focus on who is this surly, young man with the scarred face. 

Sam works for NASA and, we learn, was severely burned in a horrific car accident that also killed his fiancee. The young man has chosen to wear a half-face mask to hide his disfigurement, much like the Phantom of the Opera. We discover him losing his patience while waging a war with his computer, trying to locate a series of lost photos that’ve mysteriously vanished on his hard drive. When Sam’s invited over to meet his neighbors, Steve begins to maniacally question his neighbor’s religious beliefs and to preach about God. 

Even Karl, an elderly German man, who works as the apartment complex’s exterminator, also falls victim to Steve’s religious interrogation. Karl shares that his wife is dying of cancer and that he’s another sorrowful survivor of the Holocaust. But Steve’s persistent desire to convert everyone around him becomes his driving goal. Soon, about the time Steve begins to understand that he’s being taken advantage of in this business deal, Sara starts having feelings for Sam. He’s intelligent, sensitive and, while open to spiritual discussion, isn’t obsessed with religion. This is when the tables begin to turn.   

Writer, producer and playwright Craig Wright is perhaps best known for his work on television. His work on such popular TV series as “Six Feet Under,” “Lost,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Dirty, Sexy Money” and, more recently, the Oprah Winfrey Network series, “Greenleaf,” has garnered Wright a series of honors and accolades. Mr. Wright’s theatrical works have also earned him a number of awards and nominations for such noteworthy plays as “Mistakes Were Made,” “Main Street,” “Recent Tragic Events” and “The Pavilion.” This 2004 one-act that explores religious belief, and the roles that God and Fate play in people’s lives, first premiered in Washington D.C. at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, later opening on Broadway in 2012.

Georgette Verdin’s, Interrobang Theatre Project’s co-Artistic Director, is at the helm of this production. She’s kept the terse drama moving steadily while building the mysterious quality of the script in her tight staging. Her four-member cast do a fine job in their roles. Evan Linder, who recently wowed audiences in Theater Wit’s quirky “The Antelope Play,” as well as in Broken Nose Theatre’s “At the Table,” is thoroughly impressive as Sam. His emotional honesty and ability to create a realistic, imperfect, multilayered character, who has his own flaws, is excellent. He’s matched by Laura Berner Taylor as Sara. Ms. Taylor brings out the young woman’s innocent, trusting nature that gradually becomes suspicious of her husband’s business dealings. A lonely woman, left by herself all day in her apartment, she dreams of ordering accessories for a child she may have someday. It’s Sara who first meets Sam and it’s her friendship and empathy for the young man that compounds the tension between Sam and Steve. 

Walter Brody is very good as Karl, a kind of sweet, comic relief for this short script. Mr. Brody touches the heart with the story of his true love, Rachel, thought to have been lost to the evil of the Nazis. It’s a pleasant surprise when Karl returns near the end of the play, but neither he nor the audience can predict what tragedy he’s about to encounter. As Steve, Joe Lino makes his respectable debut with this theatre company. A strong actor, Mr. Lino brings all of the character’s drive and passionate enthusiasm for his faith to the stage. The problem is that he tends to come off as mostly one-note. There’s very little to like about Steve, as he’s played in this production, and we should at least find some trace of love and caring in him. As portrayed, Sara’s husband only has devotion for his faith and a fervor for this business venture on his mind. Tapping into the other layers of this character would prevent Steve from being labeled as the antagonist.

Craig Wright’s 2004 drama has its dark, comic moments. But ultimately this is a drama that will jar audiences with the tragic path it takes. It’s a journey laid out from the very beginning, then told in flashbacks. The play avoids the typical storybook ending, with Sam and Sara running off together and leaving Steve to his own devices. It’s brutal and honest in that respect. But deeply religious theatergoers should be warned that this play may be profoundly disturbing. It’s well-directed and strongly supported by a talented technical team, especially Erik Siegling’s dramatic sound design, and makes a strong finale for the company’s 2017-18 season.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas            

Presented May 4-June 3 by Interrobang Theatre Project at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 773-935-6875 or by going to www.interrobangtheatre.org.

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