No False Promises with this Gun

Leave Me Alone! – Story Theatre

 

In 1887 Anton Chekov wrote a play called “Ivanov,” a tragic tale of a man at the end of his rope. When the playwright initially saw his four-act drama in performance, he found the original script to be disgusting. Chekov set about rewriting the play, and his newly-altered version became the accepted rendition of the drama. Flash ahead to 2018. Highly respected Chicago actor and playwright Paul Michael Thomson has, again, rewritten Chekov’s tragedy, bringing the story into the 21st century. 

Thomson has done a magnificent job of adapting this story of a man at odds with the world around him. He’s made the play feel fresh and timely, contemporary and smart. While Mr. Thomson has renamed his characters for modern ears, he’s kept hints of their Russian origins as an homage to the original script. 

The story now takes place in an America ruled by a corrupt government. Gay marriage is still legal but, like many of the other progressive advances made during the Obama administration, its future is in jeopardy. 

Nik is a depressed, dissatisfied politician whose world is crumbling around him. When we first meet him at the top of the play, Nik is brandishing a revolver; following Chekov’s own rule, a gun may not be revealed in a play unless it’s going to be used at some point. Thus, tragedy is foreshadowed from the very start. While Nik openly acknowledges that he’s not a nice person, he finds himself a helpless prisoner of all the pressures around him. He suffers from both internal and external problems. Melancholy, in financial difficulties, suffering from sexual confusion and alienation from his friends are manifested through excessive dependency on booze and drugs, aggressive behavior, mood swings and a preoccupation with death.

Nik has fallen out of love with his ardent, but terminally ill, wife, Anna. She lost all contact with her family, including her inheritance, when she married outside of her religion. Nik is drowning in debt, owing a fortune borrowed from his friends, Paul and Aida Lebedev. Nik has also become attracted to the Lebedev’s 19-year-old son, Sam, and Anna, on occasion, has walked in on their secret romantic moments. Anna’s live-in physician, Dr Love, finds it difficult to hide her animosity toward Nik, while prudently trying to curb her infatuation for her patient. State Senator Matt Shabelsky is Nik’s uncle and his mentor. He’s recently become a disgruntled, old-school politician who criticizes everyone around him. Nik’s cousin, MB, who calls the shots as his campaign manager, tries to play matchmaker for Uncle Matt by pairing him with Babs, an attractive, wealthy young widow. MB is aided in her machinations and meddling by Gabrielle, the Lebedevs’ perky, young assistant. In the midst of all this, Nik cradles his revolver while the other characters deliver thought-provoking asides about suicide to the audience, attributed to famous philosophers and authors.

Keeping the story up close and personal, Director Matt Bowdren has nicely staged Thomson’s script in the intimate Heartland Studio. Audiences in this 35-seat venue are never more than a few feet from the actors, which makes all the difference in this production. Patrons almost become the 11th character in this story, and the chemistry between cast and crowd is palpable. Nik’s backslide plays out within Brian Hendricks’ simple, stark flexible scenic design, dramatically lit by  Lucy Whipp and enveloped in a beautifully saturnine soundtrack designed by Jake Sorgen. Stephanie K. Brownell’s costumes are both contemporary and evocative, especially Anna’s lace gown at the end of the play.

Bowdren’s cast is superb, led by talented Sean Gallagher, as Nik Ivanov. Kudos to this fine actor for discovering all the colors in this character, rather than playing him simply as an unsympathetic, ill-tempered, tragic hero. The audience is continually made aware of Nik’s many misjudgments and character flaws, but Mr. Gallagher unearths those sensitive traits that keep him from becoming completely unlikable. Many patrons can relate to Nik’s financial woes, his feelings of alienation and even his love for a younger man. But mostly we can empathize with Nik’s feelings of helplessness and despair.

Gallagher is matched by every one of his cast mates. Particular standouts include lovely Brenna Welsh, who’s gracious and good-natured as Anna, despite her character’s life-draining illness. Boyishly handsome Jordon Dell Harris is intelligent, eloquent and honestly passionate as Sam. Nicole Laurenzi is powerful, totally in command and articulate as Aida Lebedev. As Dr. Love, Ayanna Bria Bakari brings stature, poise and powerful rhetoric to her portrayal. And as MB, Gaby Moldovan makes an impressive theatrical debut in Chicago, displaying an energy and an earnestness that may remind theatergoers of a younger Rachel Maddow.

This production marks an auspicious beginning for this brand-new storefront theatre company. It’s exciting to imagine what new tales The Story Theatre will next present. The company seeks to offer language-centric, narrative-driven plays that offer new perspectives and pose thought-provoking questions, always allowing their audiences to form their own answers. In their debut production, Artistic Director Paul Michael Thomson’s beautifully-adapted contemporary version of Anton Chekov’s classic tragedy, skillfully directed by Matt Bowden, we have an exciting new company who can stand confidently beside Chicago’s other fine theatrical troupes.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas   

               

Presented July 26-August 12 by The Story Theatre at the Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the box office or by going to www.thestorytheatre.org.

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