Into the Wild

Borealis – House Theatre

 

Bennett Fisher’s world premiere season opener for The House Theatre of Chicago is an Alice in Wonderland-like quest story. It combines fairytale tropes with corporate satires that lampoon the world of Big Oil. Set in the cold, snowy regions of northern Alaska, where the aurora borealis lights up the sky, Fisher’s play offers a futuristic world that plays out inside, beneath and on top of the oil pipelines. It features a host of bizarre characters, not unlike those who Alice finds Underground or Through the Looking Glass. And by the time the adventurous journey has ended, our heroic little girl has grown into a strong young woman.

After a rambunctious, fun-filled evening spent with her older brother, 13-year-old Cozbi has convinced Absalom that his hard work on the pipeline is sucking all the life out of him. Ready to give his two-week notice and join Cozbi on their own venture, since their parents are both gone and their childhood home is falling apart, Absalom sets off for work, but he never returns. Suddenly an ominous hologram letter arrives telling Cozbi that Absalom isn’t free to leave anymore and that he intends to work for the Oil Company for the foreseeable future. The young girl knows her brother well and fears that the worst has happened to him. So Cozbi sets out into the wild, with only an axe and book of banal business quotations. She’s determined to find and rescue Absalom from the villainous clutches of the oil rig.

Monty Cole has directed his production with spirit and a sense of humor, allowing the satire to infuse all the characters and creatures of this Neil Gaiman-like world, as they torment and teach Cozbi during her journey. Eleanor Kahn’s impressive scenic design engulfs both the characters and the audience in its icy prison, made dimensional through the projection work by Joseph Burke. Lee Keenan’s atmospheric lighting is matched by a spectacular sound design by Sarah D. Espinoza, which features an original score composed by Matthew Muniz. Izumi Inaba’s magical costumes bring additional life and malice to these insidious creatures, as well. And fight choreography, of which there is an abundance, is courtesy of Gaby Labotka; while Breon Arzell’s movement direction works hand-in-hand with Monty Cole’s original vision.

So immersed in Cozbi’s adventure, audiences will be amazed and impressed as they come to realize there are only eight actors in this ensemble cast, many playing a vast variety of roles. Tia Pinson is appropriately feisty and filled with unlimited energy as young Cozbi. As her wise, older brother Absalom, Desmond Gray is athletic, strong and determined. McKenzie Chinn (replaced the night this reviewer attended by a terrifying, icy cold Paige Hoffman), is Burke, the reptilian CEO of the oil corporation. The always enjoyable Karissa Murrell Myers is excellent as Abbot, a flunky supplies worker stuck in a mundane job that’s going nowhere. The rest of the characters and monsters are performed by the terrific trio of Johnny Arena, Juan Munoz and a most impressive Ben Hertel.

This impressive opening of The House Theatre’s new season is, as usual, strong in its storytelling element and most impressive in its fantastic technical design. The details may become a little foggy as all the action, costumes and special effects progress. But if theatergoers simply sit back and let this epic saga wash over them, the full enjoyment of Cozbi’s quest into the wild will be their final reward.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas         

 

Presented August 30-October 21 by The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 773-769-3832 or by going to www.thehousetheatre.com.

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