And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

Act(s) of God – Lookingglass Theatre Company

A brand new original play, written by one of Chicago’s finest, most respected actors, and a Lookingglass Theatre company member, is a cause for celebration and demands an appreciative audience. Kareem Bandealy’s brilliant work as an actor has been seen by many and lauded by critics and audiences in productions all over Chicago. In his first attempt as playwright, Mr. Bandealy has embarked upon a new educational journey. His learning curve has expanded as he’s soaked up what it means to be on the other side of a production. This fledgling playwright has discovered, probably not unexpectedly that, in turning his script over to a director, a cast and a team of creative artists, it’s almost like sending your child off on his first day of kindergarten. But it’s the natural next step in the growth and nurturing of his young work, now in the hands of the theatre community.

Mr. Bandealy’s play focuses on a unique and special event that’s about to occur with a very dysfunctional family (is there any other kind?). Taking place ten years into the future, the parents, Mother and Father, have relocated to a modest home somewhere in the American desert. Their three kids, referred to only as Eldest, Middle and Youngest, are now grownups and leading their own lives elsewhere. However, the siblings have all reunited at the family nest to finally meet Middle’s Fiancee. 

Before everyone arrives, Mother is discovered going through a pile of mail, sorting the bills from the junk. Amongst the stack, she finds a special-looking envelope. The strange thing is that neither Mother, nor Father, nor any of the kids, except Eldest, is able to open it. When it drops to the floor, all the lights go out; but when it’s picked up again, illumination is restored. Eerie, right? And, although Eldest is able to open the mysterious envelope, she only sees a blank piece of paper inside. However, the rest of the family collectively swoons by the message they’re able to read, written in gold in some secret language. The letter says that God has chosen this family for an apocryphal visit the following evening. Then, things really begin to get weird.

Ensemble member Heidi Stillman, whose production of “Hard Times” she adapted from Charles Dickens, and brought to life on the Lookingglass stage, is no stranger to directing original works. She was the natural choice to be entrusted with Mr. Bandealy’s new play and she hasn’t disappointed. With her cast of impressive, seasoned actors, Ms. Stillman has instilled this production with a sense of urgency, plenty of excitement and mystery and the respect that a new script deserves. 

Rick Sims provides an appropriate sound design, complete with original music. Staged proscenium-style, Brian Sidney Bembridge’s lighting and scenic design offers luminescence and ample space for the play’s physical and intellectual demands, while creatively allowing room for all the production’s special effects. Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that this play offers an homage to the Theatre of the Absurd, as well as to Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.” As beliefs shatter and emotional barriers fall, the walls of their home also come tumbling down.

The cast impeccably and intelligently gives Kareem Bandealy’s play that extra boost of humor and sophistication that it requires. As Mother, the inimitable Shannon Cochran holds court as the reigning matriarch of this family. Whether giving an honest, unsolicited analysis of her husband and children, expressing reverence for her image of a female God or unexpectedly bursting into a classical aria, Ms. Cochran demonstrates, in her Lookingglass debut, why she’s one of Chicago’s finest actresses. Rom Barkhordar has also appeared on many Windy City stages, giving stellar performances each time. He returns to this theatre as Father, a calming influence over his wife and kids, and given to involved storytelling and dropping off to sleep, both at a moment’s notice. His character provides much of the humor in this play.

The grown children are played with relish by three talented actors. Walter Briggs, as Youngest, is like a puppy dog, continually seeking affection, and often jeered for his ignorance or innocence. Anthony Irons, last seen at Lookingglass in “The “Steadfast Tin Soldier,” is Middle. This is a man who truly believes that he’s on the right path, both personally and professionally. He arrives at his parents’ home with his Fiancee, whom the family has never met. She’s skillfully played with comic candor and credulousness by Emjoy Gavino. Eldest is wonderfully played by Kristina Valada-Viars, who makes an impressive first Lookingglass appearance in this play. She’s strong, unable to keep her emotions in check and given to speaking her mind. Although the information is sketchy, this lesbian young woman apparently gave birth, at some point, to a child that didn’t survive. For now, Eldest appears to be alone, without a significant other; but she’s woman who’s confident in both her intelligence and atheism. That Eldest can’t see God’s written note about dropping over for dinner isn’t much of a surprise.

Like most absurdist plays, it’s difficult to say, with any real authority, what this new play is actually about. There’s a fair amount of discussion about religion, lots of non sequiturs that provoke laughter, a fair amount of scholarly erudition and many confusing occurrences, especially as this comic drama draws to its strange climax. Kareem Bandealy’s first attempt as a playwright might, like so many initial attempts, become better after this premiere production and with a rewrite, or two. There’s a lot of material in this three-act play that could probably be cut, but that sort of trimming requires the wisdom found in a trial production and some artistic distance. It would be fun to see this play again after it’s been edited a bit.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas 

Presented February 13-April 7 by Lookingglass Theatre Company, located at the historic Water Tower Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-337-0665 or by going to www.lookingglasstheatre.org.

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