Heart-stopping Horror

On Clover Road – American Blues Theater

In order to not spoil the theatrical experience for future audiences, there’s really not very much that can be written about Steven Dietz’s heart-stopping horror story, now enjoying its Chicago premiere. This isn’t the first time that American Blues Theater has presented Mr. Dietz’s work. The prolific writer has more than 30 original plays and theatrical adaptations to his credit, but this one is unique. 

This is an intensely emotional thriller that takes audiences on an unpredictable and dangerous ride. It’s a story filled with the unknown, twists of plot, untrustworthy characters who inhabit the play’s 90-minutes of relenting, tension. All that can be said about the story is that in takes place in a rundown, “abandoned motel on a forgotten American road.” Kate Hunter, a desperate young mother, has resorted to some risky means in order to rescue and reunite with her estranged daughter. The young girl ran away several years ago and is believed to be living in a cult. A shady character named Stine has been engaged to help deliver the teenage runaway from Harris McClain, the charismatic cult leader, and deprogram her. Suffice it say that Dietz’s drama is filled with ever-present danger, unrelenting suspense and shocking surprises.

The cast for this production is commendable. Ensemble member Gwendolyn Whiteside alternately breaks our hearts and quickens our pulse rates as Kate Hunter. As a mother who’s lost all hope of ever seeing her young daughter again, she’s a desperate parent filled with regrets and remorse for whatever led to her daughter’s decision to leave home. Grace Smith, so delightful in Lookingglass Theatre’s “Plantation,” is a disturbing enigma as The Girl. She conveys a range of emotion that’s both ambiguous and astounding. Philip Earl Johnson, last seen at this theatre in “The Columnist,” does an about face as the mysterious and creepy Stine. Every time the audience thinks they have him figured out, something new occurs. John Hudson Odom makes his debut with American Blues as Harris McClain. Smooth and hypnotic, full of poise and dangerous as a rattlesnake, Odom’s cult leader knows just which words to use and what buttons to push to achieve his goal.

Halena Kays, the director of The Ruffians’ recurring hit,  “Burning Bluebeard,” takes the helm of this grim and gritty one-act. Her production unfolds with growing threat and strain, seemingly always reaching for a glimmer of hope. She’s deftly guided her talented ensemble through a drama that relies heavily upon perplexing, unlikable characters who continually rechart their course, as the hours of the day tick away. Lizzie Bracken’s bleak, diagonally designed motel room is authentically disgusting. Accented with dirt, decay, mold and multiple stains on the walls and ceiling, and sparsely furnished with a dilapidated bed a derelict dresser, a broken mirror and what remains of an old floor lamp, the hovel is as repulsive and unappealing as anything imaginable. The overall drama and an impending sense of doom is greatly enhanced by Alexander Ridgers’ stark, unconventional lighting design, often bathed in shadow, and an unobtrusive sound design, by Rick Sims.

It’s said that a thriller offers audiences a unique form of escapism. Theatergoers experience a catharsis in watching others face danger and escape from it. The ability to frighten and manipulate the theatergoer isn’t always easy to achieve. However, director Halena Kays has managed to accomplish this, in spades. She’s helped her talented ensemble develop a cast of multi-layered characters, both sympathetic and repugnant, and to create a drama of relenting suspense. Guaranteed to quicken pulses and keep audiences on the edge of their seats, this is not a play for the feint of heart. It may, as it did opening night, provoke some patrons to cry out in response, and it most certainly will inspire a few nightmares. American Blues Theater has a hit of heart-stopping horror on its hands.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas      

Presented February 1-March 16 by American Blues Theater at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 773-654-3103 or by going to www.AmericanBluesTheater.com.

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