Fishing for Clues

The River – BoHo Theatre

In responding to Jez Butterworth’s play, and attempting to review this production, it becomes increasingly clear that this is a slippery critter to grasp. First of all, a writer won’t want to give away too much about this moody, poetic one-act. There’s the feeling of suspense and mystery here, perhaps even something akin to a ghost story, that shouldn’t be spoiled for future audiences. But then, and here’s the conundrum that there’s not much plot or character development available for the theatergoer to even grab onto. We find ourselves fishing for clues to help explain exactly what is going on in this unnerving psychodrama.

On a moonless night in August, a character, simply called The Man has returned to his uncle’s old cottage for one purpose. He’s an avid fly fisherman who, since he was a young child, enjoys the challenge of trying to catch the elusive wild sea trout. In the first scene he’s heading out into the night for some fishing. However, his girlfriend, known only as The Woman, prefers to stay back at the cabin, curled up with a glass of wine enjoying the novel she’s been reading, “that finally got good.” The man, in order to lure his girlfriend into joining him, goads The Woman into reading “After Moonless Midnight,” a fishing poem by Ted Hughes.

In the following scene, which flows seamlessly out of the first, The Man is on his cell phone, frantically calling the police to report a missing woman. Suddenly the stakes have been raised and the tension is ramped up. Are we in the middle of murder mystery? Has The Woman met with foul play or, perhaps, kidnapped? While he’s on the phone there’s a pounding at the door. The Man opens it to find The Other Woman standing there. He apologizes to the police for bothering them, but, otherwise, doesn’t seem fazed at all by this newcomer. She claims she became lost in the darkness but ran into a poacher. He helped her land a trout and then she smoked a joint with him. She offers the fish to The Man, whereupon he sets to work gutting and cooking the trout.

As the play progresses the two Women alternate in succeeding scenes with The Man. After one of the women has left the stage, we never know which of them will reappear. The Man interacts naturally with each Woman, professing his love to them, with their responses being both similar and different. Conversations arise about truth and trust, but it’s never clear what exactly is going on? Are the two women appearing at different times in the Man’s life? Is one of them a ghost from a bygone time? Are they both spirits? Perhaps they’re only images in The man’s memory or simply figments of his imagination? Even as we continue fishing for clues, Butterworth has peppered his play with enigmatic metaphors, thought-provoking poetry and a powerful simplicity of mood.

The trio of actors who breathe life into Jerrell L. Henderson’s production are all very good. Joe Lino, who’s been seen at Steppenwolf, the Goodman and Victory Gardens, is masculine, hale and hardy, while still projecting sensitivity as an intelligent  gentleman who both enjoys roughing it and reading a good book. As The Woman, Christina Gorman, so stellar in BoHo’s production of “Cyrano,” is a strong, confident acting partner for Lino. She uses the power of her enigmatic smile to its fullest, while also possessing both a lovely speaking and singing voice, which she gets to use to full advantage in the play. Chelsee Carter, a newcomer to Chicago, is seductive and mysterious as The Other Woman. She appears to truly embody the ethereal uncertainty of exactly what is going on in this illusive drama.

Throughout its 65 minutes, director Jerrell L. Henderson beautifully builds the apprehension and a sense of anxiety that’s prevalent throughout the play. He makes effective use of silences that are as strong as Butterworth’s lyrical dialogue. Staged within Eric Luchen’s gorgeous, decidedly masculine-looking stage setting, the play takes place inside a tiny, rural cabin, set on the cliffs above a churning river that flows into the ocean. Like the script, his scenic design is rustic and filled with roughhewn texture, yet still remains sparse in detail. The Greenhouse Theater’s intimate ground-level venue is almost claustrophobic, forcing us to feel as if we’re inside the cottage with the characters. Artistically lit with an eerie combination of shadow and candlelight, designer  Kaili Story has nicely captured the melancholy, ethereal atmosphere of Butterworth’s play. And Eric Backus marries the technical elements of this production with his excellent sound design.

In Jez Butterworth’s modest, moody one-act psychodrama, a much-anticipated followup to his successful longer play, “Jerusalem,” there’s a constantly changing atmosphere, much like a river. Like the water in a stream, the play is never the same. There’s nothing concrete. Just when you think you understand where this story is headed, it shifts and changes. Every audience member will leave the theatre with a different opinion as to what this enigmatic play is about. Understand that, throughout this production, the audience won’t be trying, like The Man, to hook the elusive sea trout. They’ll be fishing for clues in an attempt to grab hold of something tangible to take away after the final curtain.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas 

Presented June 8-July 28 by BoHo Theatre at The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the Greenhouse Theater box office, by calling 773-404-7336 or by going to www.BoHoTheatre.com.

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