“Out of Love” with Interrobang Theatre Project

Interrobang Theatre Projects has launched its tenth season with the U.S. premiere of Elinor Cook’s Out of Love. The story follows two childhood friends as they grapple with human connections through three decades. Directed by Georgette Verdin, we see Grace and Lorna explore what companionship means in terms of trust, rivalry, and honesty between two women, as well as the dynamic between women and a patriarchal society that seeks to pit them against each other. It is not only one of the most raw depictions of women in society, it is also a study in how to use every tool in a theatre artist’s toolbox to craft a theatrical experience that shows organic expressions of the human existence without appearing too pristine and polite. 

In this 75-minute one act, we are treated to a non-linear journey through the lives of Lorna and Grace, two best friends/neighbors who grow up to fail in every way women can fail in the eyes of society. Lorna, played with impeccable groundedness and sympathy by Sarah Gise, is driven and pristine. Through the trials and tribulations of her life, she uses distance as a coping mechanism, using career and education to elevate her from her cold home life. But as she enters adulthood, the only lasting relationship she can maintain with consistency is the complex and contradictory friendship that she has with Grace. Grace, played with inspiring boldness and ferocity by Laura Berner, clings to those around her as a coping mechanism. With a father that demands order and control and then later needs her assistance with living at home, Grace learns at a very early age that relationships must demand every fiber of one’s being; that it is all or nothing. These two polar opposite people have been woven together by our insightful and honest playwright, Elinor Cook. With Cook’s realistic and biting dialogue, our two leads battle each other and a society that deems that women are never good enough with lines such as “You get cancer if you have children, and you get cancer if you don’t have children.” 

Joining the women on stage is Peter Gertas, who plays a barrage of men who come in and out of the women’s lives, upending and twisting scenarios to give themselves the upper hand. Gertas nimbly juggles all of the different roles (there are at least three of them) while still supporting our main characters on their quest. Director Verdin expertly maneuvers our actors on stage throughout their lives, never missing an opportunity for self-aware humor or haunting questions. Verdin aptly presents an evolving relationship on stage, and not a static one.

Scenic Designer Sotirios Livaditis crafted an unbalanced box on stage for the characters to teeter and topple over in. The uneven stage mirrors the uneven playing fields in the power dynamics that the characters face between each other. Claire Yearman, as the Violence and Intimacy Designer, choreographed all of the messy human interactions on stage, adequately presenting the honesty of the situation without putting the actors at risk or alienating the audience. Michelle Benda and Erik Siegling, as Lighting and Sound Designer respectively, worked in tandem to seamlessly weave light and sound in the transitional scenes, flying us ten years into the future or two years into the past with the utmost grace and precision. 

With a lesser skilled director and with more shallow actors, all of these roles could have turned into archetypes: the good girl, the bad girl, the lecherous stepfather, or the dismissive boyfriend. But this trap was evaded by the cast not shying away from portraying the selfishness and insecurities of the characters. This is the reason why the 75 minutes flew by like a twenty minute television show. The connection between the two women morphed from shape to shape with each scene. Sometimes it was a rivalry; sometimes the relationship was tainted with sexual tension. Still, other times it was pure and innocent. Anyone who has ever known another human being should see this show, for to know someone is to be horribly tangled in each other’s flaws and contradictions. In a haunting scene, the young girls ask each other if they always feel guilty, and I can make the grand, sweeping statement that yes, women always feel guilty. But for one evening with this show, women can find respite from being constantly sanitized by society, media, and the men around them. 

The production runs until September 14th at the Rivendell Theatre (5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago). Performances are 75 minutes long with no intermission. Curtain times are 8 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and at 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are currently available at interrobangtheatreproject.org or by calling (312) 219-4140. Ticket prices are $32 for general admission and $16 for students with an ID. Group discounts are available.

Highly recommended

Sophie Vitello