“N” with The Greenhouse Theater Center and GLP Productions

The Greenhouse Theater Center and GLP Productions have paired up for the world premiere of N, a political drama by David Alex. Playing in The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Upstairs Studio, the production is directed by TaRon Patton. Labeled as a political drama, we can expand that label to include political, racial, economic, and philosophical drama. 

With only two people on stage for the majority of the time, we get a close look at a conservative African-American widow, Mrs. Page, and a naive, young white man, Eddy. Watching these two characters (played by Stacie Doublin and Ryan Smetana), we had our horizons broadened by diving deep into the intricacies and hypocrisies of human nature. 

Right off the bat, we were introduced to what appeared to be hypocrisies and later revealed to be complexities, and good intentions that were revealed to be self-serving. Mrs. Page used the constitution of the United States of America and the constellations of our night sky to guide her life. In her past, she had campaigned for Barry Goldwater and in the present, supported Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Despite all of her apparent strength and wit, she refused to leave the house. Therefore, her son contacted Eddy to be her roommate, run groceries for her, and keep her as much company as she allowed. This came as a relief to Eddy, a starving actor who worked part time at a zoo. 

Shortly after moving in, Eddy got his big break with being cast in a solo performance of “Oedipus Rex,” which supplied some great food for thought for the two roommates and the audience about nature vs. nurture and fate vs. free will. The catch was this: as Oedipus, he would have to say the n-word on stage in this modern day retelling of the Greek tragedy.. Thus, we had the title of our show and the ignition to start the unraveling of philosophical and political ideologies and theories of Mrs. Page, and the derailing of Eddy’s personal identity and views of the world. Eddy, though refusing to say the n-word on stage, could not grasp the concept that being an ally is not appropriating another culture’s terms and battles so as to make oneself feel important and included. 

Doublin tackled the role of Mrs. Page with awe-inspiring fortitude, relishing in the moments of humor but not afraid to pack the punch when it came time to opening Eddy’s eyes. The role is of historical note for it breaks the trope of the older African American woman who has the answer to every query of a white boy who needs to grow as a human being without having to guttle down a slice of humble pie. She served a purpose in the show other than being the agent of Eddy’s emotional growth. 

As Eddy, Smetana had a difficult task: to play a human being with good intentions but incognizant of the harm those misdirected intentions inflicted. On top of that, he had to believably portray an “okay actor,” but not a great one. Smetana proved that it takes a smart and skilled actor to play an ignorant and lacking one. Reginald Hemphill appears on the stage too briefly as Eddy’s friend, DeShawn. We could say that his role was short and sweet, but sweet doesn’t sufficiently illustrate the precision and energy he brought to the stage. So, let’s say Hemphill’s role as Deshawn was short and impactful.

When a production with a script, director, and performance team as fearless as this plunges through the crust of the Earth to it’s inner core, we can’t help but encounter all of the intertwined themes in the mantle and outer core of the Earth. Director Patton took a page from Mrs. Page’s books on constellations with staging this piece. Like gravity and energetic force, Patton had our two leads either falling into orbit briefly, or being repelled from each other. Patton briefly aligned the heavenly bodies of Mrs. Page and Eddy, only to counter those times with possible collision. She tapped into the rhythm of the universe, and funneled it onto a Chicago storefront theatre stage. 

If you need a reason other than seeing an incredibly relevant and powerful production, I’ll leave you with: I am a privileged white woman, and I most certainly did not pick up on all of the subtleties and deeper meanings. This is not for any lack of skill on the part of the production, but simply because I do not have the life experience that will lead me to fully comprehend all of the emotional depth of the piece or express the entire importance of this production through my own words. So, please see it and tell me what I missed and what I misinterpreted. 

N is running until November 17th at The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Upstairs Studio, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago. Curtain times are 7:30 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, as well as 3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. It runs about 90 minutes with no intermission. The understudy performance is Friday, November 8th. Ticket prices are $25, with student/senior/industry tickets for $15. Tickets are available at greenhousetheater.org, at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

Highly Recommended 

Sophie Vitello

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