Two for the Road

The Garbologists – Northlight Theatre

A pair of the most unlikely coworkers imaginable are forced to serve together on a cold morning in New York City. They are refuse collectors, or “garbologists,” a term one of the characters arrives at during a stop at a local bar. This theatrical version of a Buddy Film pairs Marlowe, a pretty, African-American, Ivy League-educated woman, on her first day on the job; and Danny, a Caucasian, blue-collar good-ol’ boy, who considers himself an expert at the job, having been a garbageman for nine years. Together these two for the road ride through the frozen streets of the city, picking up other people’s junk and discarded items, to be carted off to the trash heaps in New Jersey.

Like most good Buddy Films, this somewhat quietly contained adventure is laced with plenty of humor and lots of big laughs. It joins two people from different walks of life and they have to cope with each other. Their backgrounds and personalities are at odds, but, despite their differences and disagreements, a solid friendship develops. In Lindsay Joelle’s 90-minute one-act comedy, the Chicago-born playwright has created a unique play about friendship that provides a challenge to its director, its actors and, especially, to the creative team helping to bring the play to the stage.

The story is episodic and runs across the seasons of a year. It begins in Winter on Marlowe’s first day as a garbage collector when she’s assigned to ride with Danny, in order to learn the ropes of the job. Marlowe is supposed to get out of the garbage truck at each stop, pick up whatever is left on the curb to be disposed, and put it in the rear of the vehicle to be compacted. Danny thinks he should help his new partner with the heavy lifting, but Marlowe is insistent that she prove to him and the company that she’s quite capable and competent all by herself. However, Danny assists his newbie partner and continues to offer her tips of the trade.

At first Marlowe doesn’t get along very well with Danny, and issues relating to gender and race rear their ugly heads as motives. But, although Marlowe thinks Danny may be a little misogynistic, particularly after hearing him joke about his ex-wife and current lady friend, the guy’s really harmless. Danny’s even pretty nice, once Marlowe gets to know and understand him. What begins as a shaky and strained partnership evolves into something quite special.

Directed with sensitivity and solicitude by Raven Theatre’s talented artistic director, Cody Estle, this play flows easily, bursting with love and logic. His two incredibly gifted actors, the lovely and versatile Tiffany Renee Johnson (absolutely terrific in Writers’ “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “A Doll’s House,” as well as in the Goodman’s “School Girls: Or, the African Mean Girls Play”) lights up the stage in her Northlight debut. The actress’ sincerity and empathy shine through during every moment of her performance. Luigi Sottile, who was unbelievable in Broadway’s “Slave Play,” as well as in Northlight’s delightful “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley,” brings so much honesty and dimension to his portrayal of Danny. As with Marlowe, the audience thinks they know these two characters from the start. But, as each protective layer is slowly stripped away, we discover many more subtle attributes that make us like these individuals even more.

The creative team that helped bring this production to life must be highly commended, especially scenic and projection artist, Collette Pollard. Her garbage truck is visible in two sections. That way the audience is able to easily see Marlowe and Danny, both  when conversing while driving in the cab of the truck, as well as when at the rear of the vehicle, where a mechanized trash compacter takes care of the bags of garbage they load inside. She’s also created some interesting projections that appear upstage of the action, seen as silhouetted metropolitan skylines. Greg Hoffman lights the production appropriately, creating a misty fog, for the early morning scenes, and brighter illumination for the bar and park bench scenes. He surprises with a burst of colored holiday lighting that suddenly appears as Christmas approaches. Josh Schmidt complements the entire picture with his sound, an added quality that truly makes the occupation seem real.

This is a warmly wonderful production of a surprisingly humane and honest play that’s filled with as much laughter as it is drama. There are times when the audience is howling with laughter; but  then, just as suddenly, the house falls silent as we learn more poignant facts about the characters. Marlowe and Danny are fully revealed to us in these interludes. These two mismatched partners gradually get to know each other and, in doing so, find that they have more in common than they at first realized. This Buddy Play reminds us that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. We learn that if given a tattered, grimy old volume of text and illustrations, and you take the time to examine it carefully, its value can exceed your imagination.           

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 1-October 1 by Northlight Theatre, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL.

Tickets are available in person at the theatre box office, by calling 847-673-6300, or by going to www.northlight.org.

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