Guaranteed to Make You Think

Love Song

Remy Bumppo Theatre is known in the Windy City for its productions that are guaranteed to make audiences think. John Kolvenbach’s 90-minute one-act is such a play. The theatre company is also famous for plays that celebrate language. Kolvenbach’s LOVE STORY features a script that’s a banquet of precise and poetic communication, often incorporating beautiful and unusual combinations of words that stir the imagination and tickle our fancy.

 This prolific American playwright may also be remembered for his quirky, improvisational-feeling, STAND UP IF YOU’RE HERE TONIGHT. It was presented in Chicago a while back by American Blues Theater. LOVE SONG is an Olivier Award nominee for its top-notch London production. There it came to the attention of Remy Bumppo’s Artistic Director, Marti Lyons, when she saw the production in 2006. Finally, the talented director of Remy Bumppo’s GALILEO’S DAUGHTER and GEORGIANA AND KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Northlight Theatre, had her opportunity. This hilarious and unconventional love story will dazzle and delight audiences with  its wacky and unconventional play.

As in any good story or play, this is a comedy filled with plenty of unexpected plot twists and unusual discoveries. Without giving away too much, know that Joan is Beane’s protective sister. She’s an extrovert, a real Type A personality, a go-getter who’s obsessed with working her way up the corporate ladder. She and her equally ambitious corporate husband, Harry, live in a beautiful luxury apartment that offers a spectacular view of the city. 

By contrast, Beane is an introvert. A quietly shy young man, Beane resides in a modest, colorless flat without windows that could be called “minimalist,” to say the least. He has only an easy chair, a floor lamp and a wooden table with two seats. Beane’s personal possessions are few: a toothbrush, half a tube of toothpaste, three pair of socks, a pair of underpants and a mug and spoon. We learn that Beane is a loner until one night when he meets Molly. And this is where the play becomes fascinating and truly bizarre.

Ms. Lyons’ production is extremely well-cast. Everyone handles Kolvenbach’s acrobatic dialogue with aplomb. As Joan and Harry, Sarah Coakley Price (EURYDICE at Writers Theatre) and Ryan Hallahan (DIAL M FOR MURDER at Northlight Theatre) are exceptional. Not only are they talented and exquisitely eloquent, the two actors have great chemistry together. They spar with intelligence and intention, always allowing the comedy to naturally bubble forth. And their side glances are topped only by their subtle and expressive body language.

As Beane, Terry Bell is ideally cast. Seen in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Goodman Theatre, as well as in THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME, at Steppenwolf, this is an actor of unique versatility. The tall, thin, equally eloquent actor (his river of words will flow later in the story) plays “eccentric” so beautifully and likably. He also has a way of eliciting the audience’s empathy for his situation, as well as a gift for provoking honest laughter. All three of these actors are brilliant Equity and Ensemble members and their sharp, well-tuned talents speak for themself.

As Molly, Isa Arciniegas does what she can with a role that’s difficult to describe, without giving away too much. The actress has a resume filled with excellent performances, such as BURIED CHILD at Writers Theatre, THE WOLVES at the Goodman Theatre and ADVENTURES WITH ALADDIN at Lookingglass Theatre. However, this role, as it’s written, is pretty preposterous and looney. The character fluctuates between being absolutely aggressive and positively passive. The actress truly gives it her all, but Molly is the kind of character for whom it’s difficult to create a reality that works for her. As funny as her three cast mates, Isa Arciniegas does her best to also bring the laughs to the play.

Joe Schermoly has designed a wonderful stage set. The scenic design has to be flexible enough to move seamlessly between Joan and Harry’s apartment and Beane’s flat. It must also allow for an incidental scene that takes place in a fine restaurant. Mr. Schermoly’s design accomplishes the impossible. Given the smaller dimensions of the intimate Theater Wit venue, his set meets all of these demands. Note, in particular, the expansive metropolitan vista visible outside Joan and Harry’s apartment window; notice, too, how it transforms from day to night, quite likely because of Liz Gomez’s very specific and atmospheric lighting design.

This is a delightfully quirky and totally offbeat comedy. Throughout his play, John Kolvenbach explores several different kinds of love in 90-minutes. There are moments of empathy and familial love, devoted spousal love, a love of one’s job and career choices, sweet romantic love and, a type of love not often depicted in the theatre, a love of oneself. Remy Bumppo Theatre has done it again, thanks to Marti Lyons’ expert direction. They not only give audiences an hour-and-a-half of well-performed entertainment, filled with laughter and witty dialogue; but once again they’ve introduced to theatergoers a story that’s guaranteed to make them think.  

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented March 21-April 21 by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the Theater Wit box office, by calling 773-975-8150 or by going to www.RemyBumppo.org.

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