Review: A Permanent Image (LiveWire Chicago Theatre)

  
  
A Permanent Image 

Written by Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Joshua Aaron Weinstein
DCASE Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph (map)
thru May 5  |  tickets: $12-$15   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read entire review
  

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A compelling and potentially life-altering experience

LiveWire Chicago i/a/w DCASE presents

A Permanent Image

Review by Katy Walsh 

LiveWire Chicago Theatre, in association with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), presents the Chicago premiere of A Permanent Image. Bo lives 3,000 miles from his parents.  Ally’s home is only three hours away.  Neither sibling has seen their folks in a few years.  Their father’s death brings them home for the holidays.  When they arrive, they discover their mom has decorated.  The Christmas tree is up and everything in the house has been painted.  The floor, the couch, the telephone book, all the elements of the house are freshly coated in white.  What is going on?  A Permanent Image leaves a perpetual mark. 

Though Playwright Samuel D. Hunter wrote a smart script, the overall concept is mind-blowingly profound while at the same time pretty simplistic. Hunter unveils his plot in ongoing implosions.  His characters are an estranged family. Their authentic dialog crackles with humor, accusations and regret.  Under the skillful direction of Joshua Aaron Weinstein, the cast is superb.  This disconnected family is authentic.  One minor comment sends Ed Dzialo (Bo) and Mary Williamson (Ally) spiraling into a vast debate of differences.  Their impassioned fighting is seeped in ancient sibling rivalry.  Dzialo plays it more aloof and the fiery Williamson continually pokes him with a sharp-pointed stick to get a reaction.  Their sibling synergy is uncomfortably honest and familiar. 

And then, there is mom!  Janice O’Neill (Carol) delivers a complex and exceptional performance.  O’Neill provides a heart-breaking range of emotion.  She is so convincing in the role that I see her entire existence echoed in every word and gesture.  O’Neill perfectly zings one liners and summarizes vital nuggets with a matter-of-fact shrug. Wow! 

Weinstein holds the reigns tight on this intense and lingering family drama.  There is a plausibility factor in Hunter’s script.  In less capable hands, this aspect could keep the play suspended in disbelief.  Weinstein keeps it real!  He puts me in the living room of this family’s anguish.  He connects me to their disconnection.  He forces me to see the reality of the years of neglect.  By the end, I’m left questioning my own existence.  

LiveWire knows how to throw an existentialist crisis.  What really does matter?  This show!  A Permanent Image is darkly compelling and potentially life altering.  

Rating: ★★★★

A Permanent Image continues through May 5th DCASE Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets are $12-$15, and are available by phone (312-533-4666) or online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at LiveWireChicago.com.  (Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes, includes an intermission)

Photos by Austin Oie

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artists

cast

Janice O’Neill (Carol), Ed Dzialo (Bo), Mary Williamson (Ally), Jack McCabe (Martin)

behind the scenes

Joshua Aaron Weinstein (director), Anders Jacobson, Judy Radovsky (scenic design), Noël Huntzinger (costumes), Eric Branson (lighting), Angela Campos (props), Stephen Ptacek (sound design), Liviu Pasare (video, projections), Delia Ford (fight choreography), Hilary Williams (dramaturg), Chris Zdenek (asst. director), Caitlin O’Rourke (stage manager), Chris Tabor (asst. stage manager), Mary Ellen Rieck (production manager), Justin Snyder (tech director), Scott Pillsbury (ME/asst. lighting), Austin Oie (photos)

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