Review: Bakersfield Mist (TimeLine Theatre)

A sweet, haunting search for truth

Review by Lauren Whalen

I walked into Bakersfield Mist and, right away, knew exactly who the main character was. She's someone who likes macramé and thrift store treasures, and likely has pigs in a blanket in the oven. (I was proven right on the latter.) She has more than a casual interest in "Law and Order" and all its spinoffs. She possesses both a lot, in terms of material possessions, and not enough, in terms of square footage. The resident of all these tchotchkes is Maude Gutman, and viewers of Bakersfield Mist will spend a whirlwind 80 minutes as she and her polar opposite go on a journey of authenticity without leaving her California trailer (beautifully conceived and constructed by set designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec).

Maude (Janet Ulrich Brooks) is an ex-bartender who has no qualms about threatening to shoot her best friend's dogs if they won't shut up already. She sees value in velvet paintings and tin boxes, and her most prized object is worth a few cents, if that. But Maude has what her trailer-park neighbors do not: a splattered canvas she bought for $3 at the Salvation Army as a joke, that may or may not be an undiscovered work of Jackson Pollock. Enter Lionel Percy (Mike Nussbaum), a wizened and pretentious critic who's been tasked with answering the multimillion-dollar question: is the painting Pollock, or is it junk?

What's remarkable about Stephen Sachs' simple but rich one-act isn't its story. We've seen similar characters, and this situation, before. In that respect Bakersfield Mist isn't terribly unique. Where Sachs excels, however, is reinforcing the stereotypes of each character while also respecting him, her and the ways they interact. Maude and Lionel are exactly like you'd expect, and nothing like you'd expect. Each has experienced their shares of triumph and loss. Divided by education, class and place in the world, they're both plainly simple and wonderfully complex, and its in these dichotomies that playwright Sachs excels.

Director Kevin Christopher Fox guides the dramatic action and funny banter with a sure hand, assisted by two of Chicago's finest actors. City staple Nussbaum flawlessly captures Lionel, a man whose glory days in the cutthroat art world are clearly behind him, but who still yearns for the splendor that only a fine painting or sculpture can bring. Brooks, a favorite of TimeLine and the local scene in general, is an artist with words and gestures, just as Pollock was with a canvas and paints. Her Maude is unapologetic in her lifestyle, and the beliefs and decisions that got her there, but yearns for something she can't quite name. What began as a goof for Maude has become a quest, and Brooks deftly illustrates the character's every up-and-down in a way that's empathetic and achingly real.

Bakersfield Mist is equal parts comedic and heartbreaking, acknowledging absurdity and cliché without ever descending into either. Both Sachs and Fox, and the actors, walk a fine line: with a less able team, this Chicago premiere could have easily sunk into unlikable stereotypes. Thanks to the playwright and TimeLine, however, Bakersfield Mist makes an odd situation unforgettable, and a situation of opposites, attracting and repelling, a sweet and haunting search for truth.

Bakersfield Mist continues through October 15th at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont (map), with performances Wednesdays/Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 4pm & 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $38-$51, and are available by phone (773-327-5252) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More info at TimeLineTheatre.com. (Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission)

behind the scenes

Kevin Christopher Fox (director), Jeffrey D. Kmiec (scenic design), Christine Pascual (costume design), Jared Gooding (lighting design), Andrew Hansen (sound design), Mary O'Dowd (properties design), Maren Robinson (dramaturgy), Jinni Pike (stage manager), Kaitlin Taylor (assistant director), Jaclyn Holsey (cover stage manager), Tracee Bear (production assistant, wardrobe supervisor), Emily Arnold (costume shop supervisor), Chris Rickett (fight choreographer), Nic Belanger (technical director), Steph Charaska (scenic artist), Jason Shivers (master electrician), Stage Channel (video production), Lara Goetsch (marketing, photos)

Tags: 16-0826, Andrew Hansen, Chicago Theater, Chris Rickett, Christine Pascual, Emily Arnold, Jaclyn Holsey, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Jared Gooding, Jason Shivers, Jeffrey D. Kmiec, Jinni Pike, Kaitlin Taylor, Kevin Christopher Fox, Lara Goetsch, Lauren Whalen, Maren Robinson, Mary O'Dowd, Mike Nussbaum, Nic Belanger, post, Stage 773, Stage Channel, Steph Charaska, Stephen Sachs, TimeLine Theatre, Tracee Bear