Reality Check
Written by Kevin Douglas
Directed by Kevin Douglas and Marie Cisco
at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln (map)
thru June 2 | tickets: $15-$23 | more info
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Sketch comedy satirizing life in 2013
MPAACT Theatre Company presents
Reality Check
Review by Keith Glab
Much of modern technology and social media is designed to connect people. In Reality Check, Kevin Douglas explores how these advances actually disconnect people.
The satire follows a sketch comedy format, although these skits are fleshed out through meticulous direction and timing. Several of the pieces feature one or more of the cast providing sound effects on a standing mike while the rest of the six-actor ensemble acts out the scene. Most of the set and props are realized through object work.
Other memorable vignettes include a man getting distracted by Facebook, the internet, and his cell phone while his girlfriend waits for him in a holding cell; a couple on a blind date who never actually make eye contact because their faces are stuck in their smart phones; an attention-starved anthropomorphic iPad that coerces its new owner to kill his girlfriend; and another reality show entitled, Who Do You Want Us To Kill?
The zealous cast uniformly delivers strong performances, each creating a number of big, distinct characters without taking them too far over the top. Some of my favorites include Terry Francois as a sassy hairdresser putting down some of the more useless housewives of Atlanta; Stephan Cefalu as a naïve commuter listening to Adele on speaker at an L platform; and Krenée A. Tolson as the perky voice of the iPad. Strickland gets to shine portraying both a mother and daughter onstage at the same time, Addison relishes hamming up some violent scenes, and Jordan creates lots of laughs as the ex-pimp.
Just in case you somehow missed the point, the show closes with a lengthy rap spelling out the show’s theme. Though it’s well-executed and finishes the evening on a high-energy note, this sequence feels a little condescending, almost like you’re watching a junior high public service announcement.
Overall, though, Reality Check is funny, timely, provocative, and clever. This production may even shame you into not immediately turning on your smart phone and checking it after the show.
Rating: ★★★
Reality Check continues through June 2nd at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $15-$23, and are available by phone (773-404-7336) or online through Tix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at MPAACT.org. (Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Shepsu Aahku
artists
cast
Tiffany Addison, Stephen Cefalu, Terry Francois, Eddie Jordan III, Meaghan Strickland, Krenée A. Tolson (ensemble) Angela Oliver (understudy)
behind the scenes
Kevin Douglas (writer, co-director), Marie Cisco (co-director), Daryl Charisse (production stage manager), Jared Gooding (lighting), Shepsu Aakhu (set design, tech director, photos), Asia T. Williams (costumes), Souls of Black Folk (sound design), Randy Giles (sound operator)
13-0471
