Roger Ebert wrote my review of The Mistakes Madeline Made without even knowing it. The legendary critic’s (and my role model’s) analysis of the 1991 Elijah Wood comedy “North” consisted only of the following: “I hated this movie. Hated it hated it hated it hated it hated it hated it.” The Mistakes Madeline Made is a play, but you get the idea. LiveWire Chicago’s production of an early work of Elizabeth Meriwether (now best known for creating the Zooey Deschanel sitcom “New Girl”) is, for lack of a better word, a mistake. It’s also an example of how a talented cast can’t overcome a horrible, offensive script.
Director and LiveWire Collective member Krista D’Agostino notes pop culture’s recent portrayals of “young women getting by” in Mistakes’ press release, citing the sitcom “2 Broke Girls”, Meriwether’s own “New Girl” and Lena Dunham’s “Girls”. That’s all well and good, but none of these shows are as painful to watch as The Mistakes Madeline Made. The play begins awkwardly as a workplace farce reminiscent of the American version of “The Office” – a trope that may have been cutting edge in 2006 but feels oddly dated a mere 6 years later. At times, Edna’s disillusionment with her soul-crushing job and her manager’s glee at performing menial tasks is so exaggerated, I wrote in my notes “This feels like a “Sesame Street” skit, except not good.” (Also, a cute girl saying the word “cock” isn’t inherently funny.) Transitions back in time are forced, jokes cross the line from darkly comic into mean-spirited and, though the show runs only 90 minutes, the pacing is so interminable that my viewing companion checked his watch countless times. Even the title, a one-off reference to a Dr. Joyce Brothers book, doesn’t fit.
What’s most problematic about Meriwether’s script is its cavalier treatment of serious mental illness. There are effective ways to portray these issues in a comic manner, andThe Mistakes Madeline Made employs exactly none of them. (Caution: spoilers ahead. If you have a family member in this show and are obligated to see it, you might not want to read further.) Edna’s brother Buddy sleeps in Edna’s bathtub, rails incoherently about a coworker and refuses to bathe. Not only is Edna a reasonably intelligent young woman, at this point she is also a college student and – wait for it – a peer health educator. Yet at no point does Edna address her brother’s painfully obvious problems by phoning campus health or their parents. These possibilities are never even explored. Edna also rebuffs her roommate’s threat to call the police (not a bad idea, as Buddy is clearly a danger to himself and possibly to others). And when Edna herself develops ablutophobia, which escalates into a mental breakdown in her workplace, no one calls a doctor. Instead, her sweet coworker Wilson (who, judging from his mannerisms and extreme social awkwardness, likely has Asperger’s Syndrome) magically cures her by wiping her down with Handi-Wipes. Earlier in the play, Buddy screamed when Edna offered to turn on the shower for him: a natural reaction for someone who has a genuine phobia of bathing. But when the playwright wants a sweet, happy ending, natural reactions go out the window. Mental illness, cutesified.
Note to Meriwether: romance does not cure severe psychological problems (and often exacerbates them). To believe anything different is not only naïve, but downright insulting to anyone who has struggled with grief, phobias, depression, anxiety or anything listed in the DSM-IV. The entire play seems to have been written from a very sheltered, young point of view, by someone who has never worked full-time, undergone a major loss or had a mindset slightly left of center. The only thing The Mistakes Madeline Made has going for it is its cast, especially Ewing’s heartbreaking and authentic portrayal of disturbed brother Buddy. But even the strongest actors are only as good as their source material, and The Mistakes Madeline Made, like its protagonist, stinks.
Rating: ★
The Mistakes Madeline Made continues through November 3rd at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $18-$20, and are available by phone (773-404-7336) or online through Tix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information atLiveWireChicago.com. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
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Photos by Ryan Borque
artists
cast
Joel Ewing (Buddy), Chris Zdenek (Wilson), Kristin Collins (Beth), Fred Geyer (Drake, Jake, Blake),Hilary Williams (Edna)
behind the scenes
Krista D’Agostino (director); Inseung Park (set); Noël Huntzinger (costumes); Eric Branson (lighting); Toni Kendrick (props); Danielle Stack (sound); Christina Lepri (asst. director); Lydia Anderson (dramaturg); Faith Hurley (fight choreography); Caitlin O’Rourke (stage manager); Timothy R. Lane (tech director); Missi Davis (production manager); Ryan Bourque (photos)
