Sweet Phoebe
Written by Michael Gow
Directed by Andrew Root
at Frontier Theatre, 1106 W. Thorndale (map)
thru March 8 | tickets: $20 | more info
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A promising start for a new company
Runcible Theatre presents
Sweet Phoebe
Review by John Olson
Every so often, I’m reminded of the incredible diversity found within a big city like Chicago. People here run the gamut of races, ethnicities, levels of physical and mental health and education, amount or lack or wealth, and isolation or connectedness to others. Many of us attending theatre, or reading or writing about it, are likely to be fairly absorbed in our own endeavors – probably something to do with pursuing careers or education – and don’t have the time ability or inclination to explore the various
Frazer (Jay Reed) is an advertising executive and Helen (Julie Wagemann) an interior-designer – both career-obsessed to nearly psychotic levels. Their trendy apartment/condo includes neatly stacked copies of “Architectural Digest”, and they’re seeking a marriage as perfect as the professional successes they’re pursuing. When they agree to a last-minute request from a friend to take the friends’ dog Phoebe for a week, the dogsitting brings them out into the neighborhood around them (presumably Lincoln Park or Lakeview) for the first time, meeting neighbors at nearby dog parks or the lakefront. That’s all great, but after Phoebe slips out the front door and goes missing, the couple advertises for her via posters, newspaper and radio ads. They receive calls from people all over the city, and Helen begins what turns out to be an odyssey through Chicago’s neighborhoods in following up on each of the leads. Most of the leads are dead-ends, either from lonely people just looking for connections or others with simply the wrong dog. She meets people who are sick, impoverished, and lonely – and becomes a minor karaoke star in Chinatown in the process. Meanwhile, Frazer struggles with a bureaucratic animal control shelter while trying to complete a client presentation worth over a million dollars. It’s enough to say things don’t go well, and the couple’s orderly and upwardly mobile life is upended before their week of dog sitting is up.
There’s a certain lack of focus in Michael Gow’s short script. The virtual “second act” of this intermissionless play focuses on Helen’s trips to neighborhoods throughout the city and her increasing fascination with what she sees – bewilderment or amusement at first, but giving way to empathy with the people she meets. Then the “third act” turns back to the collapse of the couple’s work and personal relationships. This seems like a lot of ideas for an 85-minute play. Also, the text calls for a finely tuned satiric edge – a sort of Woody Allen-ish tone that presents characters who are self-absorbed without being self-aware, but human enough that we can empathize with if not exactly like them. It’s a tall order, and Reed, Wagemann and director Andrew Root don’t quite find that sweet spot for Frazer and Helen, hard as they try. Reed and Wagemann are good actors who fearlessly commit to their roles – in fact Reed’s booming voice could drown out the nearby el train noises – but they end up drawing Frazer and Helen just a bit too broadly. (The role of Helen, incidentally, was originated by Cate Blanchett in Sydney and she made her London stage debut in it as well).
Still, Sweet Phoebe is a challenging if flawed piece with relevance to big city folks like us and Runcible gives us an intriguingly performed and good looking production. The apartment design by Sarah Chalcroft – filling most of the space in the comfortable storefront Frontier Theatre – is convincing, down to a big wall calendar that helps tells the story as well as establish the setting. Claire Chrzan’s lighting design effectively provides transitions between scenes and establishes time of day, with transitions also aided by a smart and eclectic selection of songs underscoring the scene changes. Sweet Phoebe is a promising debut for this new company.
Rating: ★★½
Sweet Phoebe continues through March 8th at The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale (map), with performances Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $20, and are available online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at RuncibleTheatre.org. (Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Jesse Russell
artists
cast
Julie Wagemann (Helen), Jay Reed (Frazer)
behind the scenes
Andrew Root (director). Sarah Chalcroft (production and set design), Nate Dion (stage manager), Claire Chrzan (lighting design), Jesse Russell (photos)
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