Review: After All the Terrible Things i Do (About Face Theatre)

Compelling, provocative evening of theater

Lit profs don't generally teach it in English 101, but the redemptive powers of literature are incalculable. Just ask any lonely, bullied outsider who finds companionship in fictional characters or solace in the distilled power of poetry. Even if you're on a desert island or sentenced to sit by yourself in the cafeteria, there's no such thing as true isolation if you're immersed in a good book.

For Daniel (Colin Sphar), the newly minted college B.A. of playwright A. Rey Pamatmat's after all the terrible things i do , (sic), books also offer a shot at redemption and reinvention. Daniel is in need of both, and determined to find them working in Books to the Sky, the independent bookshop where he spent hours as a troubled child. In Pamatmat's two-hander, Books to the Sky also represents more than paper and pages for its Filipina-American owner Linda (Lisa Tejero). The shop is the embodiment of her dreams, a refuge from trauma, and a labor of love.

As in any good story, there is conflict within the book-laden walls of Books to the Sky. Linda and Daniel bear scars that will never completely fade, brands seared into them by violence both psychological and physical. In a fast-moving, intermission-free 100 minutes, Pamatmat delves the source of those scars with a tale that's a genre-blending mix of mystery and psychological thriller. It's sort of a whodunnit, but after all the terrible things i do is also very much a why-theydunnit. Both narrative threads are satisfying, despite a piece of glaring miscasting and a final act that feels tacked on and not entirely authentic.

When we meet Daniel, he's got the fresh-faced, can-do optimism of a bright young thing with a spanking new college degree and the conviction that all the world lies before him. He's handsome, poised, confident and determined to get a minimum wage job as an assistant at Books to the Sky. He shows up to his interview with shoes shined and suit pressed, exuding charm and purpose.

He loved the place as a kid, he tells Linda. He wants to work there because he loves books, loves his memories of the shop, and wants a job that will allow him to work on his own novel after the workday is done. He seems earnest and energetic, so much so that his determination to work for lousy pay in a job more suited to high schoolers than career-builders doesn't initially seem too suspect. The audience may get a nagging sense that Daniel's left a few things out of his interview, but Linda takes to him immediately.

Or so she does until Daniel begins describing his passion for the poetry of Frank O'Hara and how he might recite O'Hara if he had a date with a boy he wanted to impress. Linda responds with a stern, cautionary lecture: Daniel shouldn't be mentioning his sexuality in job interviews. Daniel's no longer in the bosom of a liberal, tolerant college campus or in a big city where being gay is no big thing. He needs to be careful. Daniel's sexuality is at the nexus of Pamatmat's plot. He's unwaveringly self-possessed at the onset, and it's fairly predictable that his sense of sureness will come under attack before the play is over. But while Daniel's eventual unraveling isn't surprising, the cause for it is a shock.

As Linda's backstory comes to light, so do the reasons for that job interview lecture. Her gay son endured decades of bullying and abuse. She's seen the destruction that can ensue when you aren't "normal" in a small, conservative town. At this point, you might think you know where Pamatmat is going: Something bad will happen to Daniel, his blithe confidence will collapse and he'll find solace with Linda. That is sort of what ensues, but in ways you will never see coming. Daniel isn't the genial golden boy he seems; Linda isn't the fiercely maternal protector she seems.

Moreover, the two share a deeply traumatic past - although they don't realize it until Pamatmat's endgame revelations. The great strength of the playwright's narrative lies in the way he weaves their worlds together. Linda and Daniel's long-ago actions have forged a connection they'll never be able to sever. As for Daniel's novel-in-progress, it creates a uneasy intersection where autobiography, fiction and real life intersect and converge with combustible results.

Tejero is a powerhouse throughout, effectively covering the emotional spectrum from small-talk chitchat to screaming five-alarm meltdown. She's never less than utterly convincing. Sphar's Daniel doesn't fare as well, in large part because he's miscast. Without indulging in spoilers, we'll note that Daniel's persona goes from well-adjusted, charismatic prom king to something far darker over the course of the drama. Daniel is capable of heinously hateful acts and twisted by self-loathing. Sphar isn't entirely convincing either as golden boy or as menace. When Daniel's past and true motivations come to light, It feels like they belong to a different character entirely.

Even so, Director Andrew Volkoff shapes all the terrible things i do into a compelling, provocative evening of theater. The production looks fantastic: Set designer Chelsea Warren's bookstore is so enticing and detailed you'll want to hang around after the curtain call to browse. Jared Gooding's light design reinforces the shifting moods and increasing menace that propels the plot.

Literary types will thrill to the allusions and poetry woven into the dialogue. And the emotion radiating from those allusions will be apparent to everyone.

after all the terrible things i do continues through April 10th at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont (map), with performances Thursdays and Fridays 7:30pm, Saturdays 3pm & 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $35 (students/seniors: $20), and are available by phone (773-975-8150) or online through TheaterWit.org (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at AboutFaceTheatre.com. (Running time: 100 minutes, no intermission)

behind the scenes

Tags: 16-0334, A. Rey Pamatmat, About Face Theatre, Andrew Volkoff, Bob Kuhn, Catey Sullivan, Chelsea Warren, Chicago Theater, Christine Bunuan, Christopher Kriz, Colin Sphar, Dana Nestrick, Jared Gooding, Jenny Pinson, Lisa Tejero, Michael Brosilow, post, Theater Wit, Will Kiley

Category: 2016 Reviews, About Face Theatre, Catey Sullivan, Theater Wit