Written by Michael Perlman
The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee
thru Aug 26 | pay-what-you-can | more info
Easily the best and most necessary play I've seen this year
Review by Lauren Whalen
The Netflix series "Friends From College" is a comedy with soap-opera elements, but its most poignant moment is almost a throwaway. One character, a wealthy white woman, worries about being stopped by a cop. Her African-American lover, played by Keegan-Michael Key, remarks dryly that for him, cop interactions are nothing new. Like "Friends From College," Michael Perlman's play At The Table focuses on a group of college friends who reunite as adults and find that much has changed, and much remains, unfortunately, the same. In its initial run this past winter, At The Table enjoyed sold-out
It's summer 2016, and a group of thirtysomethings - four of whom met in college, two who are "new" - gather in a small cabin for a weekend retreat. No phones are allowed, drinking is encouraged. Lauren (Agba) finds herself constantly apologizing for her boyfriend Stuart (Evan Linder), who enjoys baiting feminist Chris (Elise Spoerlein). Neurotic Elliot (David Weiss) makes a tentative connection with Nicholas (Johnard Washington), and the latter points out to Lauren how much she bows and scrapes to her white friends. One year later, sans Nicholas and plus Elliott's optimistic partner Leif (Benjamin Brownson) and Stuart's new girlfriend Sophie (Jennifer Cheung) - who, like Lauren, is a woman of color - the group is together again, same cabin, same bad habits. And in Trump's America, the conversations are very, very different.
In the hands of a lesser playwright, At The Table could have been heavy-handed, full of sitcom-esque lessons and lacking in any humor whatsoever. Thankfully, Perlman knows his stuff: his script calls out baiting, white feminism, tokenism and countless issues that have even more weight during the first (hopefully, only) term of a President who brags about sexual assault, pokes fun at a disabled reporter and appears more corrupt every day. Perlman is also conscientious: written in 2015 during the Obama era (those were the days), At The Table had the same plot but a different, more hopeful ending. After the 2016 Presidential election, Perlman realized this ending was no longer realistic, and joined Broken Nose Theatre's cast to rewrite the second act. At The Table is at times funny and entertaining, but is never, ever easy or comfortable, accurately reflecting our times, where even the simplest of conversations can lead to several minefields. And as painful as this is, it's necessary: we do need to watch what we say, and more importantly, change how we think.
Director Spenser Davis doesn't try to overwhelm the script with bells and whistles. Rather, he cast a terrific, intelligent group of actors ( At The Table 's entire original cast returned for the summer remount), guides them carefully and thoughtfully, and lets them loose. Each is well-cast and unafraid to jump into the challenging, complex script. Agba won the Jeff for a reason: her performance is both humorous and heartbreaking, every syllable completely believable. At The Table 's extension is already sold out, but audience members have had good luck with the waiting list, and combined with Broken Nose's pay-what-you-can structure, it's completely worth going to Wicker Park and taking a chance. At The Table is essential theater for 2017: confrontational, provocative and unforgettable.
At the Table continues through August 26th at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays 7pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. More info at BrokenNoseTheatre.com. (Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Matthew Freer
Understudies: Bob Pantalone (Stuart), LaKecia Harris (Lauren), David Lipschutz (Nate), Julia Skeggs (Chris), Michele Stine (Chris-initial run), Tony Rossi (Elliott), Matt Singleton (Nicholas), Davon Roberts (Nicholas-initial run), Diana Lee (Sophie), Adam Huizenga (Leif)
behind the scenes
Spenser Davis (director), Rose Hamill (stage manager), JD Caudill (asst. director), Anna Medill (asst. director - initial run), Jennifer Aparicio (production manager), David Weiss (dramaturg), Liam Fitzgerald (technical director), Mike Sanow (technical director - initial run), William Allen (lighting design), Rafael Grimes (master electrician), Taylor Horst (costume design), Devon Green (props design), Elise Spoerlein (casting director), Matthew Freer (photos)
Tags: 17-0642, Adam Huizenga, Adam Soule, Anna Medill, Benjamin Brownson, Bob Pantalone, Broken Nose Theatre, Chicago Theater, David Lipschutz, David Weiss, Davon Roberts, Den Theatre, Devon Green, Diana Lee, Echaka Agba, Elise Spoerlein, Evan Linder, JD Caudill, Jennifer Aparicio, Jennifer Cheung, Johnard Washington, Julia Skeggs, Lakecia Harris, Lauren Whalen, Liam Fitzgerald, Matt Singleton, Matthew Freer, Michael Perlman, Michele Stine, Mike Sanow, post, Rafael Grimes, Rose Hamill, Spenser Davis, Taylor Horst, Tony Rossi, William Allen
Category: 2017 Reviews, Broken Nose Theatre, Den Theatre, Extensions-Remounts, Lauren Whalen
