Bear Claw
Written by Hayes Borkowski
Directed by Zachary Baker-Salmon
at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map)
thru Aug 18 | tickets: $15 | more info
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Sisters seek human connections after family turmoil
Area IV Theatre presents
Bear Claw
Review by Keith Glab
One of the chief ironies of this electronic age is that the technology that allows us to communicate instantaneously at any distance also seems to hinder us from connecting with each other on a personal level. Hayes Borkowski’s Bear Claw brings this dichotomy to mind with a music teacher (Steven Delisi) who is accused of sexually harassing one of his students, but cannot find any way to talk about it with his twenty-something daughters, who have returned to their small hometown to support him.
The production shows Gordon’s inability to communicate via a series of lengthy scenes in which we see a silhouette of Delisi typing emails on a keyboard, with a projection of his text upstage of him. These scenes do not work at all. Zachary Baker-Salmon’s staging often has Delisi’s head blocking some of that projected text from the audience. The timing of Delisi’s keystrokes does not match the excruciatingly slow text in the projection, which invariably is erased when Gordon chickens out from sending the dissembling email. The audience does get the message, but this message could not possibly be delivered in a less entertaining manner.
The play is really about how Gordon’s inability to foster a connection affects his daughters. Each of them goes out and hooks up with a man they do not even like simply because they each make a better attempt at communication than Gordon does. This avenue of the production is handled much better, primarily because Charlotte Mae Ellison and havalah grace each deliver distinct yet relatable characterizations of the sisters. The fact that two disparate personalities are affected similarly by their father’s shortcomings resonates.
The jaded April (Ellison) is in a bad relationship with a man who only sporadically uses her for sex. When she meets George (Michael Knutson), the man who will be replacing her father after the infraction, she initially hates him, not only for his vulturing but also because he doesn’t remember her from high school. She nevertheless follows him to a bar and hits on him.
The prudent Francesca (grace) gets ditched by her friends at a juvenile party. Morgan (Jason Clements), a boy who had made fun of her in high school, begins to hit on her. The outwardly composed Francesca breaks down and shows her inner vulnerability and insecurities, and her initial repulsion fades enough for her to make out with the lackluster Morgan.
Morgan and George aren’t particularly interesting characters, which alone doesn’t kill the scenes, since this isn’t their story. Still, the scenes go on so long and so little happens in the story that you’d like to see more depth there. Clements does turn in some good comedic moments as Morgan, which helps move along a production that too often stagnates. Some cumbersome scene changes despite a minimalist set further kill any momentum the piece might gain.
While Bear Claw offers some nice moments from good actors, there isn’t enough actually going on to justify the plodding pace. If you have a terrific attention span and can bear with some of the production’s shortcomings, it might be worth a view.
Rating: ★★
Bear Claw continues through August 18th at The Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 7pm. Tickets are $15, and are available by phone (773-973-2150) or online through Tixato.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at AreaIVTheatre.com. (Running time: 90 minutes, NO intermission)
Photos by Greyory Blake
artists
cast
Michael Knutson (George), Charlotte Mae Ellison (April), havalah grace (Francesca), Steven Delisi (Gordon), Jason Clements (Morgan)
behind the scenes
Zachary Baker-Salmon (director); Joshua Ellison (dramaturg/lighting); Hayes Borkowski (costumes, props); Greyory Blake (concept design/photos); Preston Reynolds (sound design)
13-0801
