Clumsy Sublime
Written by Barrie Cole
Directed by Stefan Brün
at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map)
thru Oct 12 | tickets: $12-$20 | more info
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Clumsy? Perhaps. Sublime? Not so much.
Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr presents
Clumsy Sublime
Review by Keith Glab
Theatrical artists have to make a decision in every show as to how grounded their work should be in reality. Should the characters appear larger-than-life as in a Commedia dell’arte show, or gritty and realistic as in most contemporary dramas? It’s often a tradeoff between being more interesting and being more truthful; between accentuating the comedy and accentuating the drama.
In Barrie Cole’s new play, Clumsy Sublime, director Stefan Brün builds upon the surreal nature of the script by asking his cast to portray characters that could not exist in reality. Delia (Bailey Boyle), an outgoing 14-year old scarred by the death of her father, goes door-to-door selling junk objects that she imbues with magical properties. She befriends Russell (Edward Thomas-Herrera), an introverted 49-year old festival planner, and brings him a painting that captivates them both.
Problematically, the characters portrayed as larger-than-life don’t generate the interest or comedy that such portrayals usually do. Boyle’s performance ranks among the most forced and unnatural I have witnessed on a Chicago stage, and her monotonous delivery and lack of comedic instincts give that acting choice no redeeming value. As a whole, the cast misses most of the absurd humor present in the script, partially due to the pacing issues. The only time I laughed was during a ridiculous dialog that Walden delivers upside down between her two feet. The night I attended, the role of Delia’s pyramid-scheming stepmother Shelly was played by playwright Barrie Cole. Surprisingly, she does the best job in the cast of creating a big and interesting character, but she still doesn’t cajole the humor out of her own words. And unfortunately, the character of Shelly is completely superfluous to anything that’s important in the play.
In scenes between Delia and her stepmother, the two actors deliver their lines in an intentionally over-the-top Shakespearean manner. The one scene between Shelly and Russell gets some bad Tennessee Williams treatment. The reasoning behind these choices is unclear and again fails to inject humor into the tedious proceedings.
There are some interesting concepts here, most notably the intersection of two realities and the idea of a troubled youth with supernatural abilities befriending a lonely middle-aged man. But these ideas comprise, at most, an eighty-minute one-act and need more thematic exploration than given here. If re-worked in such a manner, there’s a good chance that Barrie’s humor would pop out as well. The one thing to keep from this production of Clumsy Sublime would be Joseph Riley’s ingenious set design, which allows the audience to see the painting world and the book world together but separate for the entire show.
Rating: ★½
Clumsy Sublime continues through October 12th at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $12-$20, and are available by phone (773-492-1287) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at CuriousTheatreBranch.com. (Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Jeffrey Bivens
artists
cast
Bailey Boyle (Delia), Edward Thomas-Herrera (Russell), Vicki Walden (Anne), Jeffrey Bivens (John), Kelly Anchors (Shelly)
behind the scenes
Stefan Brün (director), Jen Moniz (asst. director), Gram Ives (stage manager), Joseph Riley (set design), Jamie Scheid (lighting), Diane Hamm (costumes), Jenny Kim (props)
13-0901
