Review: Creditors (Remy Bumppo Theatre)

  
  
Creditors 

Written by August Strindberg
New adaptation by David Greig  
Directed by Sandy Shinner 
Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln (map)
thru June 2  |  tickets: $27-$42   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read entire review
  

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A supposed comedy without the laughs

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company presents

Creditors

Review by Katy Walsh 

Remy Bumppo Think Theatre presents Creditors. Three artists + two marriages = one big mess. Adolph is a temperamental painter. Gustav is a headstrong writer. Tekla is a flirtatious writer. Adolph worries that his wife doesn’t respect him and may be cheating on him. Gustav builds Adolph’s distrust with wild theories and accusations. Gustav pushes Adolph to stand up to his wife. Adolph crumbles under Gustav’s bullying. When Adolph gets tough with Tekla, the power shift causes trouble. Creditors is relational manipulation gone awry.

Creditors is promoted by Remy Bumppo as a ‘comedy with a vengeance.’ Unfortunately, there were very few laughs at the opening. David Greig has penned a new version of August Strindberg’s Creditors. Within the heavy-duty word play, I can see the potential for comedy. It just isn’t actualized. Although the dialog is witty, Director Sandy Shinner  focuses on the drama. Instead of going funny, Shinner goes intense. She zeroes in on the duplicity between the three people. The identities of the three individuals are obvious within the first few minutes. So, Shinner not choosing a more farcical direction for the play seems a major misstep.

In the first scene, Mark L. Montgomery (Gustav) is working over-time to deliver malice. Having seen Montgomery in many roles, I know he can easily play diabolical with humor. In this show, Montgomery comes off forced and unnatural. This is particularly apparent in his dueling dialog with Gabriel Ruiz (Adolph). Montgomery goes over-the-top dramatic to compensate for Ruiz’s flat performance. The best scenes are between Montgomery and Linda Gillum (Tekla). They have a smoldering synergy. In these scenes Montgomery eases into his character and plays it with elegant manipulation. The confident Gillum is his perfect opponent. Her moxie even garners the few laughs in this wannabe comedy. Now, between Montgomery and Gillum, we have a real match up. The audience’s attention is finally tapped. Unfortunately, it’s late in the show.

I wanted Creditors to be a ‘comedy with a vengeance.’ Instead, I found it to be a ‘drama without much comedy or drama.’

Rating: ★★

Creditors continues through June 2nd at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln (map), with performances Wednesdays-Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 1:30 and 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm. Additional 2:30pm matinees on select Thursdays. Tickets are $27-$42, and are available by phone (773.404.7336) or online through Tix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at RemyBumppo.org.  (Running time: 90 minutes without intermission)

Photos by Johnny Knight

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artists

cast

Linda Gillum, Mark L. Montgomery, Gabriel Ruiz

behind the scenes

Sandy Shinner (director), Amy M. Bertacini (stage manager), Jeffrey W. Bauer (set design), Jeremy W. Floyd (costumes), Charles Cooper (lighting), Christopher Kriz (sound design, original music), Julie Allen (props design), Johnny Knight (photos).

  

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