Evanston, Which Is
Over There
Written and Directed by Beau O’Reilly
at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map)
thru Dec 16 | tickets: $15 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Crazy funny and WAY too long
Curious Theatre Branch presents
Evanston, Which Is Over There
Review by K.D. Hopkins
This is a comedy that takes place in Rogers Park, and if you know anything about the land of RoPa as it is sometimes known, then you know that it is a strange land of many curiosities. I have called RoPa home for over 35 years and owned a very special coffee shop called Ennui for 10 years. Watching Evanston, Which is Over There: A Tale of Men and Women in the Modern World brings that world back to me in a crazy scalp-
Witness the world of Henry Moore (H.B. Ward) as he navigates Rogers Park with sex colored vision. Henry is a writer that is often compared to Charles Bukowski. It is a comparison that he hates because, like every writer, he longs to be an original voice. However, he quotes Bukowski and lives a dissolute life in an alcohol haze, passed out on his apartment floor. Various friends barge in and out of a life lived in episodes more than days and nights. Ward plays Henry with weariness painted on each phrase. His bearing is slumped and expressions are pained even when he expounds on the topic of sex.
Henry has a pseudo daughter Julia (Jayita Bhattacharya), who has OCD and keeps meticulous count of insults and all things in her environment. Bhattacharya gives a finely textured performance of pathos and twisted humor; funny in a way that made me almost uncomfortable to laugh at her. She has been rejected by her natural father and is the product of a ‘who the daddy?’ situation. Her mother June (Nancy Andria) is a free spirit who uses her considerable charms seducing those around her. Julia’s father is rhythmically challenged ukulele player Hank (Troy Martin), who is content to swallow the crumbs of Henry’s shadow. In spite of a DNA test, he will not acknowledge the responsibility of fatherhood.
Playwright/Director Beau O’Reilly employs the use of cast as props in a very effective manner. The Elevator Doors (Shelby Shaw and Sid Branca) give off the feeling of a funky Rogers Park building just by having a sign pasted on that says ‘Elevator’. What really makes the ride up to Henry’s apartment authentic is Woman in the Elevator (Cat Jarboe). Who in RoPa has not experienced that person in a tight elevator who gives forth on how bad it smells. Jarboe is perfect, pulling on her vinyl gloves and looking around in suspicion. She claims to be the building manager but it could very well be a delusion and she lives in the elevator. Mitch Salm plays the Door to Henry Moore’s Place as well as the Buddhist Runner. As the door, Salm is subtly amusing as he produces cups and utensils from his pockets. I found him to be scarily authentic as the Buddhist Runner who is tomcatting his way through the female population of Rogers Park. O’Reilly has written dialog that I listened to for years. It’s all BS platitudes to sound deep and sexy for women either vulnerable or so self-absorbed that they believe the noise.
Henry has a crazy son named Thump (Matt Reiger) who is constantly on the run from a psychotic Cop (Jeremy Bivens). Reiger has a crazy rhythmic rap for his dialog as if he has pure caffeine for blood. Beau O’Reilly makes a memorable appearance as Chase, the local flower child gone to seed but still believing that she is hot. The name Chase is perfect as Chase Beach used to be the site of bonfires, potheads, and people living ‘home free’. O’Reilly is spot on with the lascivious bounce/grind and Beat Generation phrasing. Every man comes on the Chase in her mind. Every word drips with sexual innuendo and of course is always wake and bake stoned.
The scenes are introduced by characters called Montenegrins, which is also very Rogers Park. Every foreign conflict has produced an influx of immigrants to RoPa making the neighborhood the late 20th century Ellis Island in the Midwest. The Montenegrins distinguish the days by saying Monday etc. in unison. For the scenes on the beach they hurl buckets of paper with the words sand printed on them. It is a nice touch and could be any number of cultural groups – Albanians, Romanians, Sub Saharan Sudanese etc.
 
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Two favorite characters are B.B. Velakovsky (Judith Harding) and Katie Rose, the Poet Barista (Sid Branca). They capture the ultimate self-absorbed denizen of Rogers Park. B.B is Henry’s former lover and now drops in to tell everyone how fabulous she is because she has a fabulous Buddhist lover. Harding is perfect as the brash diva that makes herself the center of attention no matter the situation or the suffering. The golf game in Henry’s apartment is an absurdist episode with Harding exclaiming ‘Fore!’ before putting. Harding’s carriage and elocution are sharp and she keeps the action rolling in every scene that she is in.
Evanston…Which Is Over There… is beautifully written and the cast is quite captivating. The only problem I have with the show is the length. There needs to be some serious trimming so that the dialog doesn’t fall flat in the third hour – yes, I said third hour. It takes away the freshness of the unique subject matter and does not leave one wanting more. Even the sly references and homage to Bukowski, Henry Miller, and Jefferson Airplane at the Heartland Café get lost in the weight of the length. This story can be told succinctly and beautifully in 90 minutes without an intermission. Editing would not take away one soupcon of theatrical integrity. In fact, tightening it up would leave an audience breathless. It is the one flaw I find in this play, but it is a big one.
Rating: ★★½
Evanston, Which Is Over There continues through December 16th at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays 3:00pm. Tickets are $15 or pay-what-you-can at the door, and are available by phone (773-508-0666) or online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More info at CuriousTheatreBranch.com. (Running time: 3 hours, includes 2 intermissions)
artists
cast (in order of appearance)
Jeffrey Bivens, Judith Harding, Matt Reiger, Cat Jarboe, Shelby Shaw, Sid Branca, Jordan Stacy (Montenegrins); H.B. Ward (Henry Moore); Cat Jarboe (Woman in the Elevator); Jayita Bhattacharya (Julia); Judith Harding (B.B. Velakovsky); Shelby Shaw, Sid Branca (Elevator Doors); Mitch Salm (Door to Henry’s Place); Matt Reiger (Thump); Jeremy Bivens (The Cop, Billings); Mitch Salm (Buddhist Runner); Beau O’Reilly (Chase); Troy Martin (Hank); Naomi Washer, Mary Nash (Sarah Fresh); Jordan Stacey (Door to Sara Fresh’s Place); Sid Branca, Katie Rose (Poet Barista); Shelby Shaw (Margery the, like, Barista); Jayita Bhattacharya (Bathroom Door); Jordan Stacey (Bruno), Nancy Andria (June)
behind the scenes
Beau O’Reilly (writer, director, songs); Jen Moniz (associate director); Jenny Magnus, Julie Williams (outside eyes); Lizzie Clauss, Karlee Cassel (props and assistance); Ed Reardon (songs); Diane Hamm (costumes); Troy Martin (incidental music); Briavael O’Reilly (stage manager); Jeffrey Bivens (poster, web, graphic design), Kristin Basta (photos)
12-1113
