fml: how Carson McCullers
saved my life
Written by Sarah Gubbins
Directed by Joanie Schultz
at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted (map)
thru March 18 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
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As many Catholic schools choose not to attend, show’s timeliness is proven
Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents
fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life
Review by J.H. Palmer
Sarah Gubbins’ fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life uses Carson McCullers’ book “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” as a flashpoint for Jo (Fiona Robert), the main character in the play who is an openly lesbian student at a parochial school in La Grange, IL. Jo finds a connection between John Singer, the main character in McCullers’ book, and her own experience of isolation. The play is told with a minimum of characters: Jo, Mickey (Ian Daniel McLaren) a friend of Jo’s who is openly gay, Emma (Zoe Levin) the all-American blonde who is dating a member of the football team and has befriended Jo, Ms. Delaney (Lily Mojekwu), the English teacher who has assigned Carson McCullers’ book to the class, and Reed (Bradley Grant Smith), Jo’s older brother. Far from simplifying Jo’s plight, the handful of characters intensify the feeling of Jo’s isolation: threats made to her are made by unseen characters – Emma’s boyfriend disapproves of the friendship between her and Jo, and the audience knows him only through his multitude of text messages – cleverly displayed on one of three screens above the set with accompanying sound effects. Many of his texts have a menacing
Texting isn’t the only extra-curricular medium used to tell this story: the play is acted out in several chapters, the titles of each illuminated on a screen. Jo is writing a graphic novel, and the audience sees her work (as interpreted by comics artist Lydia Conklin) shown on the screens in tandem with Jo’s narration. The staging is executed cleverly, using two spinning pieces that together represent six different spaces in Jo’s life, and used to maximum effect during a scene when Mickey and Emma are searching for Jo, the rooms spinning endlessly until they find her.
Robert is herself a high school student at the Chicago Academy for the Arts High School, and easily embodies the angst and pent-up energy of Jo in the most elegant way possible. Refreshingly, Jo is not used as a stand-in for All Gay Students, she is simply herself, and that’s what gets her into trouble. The intimidation starts when the word “faggot” is written in red marker on Jo’s locker, an incident which creates static between Jo, Emma, and Mickey. Mickey intimates that Emma’s boyfriend is the culprit, or is at least associated with them, putting Emma in the position of having to defend herself from guilt by association. This creates a rift among the three principal characters. Ms. Delaney takes Jo aside to discuss the incident, and in the process shares some of the pain she has experienced in her own life.
I braced myself for the hate-crime scene that I knew had to be coming, which is handled off-scene, using sound effects, voiceover, outline illustrations from Jo’s graphic novel flashing on the screen, and video close-ups of Robert’s bloodied face. Somehow this didn’t feel less brutal than witnessing an actual hate crime, but it does make it effective in its use of narration and multimedia. Hearing Jo’s thoughts as she is being beaten by an unknown menacing presence brings the audience right into her head in a way that would not be possible if the act were simply shown to the audience.
This piece, highlighting the plight of being an out gay teen, is executed poetically and artistically, and could not be timelier. Dan Savage of the It Gets Better Project will be appearing on Friday, March 9 in a special post-show discussion along with his brother Bill Savage. there are matinee performances for school groups Tuesdays-Fridays at 10am, and the March 10 and March 17 shows are pay-what-you-can to make it accessible to students who are unable to attend with a school group. In a questionable move, area Catholic schools are avoiding this production (with the notable exception of St. Josephinum Academy), but have patronized Steppenwolf for Young Adults in the past. Hallie Gordon, Director of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, is quoted in the Sun-Times as saying “We usually have tons of Catholic schools who come to see our shows,” adding that some shows play to half-empty houses. “We’ve been struggling with teachers bringing their students, because of the subject matter. It’s been hard.” This show deserves a high rating on its own artistic merit, and it would be a huge waste to have this work play to partial audiences in the name of ignorance. Add this one to your calendar.
Rating: ★★★★
fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life continues through March 18th at Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted (map), with 10am weekday performances for school groups, public performances Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $15-$20 (2-for-1 pricing on Sundays), and are available by phone (312-335-1650) or online at here. More information at Steppenwolf.org. (Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission)
All photos by Michael Brosilow
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