Review: Hellish Half-Light – Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett (Mary-Arrchie Theatre)

  
  
Hellish Half-Light:
Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett

Written by Samuel Beckett 
Directed by Jennifer Markowitz  
at Angel Island, 731 W. Sheridan Rd. (map)
thru Aug 30  |  tickets: $20-$25   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets  
  
   Read review
  

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‘Half-Light’ a mixed bag

Mary-Arrchie Theatre presents

Hellish Half-Light:
   Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett

Review by Lauren Whalen 

I’ve been wondering what’s happened to Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. this past season. Their 2012 Superior Donuts (featuring the company’s artistic director Richard Cotovsky in an earthy, inspired performance) remains one of my favorite Chicago productions, and I heard nothing but overwhelmingly positive reactions to last year’s The Glass Menagerie. However, this season has me questioning whether Mary-Arrchie is resting on its stellar reputation and considerable laurels. Between last winter’s lackluster, draggy Crime and Punishment and the thoroughly inconsistent (and also overly long) Hellish Half-Light, I can only hope stronger choices are on the company’s horizon.

During the intermission-less and often interminable 90 minutes of Hellish Half-Light, six actors play multiple roles in six of Samuel Beckett’s shorter works. Some are quite brief, including Come and Go, which consists of three women, a bench, and minimal dialog. Others are more elaborate, such as Rough for Theatre II, during which two men at desks discuss the fate of a suicidal gentleman who remains poised at a window, his back to the audience. Nate Combs’ scenic design has few transitions and incorporates the audience: there are seats not only on three sides of Angel Island’s small studio, but on the set itself. It’s as if Director Jennifer Markowitz wants nothing more than to present six mini-plays at a breathless, breakneck speed – but the plays themselves do not wish to cooperate.

The evening begins on a strong note, as the first two plays are rich, compelling and well-paced. Rough for Theatre I explores the tentative, contentious relationship between a grizzled wheelchair-bound man (Stephen Walker) and a blind street musician (Rudy Galvan) with dark humor and a healthy dose of empathy. Walker and Galvan are strong actors who create believable characters with excellent chemistry. The second play, Come and Go, follows three women of indeterminate age, in an unnamed situation, as they take turns leaving the bench they sit on, pondering secrets and lies with repeating dialog. It’s by far the most powerful of the six pieces: Tyler Garlock’s lighting is both warm and mysterious, and the three actresses (Molly Fisher, Lauren Guglielmello and Kathrynne Wolf) deliver thoughtful, compelling interpretations.

If only the next four plays possessed a fraction of the first two’s fractured beauty. Though Rough for Theatre II starts with a bang and has a fascinating concept, it drags on and on, to the point where I alternated between feeling sorry for Galvan (as the man at the window, he is standing frozen for an extended period of time) and wishing he’d just jump and put an end to things. Unfortunately for Galvan, he must stand frozen again in the very next play, Catastrophe, this time as the “protagonist” who’s obsessively arranged and re-arranged by a dictatorial director (Walker) and his flunky (Fisher). Walker, so wonderful in Rough for Theatre I, seems to have trouble controlling his vocals in Catastrophe: his director is entirely too loud and shrieky, especially considering the theater’s small size. What Where, with its post-apocalyptic setting, high stakes and repetitious dialog and voice-over, has its interesting moments, but again, moves like a tortoise. The final piece, simply titled Play, consists of three actors (Wolf, Guglielmello and Galvan) talking at warp speed while shut in coffin-like structures, so only their heads are visible. It’s the kind of short play that’s better suited to an acting class final exam than a production for a paying audience, and the actors seem uncomfortable with the lightning-quick dialog.

There’s always a risk in staging a playwright’s lesser-known works. Sometimes, they are lesser-known for a reason (Steppenwolf’s 2013 rendition of Pinter’s The Birthday Party immediately comes to mind). Hellish Half-Light has all the right ingredients: talented performers, solid production values, and the work of an absurdly hilarious writer. However, the ingredients don’t quite come together. Instead of a beautifully weird night at the theater, Hellish Half-Light morphs into an overly long endurance test.

Rating: ★★

Hellish Half-Light continues through August 30th at Angel Island, 731 W. Sheridan (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm.  Tickets are $20-$25, and are available by phone (773-871-0442) or online through TicketWeb.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at MaryArrchie.com.  (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)

Photos by Emily Schwartz

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artists

cast

Molly Fisher, Rudy Galvan, Lauren Guglielmello, Adam Soule, Stephen Walker, Kathrynne Wolf 

behind the scenes

Jennifer Markowitz (director), Nate Combs (scenic design), Stefin Steberl (costume design), Tyler Garlock (lighting design), Joe Court (sound design), Lukas Brasherfons (dramaturg), Mike Sanow (technical director), Molly Dannenberg (assistant director), Richard Cotovsky (production manager), Andrew C. Donnelly (stage manager), Emily Schwartz (photos)

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