Leveling Up
Written by Deborah Zoe Laufer
Directed by Hallie Gordon
at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted (map)
thru March 15 | tickets: $20 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
Read review
Topical, thought-provoking and timeless
Steppenwolf’s Young Adult Theatre presents
Leveling Up
Review by Patrick Dyer
‘Topical’ plays are hard to come by and even harder to do right. They can either become dated really quickly or ask us serious questions about both our current and future state of affairs. Fortunately, Steppenwolf has found a topical play that resonates in both its cultural relevance and its timelessness: Leveling Up. The title refers to how online gamers develop their skills to become better at gaming, but playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer cleverly takes that concept and dives a bit deeper into the human condition.
Laufer’s script is intelligent without being preachy and funny without being goofy or awkward. While this play can be viewed as a commentary on the US government’s current abuse of NSA surveillance or how people today are just too obsessed with online gaming, Laufer instead focuses on the people and, just as important, the consequences of their actions. If anything, a commentary on either government surveillance or online gaming wouldn’t be as poignant without that. At times, Laufer’s dialog can be a bit repetitive (mostly at the start), but her ideas are poignant and her characters are fleshed out. Director Hallie Gordon captures all of this by keeping a claustrophobic yet welcoming environment, thanks to a closed-in space. It’s claustrophobic because we know the disastrous outcomes that arise from Ian’s drone striking, but it’s welcoming because we can understand why these four characters want to stay in this room: to escape reality. But reality keeps creeping in until it becomes no longer bearable – not just for Ian, but for everyone. And this is helped even more thanks to a confident cast.
The play is essentially Ian’s story, and McCartney captures both Ian’s blissful ignorance and pain effectively. He’s not some sick psycho gamer looking to literally destroy all in his path, but rather a person torn between facing reality and wanting to escape from it (even though he has to face reality through the very tool he’s using to escape from it). MacKinnon is a strong offset to Ian, and having him be a casino dealer outside of gaming gives him double the addictions (gambling and gaming), both of which MacKinnon captures very well. Phillips is appropriately fast-talking; you can feel the desperation build in both his voice and body language thanks to his specificity. The character of Jeannie embodies the play’s theme of blissful ignorance, and Braver embodies that with a charm and likability.
Steppenwolf’s Young Adults Theatre tackled similar themes of growing up and the consequences of your actions in their previous production of Lord of the Flies last October, and here they do it in a timelier manner with Leveling Up. And while Lord of the Flies benefited from a slightly superior script and a more chilling atmosphere, Laufer’s coming-of-age tale succeeds as a thought-provoking and powerful insight into why “leveling up” in life doesn’t just mean defeating your opponent. Topical subject matters are treated in a timeless way, making Leveling Up all the more resonant and relevant.
Rating: ★★★½
Leveling Up continues through March 15 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20, and are available by phone (773-335-1650) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at Steppenwolf.org. (Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Emily Schwartz
artists
cast
Carolyn Braver (Jeannie), Jerry MacKinnon (Chuck), Clancy McCartney (Ian), JJ Philips (Zander)
behind the scenes
Hallie Gordon (director), JR Lederle (lighting design), Rick Sims (sound design), Jonathan Nook (stage manager), Brian Bembridge (set design, costume design), Emily Schwartz (photos)
14-0302
