The Binding
Written by Evan Hill
Directed by Melissa Lorraine
at Saint Luke’s, 2649 N. Francisco (map)
thru Nov 3 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
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Artistic yet ostentatious exploration of morality
Theatre Y presents
The Binding
Review by Keith Glab
Staged in a long-abandoned church space, The Binding adapts “The Testament of Abraham” into a poetic play infused with movement. A 50-foot ladder dominates a highly atmospheric set that is beautifully lit and accompanied by live music. The entire production features a heightened artistry, but in doing so it fails to tell a story and even communicate ideas.
Evan Hill’s poetic script is so obscure that it would be difficult to comprehend under ideal circumstances, but the production makes comprehension even more challenging. The unusual space may present acoustic challenges, as several of the actors struggle to make themselves heard even when facing the audience. Making matters worse, Melissa Lorraine sometimes directs her cast to deliver their lines upstage, or downstage but at the back of another actor’s head, or in a non-stage whisper. Joel Moses and Bill Gordon are the only two cast members who consistently make themselves heard.
Moses also comes off as the most comfortable cast member with the heightened physicality Lorraine calls for. As his character is otherworldly, his various contortions are more appropriate than they would be for any of the other characters, but they are still devoid of any discernible purpose. Moses, Andrew Schoen (who plays the son), and Liam and Adrian van der Bijl (who play a cherubic chorus), all climb on the ladder at various points, but again there is no clear reason why. A chair gets hoisted over the audience, there’s an interlude of song and violin playing, and the Man and the Wife (Margaret Kustermann) engage in some kind of baptismal washing. I can only guess as to the meanings of these elements.
The whole thing comes off as ostentatious and indigestible. Instead of using all this artistry to enhance the audience’s understanding of an abstract script, it instead appears to be intended to make the narrative even more confounding. The play is about coming to grips with death, but one doesn’t come away feeling any differently about mortality, nor even really understand how these individual characters feel about it – any conflict between the characters is unclear.
This is all a shame, because taken individually many of the productions elements are fantastic. Hill’s language is often gorgeous, such as his description of life as “a void between darkness and darkness.” Harmon is able to bring a dark humor to several of his lines, and more comedic moments ensue when Gordon and Hank Hilbert take the stage as two ridiculous philosophers. The entire production is a visual treat. Unfortunately, the whole is less than the sum of its parts here.
I hope that, like the chair that gets hoisted, this production is just over my head and some percentage of audience members come away moved by it, because this ensemble clearly puts a lot of talent and effort into The Binding. But given that I am something of a theater geek who enjoys the avant-garde, I fear that this percentage no doubt represents a small minority.
Rating: ★★
The Binding continues through November 3rd at Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square, 2649 N. Francisco (map), with performances Thursdays thru Sundays at 7pm. Tickets are $15-$20, and are available by phone (708-209-0183) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at Theatre-Y.com. (Running time: 100 minutes, NO intermission)
Photos by Devron Enarson
artists
cast
Arch Harmon (the Man), Margaret Kustermann (the Wife), Andrew Schoen (the Son), Joel Moses (the Visitor), Bill Gordon (Heraclitus), Hank Hilbert (Democritus), Liam and Adrian van der Bijl (The Chorus)
behind the scenes
Melissa Lorraine (director), Denes Debrei and Henri Varga (choreography), Robert Schneider (dramaturg), Joshua Fitzgerald Klocek (stage manager), Paul van der Bijl (music), Evan Hill (playwright, music), Devron Enarson (photos)
13-1003
