Stunning visuals, fantastic cast overcome inconsistencies
I've said it before and I'll say it again: black comedy is very, very hard to do well. See also: satire. In some ways, The Secretaries is more successful in its attempts than most. Several bits are sharp and funny, the visuals are stunning with a sense of humor and all five actresses are fantastic. When The Secretaries is good, it is very, very good, and when it is bad, it is...not horrible, but definitely uncomfortable and prolonged. About Face Theatre's Chicago premiere by writing team The Five Lesbian Brothers (Maureen Angelos, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healeyand ) is a decidedly mixed bag, entertaining but inconsistent.
The Secretaries starts with a bang: flashing lights, a scantily-clad woman wielding an axe, and the titular secretaries reciting a rhyming credo. The play then segues to Patty Johnson (Erin Barlow), a naïve young thing straight out of secretarial school who's just landed her dream job at Cooney Lumber Mill in Big Bone, Oregon. The other three secretaries quickly orient Patty to their high heel-sporting, Slim Fast-drinking ways, not to mention their lustful adoration of office manager Susan (Kelli Simpkins). But as circumstances get weirder - used tampons and celibacy pacts are involved - and Patty gets involved with lumberjack Buzz (Lauren Sivak), the secretaries get closer to their shared menstrual cycle and an even bloodier monthly ritual.
One-acts with no intermission are becoming de rigeur in modern theater, and like every American with an overpacked schedule, I have no problem with this. However, playwrights must proceed with caution: any one-act longer than 90 minutes (100 is pushing it) can lose its audience's attention and focus, not to mention theater seats are often uncomfortable for more than an hour and a half at a stretch. The Secretaries could easily be cut down to 90 minutes, if the writers were more conscientious of setups that go nowhere (there are several) and a prologue with entirely too much exposition. When it's been established from the beginning that the secretaries are murderers, and a murder doesn't occur for a long while, there's an issue.
Content length aside, there's a lot to like about The Secretaries. Scenic designer William Boles has embraced the campy source material with a set that's both scrappy and over-the-top, and lighting designer Rachel K. Levy follows suit with some truly fun cues. Director Bonnie Metzgar, with assistance from stage manager Helen Lattyak, keeps the action going like a dream. Though a few of the actresses look rather young to be playing experienced admins, the quartet of women display remarkable comic timing and sparking chemistry. Sivak is hilariously lecherous as lesbian secretary Dawn and sweetly dumb as Buzz, and Meghan Reardon has some great moments as Ashley, former Secretary of the Month who's quickly coming unglued. Sadieh Rifai displays excellent lip-synching skills and her Peaches is the perfect kiss-up. Barlow is a lovely wide-eyed ingénue, and Simpkins' dry yet charismatic Susan is a standout.
Though inconsistent, The Secretaries is a bloody good time. About Face's latest makes for a fun night out with your most twisted friends (and we all have them). Grab a few drinks, tuck in and wait patiently through exposition and setup for some genuinely funny jokes and an even funnier cast.
The Secretaries continues through June 12th at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont (map), with performances Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $35 (students & seniors: $20), and are available by phone (773-975-8150) or online through TheaterWit.org (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at AboutFaceTheatre.org. (Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
behind the scenes
Bonnie Metzgar (director), William Boles (set design), Rachel K. Levy (lighting design), Miles Polaski (sound design), Mieka van der Ploeg (costume design), Jenny Pinson (props design), Deven Casey Hartley (choreography), Steve Wisegarver (fight choreographer), Helen Colleen Lattyak (stage manager), Landon Welsh, Ian Olsen (co-technical directors), Kristof Janezic (lighting director), Coco Ree Lemery (scenic painter), Lucas Baisch (assistant director), Leni Morales, Matthew Ralph (assistant stage managers), Keira Fromm, Alex Weisman (casting directors), Max Taylor (master electrician), Emily Breyer (assistant set designer), (assistant lighting designer), Liz McLinn (assistant master electrician), Maddy Low (assistant costume design), Jackie Valdez (assistant scenic painter), Meghann Patten (wardrobe), Ben Falk (running crew), Michael Brosilow (photos)
Tags: 16-0517, About Face Theatre, Alex Weisman, Babs Davy, Ben Falk, Bonnie Metzgar, Bridget Schreiber, Brittneylove Smith, Chicago Theater, Coco Ree Lemery, Deven Casey Hartley, Dominique Dibbell, Emily Breyer, Emma Deane, Erin Barlow, Helen Colleen Lattyak, Ian Olsen, Jackie Valdez, Jenny Pinson, Keira Fromm, Kelli Simpkins, Kristof Janezic, Landon Welsh, Lauren Sivak, Lauren Whalen, Leni Morales, Lisa Kron, Liz McLinn, Lucas Baisch, Maddy Low, Mallory Nees, Matthew Ralph, Maureen Angelos, Max Taylor, Meghan Reardon, Meghann Patten, Michael Brosilow, Mieka van der Ploeg, Miles Polaski, Peg Healey, post, Rachel K. Levy, Sadieh Rifai, Steve Wisegarver, The Five Lesbian Brothers, Theater Wit, William Boles
Category: 2015 Reviews, About Face Theatre, Lauren Whalen, Theater Wit