The Strange Undoing
of Prudencia Hart
Written by David Greig
Directed by Wils Wilson
at Chicago Shakespeare, Navy Pier (map)
thru Oct 28 | tickets: $45-$60 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Laughter, ballads and rhymes make for rollicking good time
National Theatre of Scotland presents
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
Review by Keith Glab
The upstairs theatre at Chicago Shakespeare has been turned into an informal pub setting, complete with a bar that doles out drams of Benromach Speyside single malt whiskey. The cast croons Scottish ballads using border pipes, a fiddle, a recorder, and more. And hell is a bed and breakfast overlooking a Costco parking lot.
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart begins as a mundane story of an Edinburgh scholar traveling south to the Borders for a conference on Scottish folk music. Prudencia (Melody Grove) leads an ultra-conservative lifestyle, hammered home by her colleagues often shortening her name to ‘Prude.’ She finds herself stranded at a rambunctious small town pub fighting off the advances of her annoying colleague Colin (Andy Clark).
About an hour into the play, the story shifts to the surreal, most effectively realized by Annie Grace’s chilling portrayal of a shimmering apparition that cautions Prudencia of her pending undoing. We are then treated to a series of scenes set in hell, highlighted by David McKay’s understated yet authoritative portrayal of the Devil. He might have been tempted to overplay the role given his diminutive stature, but typically manages to command his scenes with subtle eye and cheek movements.
These scenes, however, stop just short of being dark and disturbing, which is a shame. The first act is riddled with humor, rhyme, and song, and given the circumstances, a starker tonal change for the opening of act two would be appropriate. The script also fails to give Satan much motivation for his actions; the most important details of what is taking place are left unsaid. Why Prudencia would wind up in hell after ostensibly leading a good life isn’t even addressed.
But the aforementioned laughter, verse, and music combine with audience participation to drive the piece for a rollicking good time. The patrons are asked to join in with the creation of snow and with some of the singing, and a few lucky individuals are conscripted to become a motorcycle or even a sex object. Wils Wilson’s direction makes a fantastic use of the space and his actors, never getting out of synch despite weaving through the audience throughout.
The cast handles the metered verse extremely well. Some of the dialect is inconsistent, though, which is surprising since most of the cast has trained in Scotland. In particular, Melody Grove sounds more like her character hails from London than Edinburgh.
The instrumentation for the music dazzles, led by music director Alasdair Macrae. He is a terrific actor as well, particularly in providing slow motion speech for one of the actors while another narrated over them both and in becoming a windshield wiper with the aid of his fiddle bow. The vocals aren’t outstanding, but it would not make sense if they sounded too professional, and the audience still leaves the theatre with a ditty or two that they just can’t get out of their heads.
Ultimately, this script has some problems with its narrative drive and character development, but it is more than atoned for with the euphoric vibe and laughter induced by the production. Prudencia says that “even love is made hell by immortality,” but audiences will love this portrayal of hell and immortality.
Rating: ★★★
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart continues through October 28th at Chicago Shakespeare Upstairs Theater, 800 E. Grand (map), with performances Tuesdays thru Saturdays at 7:30pm, plus Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets are $45-$60, and are available by phone (312-595-5600) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ChicagoShakes.com. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, includes an intermission)
artists
cast
Andy Clark, Annie Grace, Melody Grove, Alasdair Macrae, David McKay
behind the scenes
Wils Wilson (director); Georgia McGuinness (designer); Alasdair Macrae (composer, music director); Janice Parker (movement director); Anne Henderson (casting); Gary Morgan (stage manager)
12-0963