Idle Muse Presents the World Premiere of Girl Found
Sophie (Clara Byczkowsk) returns home, after disappearing six years earlier, with no memory of where she’s been and faulty memories of what happened before she went missing. Her troubled family attempts to welcome her home but her return seems to raise more questions than give answers to the ones that have plagued them for years.
A Great Script
Playwright, Barbara Lhota, manages to pack a lot of tension into this piece while making the audience doubt what they think they know. Lhota’s script at times feels like a thriller, at others a drama, and never truly gives us closure-which might be due to the story being based on a true story. This script is also really cool in that it allows for six women to play complicated characters –which is not as commonplace and some people would think. While all of Lhota’s characters are compelling and intriguing Kathrynne Wolf’s portrayal of the ever present Dr. Martha Cole is captivating and master class on how to be present in the scene. The Therapist sits on a platform watching Sophie’s interactions as she reacquaints herself with her family, at times even questioning individuals about specific moments, always looking for the truth even in the most seemingly uneventful moments. The omnipresent character that never leaves the stage was quite captivating and Wolf never broke character.
While the script is compelling and exciting-from this writer’s viewpoint‑ the production as a whole didn’t quite live up to the story’s full potential. Lots of moments seemed rushed through. The set design also caused some confusion, at least for this writer, and for key parts of the play left us feeling removed because the action was set towards the back in one corner. While the screen made of newspapers seemed very cool, the projections also were confounding and unclear.
While this writer is looking forward to reading some of Barbara Lhota’s work, this particular production has some hiccups that will hopefully be worked out during the remainder of the run. That being said, if you have keen interest in world premieres of interesting scripts, as this writer does, this production has something to offer.
Somewhat Recommended
When:
Through June 10
Photo Credit:
Steven Townshend
Cast
Clara Byczkowski
Katherine Swan
Tricia Rogers
Whitney Dottery
Sara Robinson
James Mercer
Kathrynne Wolf
Note: An Excerpt of this review appears in Theatre in Chicago
Where:
The Edge Theatre
5451 N Broadway St.
Chicago, IL
Tickets:
$15-$20
Tickets available at Idle Muse’s Website
Creative
Kyle Bricker
Shellie DiSalvo
Sarah Lewis
Joshua Allard
L.J. Luthringer
Laura Wiley
Jamie Karas
Jennifer L. Mickelson
Michael Maddox
About the Author
Sharai Bohannon is a playwright, and an avid theatre practitioner, who is very excited to write about most things but especially Chicago Theatre. She has a background in journalism and technical theatre and is excited that those degrees will be put to use in a way that gives her an excuse to leave her couch and brave this “outside” that people keep telling her about. When not on her couch watching TV, she can be found working one of her multiple jobs and/or hunting down a happy hour near you. Read some of Sharai Bohannon’s New Works on New Play Exchange.
Read more Picture this Post reviews by Sharai Bohannon here.
