Raven Theatre presents THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW

It’s a standoff. Hank (Jeff Mills) is alone with Nash (Henry Greenberg), and it’s the middle of the night. Hank is dressed in his robe and boxers, and Nash is fresh from a night out on the town in his ripped jeans. Not only is Nash his daughter, Lena’s, new boyfriend, but he is also an up and coming DJ – representing everything Hank finds threatening as the owner of an old, but legendary rock club. The conversation becomes heated as Nash tries to convince Hank to give his music a chance, and Hank yells:

“You want the baton, you can pry it from my dead hands.”

The times are changing. The rock music that Hank holds dear is slowly being replaced with the rise of electronic mixes, and Hank will do everything in his power to maintain that last bit of tradition.

Raven Theatre presents Chicago Premiere of The Undeniable Sound of Right Now

Written by Laura Eason, The Undeniable Sound of Right Now takes place in Chicago – specifically in Hank’s Bar, a legendary rock club that is credited with giving so many big names their start. It’s 1992, and gentrification is taking over. The wave of DJ electronic music is on the rise, leaving little room for the traditional Rock'n'Roll. Hank stands his ground, but his stubbornness is not enough to stop Lena (Lindsay Stock), Toby (Christopher Acevedo), or Bette (Dana Black, with excellent dead-pan humor) from doing everything in their power to save not only the club, but also Hank himself.

Eason’s piece beautifully captures the threat of generational clashes. Not only does Hank have to confront the rise of a whole new form of music that makes his life’s work obsolete, but he also must deal with the fact that his daughter is growing up, and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Eason’s play may take place in the specific moment of the 1990s with the fall of rock music, but the themes are universal, exploring how the older generations must deal with both the good and bad of the younger generations taking over, and how that impacts that which we hold dear.

Clever Design

Helmed by Director BJ Jones, the artistic team transports the audience back to 1992, and with the intimate space, plants us right in the action of this rock club. Scenic Designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec creates an impressively detailed set – down to every piece of graffiti art and grungy smudge that might be found in a club such as this. The storytelling takes the audience through memories of bands like The Clash and KISS performing before they were legends, and each re-telling is told with a fondness that is replicated through the worn-out but full of love scenery.

Throughout the play is a constant, subtle reminder of the gentrification forces breaking through the walls, and Kmiec brings that tension to life through the design. In the club’s back wall is a sliding door that opens the space to the connecting warehouse – a space that Joey (Casey Morris), the son of the landlord, wants to utilize to bring in more profit. At a key moment in the play, there is a concert in the warehouse featuring the city’s up and coming DJs, including Nash. The door opens into the club, introducing hints of the bright, neon lights, cheering crowds, and loud, electronically-infused music stemming from the warehouse. Because we are on the club’s side of the build, we as an audience never actually see the concert, but we hear and feel its presence – creating an exciting way to feel the tension and conflict that Hank warns us about throughout the play. “The Next Big Thing” is threatening to break its way through, and there is a whole wave of fans that are adding to its strength.

Deeply Personal Relationships

Eason’s play may be about the fall of rock music, but at its center, this is a story about a family struggling to maintain its history despite the city’s changes. Jones’ ensemble shares a chemistry that brings a necessary sense of honesty to that story arc.

After Hank meets Nash and kicks him out of the bar in an outrage about his music taste, Lena returns home to have a difficult conversation with her father not only about her boyfriend, but also regarding the future of the bar. It is in the early hours of the morning, and light is only starting to peak through the windows. Hank has changed into jeans and an untucked t-shirt, and Lena remains in her dance club clothing from the night prior. The two are exhausted, and the argument travels the path to a heightened volume and energy, never failing to show glimpses at this loving relationship that they share. Stock and Mills fill this fight with a brutally realistic level of tension, one that might even make you as an audience member feel physically uncomfortable as you sit so close, almost intruding on this personal affair.

Living in Chicago today, it is impossible to avoid the transformations occurring in every neighborhood. Gentrification is very real and relevant, and Eason captures that shift in a deeply personal play that offers a window into how that force can engulf a city’s soul. Whether you are a long-time fan of rock music or just enjoy a good family drama, this writer feels that The Undeniable Sound of Right Now offers a little something for everyone.