Steep Theatre Presents BIRDLAND Review - Examining A Rocker's Fame

Written by playwright Simon Stephens, Birdland, directed at Steep Theatre by ensemble member Jonathan Berry, is a searing examination of privilege and fame. Centering around Paul (Joel Reitsma), a rockstar at the height of success, the play poses existential questions about the nature of success, fortune, and how the undying adoration of thousands of fans can radically alter the course of someone’s life. Like the drug user that seeks out harder and harder drugs to get the same high, Paul’s desperate search for meaning in a world of excess sends him careening towards the play’s bleak conclusion.

Evocative Design in Steep Theatre Production

Staged sparsely by Berry in the alley, audience members intimately confront other audience members watching Paul’s antics. This gives the feeling that Paul is always “on,” a thematic current that is supported by ensemble members pointing phones at Reitsma during various scenes. Joe Schermoly’s scenic design and Brandon Wardell’s lighting serve to isolate Paul in his crisis. In one powerful moment, Reitsma is lit solely from a glowing panel in the stage floor, transforming him into a gaunt shell of his usual bravado.

Birdland A Challenging Play by Simon Stephens

Stephens has crafted a challenging play to engage. With multiple actors standing in for various roles and scenes in which character arcs feel static, the story was sometimes tough to follow for this reviewer. This fact was exacerbated by technical elements which highlighted Paul’s fracturing mental state, a fourth-wall breaking conceit which, although effective, could have clarified the narrative better. So convincing was the crackling static and flickering lights, that at first it seemed as if there were technical malfunctions within the theatre. Combined with Stephens’ clinical approach to a character stratospherically more wealthy than most theatre goers, these aspects of Birdland could make it hard for some, like this writer, to connect with the piece. Indeed, although Reitsma is giving this performance his all, the detachment Birdland manifests may ring hollow for audiences hoping for a more cathartic journey. Then again, perhaps that’s the point Stephens aims to make about becoming a household name.

Brent Ervin-Eickhoff is a director, writer, and educator based in Chicago, IL. He has worked with A Red Orchid Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co., Facility Theatre, and others as a director, assistant director, and in a variety of artistic capacities. Brent served as Co-Artistic Director and then Managing Director of Blue Goose Theatre Ensemble for three years, of which he was a founding member. His productions of Herculaneum and Bison? Bison. Bison! with Blue Goose were praised by critics and audiences. Bison? Bison. Bison! was selected and performed as part of Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks Initiative. An award-winning filmmaker, Brent’s films have screened as part of the Frog Baby Film Festival and Indianapolis 48 Hour Film Project. His play Puget Sound was workshopped as a staged reading as part of A Red Orchid Theatre’s Incubator Program in 2017. Brent graduated from Ball State University Magna Cum Laude with degrees in Directing and Theatre Education, as well as Ball State’s prestigious Academic Honors in Writing.

www.brentasmagoria.com

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