“I used to fantasize how to kill you,” says Andy to Fred who sexually abused him when he was 12. “Okay,” replies Fred casually.
Such is the mordant humor of Bruce Norris’ new play DOWNSTATE, onstage through November 11 at Steppenwolf Theatre. Middle-age Andy (Tim Hopper) has driven to a nondescript downstate Illinois town specifically to confront his childhood piano teacher Fred, now wheelchair bound and living in a group home for sex offenders.
Fred’s “okay” seems like the most appropriate response under the circumstances. That’s the power of DOWNSTATE. Disturbed people behave in ways that playwright Norris, director Pam McKinnon and a pitch-perfect cast render as natural as breathing.
DOWNSTATE set in a domestic cage
Set designer Todd Rosenthal’s bland house forms the domestic cage in which Fred (Frances Guinan), Dee (K. Todd Freeman), Felix (Eddie Torres) and Gio (Glenn Davis) live out their post-prison existence. On every inch of wall space, reality stifles dreams: an arty nature photo hangs next to a fire extinguisher sign; a poster that says “greatness” is near a broken window repaired with cardboard and tape.
Why is the window broken, asks Andy during his torturous visit. A gunshot, explains one of the men. People lob eggs, rocks and bullets at them. But the police are in no rush to solve crimes committed against sex offenders. “I get tired of people telling me I’d be better off dead,” says Dee.
Four men, four histories at Steppenwolf Theatre
These four men might as well be dead. They cannot have cellphones, cannot use the internet, cannot leave a specified area, cannot remove the monitors strapped to their ankles. Their efforts to push past their personal histories and pariah status is nothing short of heartbreaking.
Parole officer Ivy (Cecilia Noble), totting a tablet to record conversations and a portable polygraph machine, stops by with bad news. Because the local government imposed a new restriction, the nearby supermarket is now off limits. Then she grills Felix about a visit to the public library, trying to tease out the truth so that he doesn’t later suffer the penalty for lying. Somehow, this blunt, sarcastic woman still manages to care.
Unwavering humor and insights
The humor never wavers; neither does the underlying truth. When Ivy mentions her caseload of 47 ex-offenders, Dee quips, “It must be exhausting, keeping track of all these penises.” Later he reflects on society’s view of sex vs violence: putting a mouth to a youngster’s genitalia gets a harsher prison sentence than putting a knife to them.
These men cling to twisted notions of receiving and giving love to their young victims, be it a piano student, a boy in the cast of Peter Pan or a daughter. But Andy – now a businessman, husband, father and group therapy participant – points out that labeling their deeds as acts of love is simply lying. Child abuse makes them monsters.
DOWNSTATE introduces a dark world
The first act, full of compelling individual encounters, doesn’t quite build enough tension for this viewer. Act 2 has a tighter grip. But even when a scene stalls or wanders a bit, every moment is authentic and the overall effect is intense. For those who want theater to introduce them to unfamiliar worlds, no matter how dark, DOWNSTATE delivers.
This is a tough show, excruciatingly real and an eerie reminder that when we respond as a society to evil, we often fall short of the job.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Note: This is now added to the Picture this Post round up of BEST PLAYS IN CHICAGO, where it will remain until the end of the run. Click here to read – Top Picks for Theater in Chicago NOW – Chicago Plays PICTURE THIS POST Loves.
Cast:
Glenn Davis
K. Todd Freeman
Francis Guinan
Tim Hopper
Cecilia Noble
Eddie Torres
Aimee Lou Wood
Matilda Ziegler
Production team:
Bruce Norris -- Playwright
Pam McKinnon – Director
Todd Rosenthal – Set Designer
Clint Ramos – Costume Designer
Adam Silverman – Lighting Designer
Carolyn Downing – Sound Designer
WHEN:
Now through November 18
Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7:30 PM
Sundays at 3:00 pm
Additional matinees on 10/17, 10/24 & 10/31 at 2:00 PM
WHERE:
Steppenwolf Theatre
1650 N. Halsted Ave.
Chicago, IL
TICKETS:
$20-99
(312) 335-1650
For more information please visit Steppenwolf Theatre website
Photos by Michael Brosilow
Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago
About the Author
Susan Lieberman is a playwright, journalist, teacher and script consultant who commits most of her waking hours to Chicago theatre. Her radio drama In the Shadows recently aired on BBC Radio 4.
Editor's Note: Click here to find more Picture This Post reviews by Susan Lieberman
