Victory Gardens Theater Presents QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Review —Family Bonding in the Woods

It’s the middle of the night. Ty is asleep in his tent, and his father, Stephen, is in a sleeping bag under the stars. All is calm, and little else is heard other than crickets and the wind in the trees. Suddenly we hear a growl, and Ty jumps out of the tent. He and Stephen know what to do. Ty grabs his mace spray, Stephen grabs his pots and pans, and they get into position – back to back, circling the camping grounds and making as much noise as possible. Then, attempting to yell over the excessive noise, we hear:

Stephen: “I love you! I’m sorry!”

Ty: “Wait, what are you yelling about?”

Stephen: “If you, if we die here – “

Ty: “Why do I die first?”

Stephen: “Just listen!”

Ty: “Okay okay talk louder!”

Stephen tries to apologize to his son for all the misunderstandings and miscommunications when Ty was young. It’s hard, and truths come out, but Ty ends with an “I love you too.”

As the two share this heartwarming moment (in the face of danger), the Opening Night audience roared with laughter at the absurdity of Ty and Stephen trying to yell over a mix of growling and the banging of pots and pans.

After two years in the pandemic, Victory Gardens Theater officially kicks off their 2021/2022 Mainstage season with this heartwarming story. The fast-paced script tackles some difficult terrain as the duo attempts to fix their relationship. With the blend of challenging, heartfelt moments and over-the-top comedy, tate creates a fast-paced roller coaster that might just leave you unsure of what strong emotion will hit you next.

Victory Gardens Theater's QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Showcases Heartfelt Performances

Ty and Stephen decide to go fishing – or more like, Stephen forces Ty to go fishing. A spotlight hits as they walk to the foot of the stage and cast their fishing rods before them. The audience is so close that it almost feels like they are in the lake, and the fish are swimming amongst them.

Ty keeps trying to fill the uncomfortable silence – much to Stephen’s dismay. Ty admits that he always loved going camping as a kid and enjoyed being in the woods with his father and brother, Marshall. In the midst of his story, Ty reveals that while Marshall always tried to hide it, the brother always hated camping, and counted the minutes until they could go home. Ty continues to tell his story, but the audience can see Stephen’s face as it starts to change with this new information. We see the pain and heartbreak on Stephen’s face as he begins to realize that the distance between him and his sons is a lot stronger than he knew before.

In his Opening Night Curtain Speech, Martin revealed to the audience that it was Victory Gardens’ intention to kick off their season with a story that draws them into the conversation. In staging the production upstairs in the Richard Christiansen Theater, audiences are a part of the action for the highly comedic moments. On the flip side, they also have an up-close window for the emotional moments of growth between father and son.

If you are interested in strong performances and deeply emotional storytelling, seeing the Queen of the Night will be a night to remember. Martin’s production is a roller coaster from start to finish and judging by the Opening Night audience’s roar of applause, this writer feels she was not alone in thinking so.

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WHEN:

Running through March 13, 2022

Wednesdays at 7:30pm
Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays at 7:30pm
Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 3:00pm

WHERE:

Victory Gardens Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

Tickets

$41+

For tickets and information, see the Victory Gardens Theater website.

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.

Images courtesy of Victory Gardens Theater