Displaying items by tag: Jen Silverman

I thoroughly enjoyed this modern and timely play on both the issues of Hollywood stars whose lives are constantly scrutinized by complete strangers and how easily it is for any person now to be fed false information online in ways that can affect their lives either positively or negatively regardless of the intentions of the sender. Highway Patrol is being performed at Goodman Theatre’s Albert Stage and is funny, haunting, and engaging through and through. 

Dana Delaney, who plays herself, is best known for her roles in the TV series China Beach and the hit film Tombstone, and she looks and sounds fantastic. I have always liked her plucky, no-nonsense energy as an actress, and in this true-life story of her work life and internet/social media interactions the audience gets a very accurate glimpse of how lonely a life in the arts can be and also how badly many actors are treated by the industry at the expense of their physical and mental health.

I don't want to give away any spoilers because half the fun of this show is the whodunnit twists and turns her life took back in 2012 that continued for several years, sometimes dominating her private life at all hours... 24/7. The story begins when the actress decides to interact directly with one fan on social media, Cam. Thomas Murphy Molony is a very talented young actor who makes you feel deeply for Cam, a young Twitter fan who is suffering from a chronic and terminal illness, a recipient of two heart transplants who is innocently and adoringly in love with Delaney. While Cam enjoys his conversations with Delaney, his grandmother often provides updates regarding the boy’s health and upcoming procedures to keep her in the loop. Dot-Marie Jones, who takes on the role of Cam’s caretaker, Nan, is a very gifted character actress best known for her work on Glee and Desperate Housewives. Jones really displays her versatile acting range playing such a multifaceted character and does so beautifully with depth and complexity. 

Peter Gallagher’s highly recognizable voice is also strategically used in this production as he plays the true-life friend and confidant of Delaney’s that he has been throughout most of her career. The recognizability of his voice in this show gives real weight to the fact that a human voice is like a fingerprint and gives much more honest information and clarity as to whom we are communicating over the voices we imagine in our minds when reading our own DM's or emails.

Director Mike Donahue does a great job staging the show into two compelling acts and theatre goers should arrive early to see Dana Delaney in character on stage prior to the start of the play. Having Delaney onstage beforehand is a very interesting choice and sets the tone of the play, acknowledging that most people, fans or not, are fascinated by seeing stars in person that they have "known" for decades.

I enjoyed Dane Laffrey’s set design and Yee Eun Nam’s projection designs so much! The colorful and quick changing sets along with large high-definition projections not only help the audience follow along with the digital clues based on the digital archives of actor Dana Delaney (with text curation from playwright Jen Silverman), but they also combine to form beautiful and realistic backdrops depicting the glamorous luxury, palm trees, sunshine, and sometimes loneliness of Delaney’s Los Angeles home and also her work life on set. 

The most fascinating thing I took away from this very enjoyable piece of theatre was not about the necessity of verifying and protecting oneself from the many digital communications we all send and receive every day. What struck me rather was the idea presented to the audience that sometimes we as isolated humans living in this new frontier of instantaneous digital communication, including celebrities who appear to "have it all", can possibly grow to miss fictional love messages and reassurances of digital communication even after discovering their true source. 

Dana Delaney is absolutely outstanding in this production, as is the entire cast. I highly recommend this funny, touching, yet haunting, modern play. 

Highway Patrol is being performed at Goodman Theatre though February 18^th. For tickets and/or more information visit www.goodmantheatre.org.

The witch is back, Jen Silverman’s ‘Witch’ that is. Since first being commissioned by Writer’s Theatre back in 2018, Jen Silverman’s take on Jacobean theatre has become a somewhat popular selection for regional theaters. The Artistic Home Ensemble brings this play back to Chicago in a revival directed by Devon Carson going on now at The Den.

What continues to be striking about this play is its exploration of hopelessness. ‘Witch’ is about an ostracized woman living in the 1600s who the townspeople have decided (without basis) is a witch. Her miserably lonely life is spiced up when the devil himself comes to town and begins meddling in the lives of the villagers. Some are more easily tempted than others, but the supposed witch, Elizabeth Sawyer (Kristin Collins), is harder for the devil to convince. Besides, what can anyone offer someone who has lost hope for a better future?

The devil played with fiendish fun by Julian Hester finds himself enamored with skeptical Elizabeth Sawyer who is also drawn to him. They spend long nights discussing their world views and within their conversations, Jen Silverman peppers in some humorous, but unsettling monologs about the human condition. Kristin Collins as Elizabeth has a great way of shifting between comedic relief and heart-rending vulnerability. Her character all the while pleading, “can things ever really get better?”

As the devil and Elizabeth get to know each other, the devil also inserts himself into the lives of the richest family in town. His gentle suggestion sets in motion a bitter rivalry that plays out with classic dramatic irony.

Silverman’s script is wise in its sharp tongue and makes a statement on the general apathy many feel every day. In her version, the devil himself has hopes and dreams, but outcasts like Elizabeth have long lost hope that her neighbors can ever evolve past their pettiness.

Like Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’, this play holds a Puritanical mirror to our own time, but unlike John Proctor, Elizabeth doesn’t have altruistic intentions. She may be the protagonist, but she’s not your standard heroine. Silverman’s point in comparing our two eras is to show that people haven’t gotten any wiser. People are still inherently selfish and highly subject to influence.

‘Witch’ is well-acted and well-styled. For a play with such a dark core, there’s a lot of comedy here and this cast really plays that up. Kristin Collins brings a Molly Shannon quality to the lonely Elizabeth that makes her plight far less depressing than it sounds. Hogan’s chemistry with Julian Hester is fun to watch.

More than anything, this play remains as timeless in 2018 as in 2023, because while some political and societal things have gotten better, some have inevitably gotten worse. There will always be cynics and optimists duking it out and perhaps the easiest place to be is somewhere in the middle.

Through December 3^rd at The Artistic Home Ensemble at The Den. 1331 N Milwaukee. 773-697-3830.

Ask yourself, do you have hope that things can get better? The word itself certainly echoes back to a different political climate in America. Now it seems the very word has been replaced with fear. Jen Silverman’s new play ‘Witch’ is holding its world premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe. It’s an update on a seventeenth century tragicomedy but don’t let that fool you, this play has a lot to say about our modern world.

Directed by Marti Lyons, ‘Witch’ tells the tale of the devil coming to a small village. Like all plays concerning Satan, the devil is after souls in exchange for worldly goods or successes of some kind. Ryan Hallahan plays Scratch, one of the devil’s henchman. His wile body language and delivery make him a slick salesman for the master of dark desires. For the villagers already lacking good morals, his pitch is an easy sell. He quickly pits the son of the richest man in town, Cuddy Banks (Steve Haggard) against an ambitious interloper Frank Thorney (Jon Hudson Odom) in a battle for inheritance and land.

This arc serves as the main driver of plot in this 90-minute play but the real meat lies in the battle between Scratch and the town outcast, or witch, Elizabeth Sawyer (Audrey Francis). Elizabeth begins the play with a monologue that asks about hope and explains the mundane cruelties we commit against one another. Francis is captivating. The character is sarcastic and dry. Silverman’s dialogue flows perfectly through Francis’ performance and her emotional reckoning brings about one of the play’s most powerful moments.

Finally, a play about witches that isn’t ‘The Crucible’. Silverman’s script is a lot of fun. It gets to mingle in the 1600s but enjoy the freedom and accessibility of modern dialogue. The contrast is purposeful, asking the audience, has anything really changed? Whether the play is optimistic or pessimistic is really up to the viewers’ interpretation. Either way, there are a lot of laughs here that in the end build to a greater philosophical question. Is change possible or do we have to just start over again from scratch?

If it’s something spooky you’re after, ‘Witch’ will scratch your itch. Though not really a horror story, the intricate production design by Yu Shibagaki gets into the Halloween spirit. Even with the devil, and a supposed witch, this play isn’t really about the supernatural. Rather, it relies on human meanness as the haunting theme, and honestly what’s scarier than that?

Through December 16 at Writers Theatre 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 847-242-6000

Call your mother seems like the resounding theme of Jen Silverman’s new play ‘The Roommate ‘now running at Steppenwolf. Directed by famed television and stage actress Phylicia Rashad, this new play explores the often overlooked lives of women over a certain age.

Sharon (Sandra Marquez) is a middle-aged woman living alone in a big house in Iowa. Her simple life is turned upside down when a mysterious new roommate, Robyn (Ora Jones), from the Bronx moves in. Though Robyn is careful not to answer all of Sharon’s questions, she helps get Sharon out of her shell. While the play is mostly a sit-com style comedy, it goes deep on how women in their 50s can sometimes become invisible to even their own children.

The play is well written and very funny, but it’s the two actresses that really make this. Marquez and Ora Jones are both ensemble at Steppenwolf and it’s a rare treat to see two such accomplished actresses show their comedic skills in this light-hearted comedy. Marquez’s performance is transformative from start to finish. Her delivery and timing is pure midwestern homemaker, reminding us all of our own mothers just a little bit. Her character’s naivety about the world at large is endearing. Ora Jones plays the cool talking roommate Robyn. Jones has a lot of stage presence. There’s something both intimidating and soothing about her performance. The play’s revelations should make her character seem untrustworthy but the chemistry between her and Marquez makes you questions whether someone’s past is who they are today.

Phylicia Rashad is best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the Cosby Show. She’s wise to distance herself from that now. Since then she’s appeared on Broadway and has moved on to directing. Rashad knows sit-com. She also seems to have a real understanding of these two characters. This show could have easily played for the “shock the old lady” trope, but instead there’s a real heart at the core of this new play. It may not change the world, but it’s a play that makes an observation about what happens to our moms when we grow up and fly the nest.

Through August 5 at Steppenwolf Theatre. 1650 N Halsted. 312-335-1650