'The Night of the Iguana' revival pays off for Raven Theatre
Over the past few months, Miller, O'Neill, Odets and Williams have been well-served by Steppenwolf, Actors Workshop, The Hypocrites, Timeline and Shattered Globe, all of whom have earned praise for their revivals of American classics.
Add to that list Raven Theatre, whose straightforward production of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" inaugurates the company's 25th anniversary season.
Embracing the play's humor, director Michael Menendian injects a bit of screwball sensibility into this well-done revival. But he balances Williams' last significant play with the sincerity that a touching examination of loneliness deserves.
"Iguana" is about people at the end of their ropes, desperate, lonely souls longing to connect with someone, if only temporarily. Set in 1940, it centers on defrocked minister turned second-rate tour guide T. Lawrence Shannon (a manic, intriguing Paul Dunckel drenched in sweat and desperation). Suffering from the latest in a series of nervous breakdowns, he seeks refuge from the coarse, lusty Maxine (a deliciously blowsy JoAnn Montemurro), owner of a ramshackle hotel (a terrific set by Menendian and Leif Olsen that has lush, faded charm) on the edge of the Mexican rain forest.
A distraught Shannon has kind of hijacked his current tour, a group of Baptist schoolteachers who expected more than run-down hotels and a worthless tour guide. The group is led by Miss Fellowes (a feisty Esther McCormick), who is angry at Shannon's incompetence and his seduction of her teenage charge Charlotte (Katie Genualdi). Joining them are a pair of genteel hustlers low on funds: spinster Hannah Jelkes (a wise, gracious Kristen Williams Smith who has a Grace Kelly cool) and her ailing grandfather, "a minor league poet with a major league spirit" played by Tom Porter.
Rounding out the cast are Kevin Kenneally, Jean Vanier, Marc Muszynski and Elizabeth Kline providing comic relief as loutish Nazi tourists; Greg Caldwell as the tour bus driver; Calvin Haines as a company rep sent to clean up Shannon's mess and the suitably insolent Esteban Andres Cruz and Jason Lorenzo as Maxine's indolent houseboys.
The pacing is solid, the performances are strong, (Smith and Montemurro squaring off over Dunckel makes for some especially satisfying moments) in a revival that delivers the respect a classic deserves.
"The Night of the Iguana"
3 1/2 stars out of four
Location: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago
Times: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 8
Running Time: About 2½ hours including intermission
Tickets: $20, $25
Parking: Free lot
Box office: (773) 338-2177, www.raventheatre.com
Rating: For adults