'Weapon' has little impact after explosive opening
"Weapon of Mass Impact," (the second in Brett Neveu's proposed trilogy examining the war on terrorism's impact on average Americans) certainly grabs your attention.
The cringe-inducing opening involving two masked, camouflage-wearing, gun-toting men (Usman Ally and Tom McElroy) menacing a female hostage (Jennifer Engstrom) makes for an auspicious start.
Unfortunately the play --directed by Edward Sobel for A Red Orchid Theatre -- fails to sustain that tension, which drops off considerably once we recognize what's happening in Neveu's self-consciously cryptic drama, which boasts his trademark spot-on dialogue and requisite twist.
Less cohesive and satisfying than "Harmless" (its predecessor that premiered earlier this year at TimeLine), "Weapon of Mass Impact" centers around three middle-class suburbanites played by Engstrom, Kristen Fitzgerald and Mierka Girten, whose seamless performances are the best thing about the show.
The women, whose jobs require overseas travel, are participating in an anti-hostage training program. As their fears surface, it becomes apparent that the "terrorists' " most impactful weapon is the characters' own paranoia. Moreover, abduction and captivity aren't the only form of terrorism these women experience. Girten's expressive Sylvia, who emerges as the central character, endures bullying, cruelty and condemnation from her fellow participants, suggesting we have more to fear from our own (and from ourselves) than from any foreign insurgent.
"Weapon of Mass Impact," 2 stars, runs through Dec. 2 at A
Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. Tickets cost $20, $25. (312) 943-8722 or www.aredorchidtheatre.org.
'Twilight of the Golds'
The issue of genetic testing and our response to the knowledge it provides warrants thoughtful consideration, something good drama can deliver.
Unfortunately, "Twilight of the Golds," Jonathan Tolins' overblown, self-righteous 1993 drama heralding Apple Tree Theatre's 25th anniversary season isn't the drama to do so.
Tim Gregory directs the play, which centers on upper-middle-class Manhattanites Suzanne (Elise Kauzlaric) and Rob (Steven Marzolf) discovering through genetic testing that their healthy unborn child has a 90 percent chance of being gay. This prompts them to consider terminating the pregnancy, a decision on which everyone -- including Suzanne's parents Walter (Larry Wiley) and Phyllis (Brigid Duffy) and her gay brother David (Eddie Collins) -- weighs in. They do so in highly charged family debates punctuated by monologues where they justify their positions and reveal the truth behind their tolerance.
The actors do their best and Duffy and Collins are truly affecting. But while characters don't have to be good, they do have to be interesting. Tolins' disagreeable protagonists manage to be neither, emerging as weak, self-interested whiners less concerned with the new addition to their family than how his homosexuality will affect them personally.
The issue is ripe for discussion. Unfortunately, "Twilight of the Golds," with its dated references, stereotypical characters, veiled allusions to sexuality (nobody utters the word "gay") and strained "Ring Cycle" metaphor (Wagner's famous operas figure in the play but add little to it), fails to advance the debate.
"Twilight of the Golds," 2 stars, runs through Nov. 11 at Apple Tree Theatre at the Karger Center, 1850 Green Bay Road, Highland Park. Tickets cost $38-$48. (847) 432-4335 or www.appletreetheatre.com.