Steppenwolf crafts funny, fatalistic 'Parallelogram'
How would you react if your older self traveled back in time to paint a bleak future that you wouldn't want to be a part of? Would you try to change the course of history, or begrudgingly accept this fixed fate?
This paradoxical situation is what outlines Steppenwolf Theatre's world premiere production of Bruce Norris' fascinating and very funny play "A Parallelogram."
Though less overtly political than Norris' recent Steppenwolf world premieres "The Pain and the Itch" in 2004 or "The Unmentionables" in 2006, "A Parallelogram" still sneaks in wry commentary on the mundanity of American lives and the stultifying routines we all fall into. But more importantly, Norris nudges audiences to question basic assumptions about what is important in life while also providing a bevy of belly laughs.
Things begin simply enough in set designer Todd Rosenthal's deceptively bland beige condo bedroom, appropriately fitting in a parallelogram proscenium stage frame.
Bee (Kate Arrington) sits in bed having a halfhearted conversation with her divorced older boyfriend, Jay (Tom Irwin), who keeps getting distracted by the big-screen TV game on in the next room while fielding constant calls from his kids about his depressed ex-wife. Outside the sliding glass door, Latino gardener JJ (Tim Bickel) does yardwork.
But both of these men are oblivious to someone else having a conversation with Bee: her frumpy older self (Marylouise Burke) who nonchalantly sits to the left munching Oreo cookies and manipulating a time-bending remote control that can pause and replay past moments over and over.
Understandably, Bee is perplexed as she debates the shocking predictions she hears from her older self about her love life and all of humanity in general. Yet Bee is also simultaneously negotiating everyday matters with Jay and JJ. So it's no surprise that both guys appear alarmed at Bee's increasingly erratic behavior as she starts testing her free will attempts to alter the course of history.
By making Bee into a Cassandra figure (the tragic Trojan War prophet of doom who cannot convince others to believe in her predictions), Norris cleverly brings up uncomfortable issues of the fleeting nature of life and how all romantic relationships will fall apart one way or another. Yet Norris softens the blow by injecting lots of humor throughout, mostly for Bee's older self whose seen-it-all comic zingers steer Bee into a more accepting place with her newfound prediction abilities.
With such thought-provoking and comic material to work with, Tony Award-winning Director Anna D. Shapiro ("August: Osage County") and her superskilled ensemble of four have loads of fun fleshing out the characters who are wittingly and unwittingly making last grasps at a disappearing happiness.
Arrington's increased agitation and eventual fatalism as Bee is wholly on the mark. She spars nicely with Irwin, who finds a surprising well of sympathy for his acutely annoying character of Jay. (His opening argument about how unfair it is for white males to be depicted as villains takes on a poignancy when his life choices emotionally crash down on him by the end.)
Steppenwolf newcomers Bickel and especially Burke also help to make "A Parallelogram" a pleasure throughout. Bickel's easygoing take on JJ contrasts nicely with Irwin's tightly wound Jay, while Burke's economic comic delivery is masterfully timed.
With "A Parallelogram," Norris has done it again with a finely crafted comedy that really makes you think about the bigger picture. Go for the time-shifting laughs, but be sure to take its message about how fleeting life is to heart.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"A Parallelogram"</p>
<p class="News">★★★½</p>
<p class="News"><b>Location:</b> Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or <a href="http://steppenwolf.org" target="new">steppenwolf.org</a></p>
<p class="News"><b>Showtimes:</b> 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (Sunday evening shows end Aug. 15); 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 29. 2 p.m. Wednesday matinees begin Aug. 11.</p>
<p class="News"><b>Running time:</b> Two hours and 10 minutes with intermission</p>
<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $20-$70</p>
<p class="News"><b>Parking:</b> Metered street parking and nearby pay garages</p>
<p class="News"><b>Rating:</b> profanity and some adult issues</p>
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Video</h2>
<ul class="video">
<object width="300" height="205"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bvNyFhUvINc&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bvNyFhUvINc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="300" height="205"></embed></object>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>