“Church Hurt”

*** One of the beautiful parts of being a part of the Chicago area theater scene is the many new companies that bring new ideas and talent to our stages. Tonight, I went to The Edge Off Broadway Theatre to see a production by Red Theater ( not to be confused with Red Orchid or Red Twist). The play is a World Premiere written by Brynne Frauenhoffer, called “Church Hurt,” and deals with some of the changes that have affected the members of a particular church. Directed by Jessica Love on a set designed by Rose Johnson, the three actors in this story each have stories to tell, and while they do intersect, and each one truly needs to “belong”, their lifestyles are not what “The Summit” ( the church) can allow.

This is a 90-minute ( no intermission) look at the lives of three young ladies who grew up as members of this church. Over the years, each has found that their needs and desires are not was taught or preached to them. Faith ( a great name for a church elder) is employed at The Summit, and at the very onset of the production, she is meeting with Mar ( Sara Sadjadi) who has come back to the church to become a teacher/employee and promises that she has changed her life from being an acoholic Lesbian to a life of sobriety and celibacy, devoting her life and soul to The Summit.

The third character, Julie ( played to perfection by Laura Michele Erie) is a member -at-large and at one time was Mar’s “bestie”, perhaps girl-friend. Julie is bi-sexual, although she truly feels being a lesbian is what Jesus has in mind for her, but to not be looked down upon by the other church members, keeps the charade going. By the way, Faith ( deftly handled by Alice Wu) is for all to see “straight”, and during the play we find out that she has been jilted by her boyfriend and is now thinking that this may have been a test byJesus.

For any of us who have been brought up in a structured religious institution, this play may remind you that the church or synagogue does have structure that allows them to set a trail for each member to follow. These three ladies gew up in this church and somehow their lives have gone in directions that are not what the church dictates or expects. They all feel the need to be accepted by The Summit, allowing them to go forward and what Fraenhoffer’s script does is tug at each to get to the base of their situation, allowing them to see where they fit in the system they have chosen to be part of.

This is a simple set, allowing us to be in the church, on the grounds and the only problem I found with it is that there are times when watching the conversations felt like being at a tennis match, going back and forth. I think they could have changed the layout to allow the stage to only have an audience from front to back instead of three sides. Other than that, I was impressed by the three performers. The costumes ( kClare McKellaston) were very original and I loved the monogram for The Summit as well as the ID bands), The sound ( Kate Schnetzer) and lighting (Amina Gilbert) were great and the props (Suzanne Barnes) were adorable,

The company has been around for over ten years and I must say, it is one of the best-kept secrets in Chicago. Keep an eye on this company; I feel they are one to reckon with.

“Church Hurt” will continue thru November 21st with performances as follows:

Mondays      7:30 p.m.

Thursdays    7:30 p.m.

Fridays         7:30 p.m.

Saturdays    7:30 p.m.  (on October 31st, a 3 p.m. performance added)

Sundays       3 p.m.

Wednesday, November 11th  7:30 p.m.

Location: The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave, Chicago

Tickets: General admission tickets are $35.

As part of Red’s mission to make theater by putting
people first, a limited number of $10 access tickets are available for students, artists, or anyone
on a tight budget. Purchasing a ticket at our $50 pay-it-forward tier helps us sustain Red’s
accessibility efforts.

Tickets are currently available at www.redtheater.org. A limited number of
access tickets are available for every performance. Use code ACCESS at checkout for $10
tickets.

Monday nights are Industry Nights! Artists and service industry professionals can use                                       Photos by Wannabe Studios
code RELIENTK for half-price tickets.
Direct Box Office Link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35021/production/1284321

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up, and click on “Church Hurt”.