“25 Saints”

Somewhat Recommended** I always attempt to cover the newer and smaller theater companies in hopes of helping them build an audience of followers. Knowing that they lack the funds of the larger companies, I know they rely on “word of mouth” and the reviews that Chicago reviewers give them. Pine Box Theater Company is a young group with some very talented members. Their current show, “25 Saints” now onstage in the upstairs Studio at The Greenhouse Theater Center is a World Premiere that has all the ingredients of a story, but fails to complete itself and  make it as solid an experience as some of the actors and the brilliant set (John Ross Wilson).

The story is about a young man who comes home to a tiny town in Appalachia to clean up a mess that his brother left behind. urns out his brother had a “meth” kitchen in his cabin and ripped off the local Sheriff ( who is the dealer) and now Charles is left to pay off his debt. His brother also left behind the woman of his dreams,Sammy ( Caroline Neff) who Charlie ( Drew Johnson) deeply loves. Written by Joshua Rollins, this 1 hour 15 minutes story is about people who have nothing in life and have nowhere to go. The local Sheriff ( deftly handled by Danny Goldring) is not concerned with the law, but only the money he makes from delivering the “meth” to the people in the area ( who need this to survive the dull lives they lead(. The play begins with Charlie and his buddy Tuck ( Josh Odor) entering the cabin with Sammy and the deputy  Vance (Josh Ross Wilson) who has been shot after attempting to rape Sammy. There is lots of fighting(Ryan Bourque’s choreography for these fight sequences is one of the highlight) and it appears that the, this is a show that will not withstand the pressure of what Chicago theater audiences demand- a good and well told story! Perhaps, after a rewrite and some cleansing, we will see this play return to the stage with a solid production that Pine Box can be proud of ( as they have been in past productions).

“25 Saints” will continue at The Greenhouse through March 31st with performances as follows:

Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays 7 and 10 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $25 (open seating) and can be purchased by going to www.greenhousetheater.org

To see what others say, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-up and click “25 Saints”