***** There is nothing quite like a good psychological thriller, especially one that keeps you guessing right up until the very end. And if you are anything like me, while watching A Body of Water, you may find yourself wondering whether you have seen this story before. In fact, halfway through the performance, I kept thinking this could easily have been an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. That is how intriguing this 90-minute production becomes.But before getting into the play itself, let me introduce you to a theatre company I honestly had never heard of before: Elsinore Theatre Ensemble.Founded in 2022, the company traces its beginnings to Elgin, Illinois, before relocating to Palatine. Its mission is to stage professional-caliber, challenging, and rarely performed scripts, working with paid artistic collaborators while entertaining and engaging audiences. If tonight’s production is any indication of what this company can accomplish, Chicago theatre audiences should definitely pay attention. Most of its productions take place at either the Greenhouse Theater or the Athenaeum Theatre.Tonight’s performance was presented in Studio B at the Athenaeum, and it was absolutely the right setting. Small, intimate, and perfectly suited for a three-person production, the space allows the audience to become completely immersed in the mystery unfolding before them.
Written by Lee Blessing, A Body of Water begins with a couple waking up in a beautiful country house, surrounded by water, with absolutely no recollection of who they are or how they got there. Even more unsettling, neither recognizes the person lying beside them.
Avis, played by Lori Rohr, is convincing as a woman desperately trying to understand her circumstances. Rohr brings a natural presence to the role, balancing confusion, curiosity, and occasional moments of acceptance as the strange events unfold. Although I did find myself wondering why she wasn’t looking for her purse. Let’s be honest, a woman’s life is often in her purse! But that is a small observation in an otherwise engaging performance.
Jamie Ewing plays Moss, who we eventually learn is Avis’s husband and a judge. Together, they attempt to piece together their identities, their relationship, and the circumstances that brought them to this mysterious house.
Then comes Wren, played by Ella Gatlin, who changes the entire dynamic. Wren seems to know everything about the couple, while they have no idea who she is. She becomes almost a narrator, providing explanations that only seem to create more questions. She tells them they are experiencing a strange form of amnesia. Every day they discover something new, only to forget it the following day.
Sound familiar? A little like Groundhog Day, perhaps, except this is considerably darker!
One day Wren tells them she is a defense attorney. Another day, she claims to be their daughter. As the story progresses, the couple gradually discovers that they are connected to a murder trial involving the death of their daughter. But there is a catch: no physical evidence seems to connect them to the crime.
And that is where the real psychological suspense begins. What is true? What is imagined? Who can they trust? And perhaps the biggest question of all: What really happened?
This is a wonderfully constructed thriller that keeps the audience questioning everything. The script gives its three actors plenty to work with, and all three deliver performances that keep the mystery alive.
Special recognition goes to scenic designer Devin Meseke, who creates one of the most realistic-looking apartment settings I have seen on such a small stage. The attention to detail makes the environment feel authentic and helps establish the unsettling atmosphere of the production.
Director Derek Bertelsen deserves considerable credit for bringing all these elements together. His direction keeps the pacing moving, allows the suspense to build naturally, and gets the most out of his three performers. There is a real understanding of how to tell this story without giving too much away too soon.
At just 90 minutes, A Body of Water is a perfect evening of suspense. It is the kind of production that makes you think, question, and occasionally second-guess what you believe you have just witnessed.
I may not have known much about Elsinore Theatre Ensemble before tonight, but I certainly do now. If this production represents the quality and ambition of its work, I look forward to seeing what comes next. Chicago has no shortage of theatre companies, but there is always room for another company willing to take chances on challenging and rarely performed material.
My recommendation: Don’t miss this production! If you enjoy psychological thrillers, mysteries, and stories that leave you talking long after the curtain comes down, A Body of Water deserves a place on your theatre calendar.
Performance Information:
A Body of Water plays through November 22 at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago.
Performances:
- Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM
- Sundays at 3:00 PM
Tickets start at $29, with discounted tickets available for $19.50.
For tickets, visit the Athenaeum Center website at www.athenaeumcenter.org or call the box office at (312) 820-6250.
There is plenty of free parking nearby.
Elsinore Theatre Ensemble is a company worth discovering. Don’t miss this production!
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click on “A Body of Water”
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