“Act (s) of God”

[rating=3] Another World Premiere in Chicago’s world of theater. This particular one, at Lookingglass Theatre was written by one of the ensemble members, Kareem Bandealy ( this is his first play and because of that, I will give him a bit more leeway than normal). The play is titled “Act (s) of God” and takes place in 2029, ten years hence, in an unknown or unnamed area that is near a railroad track. The home ( Brian Sidney Bembridge has designed a very livable living room and dining area- we never see the rest of this ranch home that seems to be in a deserted area) is where all of the action takes place. It is a special week-end. Father (Rom Barkordar truly is perfect in this role) a philosopher and very religious man who has stories about just about everything, and Mother ( an incredible performance by the always reliable Shannon Cochran, who even sings an “aria” to close out the first act) are awaiting the arrival of their children.

The first to arrive is their middle child ( played to perfection by Anthony Irons) and his fiancée ( a sharp performance by Emjoy Gavino), followed by the Eldest ( deftly handled by Kristina Valada-Viars) and then we meet the Youngest ( Walter Briggs). Bandealy evidently found this was easier than giving them actual names, so one must truly pay attention. This is an overdue dinner as they have not seen each other for some time. In fact, this was the family’s first encounter with the fiancée ( despite them being together for years). On this day, in the mail, there is an envelope that is unique unto itself. No one can open it. That is until the Eldest , the atheist tries. It opens. FYI, there are some strange happenings regarding the envelopes and the lights in the house prior to the opening. Contained in the envelope, a single sheet that appears blank, but that each viewer sees something on, and yet no one can interpret the language it is “written” in.

Being a religious family and wanting some sign from above, Mother takes this to be a sign that God is coming to their family dinner to celebrate with them. They are joyous and decide to decorate the house with lights and ornaments to show God their love. As we get prepared for this event, we learn more about all of the characters that Bandealy has created and yes, many of them will remind you of long- lost relatives, these are people with their own agendas. During the first intermission, they re-do the set to have lights and other ornaments make the home more festive for their dinner guest, who during the second act we find is in the bathroom ( off stage left). Despite Mother’s insistence that God is a female and that she herself, was made in her own image, we learn that the door opened and it was a male that joined them for dinner. No, we never meet the “man who came to dinner ( but you know it wasn’t Sidney Poitier),” and during the second act, we learn even more about the relationships between these family members. Father is asleep for most of the act and Barkhoarder almost steals the scene from his solid cast. He is that powerful , even in his sleep.

We then have another intermission where the stage crew once again goes to work and gets us back to the set as it was in the first act. Bravo crew!

Act 3 is where we get even deeper into each of the family members and we wonder , can they survive this dinner? Director Heidi Stillman’s skill allows us to stay focused on the story that Bandealy has created ( Or should I say up til now, because I think that this play could easily be tightened up and as time goes by will be revised and become a much more powerful look at the nuclear family. The story is not so much about God and whether you believe or not, but more importantly about the family and their relationship. Perhaps God and the belief that there is a God brings them closer. Perhaps, not! What we see is a family that has fallen apart and may never be allowed to be what it was. The ending is one where each family member has their voice and then! You will have to see for yourself!

The total running time with two 15 minute intermissions is 2 hours and 25 minutes.

The technical aspects of the show were flawless.Bembridge also did the lighting, and the sound was handled by Rick Sims who also composed the music. Tracy Walsh did the choreography with Matt Hawkins doing the fight choreography. The costumes were handled by Mara Blumenfeld and the props were assembled by Amanda Herrmann. The “Aria” that ended the first act was composed by a panel of very creative souls including Bandealy and Sims with additions by Amanda Dehnert and Konstantin’ Jac’e. A special note to the stage manager, Tess Golden and her crew- you were great!

“Act (s) of God ” will continue at Lookingglass Theatre, located at 821 N. Michigan ( the old Water Tower Works) thru April 7th with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  2 p.m. ( 3/21 and 4/4) and 7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 3/10 and 3/31 ONLY

3/14 audio described/touch tour with tour starting at 6 p.m.

Open Captioned  3/28   www.lookinglasstheatre.org/access

Tickets range from $40-$75 and can be purchased at the box office, by calling 312-337-0665 or online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Act (s) of God”.