BUG

Highly Recommended **** There are many who will stay away from the current production on the stage at Steppenwolf Theatre just because of the title, “Bug”. For example, my wife opted not to attend as she was afraid of dreams about bugs. There are a number of people who are definitely in that position. This play, written by Steppenwolf’s own Tracy Letts , right on the heels of his “Killer Joe” is a very nitty-gritty look at real people. Yes, they may be different than the majority of those sitting in the audience watching with you, but then again, on theother hand, some of the peole sitting alongside you may have someo fhte same inner thoughts.

When you enter the theater the stage has become a seedy looking motel room. and while the show works far better in an intimate space, under the direction of David Cromer, we do feel as if we are that “fly on the wall” peering into the lives of those less fortunate than us. This is not just a motel room, but has become the actual home for Agnes ( powerfully played by Carrie Coon) a waitress who has decided to live there. Her ex-husband ,Jerry ( deftly handled by Steve Key) drops by from time to time for his needs despite being ordered to stay away. Her best friend R.C. (Jennifer Engstrom) introduces her to a drifter, Peter ( a dynamic performance by Namir Smallwood) and we watch the two, Agnes and Peter become a couple.

The relationship grows slowly but when they begin to fall in love a great deal comes out. There is a lot of intrigue in the characters and how they came to be where they are. Jerry unveils that someone is “looking for him” and that he is “on the run”. Agnes, feels the comfort of the gentle person instead of her ex who comes by for her money, sex and to give her a slight beating from time to time. Peter becomes her savior and they do begin to fall in love. There is a lot of full nudity in this play, so if this is something that offends you, this might not be the play for you to see.

As they fall for each other, all of a sudden Peter complains of being bitten by bugs. It takes awhile, but very soon, Agnes starts to feel the bugs as well and then the havoc begins. As the play progresses, the psychosis that Peter suffers begins to transfer to Agnes as well . They begin t change their lives. Peter is sure that it is a conspiracy to take over his body and that the bugs are feeding off his blood. Where he came from, which is never revealed by Peter is where the experiments took place. Then another character appears at the door. Doctor Sweet (Randall Arney) who is there to save Peter ( or is he?).

What happens next is watching these two lovers get through their own craziness. A craziness that doesn’t truly exist, except that if one feels that something is true, and they feel that wasy long enough, can it become a reality?

The set (Takeshi Kata) is amazingly real in appearance. If you have ever been in a seey motel along the highway ( or Lincoln Avenue for the most part) this is what the interior looks like. The tech crew does amazing things as they transform the room from act one to act two. The walls move and convert the room even more as the characters get even more involved trying to figure out what to do with the aphids ( bugs). Heather Gilbert’s lighting and Josh Schmidt’s sound are great and this show has the special intimacy choreography (Tonia Sina) that is used more often today as well as fight choreography ( Matt Hawkins). The ending will surprise and amaze you, but in spite of the title and perhaps your own fears, you will be entertained by this sterling production that has been moved to a larger theater with great ease.

“Bug” will continue through  March 15th with performances as follows:

Price: $20-$125

Stage: Downstairs Theatre

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 312-335-1650

Running Time: 2hrs

www.steppenwolf.org

The Steppenwolf Theatre is located at 1650 N. Halsted and while there is street/meter parking, there is also a lot at 1624 Halsted available. Valet parking is also available

Running time of the show 2 hours including one intermission

ACCESSIBLE performances

2/13  open captioned

ASL interpreted  2/16

Audio described/touch tour March 1 -touch tour at 1:30 p.m.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and clisk at “Bug”.