“Buried Child”

[rating=5] Over the years, viewing plays about dysfunctional families has become almost expected, but tonight, at Writers Theatre, we got to witness the most dysfunctional family EVER!!!. This all takes place in Sam Shepard’s amazing “Buried Child”, a Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece, as reinvigorated by Director Kimberly Senior. What an incredible job she has done on this chilling story about a family that may have been left behind by progress. Just try to imagine most of rural America from the  1970’s, with all the changes that were taking place. How many farmers adjusted to the changes? Probably a great number of them continued to live life as it was, not seeing that even more change was about to take place.

“Buried Child” is a play in three acts, over a two hour and 25 minute span, including two ten minute intermissions, where we meet a family that is probably unlike any other we have ever known. The set ( Jack Magaw has done himself proud with this one) is a farmhouse that looks as unkempt as one can get. The patriarch of this dysfunctional family, Dodge ( a powerful performance and character study by Larry Yando, who truly shines) is on the couch, watching TV, smoking and taking a bit of booze whenever possible. His wife, the family matriarch, Halie ( deftly handled by Shannon Cochran) is in the upstairs bedroom talking about what Dodge is doing wrong and how she needs to get out and meet with the local minister, Father Dewis ( Allen Gilmore). Right from the start, we know that this is not a happy couple!

They have two sons. Tilden ( Mark L. Montgomery will send shivers up your spine with this character portrayal) who has been away for a while, and when he got in trouble, was brought back home. The other son, Bradley ( another fine performance by Timothy Edward Kane)  has a wooden leg, and is a practical joker when it comes to his father. There was a third boy who is deceased and we hear a great deal about him and his near perfection in school and sports as well as his military experience.

The first act is a prelude to the events that we are really here to learn about. There are some deep family secret and as always, I will not give anything away, but will tell you that there is also a grandson, Vince ( deftly handled by Shane Kenyon) who left many years ago and is now on his way from New York to visit his dad, Tilden, who he thinks is in New Mexico ( they have not had contact in several years) and with his lady friend, Shelly ( a powerful performance by Ari Ishak) is going to visit his Illinois family. As it turns out, no one recognizes him or even acknowledges who he is, or in fact that he is related. As Vince, who has described his loving family to Shelly, continues to feel the rejection, old feelings begin to emerge and the things that he had fought deeply to forget, come back to change his life.

Here is where I must stop. To reveal more would be far more than I should offer you. I will tell you that the secrets all come out and that there is indeed a “Buried Child” on the property. Tilden has a strong connection to the child and what we see in the third act is the story opening up all the past secrets of this family and what has brought them to where they are today! (today is 1978). This is a marvelous study of people and changing times ( and those who were not ready for the changes). Here we have a family that has ignored the progress around them, living in their own private little world. But, when Vince and Shelly come into their lives, they are forced to look at what has taken place and that the years have gone by. Of more importance, the secrets that they have locked in their brains are forced to come out and this will change the lives of every character that Shepard wrote.

The technical aspects of this show ( in addition to the excellent set) are all top-notch. Mieka van der Ploeg (costumes), lighting (Heather Gilbert) and sound (Mikhail Fiksel), fight direction (Matt Hawkins) and props (Scott Dickens has done an amazing job of finding all of these items)- great work!

“Buried Child” will continue at Writers Theatre , located at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe thru June 17th with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays  3 p.m. (select) and 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Tickets range from $35- $80 and can be purchased by calling 847-242-6000, visiting http://www.writerstheatre.orgor by visiting the box office.

The theater is in downtown Glencoe just over the tracks from the Metra Union Pacific stop. Bring your ticket, get $5 cash. Free parking is on the street and at the train station.

For info on special events for this production, visit www.writerstheatre.org/events

Post show conversations  and Accessible performances

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