“Chlorine Sky”

[rating=5] Being an octogenarian, I realize that  teen years and experiences are long lost memories. Thinking back to my kids teen years and now, those of my grandkids allows for me to see how different these worlds are. Social media did not exist. Rumors did and friendships did. I am sure that bullying was happening as well. Stories abut these topics are a dime a dozen, and while some of them are thought provoking, Mahogany L. Browne’s “Chlorine Sky” based on her novel is an  eye opener. To make sure one gets into this powerful character study, this 90 minute play is geared for young audiences. Yes, Steppenwolf Theatre has normal performances in the evening, but on week-days, schools are bussed to the theater  on Halsted Street to spend a morning opening up their eyes , brains and possibly souls.

Our main character is Sky ( thus the title) (Akili Ni Maki is amazing), a high school students who has a “best friend”, Lay Li ( deftly handled by Destini Huston). These two actresses are the only cast members who do not take on other roles. The question arises early in the story as to if they are really “best Friends”? Perhaps Sky is Lay Li’s “make over Friend”, or perhaps the friendship is based on Sky doing whatever Lay Li wants to do.

Choices! The choices we make in life may define our future and our history. The teens in this story are into basketball ( there is some great basketball on the stage) and of course the girls are into “boys” and shopping and gossip. Ericka Ratcliff’s direction is perfect for reaching a young audience, and after all, :Chlorine Sky” is part of the Steppenwolf for Young Adults” series. In fact, rather than attend the opening last Saturday night, I opted to come to a 10 a.m. teen performances as the reactions from the audience makes this production even stronger. This is a learning production. Not just to appreciate “live theater”, but to learn about life and possibly their own situation.

In this story we learn about friendship, real or not. We learn about finding love ( or at least getting that “first kiss”), following rules, and making choices. The cast is small in numbers but very high in talent. Alexis Ward is dynamite in her role as Inga, but stands out when she takes on one of her special roles. Tiffany Renee Johnson is wonderful as Essa and Demetra Dee plays Kiyana, who becomes a true friend to Sky.

There is one other actor in this slick production. His name is Samuel B. Jackson who plays all the male roles and shows his versatility as Curtis and Clifton  as well as Shawn and some others without names, but great characters. There is never a dull moment when Jackson is on stage. He can do more with his face than most actors can do with 100 lines. I was very impressed with how quickly he could change characters and that the audience was never confused as to which guy he was. I am not so sure than an adult audience would follow as well as the high schoolers I was attending with did.

There is a great deal of basketball passing and dribbling, so hats off to Joey Stone, the movement director, for the smoothness of these moves. The rest of the tech people also did their jobs t perfection. Yeaji Kim ( scenic and projection design), Jos N. Banks ( costumes), Conchita Avita and K. Story ( Lighting), Willow James ( sound), Courtney Abbott & Greg Geffrard ( Intimacy Choreography) ,Michelle Medvin ( Production Stage Manager) and Juju Laurie (  assistant stage Manager). What we see on the stage works because all of these people do their jobs backstage.

“Chlorine Sky” will continue at Steppenwolf Theatre thru March 11th with performances as follows:

Public Performances

Fri, Feb 24:8:00pm

Sat, Feb 25:3:00pm & 8:00pm

Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N. Halsted in Chicago

Stage: Downstairs Theater

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 312-335-1650

www.steppenwolf.org

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

If you have teens at home, this is a MUST see. Take them with!