“Four Places”

**** Most of us grow up thinking our parents will always be there , not only for us, but for each other as well as their future grandchildren. My parents were never a question mark in my mind as my father passed away at a young age and my mother was able to care for herself until her time came. But while we all have our own stories, many of us have friends that have had to live with problems as their parents aged. In “Four Places”, now onstage in the Black Box Theater at Bramble Arts Loft located at 5545 N. Clark Street, we get a glimpse of a brother , Warren ( played to perfection by Michael Stejskal)and sister ,Ellen ( Andrea Uppling)who are faced with a situation that is difficult to deal with. The parents caretaker is afraid that their mother, Peggy ( an incredible character study by Valerie Gorman) might cause harm to their father ( who we never meet).

“Four Places” written by Joel Drake Johnson was originally performed at Victory Gradens Theater, and while it has been years since audiences in Chicago have seen this sparkling story that deals with a slice of life that many have to deal with, we can see that it is indeed a situation that many must deal with. This production , under the skillful hand of Director  Lauren Berman, allows us to be the perverbial “fly on the wall” as Ellen and Warren pick up their mom for an outing, including a nice luncheon as well as some “quality time together”.

As we go from auto to restaurant ( a unique set by Bob Pinta) we listen carefully and learn more about why they have taken Peggy on this special journey. It seems the fear that they feel for what might transpire between mom and dad is far greater than they can deal with, so they are going to make some changes in the day to day lives of their parents. As it turns out, Warren is residing with them and is well aware of the fighting between them, fearing that mom could do bodily harm to her husband.

As you know, I am not one to give away sub-plots and underlying stories, so I will tell you that Ellen and Warren are in a situation that can tear the heartstrings, and having to deliver their message, on this particular day, although painful for all concerned appears to be the only answer to resolution of the situation. What will happen to the relationship of brother and sister? How will the mother /son relationship change? And, I guess the largest question- will this family be whole again, ever?.

The tech side of the production is very well done, considering this is a low budget Black Box production. Pinta’s set pieces , including a bathroom in a restaurant, a car and a waiting area are all realistic. The server, Barb ( deftly handled by Amber Dow) serves as more than a server, but a sort of buffer between the children and their mother. The lighting (Elliot DePappe) and sound (Aaron Harris Woodstein) as well as the costume designer (Anika Splettstoeszer) and the props (Helen Neppl) were all on target. The intimacy design is by MJ Deamon, and I truly feel that Berman “felt” every word of the script and made sure that each audience member felt the story and what was taking place.

“Four Places” will continue thru November 2nd with performances as follows:

Thursdays    7:30 p.m.

Fridays         7:30 p.m.

Saturdays    7:30 p.m.

Sundays       3:00 p.m.

Bramble Arts Lofts   www.brambleartslofts.com

For tickets visit www.4chairstheatre.org

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