“Grace” reviewed by Jeffrey Leibham

[rating=3]Interrobang Theatre Project has had a very good year. The third and final show of their eighth season, Craig Wright’s “Grace,” which has not been presented on a Chicago stage since 2006, wraps up this splendid company’s current season in which they were on a quest to explore the pressing question of “What is Truth?” which was addressed so beautifully and boldly in their previous two productions earlier in the season.  With “Grace” and its tightly-knit plot structure and small ensemble of four actors, Interrobang ends their season with a bang — literally.

“Grace” is a play that opens with a crime scene and then moves backwards in time to illustrate just how these characters ended up there. Married couple Steve (Joe Lino) and Sara (Laura Berner Taylor) have recently relocated to Sunshine, Florida from a small town in Minnesota. Both extremely devout Catholics, especially Steve, they have pooled their meager savings together and moved to Florida with the plan to purchase existing motels and convert them into Christian-themed properties exclusively for evangelically-minded guests. Steve has been in contact with a Swiss investor who is willing to give him a loan to serve as the start-up money to secure the first property. Living in a generic apartment complex (Scenic Designer Pauline Olesky’s set nearly screams Fort Lauderdale) and not having much of a social life, Steve and Sara’s first guest in their home turns out to be Karl (Walter Brody), an exterminator who works in the building. Karl immigrated to the U.S. from Austria at the onset of World War II. Steve makes the mistake of asking Karl if he believes in God and we learn exactly why Karl fled Europe when he did. It is from Karl that Steve and Sara learn about the man living next door to them. Sam (Evan Linder) is a bitter and faithless technology expert who recently lost the love of his life in a horrible accident which he was involved in that has left him severely scarred, both emotionally and physically. Linder wears a mask which conceals the right half of his face for most of the play even though Sam’s facial wounds had completely healed weeks before. Soon Sara finds herself home alone all day long while Steve is at work and it’s not long before she gets the nerve to knock on Sam’s door and introduce herself. All three become friendly and when Steve becomes stressed out due to the delay in receiving the loan from his European backer (and also because he has continued to purchase even more properties) he asks Sam if he would be able to write him a check, in any amount, to assist with the financial cash flow, which Sam agrees to do. Meanwhile, Steve has developed a terrible rash all over his body which he cannot stop itching, which he initially believes to be shingles but later self-diagnoses as the disputed chronic condition MSC (multiple sensitivities complex). A very bored and lonely Sara finds herself spending too much time at Sam’s place and a strong bond develops between the two, with Sam eventually becoming comfortable enough around Sara to remove his mask.

All of this plays out on a single-unit set, with the action occurring simultaneously in both Steve and Sara’s apartment which obviously is an exact replica of Sam’s. Director Georgette Verdin (who is also the Co-Artistic Director of Interrobang) has done an impressive job of delineating the specific locations and changes in mood as “Grace” moves from comedic to tragic. She is supported quite nicely in keeping this from becoming perplexing by the lighting design of Richie Vavrina.  Also, Erik Siegling has provided a formidable sound design that will have you on the edge of your seat for the compelling final moments.

There is abundantly wonderful acting all around, but Lino and Brody are particularly strong. Lino, as Steve, covers all of the bases as someone who outwardly appears to be pious and caring but turns into a much darker beast as his world spins out of control and he becomes increasingly agitated and unhinged. Complementing that is Brody’s Karl, a man who has seen first-hand the worst atrocities and unimaginable cruelty that humankind is capable of yet remains hopeful and perseveres. Brody only has two scenes but they are both powerful. In the first he mentions how termites can destroy an entire home, unseen, and turn it into a hollow shell. He could just as easily be describing the shallow and empty Steve, Sara and Sam, characters who are void of true empathy and rotten to the core. It is in Karl’s final scene, where he has miraculously reconnected with an old sweetheart from his youth and exhibited a genuine sense of forgiveness and possible redemption that you fleetingly wonder if he can alter the course of events and prevent the catastrophic conclusion that we all know is coming.

“Grace” will continue thru June 3rd At the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport ( at Lincoln Avenue) Parking is available in the lot next door (for a fee) and on the street

Price: $32

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 773-935-6875

www.interrobangtheatre.org/

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