“On Clover Road”

[rating=5] Are you a thriller buff? If you do, have I got a show for you! The title of the show is “On Clover Road”, written by  Steven Dietz, who after seeing this piece, I will seek out to read and see more of his works. This is one of those plays were I must hold back on the story so I will not ruin the surprises that are contained within it. The basic story is about a woman, Kate Hunter ( Gwendolyn Whiteside is as always powerful and wonderful in this exhausting role), who is trying to get her daughter back from the cult where she is living. For years, she has tried to get assistance from the police and agencies who say that since the daughter left on her own, they can do nothing.

The play opens with Kate arriving at a seedy motel “On Clover Road” to meet with Stine ( deftly handled by Philip Earl Johnson), who has evidently found the daughter and for a fee will grab her from the cult, bring her back to the motel and deprogram her from the years of being away. For the first ten minutes of the play, these two get to know a bit more about each other and the plan they are about to start. You could hear a pin drop!

While we are watching them and hearing about Kate’s desire to get Jessie back, we learn a great deal about their relationship, and that Sine knows a great deal about the cult and the system. We start to feel that this is a man who knows what he is doing and that the end of the road is near for this upset parent who has been missing her daughter for years. The plans are revealed to Kate and to us as we sit with anticipation to see what happens next.

In the second scene, the girl ( a powerful performance by Grace Smith)   is in a chair, Stine going over her history and life, while Kate is in the closed bathroom, peeking out through a hole in the door that Stine created for this function. Kate is to remain silent and observe as the process takes place. She cannot She thinks that the girl is in fact NOT her daughter and begins to bang. Stine allows her into the room and shows her what the years have changed about her Jessie. Little by little we see Kate and Jessie start to bind and they ask for some together time. Stine leaves the room, locking them in so they can get their lives back together.

Here is where I will leave the story line. What comes next is surprise after surprise.  Some of the best fight design (Gaby Labotka) and masterful storytelling I have seen on a stage. Director Halena Kays creates a picture that keeps us on the edge of our seats as we see the story change from minute to minutes and we learn more about the cult and its membership. The leader, known as the “Father” is played to perfection by Jon Hudson Odom. He seems to be a strong leader who cares about “his people”, but as we learn more, we learn MORE!. As I said, this play is filled with surprise after surprise as well as many secrets, and while you will be on edge for 90 minutes, not knowing what is yet to come, you will, at the end of the play be very entertained. This is one that I will call a MUST SEE!!

On the technical side of the production, as always, American Blues Theater does everything to perfection. The set( Lizzie Bracken ) is about as seedy a motel room as one might expect. I think it is three steps below all those we drive by on Lincoln Avenue near Foster. Rick Sims ( sound), Alexander Ridgers (lighting), Alison Siple (costumes) and Mary O’Dowd (props- where did you find all those goodies?) do a terrific job in keeping us in the story we are being told.

“On Clover Road” will only run through March 16th  at Stage 773 located at 1225 West Belmont, with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m

Saturdays  3 and  7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2:30 p.m.

Sunday performances will be followed by a Town Hall discussion

Additional performances on February 18th at 7:30 p.m. and on March 13th at 2:30 p.. and 7:30 p.m.

NO PERFORMANCES 2/23 at 3 p.m. or 3/15 and 3/16 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $19-$39 and can be purchased by calling 773-654-3103 or online at AmericanBluesTheater.com

There are only 99 seats in this intimate space, so I say, order your chance at seeing this masterpiece of suspense today!

Valet parking is available and street parking in the area can be found.

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