“Small Mouth Sounds”

[rating=4] A Red Orchid Theatre, that cozy little venue in the heart of “Old Town” at 1531 N. Wells Street, is known for bringing unusual and artsy theater to its audiences in the cozy spot that is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of a tourist area to visit. They are currently presenting a 100 minute ( no intermission) show titled ” Small Mouth Sounds”. The title is probably not one that would entice you taking out your planner book ( if you still use a planner book) and finding an open date to make sure you catch. However, if you have ever been on a retreat, company or personal, involving others where you were asked to take some days off from your hectic lives and “find yourself”, you just might want to recapture some of those moments, or in reality, see what the heck you spend five days doing!

In this production, finely directed by Shade Murray, we see six people invited or signed up for a retreat where they can learn more about their identity. I know! This sounds crazy. After all, we all know who we are. Or do we? In this clever play written by Bess Wohl, the six “urbanites” are bringing their lives to the woods so that they can learn more about themselves, their lives, their desires, their fears etc. Due to the size of the theatre, the set (Kurtis Boetcher) is quite limited. The walls of the stage area are wood planks ( cabin-like) so when they are IN the lodge/cabin, the chairs are in front of a wooden wall. When they are out of the building, that same wall represents the outside of the building as they are camping out.

In all cases, this is their first retreat, and in our program they even give us some notes about what to do on one’s first retreat. The daily schedule for these six people is as follows:

5 a.m. morning wake up bell

6 am breakfast

8 a.m. morning program

10 a.m. assignments and practice

11:30 a.m.  lunch

1 p.m. free time ( bodywork, hike, journal, read, swim, rest etc)

330 p.m. afternoon program

5:30 p.m. dinner

7 p.m. evening meditation

8 p.m. questions and answer

10 p.m. lights out

During this week, there is no speaking. PERIOD!

Clothing is optional at the lake and they are advised that there may be bears lurking in the woods.  ( NOTE: There is male nudity in this production and sexual situations)

The characters, as we all might, have a difficult time being able to communicate with each other with no speaking allowed. During each daily brief the teacher (Meighan Gerachis, who we never see until the curtain call) speaks to them, but they are not allowed to use their voices at all. They are there to address life’s biggest questions What is happiness? What is each seeking?  How can one build a new life when everything around is falling apart? These are burning questions that in this play need to be handled with no words.

The cast of players and their characters are special. Lawrence Grimm plays Jan. He appears to be strong and caring. Ned is played by Levi Holloway. He is, as we find out when he gets an opportunity to address us ( I think we are hearing his inner thoughts expressing his sad life) in a four minute monologue, that may not have really taken place. Alicia ( Heather Chrisler) is a selfish, non caring individual, who despite being told no extra snacks and no cell phones, is always on her phone ( texting) and snacking. This was a little strange in that how could she possibly have gotten a signal if they were so far from the outside world? Even if she could, how did she keep it charged? (The flaw in this play either as written or directed by  Murray). There are two more women in the group. Judy ( Cynthia Hines) a caring person and her “lover” Joan ( deftly handled by Jennifer Engstrom). The sixth player in this story is  Rodney ( a powerful character developed and played by Travis A. Knight), who appears to be happy with who he is and able to cope with any and all situations that take place. But he also has secrets.

What seems to be something that will enable each of these people to explore their inner selves and come out of the week, stronger than when they entered, does not happen as planned. I do not want to give away any of the mystery and subplots, but will tell you that the expression “all is not always as it appears”, will come into play for you in watching this story unfold and getting deeper into the lives and emotions of these characters. People tend to need to connect, so taking away their voices makes for a problem. The stories that unfold are both strange and compassionate. The situations they find themselves in are awkward to say the least and while some of them have a life situation they need to recover from, the question is , “can a five day period of isolation be the cure?”. Watch carefully and listen to the silence with your heart and soul. Reach into your inner feelings asking yourself, “what would I do?”

“Small Mouth Sounds” will continue at A Red Orchid Theatre thru December 9th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Tickets range from $30-$40 OPEN SEATING

to order your chance to visit this retreat call 1-312-943-8722 or visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org

Parking in the area is not always easy, but there are lots on Wells street and some of the area restaurants offer valet parking. Public transportation offers many alternatives that are easy and affordable.

To see what others are saying, visit http://www,theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Small Mouth Sounds”