“Swing State”

[rating=4] If we define the term “Swing State” we are looking at a state where the 2 major political powers are similar in levels of support among voters. These are the states that are easier to win away from one’s opponent in a Presidential election. In watching Rebecca Gilman’s “Swing State” we are in a small Wisconsin town where one can see, as it is a state that could be turned easily, that politics gets mixed up with personal lives. To the rest of the country, these small town “farmers” have no bearing on the Presidential race, but in reality, it is exactly these states that do make the difference.

Our world has changed a great deal with the advent of the computer world and all of the things that have spun off from it. Little by little, we see the need for actual people disappearing. Try to call an 800 number for service. Do you get a live person? For the most part, you will hear “to do install, press 1, to set up a delivery press 2 and so on. Customer service which has always been a key to a small company surviving, is for all intents and purposes, gone ( or in India).

In this play, Ryan ( Bubba Weiler, who many of us have seen grow up on Chicago stages) is an ex-con. If anyone knows someone who has spent any time in prison, should there be a problem in the area, he or she would be the first one they look to. Such is the case with Ryan .Peg ( the always terrific Mary Beth Fisher, who has done a number of Gilman’s plays) is a retired school counselor, who doesn’t like the world changing. Why are the problems of the world not being fixed? Peg cares about life and nature and wants her world back as it was in the old days. It seems that the powers to be are only concerned about staying in power, not the people.

The other characters in the play are Sherriff Kris (deftly handled by Kirsten Fitzgerald) and her niece, Dani ( Anne E. Thompson). Dani likes being important but is not like her aunt- she doesn’t want to arrest or even question to deeply. Many changes are part of her character in this play and not wanting to give anything away, many lives will change as the story evolves.

Sharply directed by Robert Falls, who loves doing Ms. Gilman’s works on a set designed by Todd Rosenthal, you will feel that you are truly in a rural home in rural Wisconsin. The lighting( Eric Southern ) and sound ( Richard Woodbury who also composed the music) are terrific and the costumes (Evelyn Danner) are quite authentic as half of them are uniforms. You will feel “country” for sure. Nick Sandys handles the fight choreography as well as the intimacy consult and as usual is right on. There is no mention of the props person and I always feel that this unnoticed position needs to get more respect. The props are the things that the actors need and use to convey messages, build characters and help frame the story. They NEED to be listed.

“Swing State” is not as much about politics as the definition leads to, but is more about the state itself and the state of the populace residing in one of these states. The play is roughly 1 hour 45 minutes (105 minutes) with no intermission. There are several scenes showing some time span so one needs to note that this is over a period of time.  FYI there will be guns fired. So, if this bothers you, be prepared.The characters we see are real people ( at least we see them as such). They could be the people in the car next to you when you go to Milwaukee and stop for a red light. They could be the people that you see when you go on a hayride during a holiday trip to Lake Geneva. This play is about people! People being mistreated in an ever changing world. Can this change for the better?

“Swing State” now in the Owen Theatre of The Goodman Theatre located at 170 N. Dearborn in Chicago will continue thru November 13th with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  2 p.m. and  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  2 p.m.  and  8 p.m.

Sundays    2 p.m.

Tickets range from $15-$45 and are available at the box office, by calling 312-443-3800 or www,GoodmanTheatre.org/SwingState

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Swing State”.                                                                                                    photos by Liz Lauren