**** There is theater and there is “theatre”! When it comes to drama, one can count on Steppenwolf to take the pages of a fine cut script and bring them to life on one of their stages. For those familiar with “Topdog/Underdog”, the playwright, Suzan-Lori Parks has another tense “family” drama, now making its Chicago premiere on the Ensemble Theater stage at Steppenwolf. The name of this play is “The Book of Grace” and under the direction of Steve H. Broadnax III, you will find yourself breaking the theatrical wall as we gaze into a family that is dysfunctional yet is unaware of just how dysfunctional they are.
One of the three characters in this play is Grace (a superb performance by Zainab Jah), a woman who sees the best of everything around her. She is the wife of Vet ( deftly handled by Brian Marable) who is a border patrol ranger ( I believe, ranger is correct). He was previously married and is being visited by his estranged son, Buddy ( a powerful performance by Namir Smallwood). Vet would love to rebuild his relationship and have his son follow in his footsteps, or so it seems. Can the father and son rebuild a relationship, that may have never truly existed? Is Grace able to bring these two men to a point where all will be good and they can live as a family.
The story is filled with great tension as we see the father and son try to rebuild something that perhaps was never real. Grace truly wants to see the family unit become a family so that she and Vet will fully regain the happiness and love they felt when they first came together. Vet is a strong ( perhaps overly strong) personality who wants everything done his way. Buddy has his own “master plan” that we watch unveil as the play and story go on. There are many little subplots going on and I would never reveal the secrets that are contained within as the story must unfold before your eyes to make it work. I will tell you that there is a book that Grace is writing about her life with Vet and she does share these stories with Buddy. Buddy also has his own plan for his father and what we see is not exactly the family reunion that we anticipated early on.
I will tell you that there are some moments that you will feel are quite spiritual and others that are scary. While all three of these characters seek some common ground in order to meld them into a family unit, life doesn’t always allow the puzzle pieces to fit, and in the case of this story, you will see several surprises along the way that will keep you glued to your seat. The play is two hours and twenty minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
The Ensemble Theater is the in-the-round venue where we get to see all the action. There are also three huge screens over the action area allowing us to see some video’s of Buddy growing up as well as a segment pertaining o Grace’s hidden book, which Vet discovers late in the second act, increasing the tension of the moment. Arnel Sancianco’s set works well in that we have the house interior and the backyard patio in full view. Raquel Adorno’s costumes are well done and the lighting (Jason Lynch) and sound/original music (Curtis Craig) add a great deal to the production’s quality. Maya Vinice Prentiss handled the fight & Intimacy choreography and Rasean Davonte Johnson, the projections. There was no mention of the prop master, but there are a lot of great props in this production and a monumental task in assembling them as well as making sure they are in the proper place every performance.
Again, I would never give away some of the story, but will tell you that there are many light moments as well as those filled with tension. It is a tense story that will make you think about where each of our characters have been and desire to be. This one may not be for everyone, but those who can handle it will leave the theater wanting to examine what they just witnessed.. You might find yourself opening a discussion with others about exactly what happens in the final scenes because many people will see things just a little differently than others.
The “Book of Grace” will continue thru May 18th with performances as follows:
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Book of Grace”.
“The Book of Grace”
By: Paul Lisnek, “Behind the Curtain,” WGN+ / WGNradio.com
**** ½ / 4
THE Book of Grace could not be more timely. Set amidst the strenuous national focus on the Southern border (the paly is set near the fence along the Texas/Mexico border) and fear of the migrants who cross it. But the play, while set in a time and place of national crisis between the US and Mexico, is really about the family crisis between a father named Vet (strongly played by Brian Marable) and his estranged son Buddy/Snake (definitively played by Steppenwolf favorite Namir Smallwood. The hopeful peacemaker is Vet’s wife Grace (glowingly played by Zainab Jah) who keeps a secret journal, that Book of Grace reflected by the play’s title but the challenge proves to be greater than she, or perhaps anyone, can resolve. And that is the tenor of the show…an optimism in a seemingly impossible setting.
This play is exactly what a Steppenwolf production is known to be: powerful, actor-centered, intense and impactful. Act One might suggest that we are in for a light comedy, a family struggle to be resolved with a sense of calm and understanding…and then, Pow! Playwright Suzan Lori-Parks hits us with the inevitable in a story representative of Parks is known for, the unexpected punch that turns the tone 180 degrees and it works!
At intermission, I liked the play, but didn’t see the punch that was to come. And walking out after Act II, I got why this is exactly the kind of play at which Steppenwolf excels.
Playing thru May 18th with a running time of 2 hours, 35 minutes. Tickets available at www.Steppenwolf.org
Tuesdays 7:30pm
“The Book of Grace”
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