“The Luckiest”

[rating=5]Have you ever found a penny and thought that “today is your lucky day”? I know I have and have heard many people say that. In “The Luckiest” a Chicago premiere play at The Raven Theatre, written by Melissa Ross, a found penny makes you the” luckiest person in the world”. I must tell you that this production, sharply directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle surprised me to no end. I knew that the premise was about  best freinds living their best lives, but this is far above that. It is a story about two different people, in all ways, finding each other and filling a particular need that each one has. Confusing?

Let me explain. The story starts as Peter ( a remarkable performance by Christopher Wayland) is going over details of a party and his shopping with Lissette ( a powerful character study by Cassidy Slaughter-Mason). The party is for her;. It is her “death party”! Yes, Lissette is going to die and wants to share her last moments with her friends. From this point, we go into flashback mode to learn how Peter and Lissette met, became best friends in spite of their total differences. We also meet her mother, Cheryl ( deftly handled by Tara Mallen).

When Lissette hears her diagnosis, her world is turned upside down, but with the help of her mother and Peter, she somehow faces her future with a different outlook. While neither of them want her to give up hope, they understand that what she has will slowly destroy every muscle in her body making her unable to do or say anything. Her choice is to go to a state where she can pull the cord when it gets to that point. Not just for her, but for her best friend and her mother.

While the subject matter might be hard to listen to for many, it is handled with some great humor. There is one scene near the end of the play where Lissette does what one might call a soliloquy, talking directly to the audience about what will take place in the days to come. It is roughly 14 minutes and Ms Slaughter-Mason truly grabs the full attention of each and every audience member during this scene. All three characters in this story are very real and well defined. Ms Ross has written them as if they were a part of her life and she knows or knew them. This is 90 minutes ( no intermission) of pure magic on the stage.

The set, for the most part(Jeffrey D. Kmiec) is simple and allows for items to be carried on and off by the actors, keeping the pace of the story telling perfect. The lighting (Becca Jeffords & Jesse Klug), the sound & musical composition (Eric Backus) and props (Caitlin McCarthy) are sheer perfection and the movement consulting (by Sam Hubbard) was as realistic as one might expect.

While this is a story about a bleak future, it is also a wonderful story about friendship, love and family during a period of time where they were needed more than ever. While there is a lot of language in this production it all fit and made sense. If you cannot handle the F word, then this one will be tough for you. If you want to view a story that will hold your interest from start to finish and leave you with a good vibe, this one is for you.

“The Luckiest” will continue at The Raven Theatre, located at 6157 N. Cark Street ( at Granville) thru June 19th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  7:30 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Tickets are $40 ( student and active military/veterans, $15 and can be purchased by calling 773-338-2177 or online at www.raventheatre.com

On Sunday, June 5th there will be an open captioned performance.

There is free parking ( limited nxt door) but please do not park in the exit lane and block all the other guests. Street parking is also available and the bus stops at the door).

Covid rules apply and masks are to be worn during the entire performance.

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