*** Jackalope Theatre Company has moved to a new home. If you are unfamiliar with the Berger  Park area on North Sheridan Road at Granville, it is a unique experience. They have an old mansion that has been converted to a sort of museum/cultural center, a park, a summer dining venue and a very intimate “black-box theater ( seats about 26 people) that is now the home for this company’s launch of season 16 ( yes, they have been around for 15 years PLUS).

The show they are doing is a one man story featuring Andrew Burden Swanson  as Tim Finnegan, an Irish immigrant who has many a tale to tell from the bar where he works on the island called Amity on the coast of Massachusetts. During this 75 minutes of storytelling, we learn about his youth, his family, his immigration, his work, his lack of work and his way of finding the money needed to do the things that Tina ( his wife, who we never see) wants.

The story is about survival, and going into worlds where one should never go. The story is written by Ronan Noone and directed by Gus Menary. The set is a bar with a beer tapper that really works. Over the back bar there is a mirror so you can see the audience members as they listen intently to the saga that has brought Finnegan to this place. I must tell you that Swanson looks pretty Irish and his brogue is very intense. Back in 1968 I travelled to Ireland and during my two plus weeks visited many a pub. He reminded me that I truly loved the people that I met at the pub, but also got me to thinking about what I did not know about these men and what they might have been up to on the nights they were not pubbing.

This show has been called “A thriller in rhyme”. I did not find this to be the case. I did find it to be poetic in a non-rhyming way and that the character with whom we get to spend our time is  someone that is interesting. His stories, as outlandish as they may seem, seemed real and his sincerity true. There is one story, dealing with rats that may be a little tough for some, but it does have strong reasons for being part of this powerful story of survival.

This is not a show for everyone, but those that do take the time to visit will be entertained. The biggest problem with the theater on the lake at Berger is the parking in the area. There is no lot and no parking on Sheridan Road. Granville does have metered parking, but not as plentiful as one would want. The residential parking is not zoned, but you are almost on a college campus ( Loyola) so many students who live in the area have cars that hardly move. I suggest using  public transportation. The Red line stops at Granville ( two blocks from theater), the Sheridan Road bus (151) right to the door and the Broadway (36) two blocks away’

 

Presented by Jackalope Theatre Company

“The Smuggler” will continue thru  – Mar 16, 2024 with performance as follows: