CHICAGO—Chicago is known for its small, risk-taking theater companies. They’re what put Steppenwolf on the map and led to feisty creations like Organic Theater’s original “Bleacher Bums.” It’s the kind of theater where the raw energy of kids getting together and giving all they’ve got produces in-your-face, or at least, earthy theater.
The Route 66 Theatre Company—the newest group on the block—shows they are far above average in many ways with their first production, “On an Average Day.”
This troupe seeks to build relationships between artists in Chicago and Los Angeles, and their company name comes from the trip along old Route 66 they took to bring the sets and props from the L.A. production.
John Kolvenbach’s “On an Average Day” is a black comedy and a psychological study of the two brothers, Bob (Johnny Clark) and Jack (Stef Tovar). The action takes place in the kitchen of their boyhood home.
Bob is out on bail for an alleged attempted murder of a man who was offering him a job. He has put up his childhood home for his bail and has been allowed to live there while his case goes to trial. The house is a mess. Kudos go to Danny Cistone for a set that’s about as realistic as one could imagine. It is probably the best set to appear in the upstairs theater of the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater in a long, long time.
Jack, his estranged brother, comes to the house carrying only a paper bag.
The next two hours are filled with the tension and revelations. We discover how the two became what they are. Jack raised Bob after their father left them. When Bob was 15 year old, Jack took off, leaving Bob to fend for himself. Guilt-ridden Jack has now left his family and returned home.
This dialogue-dense work is both funny and thought-provoking, and each character recalls from his past only what he wants to remember instead of what his life was really like—the mystery, comedy, and depth are all there. But still, the script takes too long to build up their past, and the fragments of information never congeal enough to bring us to understand this point in their lives and the actions they have taken (or not taken). The script leaves very important questions unanswered—like why the brothers were really together on this day.
Thus, the performances outweigh the script. Both actors give very solid and powerful performances under the direction of Ron Klier. They entertain and display appropriate character growth.
The sound and lighting were both well done and the fight choreography by Ned Mochell was stupendous. The fight scene is unparalleled as cans and garbage flies everywhere, pots and pans the same, shelves fall, tables and chairs fly—wow!
This is a very huge production for a new troupe, and is one that lets Chicago theatergoers know—these folks have made the trip from L.A. and are here to stay!
On an Average Day
The Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater
2257 N. Lincoln Avenue
Tickets: 773-871-3000
Information: www.route66theatre.org
Closes: Sept. 6
Alan Bresloff writes theater reviews for the Chicago area.
