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Desire Under the Elms
By Eugene O’Neill
Directed by Chris Riter
Produced by Greyzelda Theatre Group
At Oracle Theatre
3809 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-267-6293, tickets $20
Wednesdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM
Running time is 2 hrs, 15 min with 2 intermissions
Through June 3, 2006
O’Neill work suffers from dramatic overload
Classics like Eugene O’Neill plays are dangerous grounds for storefront theatres. Desire Under Elms, O’Neill’s dream inspired 1924 play is seldom produced and plays out as much too dramatic, stilted and over written. This isn’t one of O’Neill’s landmark plays.
Grayzelda’s production has several problems. First the decision to make the rural farm accents sound like West Virginian hillbilly instead of the New England accent O’Neill used in the script didn’t work for me. The uneven accents diminished the power of O’Neill’s words. Next, the decision to have Aris Tompoulis play the father as an overwhelming, intimidating wound-too-tight emotionally explosive character gave an almost farcical tone to the work. Tompoulis so over plays Ephraim that he telegraphs his wickedness unrealistically. One wonders what Abbie (Melissa Kuhlmann) saw in him besides his farm to get her to marry him?
The slow pace and labored performances made this relic tedious. I have problems with O’Neill’s script that stretches our suspension of disbelief. I liked Tom Gordon’s take on Eben, the son who struggles with lust and conviction as he attempts to capture the farm away from his hated father. The location, both as to geographic area and era (1850’s ?) was unclear giving a strangeness to the accents. The melodramatic style worked against the production. I guess the real Eugene O’Neill fans will find this work engaging, I didn’t. It seemed over acted and stiff.
Desire Under the Elms needs to be put back into the archives with other outdated works.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago Podcast
Date Reviewed May 10, 2006
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