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Tallgrass Gothic
By Melanie Marnich
Directed by Jimmy McDermott
Produced by 5th Floor Productions
At City Lit Theater
1020 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago, IL
Call 312-731-0809, tickets $5 - $10 industry
Sunday thru Thursday at 7:30 pm
Running time is 90 minutes without intermission
Through June 3, 2008
Weird gothic unsatisfying
5th Floor Productions’ off night show, “Tallgrass Gothic” by Melanie Marnich, is a weird drama with an underwritten script that renders unsatisfying. Set in the rural Great Plains, this drama is a very loose adaptation of the Jacobean tragedy, the Changeling. Filled with sensuality and violence, “Tallgrass Gothic” doesn’t have much of a story. We see people going to church, going home, getting drunk and making out. It is the story of Laura (Eva Gil), an unhappy married woman whose hates her cruel, brutish husband, Tin (Sean Patrick Leonard). She loathes having sex with this animal. She takes a lover—Daniel (Travis Williams)—with whom sex is terrific. When Daniel asks her to run away with him, she hesitates. We never know why?
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This confusing drama has finds the characters walking slowly around the set and into the aisles like zombies. Laura and her best friend, Mary (Sarah Kinsey) have a special relationship that hints at a sexual one. Is Mary sexually attracted to Laura? The town psycho, Scotto (Evan Howells) pines for Laura as he follows her all around town. Mary shows off her sword swallowing skills. Filene (Andrew Jessop), Scotto and Daniel together with Mary tell ghost stories as they drink beer.
Nothing much happens in “Tallgrass Gothic” for most of the show until the blood starts pouring on the stage from weird happenings such as Scotto’s amputation of Tin’s finger after Scotto murders him. Mary spouts blood as her sword come from her mouth. Why? This irritating and irrational play is much too slowly paced and drab to engage us. With so many unanswered questions such as why Laura stays married to such a cruel person and why she doesn’t leave with Daniel, the play becomes incredulous. Laura is lustful as she can’t stop having sex with Tin and Scotto both of whom she hates. Why does she do that?
These characters are devoid of motivation and reality. They play as zombie like creatures caught with over ripe libidos. The structure begs the question: what is this play about? If you like poorly structures plays with loads of blood and crude sex, maybe “Tallgrass Gothic” is for you. I found the play too vague and abstract and much too slowly paced. Only Sarah Kinbey’s performance was credible, the rest played wooden. I’d skip this one.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2008
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