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The Birthday Party By Harold Pinter Directed by Aaron Snook Produced by Signal Ensemble Theatre At Chopin Studio Theatre 1543 W. Division Street Chicago, IL Call 773-347-1350 or www.signalensemble.com Tickets $15 on Thursdays & Sundays $20 on Fridays & Saturdays Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm Sundays at 3 pm Running time is 2 hours, 20 minutes with 2 intermissions Through August 30, 2008 GOLDBERG. We'll watch over you. --as spoken to Stanley in “The Birthday Party” Brilliant production of classic Pinter play awaits at Chopin Studio Theatre Signal Ensemble opens their new season with the multi-layered absurdist class, “The Birthday Party.” This riveting work features the finest performance I’ve witnessed by Joseph Stearns as Stanley Webber, the recluse former pianist. The production values, always high caliber in a Signal Ensemble show, are evidenced by Melania Lancy’s quaint cottage-like set with Else Hiltner’s costume design together with Julie E. Ballard’s lighting and Anthony Ingram’s sound design. Featuring excellent English and Irish accents, the cast does justice to Pinter’s complexly thematic absurdist play.
Pinter’s 1958 work follows Stanley Webber, a retired pianist, who is settled in at a modest small boarding house on the English coast. Meg (Mary O’Dowd in a delightful wacky turn), the child-like matron who treats Stanley like a son and sometimes lover. Pinter deftly uses ambiguity of facts—time, place and personal information to give depth to his work. We are never sure of much in his plays. Petey (Vinceent L. Lonergan), Meg’s husband is a simple man loyal to Meg and Stanley. When two black suited men arrive at the boarding house just in time for Stanley’s birthday party, events take a dark turn. The utter sense of dread looms over Stanley’s party.
Who are Goldberg (Will Schutz) and McCann (Phillip Winston)? Are they assassins or government operatives? Why are they targeting Stanley? Why does Stanley go from a mean-spirited, troubled soul tormented by guilt to a near comatose man after Goldberg and McCann interrogate him after his birthday party? Pinter blends comedy with writhing tension to establish a cautionary tale of immense political importance. Called a “comedy of menace’ by Susan Hollis Merritt, “The Birthday Party” uses fluid language and shifting meanings and identities designed to leave audiences debating his intent. We finally realize that Pinter sure wants us to see how the individual’s desire to resist physical and emotional control are manifest Stanley’s actions.
What makes this excellent production work is the smart direction from Aaron Snook and the powerful work from his fine cast. Joseph Stearns gave a mesmerizing nuanced performance as the guilt ridden and troubled retired pianist. Stearns moves deftly from nasty to zombie-like as his tormentors work on his psyche. Will Schutz and Philip Winston were marvelously articulate as the authority figures sent to condition Stanley. Pinter’s play is still relevant today as many individuals face arbitrary treatment by authority figures. The play’s ambiguity and stinging language allows for us to interpret the piece individuality. Kudos to Signal Ensemble Theatre for mounting this important and perplexing work. Highly Recommended Tom Williams Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast Date Reviewed: August 3, 2008 |
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