The Woods

By David Mamet

Produced by EP Theater

At the Athenaeum Theatre

2936 N. Southport

Chicago, IL

Call 312-902-1500, tickets $10 - $15

Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM

Sundays at 3 PM

Running time 1 hr 45 min with intermission

Through November 13, 2005

The Woods moves so slowly it becomes boring.

David Mamet’s The Woods, a 1977 psychological drama, was panned by critics then and EP Theater, under Jason Ewers direction was not an improvement. This two-hander was so slowly paced, full of barely audible monotonous dialogue, that it quickly becomes tedious and fell into complete boredom. Many of the audience members were asleep midway through act one.

The Woods isn’t one of Mamet’s better plays and under the snail-paced direction by Jason Ewers, The Woods drags and drags on way beyond the point of patience. Add the bland dialogue and two pathetic unlikable characters and The Woods becomes a boring exercise.

Nick (Garrett Prejean in a mumbled stiff performance) brings Ruth (Jacquleyn Zook) to his cabin in the woods so he can have sex with her.  Nick has nothing to say to Ruth and she babbles on and on about non-sensual items trying to get Nick’s attention. Nick is a preoccupied, rude, self-centered cool person who ignores the attention starved Ruth.

These exchanges go on too long with so many long pauses that I was ready to shout: “Let’s go already!” Nick responds with mumbled short cold indifference. Ruth keeps trying to tell Nick how much she loves and needs him. I can’t imagine why? This play is a psychological conflict between a troubled man ( we never really find out why) and a desperate girl. But the pace so irritates us that we don’t care what happens to these people. The lack of communication is deafening here. This show takes so too long to develop that we lost any interest in the story and we don’t care what happens.

I can’t understand why EP Theater mounted this terrible piece.

Not Recommended

Tom Williams

Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments

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