|
Unchanging Love
By Romulus Linney
Based on Anton Chekhov’s short story, “In the Hollow”
Directed by Gillian Kelly
At The Artistic Home
1420 W. Irving Park
Chicago, IL
Call 773-404-1100, tickets $20 - $22
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 5 PM
Running time is 2 hours with intermission
Through August 20, 2006
Unchanging Love a splendid trip into 1920’s Appalachian life
The Artistic Home mounts another terrific ensemble piece with Romulus Linney’s Unchanging Love that is his American take on Chekhov’s “In the Hollow. ” Linney sprinkles the work with Appalachian speech and several Appalachian songs including Christian hymns, cute ditties and marvelous three-part harmonies. While not a musical, the traditional country music added local color and a mood of small town innocence and fundamental beliefs to the work. Victor Doylida, Justine Serino and Betsy Elizabeth Ann McKnight produced marvelous harmonies and McKnight added several terrific solos that created the mood of small town life in North Carolina in the 1920’s.
This is a harrowing story of innocence and compassion. We meet the Pitman family who control the general store and much of the commerce in their small town. The paternal leader of the Pitman clan is 75 year old Benjamin Pitman (Gary Houston in an emotional wrenching turn) want sons to assure the Pitman’s place in the town. His simple son Avery (Peter Fitzsimmons) married Leena (Tera Dunlap) who is a terrific businesswoman but can’t have children. Enter Shelby Pitman (George Dickson), the older son who live and works in the state capitol. He is prosperous and shares his wealth by passing out silver dollars to all family members. Shelby ends up marrying Judy Musgrove (Betsy Elizabeth Ann McKnight) the singing daughter of the poor sharecropper Musgrove family.
 |
We see how Benjamin Pitman uses unethical practices such as overcharging customers, selling outdated food and short weighing among the deceptive business practices that help him amass a small fortune. He imparts his corrupt methods to Shelby who proceeds to commit counterfeiting crimes that land him six years on the chain gang. Leena Pitman schemes with Crutch (Mark Dillon) and oats (Jason Ahlstrom) to have a brick factory on land she acquired for the Pitman family.
Barbara Pitman (Evelyn Kelly), Benjamin’s second wife befriends Judy and her new born son, Shelby’s wife. She hates the fraudulent Pitman business practices. She tries to get Benjamin to deed the newly acquired land to Tommy, Judy and Shelby’s son as the first step toward changing the unethical business practices of the Pitman family. In a shocking ending, we see how, in rural life, families cover up the events that could bring down the reigning family. This is a well acted, nicely paced drama laced with folksy songs sung cappella including solos and rich harmonies. This is a compelling family saga where greed, cruelty and compassion clash with compassion and innocence. Gary Houston and Betsy Elizabeth Ann McKnight were terrific. They get help from Evelyn Kelly, Peter Fitzsimmons and Victor Doylida. Once again, The Artistic Home proves that a small Equity theatre company can land polished productions in a small venue. See this show!
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2006
Jeff Recommended
|
![[Im]Propriety](../assets/images/autogen/_Im_Propriety_Np1.GIF "[Im]Propriety"){kind=small}
