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Visiting Mr. Green
By Jeff Baron
Directed Lauren Rawitz
At Attic Playhouse
410 Sheridan Road
Highwood, IL
Call 847-433-2660, tickets $18 advanced purchase, $20 at the door
Fridays & Saturdays at 8PM
Sundays at 3PM
Running time 1hr 45 min with Intermission
Through December 9, 2007
A tender tale of friendship, forgiveness and compassion
Little wonderful plays that renew our faith in humanity are as rare as Bulls victories! One can be found at in Highwood at Attic Playhouse’s staging of the sweet Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff Baron. This unpretentious uplifting two-hander has been a worldwide smash hit since its introduction in June, 1996 playing in 21 countries in 14 languages in over 300 productions. Strong writing and plausible storyline will attract an audience. Excellent performances helps too.
Mr. Green (Marvin Berman) is an 86 year-old retired, recently widowed, Jewish former dry cleaning operator who wondered into traffic on a New York street and almost got hit by the reckless driving of 29 year-old Ross Gardiner (Aaron Graham) an ambitious corporate executive. The judge sentences Ross to do community service by visiting Mr. Green to help him with “whatever he needs done” once a week for six months.
The play follows the changing relationship and bonding that the two encounter. We see that Mr. Green is a sloppy housekeeper, quite forgetful and stuck in the past. Early signs of dementia? He is stubborn and independent. Ross isn’t welcome, yet, over time, Mr. Green grows to tolerate, even like Ross’s visits. Ross comes off as a genuine sincere and compassionate young man. They exchange life stories with Mr. Green telling Ross about his wife who he claims “never had a fight or argument with in 59 years of marriage!”
When Mr. Green asks why, at 29 years-old, Ross isn’t married, Ross blurts out that he is gay. Mr. Green becomes disoriented and intolerant. When Ross finds out that Mr. Green has a daughter who Mr. Green has disowned because she married a goyim, the two square off in several moving and powerfully dramatic scenes where family, religious tradition and open-mindedness and are tested. Amazingly cliché-free writing delivered in exchanges beautifully acted add-up to a heartwarming show.
Marvin Berman is a seasoned actor who is at ease playing an old man bewildered by the loss of his wife and haunted with thoughts of his daughter. Both characters come to face their demons. Berman is a treasure to watch, he gives Mr. Green a quiet dignity. Aaron Graham, as Ross, exudes sincerity as the neat-freak yuppie. Graham smoothly commands the stage and plays off Berman nicely to give the show a wholesome reality.
Despite the overly long blackouts in places, Mr. Green flows nicely into its resolution as we see the two demonstrate their natural goodness with compassion and forgiveness. Sprinkled with doses of humor and pathos, Visiting Mr. Green is a slice of life show that will make your heart glow with a warm fuzzy feeling. What’s not to like about that?
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2007
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