RECOMMENDED
A humane and droll play about memory and loss, examining four quintessential adolescent-boy archetypes in a small town in Scotland. The story meanders between their 1980s boyhood and adult years in fleetingly short scenes that are sometimes rich with the transient nature of memory and sometimes just a bit underbaked. The plot is formulaic enough, with familiar characters challenging one another about a mysterious tragedy in the past and their own hypocrisies, and when the final revelations come as the boys, now grown men, betray one another angrily, one feels a slipping of the real genius of this show, which is watching all four delicately controlled actors maneuver with remarkable skill in portraying the characters from childhood to adulthood, with an especially nuanced performance from Dan Behrendt as the incorruptible protagonist. Director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia understands that their town is another silent character, and the presence of Girvan, Scotland hangs heavily over the play, where the show’s aesthetic of stylized cliffs, tiny school chairs, and an eighties indie rock soundtrack anchors the story and keeps it from drifting too far into the world of stereotype. (Monica Westin)
Mary Arrchie Theatre‘s production plays at Angel Island, 731 W. Sheridan, 773-871-0442. Through December 21.
3 Responses to “Review: Our Bad Magnet/ Mary Arrchie Theatre”
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December 9th, 2008 at 1:44 am
Monica,
Seems like you enjoyed the show, but I feel like you missed giving a deserved shout out to John Wilson. Talk about nuanced performance! Dan B.’s one real failing in the show is that his character never leaves adolescence, which doesn’t hurt the character, but I felt his adult version could have had more variety of tone. But John Wilson! Who knew this guy could act?! I only know him as the scenic designer for The Caretaker, M.A.’s production last spring. An uncouth, uncool follower with no real identity that morphs into the falsely confident middle aged man in 21 century crisis (not to mention his wicked cameo as the butcher and magician in the Garden in the Sky. Dan’s King/and Object in the fantasy stories never seemed to leave the realm of Frasier).
December 9th, 2008 at 7:17 am
You definitely make a great point! I guess I felt that John had a lot more to work with, as far as both lines and his identity as the group’s condescended-to sidekick and later a cuckold, etc– so I was more impressed that Dan was able to be as stong a presence as he was. But yes– truly phenomenal acting from both.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
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