Romantic dramedy is crippled by weak script
LiveWire Chicago Theater presents |
The 13th of Paris |
Written by Mat Smart Directed by Steve Wilson at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln (map) through April 17 | tickets: $20 | more info |
Reviewed by Oliver Sava
The script is the foundation of a play. No matter how talented an ensemble may be, if the foundation is weak, the production crumbles. Mat Smart’s script for The 13th of Paris lacks many of the fundamental characteristics for strong theater – an emotionally rich story, believable characters, logic – and Livewire’s production buckles without the support. The plot focus on Chicagoan Vincent’s (Joel Ewing) struggles with his long-term girlfriend Annie (Laura Bess Ewing), who he has abandoned to go to Paris and find himself in the apartment owned by his dead grandparents. As the present-day events unfold, the story of Vincent’s grandfather Jacques’ (Robert McLean) courtship of Vincent’s grandmother Chloe (Madeline Long) in a French café is simultaneously unfolding. Smart’s script attempts to make some grand comparisons between contemporary courtship and classic romance (the type that takes place in a cozy café where old men charm young girls with flowery platitudes), but ultimately gets buried in clichés and an inconsequential plot.
The play begins with a pants-less Vincent discussing the merits of love with the spirit of his grandfather, and the jokes about his state of pants-less-ness carry on considerably past the point of tolerability. The script contains a couple of these gags that might work in a show that is more focused on heightened comedy, but Smart is unsure of what tone he wants for his story. Chunks of comedy are followed by chunks of drama, rather than having both elements seamlessly combine throughout, and the result is disjointed. The play’s humor vacillates between slapstick to caricature, and once Annie’s drunk friend Jessica (Krista Krauss) and British husband William (Max Lesser) enter, reality goes out the window like the love letters Jacques throws off his balcony. The hyper-sexual pair serves as another contrast to the Jacques/Chloe story, but both characters are written as such stereotypes that it’s difficult to connect to either on a personal level.
A major problem is that Vincent and Annie’s relationship lacks any real emotional depth, largely due to the one-sided nature of the script. There’s plenty of people talking about Annie, but by the time she shows up to tell her end of the story, the play has been meandering for well over an hour. Vincent’s concerns that their relationship is becoming boring and his girlfriend too accommodating don’t seem to necessitate the international trek, and when Annie bankrupts herself to take the same trip (in an incredibly fast plane), they come to an understanding that could have just as easily happened in their living room in Chicago. Similarly, William’s marital conflict with Jessica, namely that she wants sex too often, is a fairly shallow one, especially considering the ease with which William succumbs to his wife carnal demands.
Despite the weaknesses of the script, the cast is trying their hardest to bring a sense of reality to the play, but they can only go so far. Technically, the French dialects from McLean and Long could be more polished, but for the most part the actors provide admirable performances of badly written characters. The play’s strongest moment happens toward the end, as the final moments of Jacques and Chloe’s romance unravel, but it’s not enough to make up for the 90 minutes that preceded it. The play ends with a song from French rockers Phoenix (“Rome” for a play about Paris), and it feels like a cheap attempt to use inspirational music to bring emotion to a lacking script.
Rating: ★★ |
The 13th of Paris continues at the Greenhouse Theater Center through April 17th, with performances Thursday-Saturday 8pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online or by calling the box-office at 773-404-7336. More info available at www.livewirechicago.com.
Filed under: 2011 Reviews, Greenhouse Theater Center, LiveWire Chicago, Oliver Sava | Tagged: Amanda Memoli, Anders Jacobson, Brittany Bugge, Elise Kauzlaric, Eric Branson, Greenhouse Theater Center, Joel Ewing, John Holt, Judy Radovsky, Krista Krauss, Laura Bess Ewing, Lee Strausberg, LiveWire Chicago, Madeline Long, Mary Ellen Rieck, Mat Smart, Max Lesser, Oliver Sava, Robert McLean, Sarah Putnam, Stephen Ptacek, Steve Wilson, The 13th of Paris | Leave a comment »