Gift Theatre Presents COSMOLOGIES Review – Pondering the Meaning of Life Slapstick-Style

Imagine a teenage Woody Allen with the scientific imagination of Neil deGrasse Tyson moving in and out of realities like the Singing Detective…

 That only begins to give you an inkling of the mishmash romp of Cosmologies, which with time travel might have been jointly penned by Molière and Freud. Though Freud’s notions of Oedipal Complexes and Molière’s well-honed sense of farce could have co-authored this jazzed-with-jollity exploration of mortality, it comes instead from the talented pen of Gift Theatre ensemble member David Rabe, author of Good for Otto, Visiting Edna, among other top-notch scripts staged in Chicago in recent years.

Don’t let the heavy title deter you – mistakenly thinking that squandering your night out on a philosophical deep dive isn’t what you want to do during these days-getting- shorter and politics-getting-more-despicable times. Yes, pondering the meaning of life as philosophers are wont to do is in the mix, but with so many layers of spoof and slapstick that it’s likely to totally charm even the most chronically depressed into a good long laugh.

Its lead character Eric (Kenny Mihlfried) is on a mission to tackle these big questions. We first meet him in a not-too-posh Chicago hotel room where his bestie Milt (Gregory Fenner) is coming out of a severe drunk to find out he’s been shanghaied by Eric while under the influence. Milt wants no part of it, and after a very short scene that astonished this writer and probably many others with Fenner’s acting chops, he leaves the hotel, leaving ever-earnest Eric to his ill-fated encounter with a hooker Teddy (Darci Nalepa) and her pimp Richard (James D. Farruggio). More, it leaves us with the opportunity to fall in love with the Eric character, who stands in for all of us trying to tackle topics way beyond our pay grade.

From that moment on, nearly everything that happens is a cackle-inducing foray into the absurd that it would be a crime to rob you of experiencing. No spoilers here!

Cast, Writer, Director-- All Gift Theatre Ensemble Members

By this writer’s lights, the cast could not be any better, ever shining a light like thoughtful ushers in a darkened hall on every line’s multi-layered meaning. Most of all, they know how to pull out all the stops and let the good times roll, especially with the help of Costume Designer Izumi Inaba and Scenic Designers Coutney O’Neill and Angela McIlvain. George Clooney’s brother resembling Farruggio as a film noir bully stereotype can just enter the room in heart decorated briefs and make you want to giggle. John Kelly Connolly as the Convict triggers that same reaction with first sighting and with his every line.   Round though he be, look forward to seeing him look more like a Pyramid’s flat Egyptian dog jogging through the cosmos. And how can Nalepa as Teddy possibly go wrong when she is outfitted in such glorious polka dot burlesques?

This is a cast—all – and Director (Michael Patrick Thornton) that seems to have deeply considered and understood the richness of Rabe’s script and its potential to delight. For this writer, a favorite script gem that it would be so cool to read again and again is a soliloquy towards the end that co-mingles guilt about telling a lie with guilt about the likes of crimes against humanity, giving them equal readings in the guilt-o-meter. What a perfect speech for a recovering guiltoholic!

One warning, and perhaps it is more for the cast as much as the audience. Do expect a sharp u-turn at the play’s very end that will divert you from jumping up and hooting your joyful thanks. This very pleased audience member certainly hopes the cast and crew knows that we loved the play and their performances—because we certainly did. It’s just that Rabe decided to leave us a tad somber.

 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Note: This is now added to the Picture this Post round up of BEST PLAYS IN CHICAGO, where it will remain until the end of the run. Click here to read — Top Picks for Theater in Chicago NOW – Chicago Plays PICTURE THIS POST Loves.

Playwright: ensemble member David Rabe*

Director: Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton*

Cast (in alphabetical order): John Kelly Connolly* (Convict), James D. Farruggio* (Richard), Gregory Fenner* (Milt, Priest), Martel Manning* (Cop 1), Kenny Mihlfried* (Eric), Darci Nalepa* (Teddy) and Hannah Toriumi* (Cop 2)

Production Team:  Angela McIlvain and Courtney O'Neill (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Charlie Cooper (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Grace Bolander (assistant director) and Sarah Luse (stage manager)

When:

Thru December 9

Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm

Where:

The Gift Theatre
4802 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago

Tickets:

$35+

For tickets call the Gift’s box office at (773) 283-7071 or visiting the Gift Theatre website.

 

Photos: Claire Demos

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago

Amy Munice

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY AMY MUNICE.

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