Goodman Theatre presents TWILIGHT BOWL Review: Beauty in the Everyday

TWILIGHT BOWL
Anne Thompson (Sharlene), Heather Chrisler (Jaycee), Hayley Burgess (Clarice) and Becca Savoy (Sam) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren

JAYCEE

"Because you never know. What life is gonna hold."

 CLARICE

"Except – you kinda do." (Rebecca Gilman, Twilight Bowl)

It is the end of the play, and Jaycee and Clarice share a somber moment looking back at how the last few years have played out for the two of them, brought to life with heartfelt honesty by the two actors. They stand in the bowling alley/bar that has seen so many moments between these two friends. While the space looks exactly the same, the two women will forever be different. In these concluding two lines, the playwright creates the perfect conclusion to her story. Over the course of the play, Rebecca Gilman asks those questions: Is life handed to us? Or is our journey based on the choices that we make? One can never really know, and that ambiguity carries us right up until the end.

If there are no Goldstar Discounts when you click above, make sure to check  the Goodman Theatre website to find out the full-price ticket availability.

Goodman Theatre presents World Premiere of Twilight Bowl

Written by Gilman and directed by Erica Weiss, the story follows five young women from a small town in Wisconsin. While Sam (Becca Savoy) seems to have her life laid out for her with a scholarship to Ohio State University, her cousin, Jaycee (Heather Chrisler) has fallen into a different life, and about to do time in jail as a result. Clarice (Hayley Burgess) is just trying to make ends meet, and while Sharlene (Anne E. Thompson) has found her comfort in her church, Brielle (Mary Taylor, with brilliant dead-pan humor) is still trying to figure out what path is right for her. All friends who have barely seen life outside of this small town, and about to figure out what adult life might have in store for them.

Rebecca Gilman’s script is thought-provoking, inviting the audience to consider the deep questions she lays before us. How do we account for the different paths our lives may take? Is it luck that allows some of these women better choices than others? How much agency do we have, or are we expected to just take what life hands us? Full of wit and care, Gilman’s slice of life kind of play offers a window into the lives of these women, but subtly urges us to consider all sides as we witness the paths that they take.

Goodman Theatre TWILIGHT BOWL
Hayley Burgess (Clarice), Mary Taylor (Brielle) and Anne Thompson (Sharlene) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren
Goodman Theatre TWILIGHT BOWL
Becca Savoy (Sam) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren

Skillfully Crafted

 From the moment the lights come up, we are inside the local, family-owned bowling alley and bar. Set Designer Regina Garcia creates a stunningly detailed room in this writer’s opinion, complete with bar taps that release beer and soda. The bar itself takes up the stage, and a collaboration with Lighting Designer Cat Wilson allows for added depth with the far hallway that would feed off into the “bowling alley” itself, complete with flashing or glow lights, depending on the theme of the night. The room is so detailed that it feels as if the audience is observing the story through a window, which heightens the intimate feel of Gilman’s play.

Goodman Theatre TWILIGHT BOWL
Mary Taylor (Brielle) and Angela Morris (Maddy) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren

While time passes in the story, the entire play takes place inside this one room, which allows the audience to better understand how the years have taken their toll on the characters. The room itself never changes, much as the small town. The bowling alley offers a meeting point for major occasions in the girls’ lives. It is place for celebration, as we see in the beginning with Jaycee’s going-away party, and towards the end with an event in Sam’s honor. We see how Clarice continues to find a semblance of comfort in the space, and also how the other characters fight back when Maddy (Angela Morris), a friend of Sam’s from school who stems from a more privileged place of wealth, enters the space with a very different world view. Like many small towns, this one in Wisconsin seems to fear change, and Gilman and Weiss’ artistic team physicalize that trait in the bowling alley, that further emphasizes how these women change over the course of the story.

Masterful Directing and Storytelling

A play that lives so much in the naturalistic realm could risk becoming slow, but Weiss skillfully builds a rhythm and pacing that kept this writer hooked from start to finish, curious to see how the events would unfold. While much of the storytelling lives in a darker place, Gilman includes a light-hearted humor that allows for a much-needed release, and is brought to life by a strong ensemble.

A prime example occurs in the very first scene, when Sam, Clarice, and Sharlene gather to say goodbye to Jaycee before she goes to prison the following morning. The fear of the impending unknown casts a shadow over the scene, but that does not stop the girls from laughing about memories involving Jaycee over the years. None of them quite know how to handle the situation, but do know that in this current moment, it is important for them to say goodbye to their friend. Weiss works the pacing of these scene with the perfect amount of awkwardness thrown into a relationship that is clearly comfortable, and the four showcase a mastery over their comedic timing that feels completely natural and relatable.

Heartfelt storytelling and masterful performances make Twilight Bowl a story to remember, highlighting the important beauty of the everyday.

TWILIGHT BOWL
Anne Thompson (Sharlene), Heather Chrisler (Jaycee), Hayley Burgess (Clarice) and Becca Savoy (Sam) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren
Goodman Theatre TWILIGHT BOWL
Heather Chrisler (Jaycee) in the world premiere of Twilight Bowl Liz Lauren

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.

Watch this video showing the TOP PICK PLAYS of 2019

 

When

Running through March 10, 2019

Tuesdays at 7:30pm
Wednesdays at 7:30pm
Thursdays at 7:30pm
Fridays at 8:00pm
Saturdays at 2:00pm and 8:00pm
Sundays at 2:00pm

Running time: 90 minutes, without intermission

Where:

Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60601

 

If there are no Goldstar Discounts when you click above, make sure to check  the Goodman Theatre website to find out the full-price ticket availability.

Photos: Liz Lauren

Note: Excerpts of Picture this Post reviews appear in Theatre in Chicago.

About the Author:

Lauren Katz is a freelance director and dramaturge, and new to the Chicago Theatre Scene. She recently moved from Washington DC, where she worked with Mosaic Theater Company of DC in Company Management, as well as directed around town with various theaters.

Click here to read more Picture this Post stories by Lauren Katz.

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