Steppenwolf, one of Chicago’s most famous and venerated theaters, brings attention to lesser-known theatrical companies once a year with a festival called Garage Rep. Three groups get a chance to put on shows in a space that’s actually inside Steppenwolf’s garage building.
Garage Rep is always a mixed bag, but one common theme in the plays is that they’re raw or experimental. They’re the sort of productions where you can forgive a few rough edges because you feel the excitement of seeing new artists trying something different. This year’s edition, which opened Feb. 20, continues that tradition.
One of the three new shows, “Heat Wave,” dramatizes the summer of 1995, when intense heat contributed to 739 deaths in Chicago, sparking controversy over how city officials responded to the emergency. Directed by Steven Simoncic for a company called Cold Basement Dramatics, Simoncic’s play isn’t perfect—there are moments when the dialogue is a bit clumsy—but it’s a compelling and thought-provoking narrative of this real-life tragedy with some terrific acting performances, including Arch Harmon as a worker handling the flood of bodies arriving at the Cook County morgue.
Red Tape Theatre’s “The Walk Across America for Mother Earth” is less persuasive. It shows a motley bunch of activists who look like clowns or harlequins on a political protest march in the 1990s, celebrating their free-spirited sexual identities as they go. These counterculture creatures, portrayed by some talented actors, run into difficulties as they debate their mission and deal with the question of whether one of them has committed rape. But there isn’t much of a story; this is more like a circus crossed with a dance party. After a festive opening, Red Tape tries too hard to make these characters seem outrageous, and their cavorting in search of a plot just grows tedious.
The most engrossing show in this year’s Garage Rep is “Angry Fags”—yes, the title includes an offensive word, and it isn’t the only thing you may find unsettling about this production by Pride Films and Plays. Playwright Topher Payne’s dialogue is witty and conversational, and director Derek Van Barham’s cast delivers it with humor, charm and conviction. This political story about two young gay men (played by a charismatic duo, Kevin Webb and James Nedrud) who turn into terrorists to fight for the cause of gay rights is troubling, taking a few plot turns that aren’t entirely believable. It’s disturbing to see what these characters do just after we’ve been laughing along with them—but that discomfort is a key part of what makes this play so interesting. This production is quite impressive in many respects, but it’s too blithe about the true horrors of violence.
Garage Rep (including “Heat Wave,” “The Walk Across America for Mother Earth” and “Angry Fags”) continues through April 26 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. For tickets and details, call 312-335-1650 or visit Steppenwolf’s website.
