If the title of this Anna Shapiro-directed play leaves any doubt in your mind, let me confirm, it’s not PG rated.
This tale of betrayal, revenge and addiction is a quick-moving exploration of modern love and friendship, and the language reflects all the messiness that involves.
The play stars John Oritz, as Jackie, a recovering alcoholic whose suspicions about his girlfriend Veronica’s possible infidelity set the play in motion. His scenes with Sandra Marquez—whose hotheaded verbal abuse barely covers her vulnerabilities—are one part of the triangle. The second leg is Jackie’s relationship with Jimmy Smits’ character, Ralph, his AA sponsor. Their relationship is less verbally explosive, but just as deep and cutting, as it explores how we define and what do we owe our friends. His final relationship is with his cousin Julio, who is played by Gary Perez with humor, but also a real understanding of the pain that family can bring.
Love, family and friendship—what could go wrong?
While every part of this play—writing, staging and acting works—it’s the acting that stands out in this staging. One expects brilliance from the well-known Jimmy Smits, and he is wonderful. But the lesser-known actors were the standout surprises. In one weekend, I saw John Oritz twice. First in “Silver Linings Playbook,” where he’s an embittered husband, (also in a relationship with a Veronica, oddly enough) and again at Steppenwolf. In both roles he’s interesting and funny—an actor to watch as his career develops. I also loved Gary Perez. A lesser actor could turn Julio into a caricature, played merely for laughs. But Perez does so much more with a relatively small role. It was his character I kept wondering about and thinking about after the play ended.
The triangularity of the relationships is brilliantly emphasized by the stage, which moves and flips among three apartments without obvious human intervention. Scenic designer Todd Rosenthal deserves kudos for the clever stage, and Anna Shapiro, of course for the brilliant vision.
Go see “The Motherf**ker with the Hat” with your spouse or friend—perhaps not with your 12-year old—and make sure you have time afterwards to have a drink, and talk about betrayal and love. I love a play that leaves you thinking about the big questions, and how its characters faced them. This play does that with panache, f-bombs and star power.
“The Motherf**ker with the Hat” runs through March 3 at Steppenwolf. Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-335-1650 or on their website. Watch a video preview of the play here.
