Groundhog “Weekend”

Whether 1968 or 2008, Vidal’s tale of politics proves it’s the same thing all over again

By Lindsey McElroy
DePaul Critic

It’s a Thursday evening in September, mere weeks before Election Day, and an intimate group gathers to examine the politics of race, sex and money. The stage, however, is not a town hall meeting or political rally but a theater. The key players are not politicians but actors in a revival of Gore Vidal’s “Weekend.”

“Weekend,” currently playing at Timeline Theater, tells the story of Republican Senator Andrews (Tom McElroy) whose plan to announce his bid for the presidency is turned upside down when his rebellious, euro-influenced son Beany (Joe Sherman) returns home with news of his engagement to Louise Hampton (Mica Cole), a bold, opinionated, charming African-American girl.

First written and performed in 1968, “Weekend” documents the political and social changes that defined the 1960’s. Forty years later it seems little has changed.

"As far as the issues in the show, we're talking about withdraw from the war, the nuclear threat, abortion, racism, women's issues – all of which are still relevant,” says company member Peggy Slusher. These political parallels are the source of a great deal of buzz among young theater-goers in particular.

Throughout the past month, Timeline hosted weekly post-show discussions to encourage dialogue between audience members and the cast and crew. Questions range history and culture to characters and current themes. It is through these discussions that company member Janet Ulrich Brooks heard first-hand the renewed political interest of young voters.

"To hear from some of them who are getting involved in politics for the first time, I think it's really eye-opening for them," Brooks says. "They're seeing with new eyes the civil rights movement and exploring the issue of race which we're going to be dealing with in this election. It really brings it home that these are not new issues," she says.

One interesting irony of the show is strength and complexity of the female leads. As characters, the lead women portray the struggle against inferiority but as actors they represent the progress of the past 40 years. It is this kind of progress that proves just how forward-thinking Vidal was, as he encouraged future directors to adapt the play’s events as they saw fit.

Timeline’s latest adaptation of “Weekend” is already far more successful than the show’s original Broadway debut, setting a high standard for what is yet to come from a company that has distinguished itself as a storyteller of both past and present and provided audiences a chance to learn, reminisce and be entertained.

DaVinci Reimagined

The House Theater christens their stay at The Chopin Theater with “Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe”

By Lindsey McElroy
DePaul Critic

For artistic director Nathan Allen, Friday’s preview performance of the House Theater’s “Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe” was as much about his new play as it was his “new digs.”

The House kicked off its seventh season by welcoming guests to its new temporary home, The Chopin Theater in Wicker Park. And though the venue may have changed, the menu of beer and chocolate proved the vibe has not.

Termed a “time travel love tragedy,” “DaVinci” tells the story of Dave DaVinci and his wife Nora, a couple struggling to deal with their sense of emptiness and failure after their daughter commits suicide. Dave finds escape, and the hope of undoing his failures, through the construction of a time machine.

“DaVinci” originally opened at The Viaduct in 2005 but for Allen the show is a reimagining. “We rewrote a lot of the play - introduced new characters, new staging, new effects,” he says. The new effects are a highlight of the show.

The concept of time travel is tricky enough on the big-screen, never mind the limitations the stage presents. Establishing who and when the characters are, what has happened, what has yet to happen must all be done through the most subtle of moves. Through the use of strobe lights, audio effects and a simple sheer curtain, “DaVinci” effortlessly separates the present from the future.

The best moments of the play come when Stephen Taylor and Dennis Watkins share the stage. The audience first meets Taylor as “present Dave”, a young, awkward, optimistic student who “feels safe in science.” Watkins’ future version of Dave represents all that Dave will become - a strong, confident, wise man who accepts failure as a part of life.

Stacy Stoltz’s portrayal of Nora starts out as one of the stronger emotional performances of the show. The death of Nora’s daughter, Perdi, has left her unable to find her place in a new, sad reality. While these emotions feel true at the start, Stoltz fails to show the full emotional journey of her character, jumping abruptly from devastation to acceptance in the final scenes.

The debut of “DaVinci” coincides with the debut of the House’s new logo and graphical look. Ryan Butts, director of planning and development, says the physical move to Chopin Theater allowed the House to move forward with a brand redesign. Butts has also re-focused marketing efforts to include a stronger online presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

From an artistic standpoint, however, Butts says the challenge of moving to a new space is staying true to the house culture. Geared toward the young, urban demographic, the House strives to create an atmosphere that is free of the rules and regulations of traditional theater. “The goal is to have an energetic, live experience for the audience to share,” says Butts.

Despite a few blocking mishaps and a lost prop in the closing scene, it is the energetic yet laid-back atmosphere which makes “DaVinci” worth seeing.