Dec. 09--A young woman named Lucy is at the center of this new play from ICU Ensemble, which strives to give theatrical form to Lucy's inner life without much success.
When she is with her circle of pals, they have an easy "Friends"-like rapport with one another as the play toggles between Lucy's apartment, a bar they regularly frequent and a poker table.
What might their banter be masking? The characters in playwright Leah Isabel Tirado's script are too underdeveloped to really warrant the question, but in Lucy's case it is a kaleidoscope of disorders that range from anxiety to self-harm to suicidal depression -- nearly all of it expressed in modern dance by two performers clad in black. Their presence feels redundant, stopping the show in its tracks to make obvious what actress Giselle Vaughn (as Lucy) is already portraying with far more subtly and effectiveness.
There are plenty of ways to mix media in theater, but I'm not convinced layering impressionistic dance onto a script based in realism is the way to do it. There's something clunky about the execution in director Bobby Arnold's production and despite Vaughn's natural charisma, there's just not enough here to grab onto, only sketch outlines. Who is this woman? What is the world she inhabits?
Beneath her bravado lies deep emotional trauma. Or perhaps a mental illness that was there all along. The play (which is semi-autobiographical) is consumed with capturing Lucy's mental state, but is unable to expand the narrative beyond that.
Review: 'Exit' by ICU Ensemble
2 STARS
Through Dec. 20 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; tickets are $18 at 773-404-7336 or icuensemblechicago.org.
nmetz@tribpub.com
