Love Song
Chicago is now known for its incredible diversity of theaters that provide a plethora of entertainment, and as a theater critic, you can miss out on some outstanding performances. I was delighted to witness the amazing performances at Remy Bumppo Theatre via The Wit Theatre. Remy Bumppo Theatre's John Kolvenbach's Love Song offbeat comedy production is pulsating with comical wit and enthralling, quick-witted dialogue that brilliantly mixes the sensitive issues of schizophrenia with the mental persuasion and healing gifts of the power of love. Love Song centers around Beane, who is struggling with hallucinations and delusions about life. His career-driven sister, delusional high expectations of others, firing interns for the slightest mistakes, and her cynical husband sparring dialogue about Beane and his spiraling conditions changed with Beane conjuring up Molly, his girlfriend who alters Beane's perspective on life. Molly opens Beane's senses of life, bringing freedom from the exile of his dismal life. He could smell, taste, and see things differently; even love songs make sense. His sister Joan is concerned that Molly, a girl she hadn't met, may be drugging him, but after Beane visits Joan and her Husband Harry, his new outlook on life even causing them to reevaluate the missing joys of their relationship.
I truly enjoyed the banter between Price and Hallahan, which had a Seinfield rhythm of talking about nothing. The flow of their dialogue and chemistry on stage was captivating and exceptionally witty. The playing hooky from the job scene was slightly flat; overall, they are hilarious and believable. Isa Arciniegas, who played Beane's imaginary robber, turned love interest performance was impressive. She was Beane's conjured alter-ego who protected and loved him. She first enters his life as a thief, symbolically depicting life robbing him of normalcy. Molly soon becomes a caring and protective figure and love interest, freeing him from his mental prison and his dark past of loneliness and despair. Molly illustrates the power of our cognitive capacity to overshadow our past perception by drastically seeking a more profound level inside.
Terry Bell's performance of Beane was incredible. He captured the mannerisms and oddities of Beane, channeling symptoms of someone battling the schizophrenic disorder. His ability to go from disorder to delight was exceptional. You will be empathetically mesmerized when you see the tears running down his eyes when he decides to leave Molly behind.
John Kolvenbach's offbeat comedy hits the mark with comedic satire and a profoundly compassionate narrative, where the need for love is paramount and where internal and external love within us plays a prominent role. The staging was so realistic that I wanted to move into Joan and Harry's apartment after from the show. Ultimately, Beane knows that everything he has recently experienced isn't real. Still, it helps him deal with the void of his existence and allows him to step out on faith without the protection of Molly, his sister Joan, and Harry — and lets us understand that in a world of disorder, sometimes fantasy can help us deal with the painful facts within our society.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remy Bumppo Theatre at Theater WIT
Love Song
By John Kolvenbach
Directed by Marti Lyons
March 21 - April 21, 2024
Click above for tickets and below for additional reviews. Thanks for stopping by.
