By Rikki Lee Travolta
Love is a timeless topic for storytellers. Playwright John Kolvenbach shows no fear in addressing the topic from a variety of angles in “Love Song” now being presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre at Theater Wit.
In the 80-minute tale, told with no intermission, Remy Bumppo artistic director Marti Lyons takes Kolvenbach’s words and uses four talented performers to express the idea and importance of romantic love, family love, marital love, and the challenges of maintaining a loving relationship of any kind. It is a moving, yet pleasantly funny story that is sure to satisfy anyone with a taste for top-quality rom-com entertainment.
Joan and her husband Harry have a comfortable life together. It isn’t stated how long they have been married, but it is a fresh enough relationship that they still squabble playfully, and it is a seasoned enough relationship that their lives have a sense of predictability to them.
Joan’s brother Beane is different from what society might deem “normal.” He has a different way of looking at things; a different way of processing things. He is socially awkward and has difficulties with the implied nuances of language and communication. Yet, like many neurodivergent individuals, Beane wants to be happy.
Beane, wants to have his differences respected and accepted. He also wants not to be so different. He wants the best of both worlds, as most in his position would.
While Joan and Harry live in a beautiful high-rise condo, Beane lives in a bare apartment devoid of windows and decorations. It’s not that he’s opposed to decoration. It’s just that, in his mindset, it never occurs to him to do anything about it.
This fits in with his minimalist way of life. As far as dishes and utensils go, he has one spoon and one cup which he uses for all meals. There are no plates, knives, or forks. His wardrobe consists of two identical outfits that he rotates. Patterns and routines can be comforting to those struggling with neurodivergent thinking.
Beane has always been different, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t long to be loved and to love someone back. He gets that chance when he meets Molly – a small-time criminal who, unlike anyone before her, sees value in Beane as a potential partner.
Anyone who has ever longed for love and then found it will attest that it changes your outlook on life. Suddenly there is happiness where once there was loneliness. Suddenly one feels wanted where they once felt shunned. It is a special feeling to be loved.
Great plays require conflict. In “Love Song”, the main driving conflict is Joan and Harry’s concern for Beane’s relationship with Molly. With Beane being so different from the norm, they worry that he may be in a situation beyond his ability to understand.
Terry Bell is remarkable as Beane. He plays Beane’s differences as being on the Autism scale. He is functional and lucid, but clearly different.
I am upfront with the public that I live with mental illness. It is something I am neither proud of nor ashamed of, it is simply part of me.
There are many people with mental illness diagnoses who experience hallucinations. Such patients can experience a very different reality than the rest of the world.
Sometimes, the hardest thing is realizing that you are hallucinating because, quite frankly, everything you see and hear seems real. Piggybacking on that idea, sometimes the hardest thing about mental illness is not falling in love with a reality that is actually a fantasy.
When Beane finds love with Molly, it changes him. For the first time, we see happiness on his face and hear it in his voice. Suddenly he has a quality of life and not just a perpetual existence.
This is not lost on his loving sister Joan. She wants nothing more than happiness for her brother. However, when Harry poses the idea that Beane might be hallucinating his new girlfriend, it creates a new dynamic in the play.
Beane’s sister is well played by Sarah Coakley Price. She is the prime voice to showcase how the different types of love affect a family. She also demonstrates what it’s like to be a protective sibling of someone who lives with mental challenges. While she and her husband bicker like any couple, the only time it really disturbs her is when Harry is disrespectful of or to Beane.
Harry is a nice guy, but he is also human. He accepts Beane because he is the brother of his wife, but he clearly doesn’t understand him. And, while his attempts to understand Beane may come from a place of honest interest, he sometimes puts his foot in his mouth.
Ryan Hallahan is 100% believable at Harry. He connects to Joan as his wife and he struggles to connect to Beane as someone he wants to understand but doesn’t. Nice guys are some of the most difficult roles to play believably; Hallahan handles the task beautifully.
Molly, Beane’s petty criminal girlfriend, is played by Isa Arciniegas. She gives her character a rough and tumble side of anger. The jaded spirit never subsides, but despite her disdain for the world, she believably cares for Beane.
As a rom-com, “Love Story” works on many levels. Director Lyons paces the show nicely and has assembled a fine cast. Under Lyons’ guidance, the actors do an excellent job of interpreting the words of Kolvenbach. – both the dramatic moments and the funny ones. It is a well-balanced piece of entertainment.
Scenic design by Joe Schermoly is interesting. Joan and Harry’s condo is splendid – somewhere comfortable and elegant. Beane’s apartment is meant to be a contrast, and it is. It is desolate screaming a silent identity of solitude.
Lighting designer Liz Gomez does an impressive job in the Theater Wit space. Gomez has a delicate touch, adding many nuances. Sound design by Christopher Kriz and properties design by Amanda Herrmann complement the action well. In addition, Courtney Abbott does an excellent job as violence and intimacy designer.
Adding to the theatre experience of the great Remy Bumppo rom-com are costumes by Kotryna Hilko. Also on the creative team are Maddy Brown (assistant director), Melody Contreras (dramaturg), Abby Letscher (assistant lighting designer), Addoris Davis (production manager), Tea Roberts (scenic change artist), Nick Chamernik (head electrician), Matthew Meyer (wardrobe supervisor), Margaret Gleason (run crew), and Christina Casano (creative producer).
“Love Song” is a funny and enjoyable rom-com that manages to weave in some fitting messages about accepting others and accepting one’s self – earning a heartfelt Life and Times endorsement.
The play succeeds on many levels. It is entertaining, but it also will inspire you to use your mind. As the play goes on, audience members may question the different types of love they themselves experience. By the end of the performance, audiences will have gained some added insights into the emotion. Nobody will be left with a hollow heart.
“Love Song” plays Thursdays through Sundays at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont Ave.). For tickets visit www.RemyBumppo.org or call the Theater Wit Box Office at (773) 975-8150. Group discounts are available for parties of over 10.
Photo credit: Nomee Photography
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