Just Another Stoop

By Suzy Evans in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 26, 2009 6:30PM

Stoop Stories is a nice play. There’s nothing wrong with the Goodman's new show but at the same time, we didn’t find anything that wowed us. Writer and performer Dael Orlandersmith takes the audience on a trip around New York City through they eyes of everyone from a teen heroin addict to a Polish immigrant, all characterized by her. At one moment, our narrator walks from Spanish Harlem to the East Village. In New York lingo, that’s over 100 blocks and for us Chicagoans, really really far. However, it seems a bit odd that a play so dependent on the sites and sounds of the Big Apple would come to Chicago. Orlandersmith is a talented performer and weaves in and out of each character with ease, and while she’s a well-known artist, we’re not sure if her celebrity can drive this show. We enjoyed watching her tell us the stories of Harlem, and we especially liked the poems that punctuated the narrative. However, we just weren’t blown away.

Stoop Stories runs through October 11 at the Goodman's Owen Bruner Theatre. Tickets are $10-$40.