Theatre Review: Trouble in the UK

By Justin Sondak in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 29, 2006 1:00PM

We’ll admit it: we’re Anglophiles. We check in regularly on our British cousins and try to impress our friends with half-assed James Bond and John Cleese impersonations. And when we discovered a new crop of British imports opening on Chicago stages last week, we couldn't resist. Funny how a week of watching anxious characters speaking the Queen’s English reminded us why so many Brits glorify life on our side of the pond.

The Clearing, Gift Theatre

“Blood, sweat and tears really don’t matter / Just the things that you do in this garden.” -- The Levellers

By 1652, Oliver Cromwell’s British government had squashed an Irish revolt and passed the Act for the Settlement of Ireland, providing legal retribution by ‘relocating’ thousands of Irish west of the River Shannon to make way for Cromwell loyalists and their new estates, triggering centuries of mutual resentment and bloodshed. Helen Edmundson’s script recreates that tumultuous time in the eyes of Robert (Benjamin Montague), a British aristocrat reconciling his loyalties to the government and to his Irish family and friends. His marriage to Madeleine (Lindsay Schmidt) is severely tested. The edict is being enforced as their son is born. Family friends Soloman (Frederick Stone) and Susaneh (Alexandra Main) represent the multitudes forced from their homes in the name of progress, reconciliation or some other municipal ideal. Their gentle hope and naïve belief that the government wouldn’t really go to such lengths is heartbreaking.

Montague’s hollowed out glances and unforced frustration with his lot make Robert this show’s intriguing center of gravity. Kenny Mihlfried gleefully asserts Lord Sturman’s party line in a chilling, scene-chewing performance, cataloguing the Irish ‘war atrocities’ while forcing separation and retribution for those who won’t obey. His reserved yet gleeful indifference to history’s judgment is perfect for the role. His potent interrogation scenes at stage left were stirring enough to call attention to those minor, yet noticeable, timing problems in the Irish family drama at stage right. So much feels at stake in the courtroom, where everyone hits their marks without fail. Less dramatic tension inhabits Robert and Madeleine’s more broadly played domestic scenes, with the notable exception of the raw, animalistic conclusion.

The Clearing is at the Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave, Thursdays - Sundays through April 30. Tickets are $20-25.

Photo by Gift Theatre

Part 2 will feature our reviews of "Osama the Hero" and "Dealer's Choice."