The Ruckus Theater Makes Promising Chicago Debut With “Heist Play”

By Julienne Bilker in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 22, 2009 4:15PM

Recently transplanted from Kalamazoo, The Ruckus is a company dedicated to finding fresh ways to develop new work, and, according to their mission statement, bringing the ruckus. The world premiere production of Heist Play doesn’t quite bring the ruckus, but it’s on the right track. With a few cuts and some refining, the script has the potential to be as sharp as some of its killer one-liners.

Simultaneously an homage to and deconstruction of the film noir genre, Heist Play is the story of three down-and-out twenty-somethings going nowhere slowly, wallowing in the poetic tragedy of their own alcoholism. After abandoning a half-assed attempt at robbery, roommates Nick (Joshua Davis) and Tommy (Byron Melton) devise the “perfect heist,” which they realize would actually make a perfect film noir movie. The script-writing process doesn’t quite go as planned, Nick runs away with Tommy’s girlfriend Marianne (Melissa Pryor), Tommy and Marianne accidentally put a hit out on Nick, and all the while a police officer with something to prove (Katie Canavan) tracks Nick across the country, believing him to be involved in a series of jewelry heists.

Our biggest issue with playwright Mitch Vermeersch’s script was its nearly three hour length (including two intermissions). The first act should be tightened significantly - one could argue that the slow set up of the story helps emphasize the listlessness of its antiheroes, drawing the audience into their world of pathetic desperation, but it could much more efficient with little-to-no artistic sacrifice. We also weren’t sold on the third act, a glimpse at the main characters’ lives 10 years in the future, but again, we could be convinced of its necessity if some editing were applied.

Now on to the good stuff. Melton is perfectly slimy and Pryor is wonderfully tragic. Davis makes a great chump - and we don’t mean that as an insult. Canavan could’ve mined a lot more comedy from her role, but overall the supporting cast is strong. Aaron Dean, Elliott Fredland, David Hornreich and Christine Stulik each make the most of their multiple roles, and Neal Starbird’s comic timing is often scene-stealing. Director Allison Shoemaker has done a nice job combining the disparate styles of modern drama and film noir melodrama.

We’re excited for this company’s future - and if it happens to include a revised production of this show, we’ll be there.

Heist Play, Tickets $10, through August 26 (performances Sun-Wed), The Ruckus Theater at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis, 773-769-7257.