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Theater review
Ruby Wilder
Not Waiting Productions at Chemically Imbalanced Theater. By Brooke Allen. Dir. Allen. With Julie Cowden, Derek Czaplewski, Andy Baldeschwiler.
THEIR AIM IS TRUE Baldeschwiler, right, faces his firing squad.Much of Brooke Allen’s new drama could have been lifted from some forgettable made-for-television Tracey Gold vehicle: Spunky Ruby Wilder and her heroin-addicted sister, Junebug, are held captive in a tiny shack by a serial killer. Ruby survives; Junebug does not. Ruby spends the next four years drinking and feeling frightened—until she runs into her former captor in a bar one night, takes him to a motel room and either exacts her bloody revenge or learns a valuable lesson about forgiveness (take your pick).
Allen’s play distinguishes itself in its structure. The playwright lands on the ingenious device of telling all three strands of Ruby’s story—beginning, middle and end—at once. It’s more than a matter of flashback: Characters address one another across time, past events prove amenable to tweaking, the present is always in flux. A gently cruel narrator tries to control things but isn’t always heeded. With these touches Allen not only demonstrates the way the past is still with Ruby; she also explores the fluidity of storytelling itself.
Unfortunately, Allen’s staging lacks the precision and nuance her own script requires. Scene transitions are often clumsy, and the cast, though earnest, fails to build an atmosphere of menace. As Ruby, Cowden is certainly fiery, but the character’s vulnerability eludes her. Ultimately, it’s a case of a good story only passably told.
Time Out Chicago / Issue 178 : Jul 24–30, 2008
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Disclaimer: step-dads may be slightly biased, but in this case I'm not! I liked the play for many reasons, not the least of which is that the story is told interestingly. Instead of the same old linear topography, Brooke Allen twists and turns the story forward and backward with the dexterity of a pianist playing Rachmaninov. Additionally, a character who rebells agains her narrator makes sense considering our own cowardly fear of freedom these days. More Ruby's, please!
Brooke Allen (no relation) has an incredible gift for storytelling. Even though the air conditioning in the theatre was not working, everyone in the audience was riveted to their seat, wondering what would happen next. The back and forth was intriguing, and the narrator was a clever addition. I would recommend anyone who is interested in new talent at its beginning see this play and any others that she writes and directs.
To clarify: the story is sensationalistic but cleverly written; the production is so-so. When I say it's "a good story only passably told," I mean the script is solid but it's not brought to life as fully as it could be. Given what I wrote in the first paragraph, I probably should have phrased that last sentence differently.
I saw this play last weekend and thought is was truly outstanding and clever! The story kept me on my toes until the very end - not many do that. It was very well written with true emotion (I especially liked the loving scene between Ruby and Harper!). It is definitely worth checking out. A great play for a date nite - lots to talk about after!!
This review begins by asserting that the story was poor, that it "could have been lifted from some forgettable made-for-television Tracey Gold vehicle." But then the review ends by stating that "it’s a case of a good story only passably told." So which is it? A weak story or a strong story? A contradictory review.