The Recommendation, which opened July 11 at Windy City Playhouse, tells a compelling story of two lifelong buddies who clash violently when their adult lives and values go in different directions than during their student days. Yet they remain friends. The play, which premiered in New York in 2013, is by Jonathan Caren who adapted it with Windy City artistic director Amy Rubenstein for this “immersive” production, examines the advantages conferred on individuals by the circumstances of their birth.
“Circumstances of birth might give some people an advantage over others, and it's not something we talk about on a daily basis,” says Caren. “But it does affect the stories that get told; and it affects the people that do get certain opportunities. This play focuses a lot on intersection people from different backgrounds.”
A series of scenes contrasts the privileged life of Aaron Feldman (Julian Hester) with that of Iskinder Iodouku (Michael Aaron Pogue), who met as freshman at Brown University. Aaron is a familiar type who skates through life on good looks, natural bonhomie, and easily forming and tapping his network of connections – including those of his Dad, a lawyer in Los Angeles. The story is told from the point of view of Iskinder, a pre-law student whose father is from Ethiopia, and whose mother is American. He narrates scenes, and speaks directly to the audience at times – when not playing against the other characters.
Iskinder is a realist, and sees through Aaron, but loves him anyway – and it seems likely he has tapped Aaron’s Dad’s connections to assure his entry into UCLA law school. After college, Aaron enters the Hollywood movie business, a tough grind where connections get introductions, but talent is needed to succeed. He is at the bottom, acting as an assistant to a movie producer – which means house sitting, getting coffee, and being a go-fer. Iskinder pursues his legal education and career, deciding against becoming a court-appointed attorney for a more lucrative post with stature at a high powered law firm.
The plot thickens dramatically when Iskinder takes on a pro-bono case to get early release for a young African-American man, Dwight Barnes (Brian Keys), whose sentencing was excessive. It turns out that Aaron met Dwight when he was briefly jailed for driving on an expired license. Dwight protected him from other inmates, but Aaron also confided something to him: that he may heave hit someone with a car as a teenager, and he left the scene of the accident. He was never caught.
Isikinder Iodouku (Michael Aaron Pogue) leads the audience into the next scene, in the dorm room at Brown University.
The conflict for the college buddies comes as Iskinder works to win Dwight’s release – against Aaron’s protests, who wants him to remain jailed – to keep him quiet. But Aaron has never revealed his motive to Iskinder, who goes further, and helps Dwight secure a job. Along the way, Iskinder’s law firm lets him go, specifically claiming his pro bono work was based on his personal relationship to Dwight – a violation of the law firm’s policy. But we also suspect that Aaron may have used his connections to make this happen.
The Recommendation as presented at Windy City Playhouse also makes a compelling case for experiential theatre. The format eschews the traditional actors-on a stage performance. Instead the audience walks through a series of sets. In The Recommendation, we began with a scene in the lobby, from which a double door opens onto the dorm room of Aaron.
Next we are lead into the dorm room itself. And from there, we visit several other scenes from the story, and at various points the audience is offered drinks (alcohol optional); saki at a sushi restaurant; Jello shots in the dorm room; a cocktail at the lobby scene; and finally water in a health club sauna scene. We also visit a pool at a Hollywood home and a jail cell.
During these multi-dimensional experiences, the three actors are up close and we see precisely how exceptionally good their performances are. We also experience the delivery of exposition in a physical way – and much more naturally than when only spoken - including a flashback scene to Aaron growing up and talking to friends on the phone as his parents (unseen) leave the house.
This recap of the story is more explicit than the play itself; I have connected a few dots to give it a reasonable sequence. But if you pay attention you will see, hear and experience all of this – a cross between a play and a live podcast, perhaps. In one particularly powerful scene, Iskinder is counseling Dwight as he prepares to seek his release. The strength of that scene is along the lines of the best of To Kill a Mockingbird.
The other aspect of experiential plays is the business model – which makes it an attractive theatrical experience even for those who may not love ne theater fans. Only about three dozen seats are available for the show, since the audience must sit within the various scenes – all built into rooms within the theater building. With cocktails (non-alcoholic drinks are offered, as well as drink free tickets) run from Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.and Sundays at 2 p.m.and 6 p.m.Tickets ($80-$100) are now on sale through October 6th. The Recommendation at Windy City Playhouse is highly recommended.
*Extended through October 20th!
