Displaying items by tag: Rebecca Jordan

Shattered Globe’s world premiere of the delightful comedy “Eelpout!” delivers its punches with deceivingly understated skillfulness. Written by Paul W. Kruse, who calls it a fantasia, it is beautifully conceived and directed for the stage at Theater Wit by Jeremy Ohringer, whose “A Devil Comes To Town” at Trap Door has made me a big fan of his stage work.

“Eelpout!” examines the less frequently visited territory of the emotional relationship between two men in this tale of a stag party set in an ice fishing hut in Minnesota. We meet Ole Olsen (Carl Hallberg is terrific)—soon to marry Lena (Lydia Moss’s brief appearance is a knockout)—as he and his best buddy Sven Svensen (Jeff Rodriguez in a nuanced performance) trek across the frozen water in the pre-dawn darkness aiming to fish and drink.

Gradually we gather that Ole is more vested in the manly pursuits like ice fishing, while Sven is a more sensitive reflective soul. Their overlap, the safe area in which male intimacy is expressed, is in spectator sports, and chugging booze. Ritualistic beer and shots action is called upon whenever the conversation veers toward honest male intimacy. Likewise for a terse memetic conversation, almost totemic in its value and repeated throughout the play by multiple characters, runs like this:

You catch that game yesterday?
Nail biter.
Sure was.
Down to the buzzer.

These devices substitute for emotional connection, or defer it, for the men.

As the play opens on icy Lake Mille Lac (a real place), Sven pauses to take in the magnificent starry night and beckons Ole to join him and drink in the beauty. The language they have to express their feelings is terse, constrained by male convention, and even more so by their monosyllabic vernacular, which the playwright wields with amazing versatility. (There is a plethora of unusual nouns that I had to Google, only to find that they are real words, at least in Minnesota.)

SVEN: Ole. Just look!
OLE: Oh
SVEN: Worth it.
OLE: How about that.
SVEN: Prettiest right before the sun comes up.
Ole: Yessir

Sven tells Ole, “You ever think about how looking at the milky way is looking sideways through a pancake of stars?” Perhaps touched by the moment, Ole is moved to share a confidence with Sven: that he and Lena will name their first born after him. Now Ole is disappointed that Sven is less than enthusiastic. "You're supposed to be happy,” complains Ole. Sven deflects. “I wanna fish,” But their true feelings spill out in the course of the play, when Sven predicts to Ole that after he is married to Lena, their friendship will suffer and their offspring will take centerstage.

This conversation comes soon after Sven has an accidental dunk into a frigid spear fishing hole during the starlit walk. There he meets the magical Eelpout (Jesús Barajas is absolutely enchanting), a sentient fish in glistening red sequined body stocking. Eelpout engages Sven, nibbling at him in magical fish-like exploration. Barajas is so good in his role, both fishlike, and an alien personality almost from another dimension. It’s a remarkable performance, so good that even one of his stylish exits earned applause!

I suspect the playwright has given us an altogether new personality type - vaguely, a bit Sheldon Cooper-ish from Big Bang theory, maybe Jake Gyllenhaal in "Buzz Saw," with that dash of a very restrained yet overtly gay sensibility. Eelpout as a type seems a rare but familiar character in real life, but I don’t think I’ve seen it on a stage or film.

A third-wheel character arrives in the shape of Lars (Dina Berkeley) with gender bending affect - just one of the guys, but there’s just something you can’t put your finger on. Lars is a well-intentioned dolt and a schmuck, and also affords the playwright an opportunity to caricature the ungainly social behavior of the male suffering deep-seated insecurity and feelings of inadequacy.

In addition to the fantasia style of this play, conjuring visions of great bodies of swirling, writhing, spawning aggregations of fish, the playwright also incorporates classically funny physical comedy and comedy of errors skits: Ole and Sven in skivvies under a blanket, warding off hypothermia and trying unsuccessfully not to get hard; a mistaken identity in which not one, but two stag party strippers (Taigé Lauren as Heidi and Rebecca Jordan as Holly) appear in the ice hut to shock and humorous surprise. It’s a lot of fun.

Particularly notable are the production values, which use very little to great effect. Kudos to Delena Bradley (costume designer), Sierra Walker (lighting designer), Saskia Bakker (props designer), and particularly Eleanor Kahn (set) for the ice house and platform.

All’s well that ends well in a play like this. “Eelpout!” is a precise evocation of the many styles and languages of the varieties of love that dare not speak their name, or perhaps, may not even have a name. Highly recommended, Shattered Globe’s “Eelpout!” runs through May 30, 2026 at Theater Wit in Chicago.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

History is often said to be written by the victors, and few events illustrate this more clearly than the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Arthur Miller gave the historic event a new life in his 1953 allegorical play ‘The Crucible’. However, playwright Sarah Ruhl was piqued when she heard a story about Miller’s real inspiration for writing his classic play about neighborly betrayal. ‘Becky Nurse of Salem’ is Ruhl’s modern, humorous twist on the Salem Witch Trials.

Sarah Ruhl is one of the most popular American playwrights today. She has a knack for warmhearted, thought-provoking fantasies that showcase her highly creative storytelling approach. There’s no question ‘Becky Nurse’ has signature Sarah Ruhl elements, but in many ways this play is a departure–it’s angry.

Written during the Trump era, inspired by the eerie echoes of “Lock her up! Lock her up!”, ‘Becky Nurse of Salem’ is a bit of a blender of themes on modern American life. Becky is an unhappy 63-year-old woman giving tours of a dusty Salem Witch Trial museum. She’s a descendent of the real Rebecca Nurse who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials and to keep herself entertained; she tells tour groups “the real story” until her uptight boss lets her go. She’s also caring for her troubled granddaughter after her mother dies of an overdose. Becky is very lonely and takes comfort in opiods.

While this may not sound like the makings of a comedy, Ruhl’s play finds relatability in Becky Nurse. Afterall, who among us isn’t angry? Who isn’t outraged by the fact that over 300 years later, we haven’t fully learned the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials? Becky Nurse, is like all of us, flawed, and often unlovable but with her heart in the right place.

Shattered Globe Theatre brings ‘Becky Nurse of Salem’ to the Midwest after a 2022 Off-Broadway production. Directed by Ruhl’s longtime friend and collaborator, Polly Noonan, this revival feels like love is sewn into every hem. Leading the ensemble cast is Linda Reiter as Becky. Her performance fully embodies what it means to just be tired of the B.S. Her spiritual awakening is all the more earned by the play’s conclusion. And what’s a witch play without a little magic? SGT ensemble member Rebecca Jordan brings lightness to the darkness of the play with her rubbery affects and far out delivery as a real-life witch. Her scenes with Linda Reiter are some of the most fun to watch.

While watching ‘Becky Nurse of Salem’ there really does seem like a lot going on, but it’s after the play that you’ll realize how masterfully Sarah Ruhl intertwines so many hot button issues. This is Ruhl’s most serious work, and it also feels like her most urgent. Just like Arthur Miller, Ruhl bends the history of the Salem Witch Trials to serve her dire warning, and just like ‘The Crucible’ is an exciting exploration of where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Unlike Miller though, Ruhl leaves us with optimism.

Through November 16 at Shattered Globe Theatre. 1229 W Belmont Ave. 773-975-8150