There are more important things in the world to worry about. At some point in our lives we’ve heard this phrase, often uttered when the other person, or persons, find the matter being discussed as unimportant. Take a break up of good friends, for example. A break up on its surface is small in comparison with the grander issues of the world. But to those individuals who broke up, and those closest to them, it’s more earth-shattering than the actual shattering of the world. Inevitably there will be someone who listens to your story about this cataclysmic break up only for them to find no importance of the matter and dismiss it as unimportant, reminding you that there are more important things in the world to worry about. But what if the break up was in fact more catastrophic than the literal end of the world? Avalanche Theatre’s They Broke Up, now playing at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, explores just this.
It's New Year's Eve, and it sure looks like the world is ending. But much more importantly, Brett and Amy have just broken up. As aliens pollute the water, zombies run for Congress, birds ravage the housing market, and apocalyptic cult plans for the end of days, Brett and Amy's friends scheme to reunite them while the ex-couple themselves try to navigate a world with an end-date and a world without each other. They Broke Up is an apocalyptic absurdist comedy centered around a friend group trying to weather both the end of the world and the much more devastating end of a relationship.
If the synopsis for They Broke Up reads a bit extra, a little too much, it’s because it is. Throughout the nearly three-hour production the cast of characters reveal themselves and the absurd world around them through fast-paced, self-deprecating, hyper-self-aware, farcical and troupe-tiptoeing dialogue that needed a level of attention of presence that not even an Italian Opera requires. The true plot of The Break Up is hidden somewhere between the flesh-eating party vying for political dominance and conspiracy theories around South Dakota. If you’re able to find decent rent from the bird landlords and avoid being sworn into a cult, you might be able to find the message or point to the production. There might be more important things to focus on, but They Broke Up spends entirely too much time on the subplots and quirky commentary about the world around them that the audience forgets the plot is not the end of the world but the break up of the two main characters. Perhaps that was the intention of the playwright. “I remember reading three grotesquely awful news stories in a row in a Trader Joe's parking lot and then dissociating heavily next to the oranges,” said playwright Skyler Tarnas. “I realized that's what this play was going to try to capture... the constant overload of tragedy and the deranged sense of detachment I felt like I needed to get through the day, letting numbness shut out helpfulness and growth.” The characters do wonderfully portray a true sense of apathy to the insane events around them through quick-witted delivery and commanding physical comedy. But the plot is entirely lost to the world the characters are in. The break up itself is mentioned with the same blasé narrative as one of the characters near-death experiences with the land-hoarding birds. Occasionally humorous but entirely too much, The Break Up as a play has potential to capture the apathetic, dissociative yet endearing heart of the Gen Z generation with some careful trimming and tightening of the play.
The Break Up was workshopped with Avalanche Theatre, now in residence at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Avalanche Theatre was found in 2019 and focuses on developing new plays by Chicago playwrights. It’s an incubator for young playwrights, a place for original ideas and plays to be workshopped and tested out through programs like Next Draft Series and monthly Show & Tell events. Avalanche is a unique space that focuses on elevating the voices of Chicago’s emerging playwrights such as Tarnas’ They Broke Up. "They Broke Up is one of the most fun, distinct, and laugh-out-loud plays we've come across at Avalanche,” says Avalanche Theatre’s Artistic Director Alexander Attea, who plays Brett in the production of They Broke Up. Originally written in 2024, the play has changed and evolved to eventually be the production now running at Rivendell in November, though it still needs work. The nearly three-hour production is exhaustive with repeated troupes and subplots like personal particle colliders that can be entirely removed without losing any of the dark humor or nonchalance that helps deliver the laugh-out-loud moments. Jokes can be delivered once with great effect, the second or third attempts at delivery cleaned up, and more attention and focus to what you’d want the audience to take away from the production. Is it purely absurdist and pointless? If yes, then why should we even care about the break up at all? Are we actually rooting for the break up or are we rooting against it? Not even the cast of characters had a strong opinion one way or another. Even with all that, The Break Up is an original play with potential to convey the apathetic viewpoint that marks an entire generation.
There are more important things in the world than a break up, yes, but if the whole point is to care about the break up, shouldn’t we focus more on that than the actual things happening in the world? Even if we’re completely unbothered and apathetic to it? You decide, or don’t, I don’t have an opinion one way or another. Avalanche Theatre’s world premiere of They Broke Up plays through November 22nd at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (5779 Ridge Ave. Chicago). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit avalanchetheatre.com/event-details/they-broke-up.
