Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2010 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Abigail's Party A Red Orchid Theatre, one of Chicago's little "hidden treasures" has brought us countless little plays that have great meaning and a wonderful theatrical experience in their tiny little spot on Wells Street.  This year they are putting their focus on their ensemble and its process in taking a play from script to stage.  Their current production, "Abigail's Party" began as an improv concept play by the playwright Mike Leigh, where Leigh and his actors explored the characters and their thoughts, ideas, wants, loves and hates.  What made them happy?  What made them angry?  Was love important to them or just sex? Directed by Shade Murray with a sterling cast of actors portraying very special characters, this play is in the light of an English "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".  Abigail is a teenager who resides with her mother and brother down the street.  She does not enter into the story at all, except it is her party that allows Beverly (a wild and crazy performance by Kirstin Fitzgerald) and Laurence (Larry Grimm in an understated character study of an unhappy man) to host Abigail's mother Susan (Natalie West, who you might recall from "Roseanne" on TV, who I guess is the best actress at playing women who have no expression) and the new "kids" on the block, Tony (Danny McCarthy) and Angela (Mierka Girten) over for the evening. The set is the flat of Beverly and Laurence, a clever design by Daniel Stratton, using a small area to almost appear to be several glorious rooms.  The show starts with Beverly making certain that everything is just perfect.  Laurence, a Realtor, comes in late and is hurried off so that he might be able to close a deal.  When Tony and Angela come, one is reminded of "Woolf" in that the drinking begins and the questions begin to come in a flurry.  Tony is a strapping young man, the very opposite of Laurence and Angela is young and thin, the opposite of Beverly, so it appears that the idea of swapping might just be the alternative in the minds of the hosts.  But then Susan comes in, a lonely woman, who appears to not fit into any of this, but along the way Laurence may just find that she is more his type than young spry Angela. There are lots of arguments and attempts at putting down their spouses by Laurence and Beverly and there are indeed some social statements made in this play.  Do married people tire of each other?  If a couple has no children, do they need to be a couple at all?  The show speaks about relationships, prejudices, dreams and aspirations, but the greatest story is that of the couples and their happiness.  Does anybody really care about anybody else?  While there are many comic moments, there are also many points made that will make one think about their own lives, past, present and future.  I make it a point to never reveal surprise endings, but I will tell you the play has a unique ending making each of the five characters' lives end on a different note than the beginning. The music used in the show is very fitting both on stage and at Angela's party (by the way, we never do meet her) and the small set is filled with wonderful props, so a tip of the hat to propmaster Alice Magelssen.  The lighting by Samantha Szigeti and sound by Joe Court , as well as the costuming by Melissa Torchia make the show complete.  Anyone who has ever attended A Red Orchid knows that this space is very small and they put their stage in different areas of this small room.  For a set designer and a director to be able to navigate five actors and furniture on a stage of this size without injuring any of them is an award winning feat on it's own.  Add to that a fun evening of theater and you know why the people in Old Town love having this theater in their neighborhood. "Abigail's Party" will continue through May 23, 2010 at A Red Orchid Theatre located at 1531 N. Wells Street.  Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.  Tickets range from $25-$30 and can be ordered by calling 312-943-8722 or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org.  Senior and Student discounts are avaialble.  Running time about 2 hours with a ten minute intermission.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.