Steadstyle Chicago
	March 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com The Attempters Critical Evaluation: *** out of **** (Left and Right) Chris Matthews stars in The House Theatre of Chicago production of "The Attempters" by Shawn Pfautsch.  Photos by Michael Brosilow. The House Theatre of Chicago  is known for some amazing "storytelling" productions and over the years I have found them to be an extraordinary group of performers with a great deal of talent. Their current production, "The Attempters" is a wild and crazy ride in the life of some high school seniors, concentrating on Danny Hackles (the incredibly energetic Chris Matthews).  It is hard to say whether playwright Shawn Pfautsch lived some of this himself or used some of the people from his past to create the characters, but they are very real. Teenagers go through phases and in this case, our "hero" Danny comes from a divorced home with a father who has remarried a younger woman.  So he feels that he must be special and in his mind, he is destined to be famous.  His only problem, he doesn't know what for and that's what is explored in the clever little show. The show utilizes a lot of what this troupe is known for: humor, music, film and some very talented actors.  Johnny Arena is perfect as Finn McKay, Danny's best friend since childhood who follows Danny's lead until he fears losing the girl that he has loved since 4th grade.  Mary Winn Heider will knock your sox off with her Nola, the girl for Danny, or not!  She is one funny woman!  Paul Fagen is Danny's father, Dr. Mitch Pronger (they never explain the different last name), also his analyst, and Lauren Vitz plays his step-mom, Claire.  Robyn Senchak is as cute as a button as Sam Sommers (Finn's dream-girl) and the ensemble fills in the rest of the roles: Chad Kenward, Steve Wilson, Justin D.M. Palmer, Paige Hoffman and Matt Holzfeind, playing several roles and helping to move scenery and props about the stage. While I found this to be a fun experience with some great comic moments and some solid "rock N' roll", the script could use a little tweaking. This is geared towards a younger audience (possibly high school seniors to College sophomores) and those of that age in the audience "got-it-all".  Some of the older opening night audience members seemed to be in a bit of a fog, not seeing some of the humor until it had passed them by. Young theater goers: This one is for You!. I mentioned the use of film, well I must tell you (but I will not divulge too much about it) this was a wonderful piece of work done by filmmaker Lucas Merino (pure genius).  This film was a riot (even evoking laughter from the over 28 audience members) I was so hoping to see the end of the film (oh, well, maybe next year). Director Marika Mashburn keeps the actors at a quick pace and uses the set designed by Collette Pollard at The Building Stage to its best advantage and the lighting by Lee Keenan, sound by Rick Sims and original music by Andy Wagner all add to make this a smooth production.  I would think that as the run progresses, the show will tighten up a bit, but meanwhile, you will find some laughs, some good music and possibly a little insight to your own life by watching (and listening) to the words of Pfautsch. "The Attempters" will run at The Building Stage located at 412 N. Carpenter ( just 2 1/2 blocks west of Halsted) and a bit south of Grand Ave ( or North of Lake Street) until April 19, 2008.  Performances are Thursday and Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m., Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are a mere $17-$22 (is that a deal or what?) students $10 on Thursday and Sunday (an even better deal) and can be purchased by calling 773-251-2195 or online at www.thehousetheatre.com.  FYI, there is free parking all around this quaint little venue.  Enjoy an inexpensive theatrical experience with The House!   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 EpochTimes.  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.