Steadstyle Chicago
	January 2010 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	The Brother/Sister Plays Steppenwolf Theatre Company is currently running three plays in repertory called "The Brother/Sister Plays", written by Tarell Alvin McCraney.  These three plays take place on the banks of the bayou in Louisiana.  Due to the the number of openings, I only had the time to see two of the three, "The Brothers Size" and "Marcus: Or The Secret of The Sweet", but based on what I witnessed, I will make arrangements to get to see the third production, "In The Red Brown Water".  The lattert is a story about a young female athlete who is offered a college scholarship, an opportunity to change her life completely, to make her dreams come true.  But her mother is dying, forcing her to make a life changing decision.  Which way does she go? This production can be seen on its own merit and story even though McCraney's characters are in the other two as well.  "Brothers" and Marcus" are related in that Marcus is a continuation of the Brother Size story, years later.  In "The Brothers Size" we meet two brothers Oshoosi (deftly handled by Phillip James Brannon) and Ogun (a strong performance by K. Todd Freeman).  Ogun owns a car repair shop, and his brother, just being released from prison, has come to work for him.  When his prison buddy, Elegba (Glenn Davis) shows up we get a different look at Oshoosi's true character and how he is torn between his brother and his "brother".  In "Marcus", Davis takes on the role of Marcus and we learn that he is indeed the son of Elegba, a man he never knew.  He has feelings that he can't understand and dreams that lead him to feel that there are things in his father's past that control his own emotions.  He comes to terms with his own sexual identity in a small town that is not ready to talk about the past at all. The plays are directed by Tina Landau in the Upstairs Theater at Steppenwolf on an almost bare stage, with minimal although well designed lighting by Scott Zielinski and some striking music by Zane Mark.  Landau's cast shares their joy and energy in the exploration into stories dealing with love, sexuality, coming of age and search for truth and self worth as written by McCraney.  McCraney's style is a bit unusual in that he has the actors speaking what appears to be stage directions.  In the beginning, I was uncertain as to what the effect would be for two hours of hearing these asides.  After awhile, some of them seemed to add a comic touch in what otherwise may have been a tense moment, and as the plays progresses, I think the audience became used to the stylish touch and may have even become comfortable with this different form of storytelling.  After all, that is what these plays are, the telling of stories, but live on a stage with actors playing the roles instead of readers describing the events.  And each and every member of the cast (they are also in the "Red and Brown Water" is superb in delivery and character building. The other cast members are Roderick Covington, the always strong Ora Jones, Jeff Parker, the adorable Alana Arenas, Tamberla Perry (a bright new face at Steppenwolf) and Jaqueline Williams, who proves that an actor can make even a smaller role a standout and memorable character.  The production will continue through May 23, but Mr. Davis will be leaving on March 21, so I would suggest you try to see his performance if you can.  He is an outstanding young actor, Because the shows are in rep, you might want to check out the actual performance dates and times by going to the website www.steppenwolf.org or calling 312-335-1650.  Audience services can fill you in on which show, what time and day.  Tickets range from $20-$70.  You can also visit the box office located at 1650 N. Halsted.  Twenty $20 tickets each day after 11 a.m. on the day of performance.  Half price tickets may be available; you would have to go to the box office one hour prior to curtain.  And University students with valid ID's can purchase $15 tickets online using the code BROSIS15.  Limit of 4 and you will have to show ID when picking up tickets.     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.