Steadstyle Chicago
	June 2009 Theatre Review by Nicholas Ryan Lamb
	Fifth of July “Fifth of July”, written by Lanford Wilson, is a brilliant piece that takes place in the wake of Vietnam.  Multiple stories are followed; the lovers Jed and Ken, with Ken in an internal struggle of becoming a High School English teacher, June and her daughter Shirley, who are in need of finding that eternal bond, John and his wife Gwen, where John is trying to obtain custody of Shirley and Gwen is trying to cut it as a country singer (that story line also includes her guitarist Weston), lastly is Sally who has yet to come to terms with dumping her late husband’s ashes.  Much of all of their pasts are revealed and woven together to create a natural life story.  Symbolically the play is called “Fifth of July” which is in regards to what happens the next day.  The 4th of July is a significant time in American history and now it is 201 years and a day later.  As conflicts get resolved we find necessary closure amongst the characters. I am a big fan of Lanford Wilson and how he writes his characters.  They are very real but with important and immediate conflict.  The show was staged appropriately outdoors which added a nice emotional and character flair.  However this production, like their lighting setup, was like a brown-out.  When it was on it was fantastic and captivating, but when it was off it was off.  I would like to point out that overall the cast and casting was done very nicely.  Suffice it to say that individually there were dramatic ups and downs.  Giftedly standing out was the talented Kate Kisner.  From the moment she entered the stage until the final blackout she was “Sally”.  Those that notably followed her example were Danny Bernardo (Jed), Rebekah Ward-Hays (Gwen), Brandon Dahlquist (John), and the young adult Miss Glynis Gilio (Shirley).  To note, Glynis Gilio will be one to look for in years to come with the right guidance and training.  She was able to hold her own amongst veteran actors.  Though the others had their moments of glory it was too often that the mark was missed.  Solidifying characters and intentions is key to a stellar performance.  I am a big fan of natural blocking and taking the rule of “only move on your line” and throwing it out the fourth wall window.  This style gave the show the necessary heart and drive that could easily be missed in a Wilson piece.  There were amazing stage pictures throughout and the actors were very aware of where everyone was at onstage and how to give off their presence.  Unfortunately the stage crew did not adhere to this sense.  I normally would not critique on such aspects but it is important this time.  Too many times I was distracted by a crew member in highlighter green shirts running past the audience sight lines to go backstage.  Mind you that a couple times it was to get the lights working, which was a lost cause.  This was deemed forgivable, however the times when it wasn’t for that reason I was distracted and irked by this.  It is always important that a show is a collaboration between every actor and every techie and this was a show no-no.  "Fifth of July" runs until July 11, 2009.  For information and tickets call (708) 445-4440.  The website is www.oakparkfestival.com.      About Nicholas Ryan Lamb Nicholas Lamb is a graduate from Illinois State Universities acting program with a secondary focus on directing.  He is also a graduate from SAK Universities improv school.  As an accomplished actor he has performed in dozens of shows with his most notable credits including the title role in "Scrooge" the musical, Adan in Milcha Sanchez Scott's "Roosters" and Nicely Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls".  Some of his most known directing works are "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Secret Garden".  Not only has he worked numerously with acting and directing but his training also includes the technical areas of theatre as well as film work.  Nick recently starred as Matt in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players and is currently directing "Aladdin," "Charlotte's Web" and "Pinocchio" for Bowen Park Theatre.