Steadstyle Chicago
	March 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com The inSecurity Blanket Part One Pictured L to R: Desmin Borgess, Jennifer Coombs, Usman Ally and Anita Chandwaney.  Photo by Sara Levinson. Remy Bumppo's "Think Tank" is an opportunity for theatergoers, young and old and even as families to watch some small plays and engage in discussions after. The issues presented in these plays deal with a topical subject that will be worth exploring in discussion as we all have different views on what is truly going on with the topic covered.  Last year, the topic was immigration and this, their second year, the topic is "security".  The partners in this year's production are Rasaka Theatre Company, Teatro Vista (theater with a view) and of course Remy Bumppo. In addition, Usman Ally does a one man show, "Public Enemy". Tonight I witnessed four short plays.  "Catastrophe" by Samuel Beckett which is very "Beckett" in understanding about a director who imposes his will on an actor and on his assistant and hears no other voice but his own.  What he wants is all he will accept, no other ideas accepted. Remmy Bumppo also presents "One for The Road" by Harold Pinter about life in a country where there is no freedom and each and every person does what they are told and follows "the rules" or faces the consequences.  This was far more understandable than "Catastrophe" and utilized the talent of Donald Bearley to the strength he has on stage.  In the previously mentioned story, he did nothing but be placed by the director (Joe Dempsey in a strong performance) who in the second play becomes the opposite. The third cast member in both is the lovely Jennifer Coombs who also has strong conflicts in the two characters she portrays.  Added to the "Road" is young Matthew Levy who has a small role, but handles it nicely.  Edward Sobel directs both and appears to have both writers "down". The second set of plays performed by rasaka Theatre are "Terror Act" by Cassandra Lewis and "Two Sides of Suicide" by Gitanjali Kapila.  I found "Terror Act" to be the best of all four of tonight's productions thanks to the strength of its actors Andy Nagraj and Anita Chandwaney and a solid script.  Lavina Jadhwani directs both. The story is about an actor, a Muslim, on his way to London to be presented an acting award for a movie role.  He is stopped by security and brought in for questioning (or is it interrogation?).  The interplay between the two characters is perfect and we start to hear the words that show us that the "good guys" appear to be terrorists as well as the "bad guys".  This show makes the evening a more worthwhile experience. "Two Sides of Suicide" is a weaker show and probably should have been first in the second set.  While Danny Bernardo and Fawzia Mirza are solid performers, the script is a bit weaker as the events of of the day interfere with a lawyers plan to dress up for a Halloween Party at her law firm as a suicide Bomber.  This event is what is called a "black Box Theater" experience with no fancy sets, no glitz, just story. In other words, no sizzle- just the steak! I will continue with the second set of reviews Sunday. The shows move about in rotation so you might want to check at www.remybumppo.org. The shows are performed at The Victory Gardens Greenhouse located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave and tickets can be bought at the theater box office, by phone at 773-871-3000.  Tickets are $20 (or less) for each evenings "set" and there are lively discussions immediately after the show.  As they say on commercial breaks..."stay tuned for the next episodes of Remy Bumppo's Think Tank 2008". The inSecurity Blanket Part Two Back at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater for the second set of productions as Remy Bumppo's "Think Tank" presents "The inSecurity Blanket: National Security vs. Individual Freedom".  Today I witnessed two theatrical gems.  One a solo performance by Usman Ally and the other a remarkable play written by Jennifer Barclay for Teatro Vista's contribution "Freedom NY".  Let's look at this one first. "Freedom NY" is a small community where everyone knows everyone and everyone's business.  It has been just about a year since an incident at the local school where two girls were killed and one is still missing.  The authorities are still looking for the culprit who as it turns out might have had an accomplice (and who it appears was let go by the local law, a Justice of the Peace, Judge Mayflower.  Since the incident all eyes are open to anything or anybody"different.  Judge Mayflower no longer allows her granddaughter, who she is raising to leave home (she was best friends with one of these girls) and is teaching her at home.  The Judge is played with great dynamics by Rosemary Newton and the grandaughter Portia by the beautiful Rae Gray, who matures as an actress in each role she takes on.  She is solid in this role as she befriends their new neighbor, a Mexican, Gabriel (a powerful character deftly played by Desmin Borges; he is fantastic!). It seems his mother, who has recently died, had a dream of leaving Mexico for Freedom NY and although she has passed, he has brought her with him to this new life in America.  He has not really brought her, but her spirit as it was her dream he is making happen.  He has a job as a janitor at the school and the town is a buzz with the fact that there is an "outsider" doing unusual things, that he must be trouble and perhaps he is the accomplice and knows the whereabouts of the missing girl.  As the story progresses we see that being different does make people nervous.  That instead of getting to know someone and their customs it is far easier to mistrust and or hate because they are not "the same as us".  I must say that under the direction of Joe Minoso, Ms. Barclay's words and characters teach us a lot.  In fact, the closing of the play itself can make you think that there could even be more.  This is one hour of great theater and I am in hopes that this author will do more plays that Teatro Vista can produce for our local audiences. Their name means "theater with a View" and this production is definitely that.  BRAVO! The second part of this afternoon's production is a one man show called "Public Enemy" written and performed by Usman Ally using slam poetry, some dance, hip-hop, music and heart warming story lines to tell us of the problems of the "brown skinned peoples" coming to America in the days since 9-11.  While there are some very funny moments in this piece, and Mr. Ally's energy level is as high as one can get, at the end of the story the audience members found that tear escaping from the corner of their eyes (no way they could not).  After all the hip-hop and stuff, he gets to the true "meat" of his message.  His character, a Muslim from Pakistan living in America, goes with his brother to the grocery store where they are accosted by an American who wants to know who they are and why they are here.  What happens is a tragedy that you must experience for yourselves, so I will not divulge the rest of the story.  This gentleman is a true talent to watch, with a very expressive face and lots of energy who wants to tell his story and does so with style and grace. These two shows are extremely powerful and in my opinion are the better of the whole event.  But all six stories will have an impact on who you are and what side of the fence you wish to be on.  "Think Tank" will run through March 30th in the studio theater at Victory Gardens Greenhouse located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.  Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m., Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m.   They shuffle the deck so to speak so different shows take place on different days and not always the same sequence so you might want to check out www.remybumppo.org to see when you want to attend. Tickets are a mere $20 (what I saw today is worth double this price) and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 773-871-300 or online at www.remybumppo.org.  There are post show discussions as well and you will be given an opportunity to tell Remy Bumppo what topic they might want to explore next year.  Enjoy these while you have the opportunity.   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.