Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2010 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	The Old Settler In the small "bedroom community" known as Glencoe, along the North Shore, there is a theater company that puts its focus on taking the playwrights' words and making them come to life in their intimate theaters.  Writers' Theatre has two, one at the  bookstore in town and the other in a marvelous building on Tudor Court that is larger but just as intimate.  Their current production is "The Old Settler" written by John Henry Redwood that shows us the bond between two sisters no matter what happens in their lives.  It is 1943 in Harlem, New York and the set by Jack Magaw is so realistic I felt that I was looking at my grandmother's apartment on Chicago's west side.  Every little detail is perfect of the times, so a tip of the hat to Propmaster Sarah E. Ross for not missing a thing.  It is war time and money is tight, so the two sisters who share the apartment have taken in a border, a young man who has come to New York from South Carolina to find the girl he wants to marry.  It turns out that she left the small town life not wanting to ever return. The young man, Husband Witherspoon (a solid performance by Kelvin Roston, Jr.) is naivety personified.  He was a mother's boy, but his mother has passed away, leaving him some valuable property.  The girl he is chasing, Lou Bessie (played to perfection by Alexis J. Rogers) is a user who has not told him where she was, but upon hearing that he now has no mother but lots of money, wants to take him back.  Or does she just want his money?  The two sisters are played by  Wandachristine as Quilly and the always glorious Cheryl Lynn Bruce as Elizabeth.  They have their own story as to why and how they became apartment-mates. This story has some strange twists and turns that tear the sisters apart and then bring them back together again.  Young Husband does find love, albeit one that will come as a surprise, and Ms. Elizabeth finds a new spark in her otherwise lonely life.  Under the direction of Ron OJ Parson, one of Chicago's top notch directors, this 2 hour-ten minute production moves swiftly and with all the emotion that a playwright can put in a story that tests the love of two sisters and the importance of family.  I do not want to reveal the outcome of the story but do want to tell you of a remarkable scene in which no words are spoken for almost 7 minutes.  Through the old time radio shows and great lighting effects, a certain realization comes to pass.  I for one found a tear in my eye during this special moment created by a powerful director. Every piece of this production fits together to make this story both comic and sad, but of most importance, real.  The lighting is by Heather Gilbert, and the sound by Josh Schmidt.  I don't know who selected the background music, but it was perfect, and when the "EL" roared by, I felt the vibrations.  This story revolves around African American characters and some of the plights they dealt with during this period of time, but the basic story of a special love between these sisters could relate to anyone who finds themselves torn from a dear one.  As to the title, "Old Settler" was a term used for an older woman, never having had a love, taking on someone who was there just to have a love in their life.  Writers' keeps giving us quality entertainment with a valuable lesson tossed in, and this one is worth the trip to Glencoe. You have until March 28, 2010 to catch this winner.  The performance schedule is Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 6 p.m.  Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. will take place on February 24 and March 24.  There will be no 6 p.m. performance on February 28 and no 7:30 performance on March 24.  Tickets range from $40-$65 and are available at the box office located at 376 Park Avenue, by phone at 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.   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.