Steadstyle Chicago
	March 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
	Wild Nights With Emily It is one of the great malfeasances that many artists never achieve any measure of success or acclaim until after they die.  Such was the case of Emily Dickinson; indeed, very little is known even to this day about the reclusive New England spinster.  Only a few of her works were published in her lifetime, the vast majority of her poems were discovered hidden away in a trunk.  What else of Ms. Dickinson was hidden away, we may wonder?  Was Emily Dickinson really the "virgin recluse" she was believed to be, or was there a secret love that dare not speak its name?  Can any person living in her time and place (1830-1886 Massachusetts) ever be fully understood from a 21st Century perspective and a "tell it all" mentality?  Is it fair to assign labels like "gay" and "lesbian" to people who could never live their lives openly or even acknowledge what is largely considered fact?  Of course, literature is filled with examples of same-sex inclined authors ranging from Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman to Gertrude Stein, so assigning a Sapphic love interest to the enigmatic Ms. Dickinson is not altogether implausible.  Even taken as fiction, Caffeine Theatre's "Wild Nights With Emily" is a cute, lively and entertaining view of the poetess.  Caffeine Theatre really distinguished itself last fall with their spellbinding visit to Dylan Thomas' "Under Milk Wood".  This one is not in that league.  The production in the basement space at Berry Methodist Church is a bit rough around the edges, and there is some pretty coarse overacting in peripheral roles, rendering the piece as a cartoon at times.  Making the most of author Madeline Olnek's queer tale, Director Meghan Beals McCarthy has incorporated lots of gender-bending with both sexes.  Costume Designers Alarie Hammock and Samantha Umstead give us a neat approximation of the 19th Century period, although some of those drag roles should have been better adorned.  But where it counts the most, in the performances of Jessica Bennett as Emily and Dana Black as her sister-in-law and speculative lover Susan, "Wild Nights With Emily" really comes alive.  These are two lovely and distinguished actresses who are a delight to witness.  We can see the sparks ignite in their eyes as they first discover a passionate attraction while reading Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing".  We care and sympathize for both women as Susan chooses an acceptable conventional marriage to Emily's brother Austin, while Emily struggles against male chauvinism and discrimination and becomes further and further distanced from the world and its conventions that surround her.  The chemistry between Ms. Benett and Ms. Black is palpable.  Beautiful work from both.  The play jumps back and forth in time as it explores Emily Dickinson's "secret" life and her legacy.  The prestigious all girls Mount Holyoke Female Seminary provides the perfect setting for a same-sex clandestine affair.  In fact, we are told in a parent-teachers meeting that such attraction and attachments are perfectly natural, and that one, two or even three homosexual experiences do not make one homosexual.  The shy, awkward and well-bred Emily meets Susan Gilbert, the daughter of a tavern keeper, in a Ladies Shakespeare Society reading, where they take on the Bard's battling lovers Beatrice and Benedick. Innocent curiosity soon turns to unbridled passion, although a modern day feminist warns against the improper use of the gay epithet to describe "The Belle of Amherst," arguing that such labels diminish the writer's significance.  Indeed, it is hard to picture Emily participating in a Gay Pride Parade, as the lecturer observes.  What is very clear is that Emily was way ahead of her time as a woman who favored independence over masculine domination and the shackles of conventional heterosexual marriage.  Her dark themes didn't win her any fans with publishers either.  And even as her "dear sister" Susan chooses Emily's own brother for a husband, she vows that "My heart belongs only to you". Susan even encourages her spouse to build a house next door for Emily because in the eyes of polite society, "it is quite normal for sisters to spend many hours in each other's company".  Emily openly dedicated some of her most passionate work to "Susie," although she remained "purposefully discreet" in letters and correspondence she left behind.  Some speculate that a married publisher, an elderly judge or possibly a fiery minister were the inspiration for Emily's passion, while others maintain the spinster never truly knew the love she wrote of.  Were certain editorial liberties taken by family and friends to keep the truth locked in the closet?  Whatever the true story was, "Wild Nights With Emily" is an often witty and entertaining work, made memorable by the work of Jessica Bennett and Dana Black. Caffeine Theatre presents "Wild Nights With Emily" through April 11, 2010 at Lincoln Square Arts Center (at Berry Methodist Church), 4754 N. Leavitt in Chicago.  The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission.  Performances are Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3 & 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $20, $18 senior, $16 student, and group rates for 10+.  Call 312-409-4778 or visit www.caffeinetheatre.com.   About Joe Stead Joe Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for the past twenty-five years.  He served as founder, producer and Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida.  Favorite productions have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap," "The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Godspell".  He has also performed leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players.  Joe holds a degree in Commercial Art from Tampa Technical Institute.  As a critic, he has reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America.  He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers.  He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene.  Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays.  His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).