Theater Review: Lookingglass Theatre Co. Knows ‘Life Sucks’

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CHICAGO – Let’s face it, life does suck. But what can we do about that? How do we survive? Lookingglass Theatre Company’s latest stage presentation tries to answer those thorny questions through a group of fellow travelers, flung together at a cabin retreat, trying to figure out why (indeed) “Life Sucks.”

Play Rating: 4.5/5.0

The play is funny, interactive and truthful, and most likely would provide the best post-theater discussion you’ll ever have. This adaptation of Anton Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya” is by Aaron Posner (of “Stupid F*#king Bird,” another Chekov reimagining), and is full of expressive gems regarding existence and the horror therein, blowing through the pretensions of life’s foible messes. It’s also a reminder that there are rarely solutions, only the learned instinct that one day may be better than the other, step by freaking step. The cast is a rollicking mix of character types, and deliver the sometimes complex philosophies with their tongues firmly in cheek, and with an energy that fuels the power of that expression.

The Cast of ‘Life Sucks’ Start to Muse
Photo credit: Liz Lauren for Lookingglass Theatre Co.

The setting is a cabin retreat, but a retreat to what? The cabin is occupied by Sonia (Danielle Zuckerman), her Uncle Vanya (Eddie Jemison) and the impetuous Babs (Barbara Robinson). It is visited by a Professor (Jim Orlieb), his much younger wife Ella (Chaon Cross) and free spirit Pickles (Penelope Walker). Joining the menagerie is the doctor down the lane, Astor (Phillip R. Smith). In the course of a couple days, the various characters interact, trying to figure out their status in these relationships and their relative purpose of life.

The play is an masterful piece of theater, and breaks the fourth wall to include the audience as one of the characters – reaching a high level when members of the cast ask the crowd for reactions to certain situations (How many were honest in their answers?). Soul baring is a major motivation for the on-stage characters, each having their own desperations and unrequited loves. Much of what is presented is a reminder that satisfaction in life is elusive, as we plan and prod ourselves nearly to death, only to come out on the other side with even less of a feeling that we matter. But also in that dread there is a calmness on the other side, as if a WTF closure has been perpetrated on all who attended.

This is a loose adaptation of Chekov’s “Uncle Vanya,” and the roles the characters portray mirror those in the play of origin. The angst between them is updated, and veteran actor Eddie Jemison is the anchor as Vanya (the only name from the original). He is a rat-a-tat force of nature, pontificating through his insecurity, and possessing an eagerness that is past its expiration date. The supporting women are most interesting, as they are either ignored (Zuckerman as Sonia), lusted after (Cross as Ella), dismissed (Robinson as Babs) or barely tolerated (Walker as Pickles). The actresses intuitively react to these slights, allowing that their own emotional circumstances have informed them.

Sonia (Danielle Zuckerman) and Ella (Chaon Cross) in ‘Life Sucks’
Photo credit: Liz Lauren for Lookingglass Theatre Co.

The play was early in its run, and the nervy high energy of opening week was evident, pushing the action rather than letting it flow. However, the cast is really into what they are communicating, and every member of the ensemble gets a moment to allow the audience to understand them. Even the less savory characters – the doctor Astor (Smith) and the Professor (Orlieb) – are presented in that sense, and their energy feeds every other character, commanding attention whenever they are on stage.

Essentially, we are born into this existence, nurtured through a consequence that is not of our choosing, and thrown to the wolves of adulthood to sink or swim. Along the way, though, there are moments of pure clarity and victory, and at the end of “Life Sucks,” the adage of ‘it is what you make it” becomes fairly clear. It is almost with gratitude that the play is experienced, because occasionally we all have to face the music of existing, and however we react, it’s only life, after all.

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]