Reviewed by Tom Lawler
Set the scene: LOBBY HERO, a drama from celebrated playwright and filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan (THIS IS OUR YOUTH, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA), debuted off-Broadway in the spring of 2001 and completed its scheduled six-month run just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Aside from a UK premiere in 2002, this property then largely went quiet. Finally, in 2018, it got a limited Broadway run starring Michael Cera, Chris Evans and Brian Tyree Henry. With one of the four characters in Lonergan’s exquisitely engineered, well-oiled clock of a play being a truly malevolent NYC police officer, it’s worth wondering how culturally out of step this play may have felt in 2001 – especially post-9/11. Post-pandemic and (again) in the era of Trump, this character and the moral dilemmas that these characters swat back and forth undoubtedly feel different. Telling the truth, having a code, standing up for what’s right — these are the themes that Lonergan wants to engage us with – and he knows just how gird them with pathos and humor.
What’s it all about: As the play opens, we meet Jeff (a loopy, limber and extremely likeable Elliot Esquivel). Jeff works as an overnight security guard in the lobby of an upscale Manhattan apartment building. To pass the time, he often sings to himself, swans across the linoleum on his rolling office chair, or turtles underneath a newspaper to nap. In other words, he’s not the most professional security guard. This is made abundantly clear when we meet his superior (seemingly, in every way) William, the security crew chief. As played by Terence Sims (in a soulful, sometimes raw and often mordantly funny performance), William has a much higher set of standards. We can immediately sense through his well-practiced patter how utterly exhausted he is trying to inspire slackers like Jeff to meet him as his level. We soon learn though that William’s received a call from his troubled brother who has now ensnared him in a murder case that threatens every professional and personal standard he has. How this mismatched duo of security guards intersect with a pair of NYC police offers to work through this conundrum is what this play is ultimately about and so satisfying delivers on.
Stand-out performance: Let’s get this out of the way first – LOBBY HERO features a quartet of fantastic, well-paced performances and complex, well-drawn characters. Having said that, I’ve never seen a performance quite as physical as what Elliot Esquivel (a fairly recent transplant from Austin) is doing here. Undoubtedly with the encouragement of director Nate Santana, you just can’t take your eyes off of Esquivel. Slim, tucked into a pair of high-waisted dark blue floods and with a flowing mane piled into a massive man bun, everything he does is awkward. We can’t help but pull for him or be astonished when he stands up to someone much stronger for what he believes in.
Also, check out: A dragon that Jeff must contend with is Bill, a veteran NYC patrolman who involves himself in the murder case. Bill’s a fascinating character who can quickly sidle up to someone and craft the BS story they most want to hear – all while taking exactly what he wants from who he wants and when he wants it. As played by Shattered Globe Theater ensemble member Adam Schulmerich with aggression, noxious confidence and chilling humor, Bill is truly a worthy adversary. Schulmerich feels 100% like the real thing here – and that’s just scary as hell.
More of this, please: It’s always great to have a beautiful set to admire pre-curtain, and Jose Manuel Diaz-Soto (Set Design) and his team have crafted a stunning facsimile of an upscale apartment lobby complete with opening/closing elevator doors and an adjacent outdoor setting. In addition, the entire stage is pitched diagonally towards the audience which gifts us with a variety of unusual perspectives of the action on stage. A prominent mirror in the lobby often gives us an additional angle of the actors – and depending on where you sit in the theater, you may see be seeing some of the action through a window. Gorgeous, creative work here.
Do this first: Looking for tasty Filipino cuisine in a comfortable loungey space just across the street from Theater Wit? Look no further than Kubo – and they take reservations.
Do this after: Perhaps a post-show beverage or bite nearby at Matilda, a Lakeview stalwart known for its dark interiors and strong drinks?
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (including intermission).
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave
Playwright: Kenneth Lonergan
Director: Nate Santana
Set Design: Jose Manuel Diaz-Soto
Costume: Uriel Gomez
Lighting: Ellie Feye
Photos by: Michael Brosilow
Performance schedule:
Wed-Sat at 7:30 p.m.
Sun at 3:00 p.m.
EXTENDED Thru March 8
Tickets: $15-52
Buy tickets at Theater Wit or call 773-975-8150 (during business hours).
Note: Many performances are already selling out.
For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago