The Fourth Walsh

Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of THE BOOK OF GRACE.

Vet is about to be honored for his work as a border patrol officer. His estranged son comes to town for the ceremony after a 15-year absence. From the moment he arrives at the door, Buddy is treated like an alien in his father’s home. Their emotional reunion is steeped in anger, mistrust and jealousy. Meanwhile, Grace, dutiful wife and caring stepmom, continuously puts a positive spin on life’s unpleasant happenings. She parcels together interesting articles, customers’ stories and her own philosophical musings in her self-titled chronicle. Now, Grace wants to be a conduit in repairing Vet and Buddy’s relationship. Yet, when it’s this personal will she be able to find enough goodness to conjure up a happy ending?   

Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks engages in her riveting exploration of domesticity. She subtly layers the complexity and fragility of humanity at home, on the border and within familial perspectives. And her distinct characters grapple with compliance or defiance to resolve turmoil. Parks peppers the dialogue with glimpses into past rift-causing transgressions. Although the audience is left to puzzle together what has and is happening, each character gets a monologue-like opportunity to disclose disturbing thoughts.    

Under the masterful direction of Steve H. Broadnax III, the ensemble, Zainab Jah (Grace), Brian Marable (Vet), Namir Smallwood (Buddy), are sublime. An effervescent Jah radiates hopeful joy. She often addresses the audience directly as part of her journaling. In the beginning, these sidebars are amusingly quirky. Later, her reflections become hauntingly resigned. Marable checks all the boxes for ‘border patrol officer’. He tries to intimidate, oppose and control every scenario. Both his spoken and unspoken intensity is disquieting. And an impressive Smallwood delivers a range of emotionality. As he attempts to bond with his dad, he is aloof, guarded, eager, uptight, desperate, angry, disappointed, chaotic and seething. He records a rant on his phone that is heart wrenchingly terrifying. Wow! The acting, writing and directing combine for the perfect trifecta!         

Sunday’s opening night performance received a thunderous standing ovation. My friend and I discussed different play interpretations all the way home. And I woke up this morning with a completely different supposition. All theories equally plausible. The show is a thinker! This is what live theatre does best! When the writing, directing and acting are superb, the play lives on long after the curtain. THE BOOK OF GRACE is a powerful and potentially marring theatrical experience.

Running Time: Two hours and forty-five minutes includes a 15 minute delayed start and an intermission

At Steppenwolf Theatre, 1646 N. Halsted

Written by Suzan-Lori Parks

Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III

Performances are:

Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM

Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM

Thru May 18th

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Michael Brosilow

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