The Fourth Walsh

The World Premiere of ASHLAND AVENUE.             

Pete has sold televisions for over forty years. He opened up  a dozen stores across Chicago. His commercial catchphrase ‘crazzzzzy prices’ made him iconic – at least locally! Pete was a Chicago fixture in the community. Then, life changed. People shopped online. Retail stores fizzled. Now, he’s down to one store. Although he’s pinning his hopes on his daughter and her husband to resurrect the business, they have dreams of their own.

Playwright Lee Kirk explores an aging parent’s desire to hold onto the past. A father wants to preserve and pass on his life’s work to the next generation. It is a familiar theme. A daughter longing to leave home to step into her own adventure is also pretty conventional. Kirk repeats the essences of a story we’ve heard and maybe even lived. His likable characters don’t want to hurt an old man’s feelings. Their decency is thoughtful and admirable. It  also dilutes any palpable tension. Kirk adds in a secondary plot about a a single mother and her kids living with Pete. The choice is perplexing. It adds length but not dramatic depth. The last fifteen minutes crawl to a conclusion waiting for popcorn to be microwaved. The show clocks in at 2 hours and forty-five minutes.

That said….

Under Susan V Booth’s direction, the acting is good. The amazing Francis Guinan (Pete) is a man yearning for the past and grasping for relevance. His daughter, Jenna Fischer (Sam) is a very relatable mixture of annoyance, worry, and love as she contemplates her escape. Her husband, Chike Johnson, plays it delightfully amicable with hilarious timing. He won’t pick sides and blurts out information at inopportune times. The trio have believable chemistry. It’s like spending time with your favorite characters on a TV show. There is a comfort in easy resolution and nice people. And nod out to Set Designer Kevin Depinet for setting up shop so authentically.. a la shabby-quirk.   

We all want to believe our lives mean something. We want to die leaving a legacy. Ultimately, we want to be remembered! ASHLAND AVENUE amplifies that idea with its casting choice. The fun part of this show is seeing Pam from “The Office”- onstage. Although “The Office” ended its run in 2013, reruns has made it a cult classic. And Fischer is beloved by her fans and cast mates! On the night of the opening, I ran into Angela Kinsey (Angela) in the bathroom. ASHLAND AVENUE plays into nostalgia for simpler times. And it might also be the locale for a Dunder Mifflin reunion sighting.      

Running Time: Two hours and forty-five minutes includes an intermission.

At Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn

Written by Lee Kirk

Directed by Susan V. Booth

Performances are:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays at 7:30 PM

Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays at 2 PM

EXTENDED Thru October 12

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Todd Rosenberg

For more Chicago theatre information and reviews, please visit Theatre in Chicago