The Fourth Walsh

Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of ADIRONDACK CHAIR CIRCLE.

Banna is hosting girls’ night. She is serving up a fancy charcuterie board and negative feelings about the school board. Libby appears with hard kombucha and rage to spare. When Winona arrives late, Banna and Libby question her commitment to the cause. They’ve been strategizing for months. The ladies want “pornography” out of the classroom. They must save their children from pedophiles, sexual promiscuity, and transexual recruitment. Winona’s new pickle ball partner, Grace, is a divorced mom in law school and a progressive! Is she trying to stop the book ban? Only the crow knows for sure.     

Playwright Stephanie Alison Walker pens a clever tribute to the Karens of the world. Her characters are smart, wealthy women. They strategize over prosciutto and wine. Their anger manifests in anonymous Facebook comments and speeches to the board. These women are familiar, relatable, and deplorable. They dress up their hate in elegant pantsuits, worn entitlement, and brazen superiority. Walker keeps it real with sharp and witty dialogue. She adds a layer of whimsy with an all-knowing and often naughty crow stalking Banna.    

Under the masterful direction of Pam MacKinnon, this show is tight, funny, and a little more than disturbing. Designer Todd Rosenthal aids the seamless scene transitions with a net rising from the floor and projections by Nicholas Hussong. MacKinnon orchestrates the action in “surround stage.”  In the center is a fire pit circled by adirondack chairs. The tranquil, welcoming setting dramatically contrasts the community division lurking in the corners. MacKinnon imaginatively uses all the spaces to showcase a rowdy tournament, intense town meeting, and targeted fowl play.   

David Darrow (Crow) is often present perched in various locales in the audience. As the crow, he is hysterical from his first step onto the turf. He provides poignant insight on humans and riotous illumination into the sh#t crows do. The talented Darrow also delivers more laughs as a blowhard media trainer and the entire school board. His versatility brings delightful levity. Throughout the play, Darrow is just fun to watch!    

The focal point of the show is the women. They are tangled up in complex relationships, unbridled aspirations, and rigid self-righteousness. The ensemble: Katrina Lenk (Banna), Wendy Mateo (Winona), Caroline Neff (Evelyn), and Sadieh Rifai (Libby) is terrific! They reveal who they are and who they aspire to be, flaws, vulnerabilities and all. Although we never see their kin, we discover snippets about family drama percolating in their guarded conversations.

Instead of dealing with their kids’ problems, Lenk and Rifai go to war with external forces. A poised Lenk gives a sophisticated oration to the school board but when confronted by her daughter has an epic unraveling. The unapologetic Rifai delivers biting condemnation. She turns passages from a controversial novel into comic gold.

Mateo and Neff bond on the court over their love of competition. Their budding friendship is threatened by Mateo’s paranoia of being groomed to be ‘woke.’ The malleable Mateo expresses her concerns that Neff brushes off as jokes. Once they both become aware it’s not a game, they need to pick sides. At the community meeting, an amusing Mateo rallies support for synchronized swimming. And an impassioned  Neff gives a child-centered address steeped in resilience.

I thoroughly enjoyed ADIRONDACK CHAIR CIRCLE! The writing, directing, and acting are stellar. The entertainment and education value are equally beneficial.     

Running Time: Two hours and 25 minutes includes an intermission

At Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted

Written by Stephanie Alison Walker

Directed by Pam MacKinnon

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30pm

Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm

EXTENDED Thru December 13

For more information or tickets

Production photos by Michael Brosilow

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