We live inn interesting times. Contrary to popular belief, that is not derived from a Chinese saying but from an American politician. In any case, it is a good basis for how faith is used as a bludgeon to whip up fanaticism not based on truth or fact. End Days by the playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer makes an effort to show one family pushed into chaos by religious fanaticism and fear. Artistic director Tony Lawry directs End Days with skill but some lapses in beats and action.
Sylvia (Allyson Womack) has uprooted her family from New York because she has joined a religious cult that believes that the apocalypse from the Book of Revelations is imminent. Her husband Arthur (Andrew Bosworth) hasn't bathed or changed out of his pajamas for an unknown amount of time. Their daughter Rachel (Lena Valenti) is at peak rebellion with goth makeup and a foul mouth. Nelson (George Maychruk) is the boy across the street who has a crush on Rachel and follows her around school. Nelson also wears an Elvis costume all of the time and is beaten up regularly. Jesus and Stephen Hawking (Katie Luchtenburg) pop in regularly to keep things interesting.
The premise for End Days is interesting and could have leaned full tilt into absurdism but misses the mark. I found some of it quite funny but the script did not adequately plumb the elements of nihilism and farce that give absurdism its bite. Womack is quite good as a woman who has converted fully to Christianity, possibly forsaking Judaism. Sylvia's interactions with Jesus (Luchtenburg) are both funny and pathetic because Womack deftly moves between the ecstasy of belief and the crushing fear of not being able to save her family when she is miraculously vacuumed up into heaven.
Bosworth handles husband Arthur's character shift skillfully. He goes from a sofa schmo to a manic dad quite believably despite the premise of being "saved" by Nelson as Elvis. Speaking of the King, this is Maychruk's professional debut and he is both charming and exasperating as the nerdy kid who wants to be with Rachel. Maychruk has a breathless and wide-eyed quality that is perfect for an outsider wanting to belong. It is a clever premise to have Elvis as the King versus Jesus as the King but Jesus doesn't have as many lines.
Speaking of Jesus and Stephen Hawking, Katie Luchtenburg is underused. She was in Theatre Above the Law's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, in which she played the gallant Earnest. Luchtenburg's characters are more visual jokes that pop in at the perfect time such as Sylvia saying, "Oh Jesus!" The juxtaposition of Hawking smoking a joint with Rachel and Jesus and telling Sylvia the date of the Rapture could have been fleshed out a bit more.
The character of Rachel was not as multi-dimensional as it could have been. Valenti spends a good portion of the play screaming and sulking as an exaggerated petulant teen. Her timing and stage movement come across as more impulsive and unstable but I attribute that to the writing and direction. The actor should have a sense of character movement and interaction that is finessed by the director.
I liked End Days as light comic fare but I am disappointed that the potential of the play is not fulfilled. Playwright Laufer has written a dozen-plus full-length and short plays but her work has not been performed in Chicago recently. End Days has potential and a good cast that should be given full voice to make this the absurdist gem that it could be.
End Days by Theatre Above the Law runs for 110 minutes with no intermission. It is playing through March 24 at the Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. in Rogers Park. For tickets and more information please visit www.theatreatl.org
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
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