PicksInSix Review: Happy Days - City Lit Theater
“No longer young, not yet old.”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
Days begin and end with an alarm and brilliant flashes of light to signify the passage of time among the chaos of “Happy Days,” Samuel Beckett’s tragicomic vision of the world. There in the middle of it all is Winnie – effervescent in her curiosity, confidence and optimism that belies an undertone of futility even as she is hopeful for the promise of every new day. Winnie is immobile from the waist down, a mound of clutter, dirt and refuge consuming her – perhaps the compounded weight of life’s challenges… or a reflection of our wasteful society.
What lies out of reach is of no consequence. It is the absorbing performance of Kayla Boye, unfolding in a blazing stream of consciousness that is at once confounding and compelling, pushing artistic boundaries in an altogether new direction. Captivating and buoyant in the first act – playfully taunting the unseen Willie and ripping through Beckett’s tacit observations on marriage, life and love with thoughtful, knowing elegance – Boye’s Winnie is immeasurably aged by her all-consuming surroundings in the second act, weighed down by it all from the neck down, searching for the last shards of hope and promise with only her voice and time-withered expressions left. Singularly startling, daring and marvelous.
“Happy Days,” as with many Beckett works, restricts the actor’s movements, thereby limiting the tools of their trade. What remains here is a one-on-one experience with the audience. Combining passion and power in the abstract, the play then delivers a moving, not-so-final resolution that begs the existential question: What is it meant to mean?
I have been ruminating on that one for several days.
Boye, a triple-threat Chicago talent who has also written, produced and toured her critically-acclaimed Elizabeth Taylor biography “Call Me Elizabeth” is directed here by Jon Dambacher, who is also designer. The mound of recycled materials and stark lighting, utilizes the intimacy of the City Lit Theater space to full advantage. This is at its core a quiet work about the evolving nature of Winnie’s situation. It is our eagerness to align our curiosity and expectations with the playwright’s intent that keeps us riveted to the piece.
Developing solo projects of this caliber takes courage and stamina that only a few gifted actors possess. Boye is certainly up to the task. To venture outside a comfort zone and tackle a formidable work of this scale and substance is a worthy ambition that both matures the artist and the audience. A rare and welcome combination indeed.
PHOTO|Kàchí Mozie
KB PRODUCTIONS
presents
Samuel Beckett’s
HAPPY DAYS
Directed by Jon Dambacher
Starring Kayla Boye
CITY LIT THEATER
1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue
Chicago, IL 60660
through April 2
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