PicksInSix Review: The Humanities - Victory Gardens Theater

Culture War Erupts In “The Humanities”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

One of the most difficult things, I believe, for any dramatist to do is to look at an event in history and, in telling the story, put their own spin on its reality and its results. In watching “The Humanities,” the first production of Victory Gardens Theater in quite a while, it becomes even more apparent that they want to leave a mark, to mark a special moment—indeed, to make even a small difference in today's cultural heritage.

In this world premiere that runs through October 4, the playwright/historian Zayd Ayers Dohrn comes by his historical choices honestly, being the offspring of Weather Underground icons Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn. His "on-the-run" history with his parents becomes potentially fascinating. Now in his own middle-aged place in life, Mr. Dohrn has chosen for this piece a college campus that experiences vast upheaval and dichotomy from a faculty choice of a speaker whose reputation is, to put it mildly, controversial. If we look at recent headlines in the United States, this story could have used the Berkeley disruption of far-right influencer Milo Yiannopoulos nearly a decade ago as a model in being guided through sociological touchstones. Whether there are solutions proposed as a result depends, it would seem, on one's own sense of social history and regard for protest culture.

The eclectic plot has a departmental debate brewing between the dean of cultural studies Carole (Sabine Wan deftly opens the play with a difficult and challenging lecture on sexual mores in America), the departmental chair Martin (Steve Pickering in an expert, sensitive underplaying of a recovering alcoholic), and Milta, the sole faculty member (Isa Arciniegas compellingly represents the protesting side on campus) who has signed a petition that objects to the booking of a radical right-wing speaker at Lincoln University, the name of the institution. Martin and Milta hotly debate the speaker's right to speak vs. his subject matter and representation. Carole, on the other hand, wants no part of controversy to sideline the new work she's begun, a capital campaign to raise $2B—yes, you read that correctly—for various and sundry projects and improvements that the university fathers have in mind. It's a quandary of epic proportions.

Meanwhile, Jonas, a new assistant professor (a fascinating role given strong, articulate shrift by Ernest Bentley) has just arrived on campus, trying to simply fit in. In short order, he is asked by an anxious student representative Hampton (smooth work by Derrick Sanders III) to sign the aforementioned petition; propositioned by Martin's wife Margot (an alluring and articulate Naomi Evans) to be a part of an intimate threesome; and asked almost immediately by the dean Carole to introduce the speaker Luka (Danill Krimer, both intellectually and physically imposing) at his appointed speech date, because he's the 'right person' to do so. This is all while Jonas has been on campus for only a short time, hardly having time to unpack his things in his office.

To give more challenge to the story, Milta sits in a bar one evening and finds herself being 'hit on' by Xander (Piper Murphy, appropriately and abruptly aggressive), a former student of hers whose obvious motivation is more than sexual as one of the leaders of the protest against Luka.  Then there is Anthony (an impressive portrait by Devaughn Asante Loman), a young man caught in the clash between poverty and ambition who ends up being the fall guy for the entire protest movement—all when he simply wanted to learn at a university that was beyond his financial capability. Finally, with Anthony's burgeoning friendship with Hampton yet another layer to absorb in this conundrum, the entire world onstage explodes during Luka's speech.

As one might gather, there are many intricate layers to this play. It is a real triumph that Artistic Director Edward Torres has been able, in part, to help reignite the creative fires that Victory Gardens founded in original plays with this creative stew he has prepared. The play has scope and range that is tricky and demanding to portray onstage. There are scenes that occur simultaneously. For instance, some partial nudity in an intimate moment between two women is coupled with a lecture about sexual attitudes over the years. That technique could have used more separation to establish visual and verbal clarity. There is a large projection screen located upstage center that helps guide us, which has its own unique influence—almost a Big Brother perspective. Every character seems ultimately to have some kind of ulterior motive, whether or not it was intended. And that becomes the final puzzle for the audience to solve.

CONTENT ADVISORY: The Humanities explores complex and challenging subject matter and contains strong language, sexual content, and partial nudity. Recommended for adult audiences.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. Coming soon, his new solo play about Ben Franklin, THE FIRST EMBASSY. www.solochicagotheatre.com.

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

Victory Gardens Theater
presents
World Premiere
The Humanities
2433 N Lincoln Ave
through October 4, 2026

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PicksInSix Review: Henry Johnson-Relentless Theatre Group-Victory Gardens Theater

“Why would you ever trust anyone?”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The Chicago premiere of David Mamet’s new play “Henry Johnson” opened Sunday in a matinee performance at Victory Gardens Theater presented in association with Relentless Theatre Group. The play was first performed in 2023 at the Electric Lodge in Venice, California starring Shia LaBeouf as Gene—played here by Thomas Gibson from Criminal Minds and Dharma and Greg—who is also in Mamet’s film version that is scheduled to be released in early May. So, the Victory Gardens/Relentless production is a unique confluence of the two treatments at this particular time.

In a curtain speech, director Edward Torres welcomed a near capacity crowd back to the theater which has been dark, with the exception of a few special and limited run events, since March 2023. Torres was upbeat about the future, citing plans to reinvigorate the programming of the theater, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, and by extension, launching a renewed investment in the performing arts in the North Lincoln Avenue neighborhood. In addition to thanking donors, sponsors and three board members in attendance, Torres warmly acknowledged Dennis Začek who has for decades been a steward of the artistic vision of the Tony award-winning regional theatre. Začek is serving as Executive Producer and no doubt used his finely-honed skills to help assemble the stellar production team and cast for the show including: Gibson, Keith Kupferer, Al’Jaleel McGhee and Daniil Krimer.

“Henry Johnson” plays out in four scenes over roughly 100 minutes including one 20 minute intermission. Henry (Krimer) appears first in an office with his boss, Mr. Barnes (McGhee) who is pressing him about his relationship with a man who has plead to manslaughter in a brutally savage attack. Barnes seems to know a lot more about Henry’s business  and we soon discover that Henry is a man easily influenced and, ultimately, will be facing prosecution himself on multiple related criminal charges.

Time passes and in scene two, Henry’s arrives in prison, sharing a cell with Gene (Gibson), a hardened criminal who knows the ropes. Gibson owns the sticky, often malevolent, center of Mamet’s text here and his is the most compelling performance of the show. Passing through the cell block is a guard, Jerry (Kupferer), who delivers books from the prison library and Gibson tells him that Henry would be a good addition to the library staff. When we next see Henry in the library during the third scene, Gene continues to aggressively groom the hapless man to carry out a plot that leads to the harrowing confrontation that follows.

Unquestionably, the cast is fascinating to watch throughout the course of this drama, even though there are elements of dramatic tension that seem to be stifled by both scene breaks and the intermission. Upon reflection, one of the most interesting developments of the story occurs during the interval, but perhaps the story was not the point all along. Krimer’s Henry plays out as a metaphor for manipulation, coercion and fear—by his boss in the interrogation, by his cellmate in devising the plan, and, in the final scene following the plan’s execution. These are powerful dramatic forces that Mamet has at work, magnified by the presence of audience members on stage left and right that shrink the playing space to be more in line with an isolated prison cell—a physical uneasiness that washes over the audience at every turn.

Hopefully, this all is a harbinger of what is to come for Victory Gardens, emerging from a dark period of great uncertainty to regain the trust and prominence in the Chicago theatre community as a leading incubator for new work. It will take time. Productions like Mamet’s “Henry Johnson” force us to recognize our own fears and vulnerabilities. If we ignore these influences and allow them to cloud our judgement, there can be only one possible outcome: there will be nothing left to save. You have until May 4 to decide for yourself.   

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Relentless Theatre Group
in association with
Victory Gardens Theater
present
Chicago Premiere
Henry Johnson
2433 N Lincoln Ave
through May 4

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