PicksInSix Review: No Man's Land - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
“a wonderfully full and fleshed-out diamond”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton
There is a great deal that one might say about the 1975 Harold Pinter classic “No Man’s Land.” It is a concentrated collage of all kinds of theatre with its drama so surreal, its absurdist bent quite humorous and insightful, its echoes of entities as disparate as Monty Python and Samuel Beckett. But one thing is not in dispute: the current revival at Steppenwolf Theatre, which opened Sunday and runs through August 20, is a wonderfully full and fleshed-out diamond. I would urge those here to come and learn from truly professional actors with purpose, who offer their own clinic in ensemble acting.
Directed in easy, informed touches by Les Waters, the play’s plot is honestly simple. Two men with varying degrees of literary accomplishment meet in the lavish home of the more successful writer, Hirst (a sparkling, brilliant turn by Jeff Perry). The guest Spooner (in endlessly varied and superb strokes by Mark Ulrich) talks and talks about, well, nothing that they might have in common. The beginning of the piece is, in essence, a monologue for Spooner, and the loving exchange between them—two totally different kinds of actors in different modes of intoxication—also reflects the respect that each performer has for the other.
As the plot goes on, two employees of the house—Foster (a wonderful imposing, yet innocent presence by Samuel Roukin), a housekeeper and bodyguard; and Briggs (a marvelous, inspired Jon Hudson Odom), the house butler and, oh yes, bodyguard as well—make sure that this stranger Spooner is no threat to the ‘boss’, as they refer to Hirst. Hirst is both authoritarian and host, as he imagines Spooner to be an old school chum. And maybe he is, which brings us to story.
Much of the time in theatre of the absurd, there are questions as to what in the world the playwright is trying to say. Story, of course, is different than plot, and each character has a very interesting story of his own to tell. Hirst is a writer/critic/essayist of high regard who constantly damages his gift with his drinking. Yet he has moments of linguistic fancy that take the communal breath of the audience away and tries to answer those questions… Pinter at his true best.
Spooner is a lifelong aspiring poet who talks a great game in conversation but seems to say little. What he does say is a thick and potentially emotional comment on loneliness and isolation. Briggs is the cynic in the group. He always doubts Spooner’s veracity and tends to rule the roost in the house. But even when threatened with being fired for insubordination, Briggs stays with Hirst—a kind of tough love on both sides. Foster is yet another poet-who-hasn’t-done-much and wants fervently to “do” the work needed. But as a big tough guard in the house (Mr. Roukin’s physical presence emphasizes that skillfully), he feels stuck and wonders what he really can do with his life. We’ve all been there. Hirst, who is the one with the most to lose in practicality, simply moves on in his entitled existence, treating the help as if he were royalty, living with the realization that his best years are behind him, and almost casually accepting the losses of family and friends in his life—an experience he shares with Spooner in a very touching Act II give-and-take.
The great collective lesson learned here is two-fold. First, we are confronted in the storytelling by the prospect of memory that is skewed, even imperfect, and how it affects the stark reality existing between these splendid characters. And second, we are captured by the sight of four actors totally in love with their craft—and how they can so eloquently share it with each other and with the audience as well. A brilliant combination that makes Steppenwolf’s “No Man’s Land” an actor’s treat and an audience’s delight.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com
PHOTO|Michael Brosilow
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
presents
Downstairs Theater
1650 N. Halsted St.
through April 20, 2023
(312) 335-1650
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