A still from Theatre Y’s production of “Rhinoceros.” (Karl Soderstrom)
Theatergoers seeking a righteous adventure should get to Theatre Y on Cermak Road. That’s where “Rhinoceros” is playing inside a gothic old building: the Jackson Storage and Van Company Warehouse, recently approved for landmark designation.
If plays were read as commonly as books, “Rhinoceros” would have been banned long ago in those countries that ban books. Imagine such places!
First staged in 1959, it was written by the Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco and has become a classic of the theater of the absurd.
But absurdity is in the eye of the beholder, and here — in a sort of reversal of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” — people turn into animals. Specifically, rhinos.
It begins when a rhino unexpectedly storms through a small town. The citizens consider this ludicrous situation and then resume their petty quarrels. Logic is used and abused. Pandemonium prevails.
When people begin to transform into rhinos, menacing threats emerge (“I don’t like the way you breathe”). Like “Animal Farm,” it still has the power to shock.
Sixty-five years ago this month the original production of “Rhinoceros” took place in postwar Germany, yet there is enough talk of epidemics and hoaxes here to make you think the play is contemporary. It hasn’t aged a day.
And what about those rhinos? Are they symbols of fascism, misanthropy or antisemitism? Is “all of the above” an option?
A still from Theatre Y’s production of “Rhinoceros.” (Karl Soderstrom)
The production is anchored by the amiable Bide Akande, who plays an Everyman who drinks too much and “can’t get used to life.” He and his foil, Terreon Collins, have a rapport that at times echoes famous comedy duos of stage and screen.
There’s strong support from an intergenerational cast of fine actors, including Nadia Pillay, Arlene Arnone and Matt Fleming (who reminded me of a young Buck Henry). Everyone makes an impression with their energy and scrappy charm.
It’s all staged in a century-old warehouse on the border of Little Village and Lawndale. The sets are on four sides of the audience, and scenes are embellished with art and decor from Chicago musician and artist Marvin Tate. The ticket price of “pay what you can” adds to the DIY ethos of the theater.
My only caveat is that less might have been more. The show runs two hours, followed by a talk-back that connects the audience to the performers. Judicious trims to the text may have delivered an even more powerful punch.
Still, it’s a worthwhile visit in our modern era when, as one character wonders, “Who can say where the normal ends and the abnormal begins?”
“Rhinoceros” runs through Nov. 24 at Theatre Y.
Note: Theatre Y also has a stage program for incarcerated students that was part of coverage by WTTW News colleagues Blair Paddock and Brandis Friedman.
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.
