Evanston is a small, comfy and quaint little town just north of Chicago. There is a small, comfy, quaint little room at the back of the Metra station that is used as the space for Piccolo Theatre. Currently in that space is the premiere production from 1027 Productions, “The Sum of Us,” a play by David Stevens.
Directed by Robert D. Estrin, this honest, touching, and quite hilarious play offers the story of a father and son in a small, blue-collar suburb of Melbourne, Australia in 1990. Harry Mitchell (Michael D. Graham) is a lovable, savvy and “fair” man whose son, Jeff (Joel Gross) lives with him, the two of them still learning to live in the world (and with each other) after the untimely and tragic death of Jeff’s mother about twelve years prior. The play observes these two men as they struggle through the world of being single. Jeff, who is gay, brings home his most recent date, Greg, (Matt Hays) after a night out, only to be interrupted by his father offering the guys beers, and asking
his date what he’d like in his coffee in the morning. Harry, just now starting to venture back into the world of dating, meets and falls in love with a woman named Joyce (Mary May Johnson) until she leaves him after discovering that his son is gay.
A clear challenge for the actors was the Australian accent. However, after the first few moments of the show, the audience readily accepted the accents and barely noticed them except for a slip here and there when emotions were running high (undoubtedly due to opening night jitters.) The performances by the entire ensemble were quite enjoyable. Graham plays Harry with a certain optimistic sadness that allows him to seemingly draw the audience closer and have what is equivalent to a personal conversation with them. Gross is also a strong actor with a lot to offer in his moments. His transitions seemed a bit rushed at times, but once he reached that moment, be it bursting into silent tears when Greg leaves or a marijuana induced outburst at his father, it was clear that Gross’s understanding of his character ran deep and allowed him to play in the world of this affectionate and truthful man to a very convincing effect. Hays played Greg very well, playing him appropriately sexy and boyish. But, also just na’ve enough to allow for some growth of his own, even as an auxiliary character. Hays was shy on the date, embarrassed by the end of it and exhibited a lot of personal growth in a later scene. Johnson was near perfection as Joyce, the middle-aged divorcee seeing Harry. She was funny, smart, natural and just a tad pathetic. When she leaves Harry, obviously because she doesn’t feel comfortable with his gay son, her ignorance is even a bit charming and sad.
Strong, intelligent performers kept this show not only afloat, but cruising right along. Costuming was perfect for the early nineties and the set was appropriately cluttered and over-decorated, as any bachelor pad would be. The direction was imaginative and thoughtful- scenes between father and son were especially interesting to watch. The one and only set change was clunky and took longer than the audience was comfortable with, but that is to be expected in a small space with what one imagines was a relatively short budget. A space, I might add, that was taken advantage of to its full capabilities.
This play comes highly recommended. The story offers a lot of truth about the relationship between not just a gay man and his father, as is often the case with stories such as this nowadays, but a man and his son, as well. All the staff are very friendly and welcoming, the seats are comfortable and tickets are inexpensive- general admission is only $20, with student, senior and industry tickets at $15. A word to the wise, however- when the two leading men are in their asides and monologues, they tend to play directly into the eyes of their audience members. Sometimes this can make playgoers uncomfortable, so if it does, be sure to sit towards the back. Visit the Evanston Arts Depot in the Main Street Metra Station at 600 Main St. in Evanston on a Friday evening, Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon between now and February 7 to experience this play about two men, their lives and their loves and the difference between “pink… and pink.” Call or email 1027 Productions at 773-334-2765 or 1027productionschicago@gmail.com for tickets.