Playwright: Archibald MacLeish
At: Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave. Tickets: CityLit.com; $32. Runs through: Dec. 10
All the world's a stage … or a circus tent, rather, in Archibald MacLeish's Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play, J.B. And it is hard to imagine this historic drama from 1958 being brought back to life more skillfully than it is in the hands of Chicago's own City Lit Theater, under the clever leadership of director Brian Pastor.
Not only do Pastor and crew successfully take on the challenge of making MacLeish's poetic retelling of the Biblical story of Job accessible to a new audience, but they do so with an entirely female cast. And while this cast of nine plays some 23 parts ranging in gender and age from young, to old, to omnipotent, every actress in this cast is also older than 55.
The show hinges upon two old friends employed at the circus, craftily played by Elaine Carlson ( Mr. Zuss ) and Morgan McCabe ( Nickles ). Seemingly for kicks, the pair don masks and robes to play the Divine Creator and his adversary, Satan, challenging each other to a wager to see if a pious human, J.B., would curse God if all his life's blessings were taken away. As Mr. Zuss and Nickles become engrossed in the story, other work-hands at the circus morph into the tale's many characters. With a skillful turn, the audience easily envisages Stephanie Monday as J.B., a devout yet slightly arrogant man of wealth who loses it all, along with his wife, Sarah, passionately played by Judy Lea Steele. The remaining ensemble deftly embodies the supporting characters, from the couple's children, to soldiers, police, political figures and friends. Particularly memorable is actress marssie Mencotti as J.B.'s youngest and dearest child, Rebecca.
Indeed, this play is lent surprising richness by Pastor's unique casting. With such a talented pool of mature actresses, I felt a clearer sense of the messages behind the play. In stripping away the facades of gender, age, physical stature and the like, what is left is a deeper dive into the serious life questions addressed, such as: Why do bad things happen to good people? Are the rich truly more deserving than the rest of us? Are the good-at-heart good regardless of success or suffering?
For the theatergoer in the mood for eloquent verse and philosophical inquiry, City Lit's J.B. will quench the thirst. It is just the sort of play to plunge you into soul-searching discussions with friends afterward and quiet contemplations. And City Lit Theater should be commended for bringing this acclaimed drama back to a 21st-century audience with fluency, empathy and candor.