Playwright: Nicky Silver. At: AstonRep Theatre Company at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets: 773-828-9129 or www.astonrep.com; $20. Runs through Sept. 27
Gay playwright Nicky Silver scored a critical hit in 2012 with his Broadway comedy The Lyons. And much of that praise was rightly lavished on Tony-winning actress Linda Lavin starring as Rita, the bitchiest of tough-love mothers who relishes the fact that she can finally redecorate the living room now that her husband is dying from cancer.
Having seen Lavin's brilliant comic performance in The Lyons on Broadway, I had trepidations about seeing the play's Chicago premiere courtesy of AstonRep Theatre Company. But what emerged is a cutting and dark family drama that played more like an engrossing ensemble piece rather than a star vehicle.
Much of The Lyons takes place in a hospital room as parents Rita ( Susan Fay ) and Ben ( Scott Olson ) break the news to their troubled grown children that he doesn't have much longer to live. At first Lisa ( Aja Wiltshire ) and Curtis ( Matthew Harris ) are outraged that their parents sat on the cancer diagnosis for so long. But once the long-standing family resentments get dredged up, it seems that it was probably for the best.
At first, Curtis appears to be the voice of reason, and you feel for him as he confronts his homophobic father on being such an awful parent. ( Let's just say things don't go well. ) But then it later becomes clear that Curtis has his own issues of intimacy and entitlement to compete with his divorced sister's past problems with alcoholismespecially when Curtis attempts to purchase a condo from the handsome real estate agent Brian ( Drew Wieland ).
Now, there are times in director Derek Bertelsen's take on The Lyons where a little more restraint from the performers might have more effective, both dramatically and for best comic effect. There are also times where you can spot that certain lines didn't quite land the laughs as laid out by Silver's script.
But overall, AstonRep does a solid job bringing The Lyons to life. Audiences will get to revel in in all in Silver's dark familial dysfunction as the largely selfish and self-centered characters cope with an impending death and the changes brought about once that happens.
So although Susan Fay is no Linda Lavinwho was so effective with just a cutting glance or vocal inflection as Rita LyonsFay does still effectively hammer home Silver's plea of the play to be nice to people. And that's even as Rita's actions toward her children would rightly be seen by some as downright deplorable by the end. But then again, Rita is also forcing her children to grow up and take responsibility for their behavior and actions, which is a great overarching point to laughing along with The Lyons.