Playwright: Caryl Churchill. At: Remy Bumppo Theatre at The Greenhouse, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.. Tickets: 1-773-404-7336; Article Link Here ; $42.50-$52.50. Runs through: Nov. 1
The 19th-century Age of Steam yielded to the 20th-century Electric Age, and now we're in the Age of Information, which Caryl Churchill celebrates—for better and worse—in Love and Information.
The digitalized Information Age moves quickly and so does this play, consisting of several score vignettes—from 30 seconds to several minutes—presented in under 85 minutes, examining how we exchange and process information. It looks at how we give information ( willingly or not ) and how we receive information, including unwanted info. Sometimes we beg for information and then don't like it. What about generational differences? Do they affect the information network? And what is information anyway? Is it only facts, figures, instructions and details? Or can information be non-verbal and emotional? This fast-moving play looks at it from all angles and aims to stimulate thought rather than make definitive statements.
It's performed by a diverse ensemble with no character names, each actor taking multiple roles. Churchill doesn't specify age, race, gender or physical appearance for any of the 125 characters, so particulars rest with the director, in this case Remy Bumppo Ensemble member Shawn Douglass. His choices are bang-on, such as the 60-something man shouting at his 20-something boss about firing him by email, a pointed and memorable vignettes. All 10 ensemble members are physically and verbally agile, and manage to create impact and empathy even though this is a quick-sketch show with superficially-drawn characters. They smoothly negotiate Jacqueline and Rick Penrod's elaborate scenic design consisting of rows of floor-to-ceiling racks of bankers' boxes, as if in some vast records storage facility, with certain boxes doubling as beds and benches when pulled out.
Of course, Churchill is a masterful and highly theatrical writer, which helps a great deal. For example, in a poignant scene a woman ( in this staging ) with Alzheimer's is led carefully to a piano as her caregiver begins to sing sweetly. The woman immediately begins accompanying the caregiver on the piano in lush and practiced style—only to stop short moments before the song is over, not knowing who her caregiver is. This is a complete little play in three minutes.
In my view, this work is much more about information than about love. To the degree it touches on love, Churchill seems to illustrate that, to a considerable extent, love is shared information: memories of places and events, history, knowledge of each other's physicality and personality traits, fears and desires. I don't know whether that diminishes love or elevates information, and I don't think Churchill knows, either. A Remy Bumppo company member described this play as "a Rorschach test," an apt description of vignettes we all might see differently but probably enjoy equally.
