Review: Time
Out Chicago
There’s a scene in the second act of Bunin’s drama in which Thomas (yes, a doubter) picks a fight with his mother, Hannah, an Episcopal minister, over free will and determinism. It’s odd to watch this scene play out and realize that we have no doubt which side these characters’ Creator is on. It comes out of nowhere; Thomas has previously expressed frustration with the firmness of his mother’s faith, but he attacks it at this moment only because Bunin wants to have the debate, not because it’s a natural progression of the scene.
This is not to suggest Busy World is a joyless academic affair. Bunin’s characters are the playwright’s tools, but they aren’t straw men. Hannah, Thomas and Brandt, the author who’s hired to ghostwrite Hannah’s book and falls in love with her son, are nuanced, complicated people with believable motivations that lead to unbelievable actions. And it’s a pleasure to hear intelligent debate about religion—Hannah’s book, about a newly discovered Gnostic gospel, and Brandt’s father’s battle with a brain tumor fuel the exchange—even though you’d be hard-pressed to find three such extemporaneously articulate speakers in the real world. (Imagine The West Wing if everyone had been allowed to finish their sentences.) The affair of polar opposites between Hellman and Grimes (as Thomas and Brandt, respectively) is tender and believable, but a little more passion is needed from Roeder. It’s clear that her Hannah pours her bottled-up emotions into her work, but it would be nice to see some flashes of the fire in her belly—her surface calm is a peace that passeth understanding.—Kris Vire
Listed as a “don’t miss”