Exquisite writing
fuels this ‘thinking persons’ drama
by Tom Williams: ChicagoCritic.com
Highly Recommended
Next Theatre, know for mounting “socially provocative, artistically adventurous work,” chose Keith Bunin’s 2006 drama The Busy World is Hushed. This is a wonderfully written play that has layers of meaning from a polemic about religion and the existence of God to a triangle of relationships including mother-son, son-father, teacher-student, son-departed father and man-to-man. The play is really a love story—love among people, love for God and love for ideas in a search for truth and the meaning of life. Filled with lively philosophical and theological discussions and debates, The Busy World is Hushed is a wonderfully marvelous fresh new play wherein all three characters speak in complete sentences and full thoughts with wit and aplomb. There is a vibrant spirit in this play.
I do appreciate hearing grand ideas that explore the internal journeys the characters take as the struggle with their doubts about their faith and the role of religion in today’s world. Playwright Keith Bunin (The Credeaux Canvas) has combined a domestic drama with a spiritual work. He has much wry humor and stinging wit utilizing a female Episcopal widowed minister/bible scholar, her wayward son and a lonely young writer.
Faith, love and loss collide as Hannah (the dynamic Peggy Roeder) hires a young academic, Brandt (Dennis Grimes) to ghostwrite her controversial book on the Gnostic Gospels. The early scene contain the intellectual side of Bunin as the minister and her doubting academic debate the possibility of faith and the challenges of pain and grief. Enter the wayward, genius son, Thomas (the charismatic Erik Hellman) and sparks fly between Brandt and Thomas. The lost boy is home to search for clues as to why his father walked into the ocean and never returned. This is a play with a gay love interest that transcends into a pursuit where each man attempts to find their soul mate.
Hannah is desperate to keep her son at home so she encourages Brandt to follow his heart and court Thomas. The three are thrown into a dynamic and complicated love triangle that struggles with questions of faith, love, honesty and manipulation. The volatile triangle is seething with the internal struggles as Brandt must deal with his dying father, his love for the wandering Thomas and his loyalty to Hannah. Thomas is searching to find his place in the world and to reconcile his relationship with his dominant mother. Hannah struggles with a slight skepticism with her faith while never completely letting go of her long dead husband. She is maneuvering to keep her wild son from self-destruction.
The Busy World is Hushed is a lush work filled complicated fully developed characters in layered relationships. The three performers—Peggy Roeder, Dennis Grimes and Erik Hellman deliver Benin’s tough dialogue in a most believable manner allowing the complex speeches to ring with authenticity. Hellman and Grimes are two of the most talented young dramatic actors in Chicago and Peggy Roeder is a peerless Chicago veteran player.
If you enjoy an idea play with wit and layered meanings, filled with truthful performances, than get to Next Theatre for Keith Benin’s excellent new drama. This young man is a fresh new voice adept at discussing complex subjects through developed characters in intelligent plots.