Sundown, Yellow Moon | Raven Theatre
3 out of 4 stars
(originally published on Chicago Stage Standard)
Raven Theatre is pleased to launch its 2019-20 season with the Chicago premiere of Rachel Bonds’ drama SUNDOWN, YELLOW MOON, featuring music and lyrics by The Bengsons, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle with music direction by Andra Velis Simon. This warm and delicate play with music is an honest look at the hard work of holding a family together and reconnecting with what we’ve left behind.
In the misty heat of a small southern town, two sisters have come home to handle a crisis. Twins Joey and Ray have just taken their first steps into adulthood while their newly divorced father, Tom, has been suspended from his job. But deep, honest communication doesn’t come easy. Seemingly stuck between the future and the past, this family of musicians sings what they can’t bring themselves to say.
Will Casey does a marvelous job in empathetically portraying middle aged father, amid a visit from his twin daughters. The feeling of loss not only in his personal life, but the steadiness of career shakes his character. While, Liz Chidester (Ray) and Diana Coates (Joey) portray the contrasting twins well and explore their own inescapable traumas and fears.
The lighting design by Becca Jeffords paired with Jeffrey D. Kmeic’s scenic design also encourages this multi-layered maze of inescapable things. With the rustic feel of Tennessee, the multiple steps and platforms in the space make the flow between house and woods on the same visual plane an interesting concept. The safety of the house and porch compared to the woods and reservoir depicted with wooden slats as trees mimicking a wooden wall paneling. Straw and tree needles swept to the edges complete the earth worn toned environment.
The audio is by far where this production exceeded. The internal turmoil as seen in Jordan Dell Harris’s character, Carver, is amplified by the echo of the static radio playing the popular hits of a band succeeding without him. The sound design by Eric Backus was reflective of those isolated and left behind, yet a haunting note of endearing compassion. The story takes a turn in finding the solace in the strangers or acquaintances that impact our lives. For both twins, they encounter two male characters that strongly affected them at a young age. A poet and a musician shared their art that stuck with each twin far into their adulthood. The memory that has stuck with them speaks to the strong feelings that swell within your soul during your formative malleable years. “Something broke open inside of me” says Ray.
The rising insecurities that come from growing up seems inescapable; similar to the small town they came from. The Bengsons created the Music & Lyrics for this production. The married duo Shaun & Abigail Bengson, are composers and performers who have appeared at such venues as Joe’s Pub (NYC), MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA), Freight & Salvage (Berkeley, CA) and the Market Theater (Johannesburg, South Africa). They have received the Richard Rogers Award and have been nominated for the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Lucile Lortel awards. They put into music what this play reaches for with such multi-faceted characters. The string that connects all the drama back together into what is at everyone’s core. The hope for something better and the chase after it.
This production does a good job at exemplifying the commonality in everyone struggles with their past and their future. The difficulty in the decisions we have made and the intimidation in what is ahead that can stop one dead in their tracks. The Cheshire cat grinning from the inky black sky looks down upon these characters challenging them to go deeper than what lies on the surface for each of them.
SUNDOWN, YELLOW MOON will play October 3 – November 17, 2019 on Raven’s 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.
