Henry, portrait of a PatSy

Many years ago my late sister got a job directly from the Faculty of Law for Bernie Mamet, the father of the former Chicago playwright David. Once, she told me, they went to court together and Bernie gave the court reporter his name, who asked: “Some relationship with David?” “Yes, I am his father.” “Well, I bet you taught him everything he knows.” To the Bernie replied: “I taught him everything He white. I just didn’t teach him everything I knowledge.”

It’s a funny story, but when I saw Mamet’s Henry JohnsonIn the biography in a co -production of tireless theater group and Victory Gardens Theater, I wondered how this little anecdote contains the seeds of most mamets worldview. From his Pulitzer winner from 1984 Glengarry Glen Ross (Only revived on Broadway with a bushel of stars in the cast) to film such as 1997’s The Spanish prisonerMamets is a staled chronicler of the buyers and that in society.

Henry Johnson
Until 5/4: Wed -FR, 7 p.m., Sat 3 and 7.30 p.m., sun 3pm; No shows 4/18-4/20; Victory Gardens Theater, 2443 N. Lincoln, Victorygarden’s.org, $ 64 to $ 69

First in 2023 in Venice, California, produced and soon published as a film with Shia Labeouf (which was played in this premiere). Henry Johnson Concentrates on the title character – an unfortunate Patsy who goes to prison because he tried to help a college friend from a Jam, and finds an even bigger pan in the person of Gene, his cellie, which does not waste time in Henry’s head at all. “Many dreams. From a wise man who put her in order. (Nobody just says” hello “?)

Does Henry fall on genes machinations? Does David Mamet believe that Donald Trump is a great president? Yes and yes. Mamet’s real political shift (announced in a 2008 Village Essay entitled “Why I am no longer a” brainotter of liberal “” and reinforced many more recent statements to support Trump and “Wokeism”) is not the direct topic of his latest piece. However, it is interesting to think about how someone who supports Don the con, with such a facility about human ability can only write and hear what you want to see in another person – especially a person who obviously does not shit anything about himself.

Last year before the election that tribune directed an editorial of Mamet about what a crime-polished hell hole chicago has not lived here for decades and how reader In a reaction, the employee Jeff Nichols pointed out that the murder rate in the city was much higher than mum she met with great ones for the first time Sexual perversity in chicago 1974. (Nichols also noticed that “Chicago newspapers of the past that promoted many of the authors Mamet Reveres did not give a voice to every political perspective.

Production here under the direction of Relentless Cotesture and long-standing Chicago Theater Stalward Torres was not without his own controversy due to his relationship with Victory Gardens, who has been largely Moribund in 2022 in 2022, which was largely moribund in 2022. A group of chicago artists has against the biographer last Wednesday. Gardens. ”

But it is unclear what it can boycott in the long run. According to reports, the partnership with relentless occurred in part because Dennis Začek, the former artistic director and the man who has been signed by Victory Gardens (and has now put up), was used for Torres, his protege for many years. Although the company website is invoiced as a prelude to Victory Gardens’ 50th anniversary, it still does not contain any information about future productions. It also lists no employees or the current board members who, to which the least, are at most unusual. (Maybe you decided not to tell us everything you know. Or maybe you just don’t know.)

So, ok, if you can put aside the policy of your creator and the recent history of the event location, is this worth a show? If you like Mamet, sure. It is stronger than anything he has created in some time. But that doesn’t say much in view of its literary performance in recent years, apart from his political essays, has hardly caused a wavity. None of his work since 2009 Racing (produced in 2012 in the Goodman) returned to its hometown. Henry Johnson Contains Echo’s earlier Mamet works, especially 1982s, Edmondin which another employee who goes to prison with the underworld after the Dally. And like Ricky Roma in GlengarryGene is a guy who loves to persuade people through discursive pseudo-philosophical pontifications about Snow White and Christ and politicians who all add up the same: Henry to say that genes are the face motif in this world.

The story, which is presented in four strong scenes with a break, which seems to be mainly introduced to reorganize some set pieces (the change between the scenes generally feel a bit uncomfortable, has a pleasant and familiar mamatic rhythm. The performances are strong and it is fun to see, and although Thomas Gibson (formerly television Criminal heads And Dharma & Greg) Receives the star calculation as a genes and brings appropriate threats with which the one who fuck with thoughts GhostlightAnd the magnificent Al’jaleel McGhee, who plays in the first scene of Henry’s alpha-male boss Mr. Barnes. Kuperferer and McGhee are both out as men who seem to work with a higher moral code than Henry, but have no less likely their own agendas.

But if you are among the simple dialogue swaths, there is not much new here. And what is even more important, I don’t think there is a lot that actually challenges the worldview of someone, most of all. The story depends on our willingness to believe that Henry (played with the guiltless despair of Daniil Krimer) on something, everywhere and everywhere, everywhere and at any time, as long as someone dangles what he wants, especially status. It is a zero sum, nihilistic view of the world, which may fit well with the Maga performance, that you can only be successful by tearing and eliminating others. But it is also to express it non -profit, bullshit.

Not everyone falls in love with the fraud. Not everyone is so desperate after the approval of apparently powerful men (many other people who want to be powerful, I think) that they throw common sense and self-preservation aside and ignore all neon-British warnings in front of the fraudster on the way. And if you go in Henry Johnson In order to do an insight into the title of the title character over and over again, you can also ask Hardcore Trumpers why you still support the man. They do it because they do it. Because it is who they are.

While great skills are exhibited here in the production of history, there is a hollow in the heart as if Mamet is still trying to convince us that he knows a sign when he sees one. I am not against desolation in the theater, God knows (I am absorbed as a loving board Neveus Eric LarueAlso transformed into a film that does not offer simple answers why isolation and violence are so often characteristic of American life). But Henry Johnson Ultimately, Mamet’s favorite topics feel like an explanation. He tells us what he knows. But we’ve heard everything before.