While "On an Average Day" is new to Chicagoans, the Route 66/Vs. Theatre production received critical acclaim in Los Angeles after a sold-out run in March of this year. It's no surprise, then, that the cast and crew remained much the same when the play hit the road.
The buzz is not without merit: Ron Klier's production is fast-paced with a spectacularly detailed set and subtle light design that varies its color and brightness at key moments to augment the intensity of the actors' interactions. The real hero, however, is the script. The play, set entirely in one room, explores every corner of the relationship between two estranged brothers and creates more than enough twists and turns to keep even the most restless audience member happy. The conversation between Jack (Chicago's Steve Tovar) and Bob (L.A.'s Johnny Clark) is at once hilarious and sentimental. Witty jokes are interrupted with painful recollections of the life the two shared as children. A special treat is the violent and brilliantly staged fight scene that is worth the ticket price alone.
Still, too many times, Clark carries the play and the connection between the two men, so essential to the plot line, seems lost. A couple of particularly unsubtle soundtrack choices pull the audience out of the story, especially during flashback scenes. Some may find the beginning a bit slow and it does lack the necessary tension, but give it 15 minutes and you will be hooked. This is the flagship production of Tovar's Route 66 Theatre Company and if "On an Average Day" is any indication, Route 66 is an edgy, welcome addition to the Chicago theater scene.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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