Clybourne Park, the pulitzer-prize winning play by Bruce Norris and directed by Tatyana Marie Carlo, is set in a fictional community modeled after the Cabrini Green projects along the Clybourn Avenue corridor in Chicago.
Clybourne Park follows the lives of Bev and Russ, an older couple whose son survived the war but not the reintegration back into civilization; Jim the priest; Francine and Albert, a black married couple trying to survive the last weekend of Francine working for Bev and Russ; and married couple Betsy and Karl, that live in the community and are expecting their first child.
Homes are put up for sale, racially offensive conversations are shared on declining property values, and in the banality of every day life, the evil of oppression makes its presence known.
Where Clybourne Park excels is in capturing the disjointed parts of life that have been fractured by loss, suffering, and oppression, and simultaneously showing how far society has come and how much farther it still has yet to go.
The racial tension portrayed in films and shows are heart-stopping moments, but there is nothing quite like the grounding experience of witnessing the frustration and injustice of death and racism in an intimate black box theatre where the audience collectively holds their breath to wait for the next line.
The cast of Clybourne Park is superb in bringing to life the characters of the 1950’s and 2000’s and though a majority of the play begins with something that must get done, but never does, it’s what happens in the moments in between our life’s mundane plans that make for a life well-lived. Gentrification, racism, loss, and resentment are all explored in the same house over the span of 50 years.
Following a bow and roaring applause from the audience, one audience member raised his hand to say “you can change laws but you can’t legislate attitudes.” Though double talk and diplomacy at times seem to go on, when the characters hit nerves the play grows more uncomfortable and more necessary.
Show dates are through October 23, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or online at www.mainstreetplayers.com. Prices are $25 for adults, and $20 for seniors, students, and military personnel.