A STEADY RAIN in Chicago
Randy Steinmeyer stars as “Denny” and Peter DeFaria stars as “Joey” in A STEADY RAIN. Photo by Johnny Knight.
A Steady Rain
Review by Christopher Pazdernik, Theatre Critic
The Leader (Elmhurst College student newspaper)
In my experience, moments in the theatre that makes one cry come up gradually and are often foreseen by the audience and probably calculated by the playwright-the father dying, the parting of the lovers, and so forth.
Yet at last week’s opening of ‘A Steady Rain’ at the Royal George Theatre, about two-thirds of the way through this 100 minute play, I found myself so moved that I suddenly convulsed in sobs and clutched on to my companion for dear life.
Not quite what one would expect from a two-man cop drama.
‘Rain’ concerns itself with Denny and Joey, friends since childhood and partners with the Chicago Police Department, in a small interrogation room as they relive how a routine call sent them on a most tormenting adventure. After a sold-out run at Chicago Dramatists last fall, the show has now transferred to a commercial production at the Royal George Theatre Center.
Above all else, Keith Huff’s new play is achingly honest and believable, and by the end, an emotional punch in the gut. He has painted two wholly sympathetic men, two officers with flawed characters that he still manages to endure to the audience. Without manipulating any circumstances in a melodramatic fashion, Huff’s spell-binding story tears your heart out.
Vital to this production are the two actors, Randy Steinmeyer and Peter DeFaria playing Denny and Joey, respectively. Both offer affecting and moving portrayals so real, it hurts. One would even be excused for mistaking them for two cops telling their own life stories.
The audience feels for both of these men as strongly as if they were real people they loved and knew, not just as characters in a play. They even manage to make the audience emotionally attached to people that are never seen onstage. Additionally, their performances are uncluttered, direct, and imbued with a masculine grace that makes the entire evening utterly compelling.
Portraying such a volatile range of emotions during the piece, it is a small miracle that these men are left with enough energy to stand and bow after a performance, let alone two in one day.
Russ Tutterow, Artistic Director of Chicago Dramatists, did the smartest thing possible when directing a dream script: he cast two brilliant actors and then made sure nothing else distracted from the text. Staging the show with a simple elegance, he clearly realizes this is a showcase for actors and playwright and lets them take the spotlight. Furthermore, he and the design team found elements that add to the mood and circumstances of the play without ever once pulling focus.
Not that anyone could really pull focus from this roller-coaster ride, even if they tried. It builds momentum and intensity in a way few other shows are able to do, so much so that at one point I realized my knuckles were white from gripping the sides of the my chair so hard. With ‘Steady Rain,’ an evening in the theatre is gripping, authentic, and deeply moving-you couldn’t ask for more.
‘A Steady Rain’ is currently on sale through April 27, though an extension would not be unexpected. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Performances run Tuesday through Saturday weekly at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Discounts for students are available. For more information, call the box office at 312-988-9000 or visit www.asteadyrain.com.