The Targeted
A Red Orchid Theater
World Premiere
Thu-Sat 7p; Sat-Sun 3p
Until June 14th
★★★1/2 - "play explores human needs - for understanding, belonging, love." - Steven Oxman, Chicago Sun Times
Recommended - "a smart and empathetic look at conspiracies and paranoia...filled with tension and dark humor..." - Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
"it's impossible for West not to be funny-every line delivery is a lesson in comic timing." - Mary Wisniewski, NewCity Chicago
Highly Recommended "...a powerful world premiere..a play for the theatergoer who enjoys a drama filled with tension and dark humor." - Colin Douglas, Chicago Theater Review
"succeeds as both a dark comedy and a compassionate examination of human connection." - Emily Werner, Broadway World Chicago
"In its study of the causes, nature and consequences of paranoia, and its intentional ambivalence as to the line between what fears actually are justified and the spiraling of the pressured human mind, the show has a lot in common with Tracy Letts 'Bug'" - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
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5/7 - 6/14
3.5 Stars - 'The Targeted' explores human needs for understanding, belonging, love - Steven Oxman, Chicago Sun Times 5/20/26
"The title of Hanna Kime's sensitively drawn new play "The Targeted" refers to a real collection of many thousands of people — "Targeted Individuals," or "TIs" — who believe they are being harassed, controlled and surveilled via implanted devices ("voice-to-skull technology"), zapped with microwaves or otherwise "gangstalked" by an evil conspiracy of as-yet-unidentified thems. "They" are almost certainly governmental in nature, because, the reasoning goes, why else would the government allow this to happen?
Eventually, TIs believe, they'll be able to expose and bring down their persecutors, finally showing everyone around them — including the family members and doctors who don't believe them, possibly for surreptitious reasons — that they've been right all along.
There are the regulars who've been part of the small, tight community for years: the intense and dominating Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald) and her personality opposite, the sweet and sensitive Didi (Natalie West). Two younger TIs are still processing what's happening to them: wife and mother Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), who has been experiencing an undiagnosable pain ever since a flu shot; and Eric (Glenn Obrero), a young man whose convictions about his being targeted have alienated him from his parents. At Eric's invitation and urging, his "normie" sister Mia (Stephanie Shum) has come with him, insisting she is trying to "understand," but mostly desperate to keep Eric from isolating even further.
As subjects for fictional entertainment, conspiracists are usually the stuff of satire or mystery-thrillers, genres that A Red Orchid has certainly been known for. And those types of work are without question swirling in the popular culture zeitgeist. The Steppenwolf production of Tracy Letts' psychologically intense "Bug" recently had a successful Broadway run. Two of the most prominent, artful film directors — Ari Aster ("Eddington") and Yorgos Lanthimos ("Bugonia") — have fused the thriller and satire genres by being willing to follow conspiracy tales to their wildest, supernatural extremes.
What's different about "The Targeted" — and I found this refreshing — is that it's neither satire nor thriller. There is plenty of genuine humor here, but it's gentle and even kind rather than hard-edged, even when characters cover themselves in tin foil. The narrative doesn't pursue the potential truths of government mind control experiments, which have certainly existed and perhaps still do, nor does it attempt to diagnose the mental health issues some so clearly wear on the surface.
Instead, the play explores human needs — for understanding, belonging, love — as it follows the dynamics among the TIs and between the TIs and Mia, a clear stand-in for Kime's point of view: skeptical — non-believing would be fair — yet respectful.
How characters respond to Mia tells us a lot about them. Jeff thrives on trying to convince her — he needs people to believe him — with his slew of PowerPoint slides, based often on the established history of government misdeeds in which so many of these beliefs are rooted.
Rhonda, on the other hand, resents any presence of the non-targeted. She says it's because the retreat should allow a respite from the perpetual questioning, but we begin to suspect it's because they aren't susceptible to her aggressive manipulations. Fitzgerald, an always-powerful performer playing a character prone to intimidation, forces everyone around her to resist or succumb, which all cast members — especially West and Rifai — do with honesty and nuance.
Her scene with Obrero's innocent Eric is easily the most memorable of the show, squirmy in the best possible sense, with Fitzgerald exposing a new layer of Rhonda's personality with ill-timed giggles. Dolezal-Ng's direction here beautifully deepens Kime's already layered characterizations.
Kime ultimately expresses a complex sympathy. These "targeted" characters face very real suffering but can be just as capable, and maybe more so, of causing it. They can never disbelieve their own internal experience or the patterns and people they've found that explain their reality. They need and seek validation from a community, and that community feeds their obsessions.
Don't bother arguing with your local conspiracy theorist, the play suggests. If you can, just love them. Not because their views deserve it, but because, quite simply, they need it."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: - A Weekend in the Woods - Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review, 5/18/26
"Bringing their impressive 33rd season to a fine finale, A Red Orchid Theatre presents a powerful world premiere drama. It's a story with so many locations that the company chose to present the production at the larger Chopin Theatre, rather than in their own intimate space on Wells Street. Scenic designer Lauren M. Nichols rises to the occasion by creating a large, practical stage set featuring an outdoor amphitheater with bench seats for the cast that brings the audience right into the play. She's also created the interior of two cabins, complete with bunkbeds, as well as a cafeteria where guests gather for meals, craft sessions, discussions and lectures. It's all part of a weekend in the woods with THE TARGETED.
Jeff-nominated playwright and screenwriter, Hanna Kime, (DOGS; THE BEST DAMN THING) has crafted a new, 95-minute tragicomedy about a gathering of like minds at a forest retreat. It's called the Solidarity and Truth Summit. The international group all consider themselves to be Targeted individuals. This conference is for the mutual sharing of experiences and the planning of strategies for future survival. The people are all united in their belief that they're victims of some sort of secret surveillance and harassment, controlled by global governmental powers. These folks passionately believe that they're the prey of the deep state. The 37 men and women attending this conference are desperately striving, against all odds, to maintain their humanity.
The conference is essentially a "groupthink." The events and lectures are led by Jeff, one of the older members of the assemblage. Attending the congregation are a variety of people of all ages. They include Rhonda, a Targeted celebrity with the congregation, of sorts. She's a woman with very strong convictions about the stalking and systematic torture that, like the others, she has experienced over the years. Rhonda achieved fame within the group for having written and published a monograph detailing her experiences. Didi is a senior member of the bunch. She arrives with Rhonda ("But we're not lesbians") and they appear to be friends, at least at first. However, as her painful physical afflictions become more pronounced and frequent, Didi begins to seem unbalanced. She starts warning the others to not listen to Rhonda. Eventually, the elderly woman's uncontrolled rantings and wild hysteria requires the others to administer to her wellbeing.
Eric and Mia, a brother and sister who share an apartment back home, have traveled to the retreat together, but for individual purposes. Eric, the younger sibling, strongly believes that within the government, the health system, and even possibly among space aliens, some villain has injected him with some kind of foreign vermin. The constant itching under his skin is driving the young man crazy. Mia, his older sister, is in medicine and spending her residency at the local hospital. Being an intelligent and pragmatic young woman, Mia has decided to join her brother for this conference in order to better understand Eric's unfounded fear of everyone around him. But it's an uphill battle.
And lastly, there's Sherry, a pretty and seemingly even-tempered, accommodating young wife and mother. She's also come to the conference harboring some reservations, but believing that her very existence is being threatened by covert surveillance. Sherry's excited to meet Rhonda in person, because she's read the woman's book about the her observations and theories. Sherry finds many of their experiences and thoughts to be similar so the two women gravitate toward each other. Rhonda is determined to convince Sherry to sever her marital ties from a husband who doubts the validity of his wife's afflictions. However, Sherry's warned by Didi not to listen to Rhonda, since her own daughter was legally removed from her care.
Hanna Kime's world premiere has been staged by Chicago-based director Grace Dolezal-Ng (BAKED!, Theo Ubique; RADIANT GRADIENT, Shattered Globe). Ms. Ng is a master of visceral storytelling, such as with this play. And she has elicited powerful performances from her talented cast. Lawrence Grimm is a talented ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre. He's appeared in their productions of TURRET, TRAITOR, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS and many others. As Jeff, he plays a regular guy who has taken it upon himself to lead this conference. Jeff, however, doesn't really possess any special talents for doing so. His maturity is perhaps enough.
Kirsten Fitzgerald, the Artistic Director of A Red Orchid Theatre, is one of Chicago's finest actors. She owns any stage she steps foot on. Kirsten was seen at A Red Orchid in TRAITOR, IN QUIETNESS, EVENING AT THE TALKHOUSE and, my absolute favorite, GREY HOUSE. As Rhonda, Ms. Fitzgerald portrays a woman who's emotions are off the charts. Rhonda is outspoken, her own boss and no one is able to tell her what to do. People walk on eggshells when around Rhonda. She doesn't seem to have any control over what she says or does, and the repercussions often create severe problems with others. Kirsten Fitzgerald's Rhonda is a powerhouse who positively dominates this story.
One of my absolute favorite Chicago character actresses, Natalie West is hilarious and so endearing as Didi. Enjoyable in THE CAVE, REVOLUTION, TRAITOR and EVENING AT THE TALKHOUSE at A Red Orchid Theatre, Ms. West will be remembered for her portrayal of Crystal in the television series, "Roseanne" and "The Connors." Her character's blatant honesty, off-the-cuff commentary and innocent non sequiturs and bon mots all force the others at the Summit to stop and consider the truth of Didi's words. Ms. West is the heartbeat of this production and one of the best reasons for seeing this play.
Another powerhouse performance comes from the always incredible, supremely gifted, Stephanie Shum, as Mia. Ms. Shum has appeared, to great acclaim, in YOU WILL GET SICK at Steppenwolf, HUMMINGBIRD, at the Goodman, GORGEOUS at Raven/Rivendell and MEN ON BOATS at American Theater Company. The frustration her character experiences in trying to understand her younger brother is palatable. We can feel her disappointment and defeat. Mia is an outsider with the group and must deal with the others' reaction to her infiltrating their safe place. Mia's motivation for being at this weekend retreat with her brother seems suspicious to most of the others, particularly to Rhonda. And it creates a whole lot of friction between the two women.
As Mia's brother, Eric, Glenn Obrero shines. Although this is his debut with A Red Orchid, he's impressed at Rivendell in both PIVOT and WIPEOUT, as well as at Shattered Globe in A TALE OF TWO CITIES and at TimeLine in THE CHINESE LADY. His portrayal of Eric is of a vulnerable young man who has just recently discovered this support group. He's been easily swayed, and is now devoted to generating and believing all the conspiracy theories. Eric feels susceptible to every imaginable danger lurking in the unknown, but he doesn't know what to do or who to trust.
And finally, Sadieh Rifai, another ensemble member of AROT, plays Sherry like a young child who suddenly finds herself in a big-girl world. She's just begun to feel that she's one of the hundreds of misunderstood victims who are being tortured by secret global powers, a covert organization who want nothing more than to torture and destroy the world. She can't convince anyone of this, especially her husband, so Sherry's experiencing a new feeling of comfort and safety with her new friends. They all have similar feelings and theories, which makes these people comrads. Ms. Rifai was seen in GREY HOUSE, DO YOU FEEL ANGER and THE CAVE.
THE TARGETED is a play for the theatergoer who enjoys a drama filled with tension and dark humor. It's for audiences who like a story that borders on being a thriller, while making them think and reconsider the comfort of their status quo. Don't expect stock answers to the questions posed in this play. Whether these feelings of being misunderstood and persecuted are valid, is up to each audience member. The final scene is especially open-ended, the discussions and quarrels in between are never-ending and when the audience leaves this weekend in the woods they'll take plenty of material for further discussion. But one thing is sure: theatergoers will never forget their weekend meeting with THE TARGETED."
Review: A Red Orchid Theatre's THE TARGETED at The Chopin Theatre – Emily Werner, Broadway World 5/20/26
"A Red Orchid Theatre concludes their 33rd Season with the world premiere of THE TARGETED at the Chopin Theatre. Playwright Hanna Kime first started writing the play in 2019, at a moment when political tension and distrust started to escalate. What is brought to the stage is a dramatic comedy that challenges the love we give to others even if their actions do not align with one another's morals.
The audience is introduced to the Solidarity and Truth Summit - a resort for "Targeted Individuals" - a group of people who are convinced they are being surveilled by the government. In the quiet resort we meet a variety of characters - the resort's advisor Jeff (Lawrence Grimm), and its members: Rhonda (Kristen Fitzgerald), Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), Didi (Natalie West), Eric (Glenn Obrero) and Mia (Stephanie Shum). Over a three-day weekend, many of the members find kinship with similar trauma while others are skeptical with the moral purposes of the resort. While specific characters' stories end ambiguous, the themes of suffering, paranoia and human connection remain very present in this new play.
Kime and director Grace Dolezai-Ng collaborate well together to bring this World Premiere to life. Known for her recent work in WISH YOU WERE HERE (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company) and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Marriott Theatre), Lauren M. Nichols's set design is extraordinary. In the intimate Mainstage at Chopin Theatre, the set of the Solidarity and Truth Summit looks larger than life as a resort in the middle of nowhere. Lighting design by Josiah Croegaert and projections designed by Eme Ospina-López succeeds in presenting the surveillance suspicion the characters experience, whether realistic or fictional.
THE TARGETED's cast successfully balances the production's drama and dark comedy. The company's Artistic Director Fitzgerald as Rhonda is forceful and passionate in the resort's work, both to the participants' interest and annoyance. West and Rifai bring much of the comedy to the play as the newest and oldest participants. Shum and Obrero present a compelling sibling dynamic, one being highly protective while the other struggles to connect. Meanwhile, Grimm's performance succeeds in portraying a man driven equally by mission and grief. Within the ninety-minute performance, the entire company comes together to bring an original and emotionally layered piece to the stage.
In its world premiere, THE TARGETED succeeds as both a dark comedy and a compassionate examination of human connection. A Red Orchid Theatre closes its season with a production that is unsettling, and empathetic, leaving audiences with lingering questions about belief, grief and the communities people build in order to survive them."
RECOMMENDED The Targeted is a smart and empathetic look at conspiracies and paranoia - Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader 5/21/26
Hanna Kime's drama receives a thoughtful and sometimes harrowing production at A Red Orchid Theatre.
"Last year, Lyric Opera presented Missy Mazzoli's The Listeners, in which a woman besieged by a low-grade "hum" that interrupts her sleep and haunts her waking hours finds a community (or cult, if you prefer) headed by a guru who claims to help sufferers. Something similar is at work in Hanna Kime's The Targeted, now in a world premiere with A Red Orchid Theatre under Grace Dolezal-Ng's direction.
The title refers to people who call themselves "targeted individuals," or TIs for short. These are people who believe that they are being subjected to persecution from a variety of sources: the government, the medical establishment, their own families. In some cases, as in Tracy Letts's Bug, they believe they have implants under their skin put there by nefarious forces. Once targeted, they also believe that they're being "gang-stalked," or followed, harassed, and surveilled.
In Kime's play, a group of TIs have gathered at a Catholic sleepaway camp that they've rented for a weekend conference, led by Jeff (Lawrence Grimm), who claims to have a PhD in biochemistry and to have worked for Purdue Pharma. He greets the believers by assuring them that they are not alone. "There are 170,000 Targeted Individuals in the U.S. alone, and one million of us worldwide."
Among the handful that have gathered at the camp is newbie Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), who has had unexplained pain since getting a flu shot. She shares a cabin with hardcore true believer Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald), who declares early on, "I refuse to see someone suffering and not do something. I am a doer. That's why I'm being targeted in the first place," and the kindly Didi (Natalie West), who sells what she claims are lead-lined raincoats and hats to help thwart electromagnetic attacks. (Rhonda's biggest claim to fame is that she apparently tried to rescue/kidnap Amanda Bynes.)
In another cabin is Eric (Glenn Obrero), who, like Chuck McGill in Better Call Saul, sleeps under a space blanket and lines his hat with tinfoil, and his sister, Mia (Stephanie Shum), a doctor who has been taking care of Eric since their mother gave up on trying to help him. The fact that Mia is an "outsider" marks her for suspicion early on from Rhonda, who also packs her own ersatz surgical kit for helping remove implants from other people.
Kime's play dances with great dexterity between horror and sympathy for these people whose lives have been destroyed by what seems to us at least to be delusional thoughts. Yet it's also undeniable that conspiracies are believable because of what we actually know about the world. As Rhonda says early on, "Someday, everyone's gonna realize that the whole system is run by a bunch of pedophiles and sex pests, but everyone who tries to point it out now is 'crazy.'" References to MK Ultra, Cointelpro, and the Tuskegee syphilis study also crop up, reminding us that there have in fact been many times when the government and other authorities have colluded to abuse, control, and thwart people and movements in the U.S.
There is a major offstage drama clouding the weekend: Nathan, one of the people under Jeff's sway, killed a nurse in the psych ward where he was being held and then ended his own life. In Jeff's view, "His torturers drove him to suicide." Mia starts out skeptical, and then, as she sees more of how identifying as TIs is shaping their lives (Rhonda urges Sherry to leave her husband and children, Didi moves around living in various storage lockers to shut out the waves), she becomes more anguished and confrontational.
Kime is a rising Chicago playwright whose past work includes 2024's The Best Damn Thing and DOGS. This is the first play of hers I've seen, and it's a remarkably assured and empathetic piece that knows when to draw humor from the absurdity of the TI claims, and when to prod the deeper voids and losses that help those claims burrow in under their psyches in the first place. Dolezal-Ng has staged the 90-minute piece with a solid mix of quiet encounters and painful outbursts, neither of which ever feels forced or self-conscious.
The cast includes several Red Orchid ensemble members in roles that feel tailor-made for them. Fitzgerald's tough but warped by life Rhonda and West's warmhearted but slightly alien Didi mesh beautifully, balanced by Rifai's questioning but vulnerable Sherry. Grimm adeptly nails Jeff's avuncular tone when he's addressing the conference participants—they're seated in benches in the front row, which effectively makes the audience at the Chopin mainstage part of the action.
But it's the relationship between Eric and Mia that forms the real wounded heart of The Targeted. Shum shows the pain of trying to understand something that, as a doctor, she finds difficult to give credence to, and she's also palpably terrified for her brother's life after what happened to Nathan. Obrero is at times heartbreaking as a guy who knows what he's doing is causing trouble for the sister he loves, but who doesn't know how to break away from the obsessions that have shaped his life for so many years.
Kime doesn't offer easy answers, but it's obvious that somewhere between Rhonda's "trust no one" approach and the growing doubts that Mia and Jeff both share about what they've seen, there's a world of fearful impulses and pain that needs to be negotiated. The easy answers, while initially soothing, won't save any of us.
Camping with Conspiracy Theorists at A Red Orchid – Mary Wisniewski, Newcity Chicago 5/22/26
In "The Targeted," a new play by Hanna Kime, conspiracy theorists gather at a rustic retreat for a meeting of the "Solidarity and Truth Summit."
"The Targeted," a new play by Hanna Kime at A Red Orchid Theatre, is set in one of those rustic retreats that typically host Girl Scout jamborees. There are bunk beds in wooden cabins, and arrows that point out the way to the showers and the mess hall.
But the people gathered this weekend are not making lanyards and tie-dye shirts—this is a meeting of the "Solidarity and Truth Summit," a conference for those who think that global powers are targeting them with systematic torture, surveillance and harassment. They are meeting to discuss ways to take down the deep state and stop their suffering.
It's an intriguing idea, since conspiracies and their believers have become a bigger part of the national dialogue. The tin-foil hat brigade has evolved from handing out mimeographed pamphlets in train stations to having a big media presence on YouTube or serving in political office. Directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng, the ninety-minute show has many funny moments, with wonderful performances by Red Orchid regulars Kirsten Fitzgerald, Lawrence Grimm, Sadieh Rifai and Natalie West.
Unfortunately, the story of this strange community is too thin. It's hard to know how to feel about these people, since so much about them is unknown.
For example, we learn that the endearingly kooky Didi (West) has a dead child. But we don't know how the child died—was Didi at fault? It's okay to leave some things ambiguous in a story, but this is too big a hole to leave unfilled. We can laugh at Didi with her lead-lined floral robe and hat, which looks like sofa upholstery and is supposed to guard her from microwaves (clever costume design by Stephanie Cluggish). It's impossible for West not to be funny—every line delivery is a lesson in comic timing. But we don't know if Didi is a killer, a fraud, or just a sad and disturbed woman, whose condition is not being helped by being around these other kooks.
The same goes for Fitzgerald's character, Rhonda, an intense, opinionated autocrat who goes around cutting supposed mind-control implants out of people's arms and has a weird fixation on the former child actress Amanda Bynes. We don't know what we're supposed to think of her, or of the retreat leader, Jeff (Grimm). He may have influenced another "targeted" individual to kill a nurse and then commit suicide. He also cries a lot, so it's not clear if we're supposed to hate him or feel sorry for him. It's all rather confusing, which makes it hard to care.
Much of the action in the show turns on Mia (Stephanie Shum), a medical student who has accompanied her brother Eric (Glenn Obrero) to the retreat in the hope of understanding him. Mia loves her brother, who sleeps under a tinfoil blanket, but is perplexed by his paranoia and selfishness. The play's most powerful moment is when Mia confronts Jeff about his responsibility for promoting conspiracy theories, though Mia's tirade fizzles, and the confrontation doesn't lead to any change.
The play may be trying to make the point that people who believe in odd conspiracies are still human and deserve our empathy, attention and understanding. This is a fine idea, and this is at times an entertaining play. But with such thin, ambiguous characters, the show can't find its emotional target".
Review "The Targeted" (A Red Orchid Theatre): Steeped in Heart, Humor and Horror – The Fourth Walsh 5/22/26
"Rhonda carries a kit to extract microchips. Didi wears a specially-made cloaking device. Eric stuffs his hat with foil. They are each in physical, mental and emotional pain. They are Targeted Individuals (TI) being harassed and tortured by the government. And the worst part, their families and friends can't comprehend their suffering. They have gathered with fellow believers at the Solidarity and Truth Summit. Eric's sister is attending the weekend conference too. She is trying to understand. Her search for answers leads to a lot more questions.
Playwright Hanna Kime pens a tale about the people behind the conspiracy theories. Television shows conveying messages. Rays inflicting excruciating misery. Celebrities being held captive. The show starts with a running loop of conspiracy theories (Projections Designer Eme Ospina-Lopez). The cringe-worthy commentary is akin to a Fox News-athon. Kime doesn't just pile on the crazy sh#t. She takes special care to illustrate the humanity behind the lunacy. She doesn't make fun. She represents what's going on in the heads and in the ecosystem of the afflicted. Kime's script is steeped in heart, humor and horror.
Under the direction of Grace Dolezal-Ng, the ensemble (Kirsten Fitzgerald, Lawrence Grimm, Sadieh Rifai, Natalie West, Glenn Obrero and Stephanie Shum) is terrific! Coming in hot, Fitzgerald fills the stage and the summit with her menacing presence. She is zealous in her beliefs. Although the always delightfully obtuse West won't be bullied by her, Rifai, a newcomer searching for answers, gets consumed by forceful Fitzgerald.
In another cabin, Shum struggles to ground her brother (played by Obrero) in reality. Although she continually leads with empathy, her logic and big sister tendencies pushes her into attack mode. One of her confrontation has her in the audience debating Grimm as the facilitator. Dolezal-Ng stages this with Grimm often speaking to the audience as Summit attendees. His calm, soothing delivery contrasts Shum spiraling out of control. Grimm is perfectly hysterical in this role.
THE TARGETED is definitely thought-provoking. It does what theatre does! It best represent all sides and force you to consider a different perspective"
Review: In 'The Targeted,' sharing their fears of a deep state around the campfire – Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune 5/26/26
"In Hanna Kime's new play "The Targeted," an unusual black comedy now receiving its world premiere from A Red Orchid Theater, we vicariously attend a "solidarity and truth summit," wherein some eclectic individuals gather in a summer camp-like environment outside of Boston to explore why they all believe themselves to be the victims of various levels of deep state, intergovernmental harassment, all of the way up to including torture.
Nonetheless, one of them notes at one point, "just because we are all being targeted doesn't mean we can't have fun."
In its study of the causes, nature and consequences of paranoia, and its intentional ambivalence as to the line between what fears actually are justified and the spiraling of the pressured human mind, the show has a lot in common with Tracy Letts' "Bug," although it certainly expands the scope of the work from one or two individuals to a broader group, including an intense woman named Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald), a kind senior named Didi (Natalie West) and a "minivan mom" named Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), who has not yet traveled so far down this road. The play also expands on the idea of how such feelings can be nurtured and exploited, in this case mostly by a leader named Jeff (Lawrence Grimm, in full-on creepy mode), who knows how to dazzle his campers with his claimed qualifications and use their feelings of helplessness for his own advantage, whatever that might be.
It's an interesting and arresting topic for a play: instant communities under external stress invariably make interesting works, and this one has the fresh approach of exploring when the level of stress far outpaces the logic — although if we all suffer from an electro-mechanical attack sometime soon, I will be forced to eat my words. And, of course, history has some confirmation of Joseph Heller's famous line, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you."
Kime, who is based in Chicago and premiered "Dogs" at the Red Theater (which I didn't see), is clearly interested not just in charting the contours and rationales of this community, if that's the word, but also in exploring how the paranoid actually live their lives, and how they reconcile the need to sell lead-lined raincoats (one never knows) with having a laugh or two in the woods. She introduces an actual doctor, Mia (Stephanie Shum) into this group, giving her a stranger-in-a-strange-land role to work with; Mia is there because she is trying to understand her struggling brother, Eric (Glenn Obrero), a young, card-carrying member of the targeted. Some of the most involving scenes in the play, thanks in no small measure to Shum's intense and empathetic performance, come from Mia's befuddlement at how best to counter all these people with feelings, intensely held, by insisting on scientific logic, at least as she thinks she understands it.
That's a huge flash point in American society, far beyond this play.
The script sometimes retreats from its own intensity, just when it is getting going, and although director Grace Dolezal-Ng's production has its moments, it sometimes lacks focus and gets a bit lost in the bunkbeds and the deep contours of the relatively large space at the Chopin Theatre. (I wish this play had been staged in Red Orchid's home on Wells Street instead.) At times, this struck me more like a cross-cutting screenplay or teleplay than a theatrical drama in that it lacks scenes of sufficiently long length to really explicate these characters, as well as needing more in-the-moment tension to keep the drive going and pull the audience into the complex inner lives of these suffering souls. The play is only 90 minutes and, right now, it feels rather more like a very promising pilot to me. One can see why. One can also see the talent of the writer."
Author
Hanna Kime
Director
Grace Dolezal-Ng
Performers
Ensemble Members Lawrence Grimm (Jeff), Natalie West (Didi), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Rhonda), and Sadieh Rifai (Sherry), with Glenn Obrero (Eric) and Stephanie Shum (Mia)
Production
Lauren Nichols (Scenic Design); Josia Croegaert (Lighting Designer); Angela Joy Baldasre (Sound Designer); Stephanie Cluggis (Costume Designer); Spencer Diaz Tootle (Props Designer); Eme Ospina-Lopez (Projections Designer); Dan Washelesky (Dramaturg); Tom Daniel (Technical Director); Jennifer Aparicio (production manager); Anna Vu (Stage Manager); Kyle Stoffers (Casting Director) and Jeff Kurysz (Pre-Production Photography)
