What’s behind a good recommendation?
It’s not “who you know,” it’s who really knows you. (And if some of those things that people know about you are, shall we say, less than legal…well then, that changes the dynamic of what sort of loyalty is owed in return, doesn’t it?)
That’s what’s at the heart of Windy City Playhouse’s gripping new performance The Recommendation, written by Jonathan Caren; a simple favor offered up from a have to a have-not, and the repercussions that echo from a Brown University freshman dorm room all the way to a prison cell. Directed by Jonathan Wilson and associate directed by Mikael Burke, the show opens with Iskinder Iodouku (Michael Aaron Pogue) acting as our backpack-toting tour guide on Brown’s campus— which is actually Windy City’s glass-fronted lobby. (This is a bold choice, especially considering we’re about to meet his roommate Aaron Feldman, clad only in a towel.) Feldman (Julian Hester) is the kind of guy, Izzy tell us, who leads a life of such charmed privilege that it can be hard to stomach. Indeed, in our first moments with Aaron, some audience members are wrangled into cheerful selfies and offered front row tickets- really, no big deal- while others are handed/flung laundry and that discarded towel.
We all know that guy.
The one who dated the girl you pined over the second she became single again, the one whose parents got Wayne Gretzky to leave him a voicemail on his 13th birthday, and the one who never- ever- seemed to get his comeuppance. That said, when you’re the son of an Ethiopian immigrant like Iskinder and desperate to make a difference in the field of law for other “have nots,” you’d gladly take a recommendation from Aaron’s father to nudge you into the best law school and firm, right?
Life marches on, and Aaron finds himself in a holding cell for a weekend while he- sorta- faces an infraction from his past. Terrified about his prospects in an imminent move to county lockup, he befriends (and begs of) Dwight Barnes (Brian Keys), whose first rodeo this ain’t. The deal? Dwight would protect Aaron in the big house, and Aaron would call in yet another favor from his Dad to clear Dwight’s case. Dwight comes through for Aaron. Aaron…doesn’t.
Five years pass and newly minted high-powered attorney Iskinder has the chance to do some pro bono work, and right some wrongs from his friend Aaron’s past— even if his friend wants the past to stay just there. (Maybe especially since his friend wants the past to stay just there?)
photo credit: Michael Brosilow
The three leads are incredible actors who all manage likability within character arcs that don’t favor clear-cut “goodness.” Keys’ portrayal of Barnes, that of a ‘have not’ who can’t seem to catch a break in a system designed to keep him down, is especially haunting and heartbreaking. That said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fourth lead in this powerful production— that of the set, masterfully crafted by scenic designer Lauren Nigri. The twists and turns in the plot were only amplified by bedrooms opening into gardens opening into windows opening into jail cells. The promenade style of this show harkens back to the company’s wild success with Southern Gothic, but Artistic Director Amy Rubenstein’s concept make this dark tale a different fly-on-the-wall experience altogether.
While you’re there…
As per usual, the folks at Windy City Playhouse have created a special cocktail menu to enjoy before, during, and after the show, all with nods to moments and dialogue from the evening. (The “alien trash man,” with its cucumber sake, Prosecco, grapefruit, lemon, and rosemary, was a light and fun sipper, but pace yourself— you’ll be offered refreshments, both alcoholic and non, throughout the two acts.)
The Recommendation runs two and a half hours, including a 20-minute intermission, but you’ll be too busy sipping and zipping your way through this tense drama to watch the clock. The Recommendation is, as you may have guessed, highly recommended— and one that’ll keep questions churning in your mind long after the final bow.
If you go:
‘The Recommendation’ at Windy City Playhouse
3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago
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