On My Parents' One Hundredth Wedding Anniversary

Jesse Weaver's On My Parents' One Hundredth Wedding Anniversary is the final offering of The Side Project's 2007-2008 season, and it is the perfect ending. If you've followed the entire season, it has gone from almost documentary realism and progressed through absurd theater, and finally begins to touch on expressionistic theater.

Years ago I had the opportunity to see the Dublin Theater's production of Waiting for Godot. If ever there was a play that begged to be cut, it is Godot, and if ever there was a production that took itself too seriously, it was that one. So, I approach conceptual theatre warily. The key is to make it appear effortless. While many abstract theater pieces carry a lot of weight and speak to universal themes, if the piece is too reverential it becomes didactic, and if it's too clownish the meaning is lost.

Luckily this production has Matt Hawkins at the helm. With his flawless cast, including Mickey Crocker, Jessica Hudson and Michael E Smith, Hawkins makes a highly stylized, conceptual piece of art that appears effortless and tossed off. And it's just plain fun. But I can tell you that from the tech I went to to plan the publicity shots, there is nothing -- NOTHING -- tossed off in this production. Every detail on the stage has been carefully considered. While one viewing of this play will be satisfying and entertaining, there are many layers and baroque details, all of them essential, that an audience member can explore on multiple viewings.

If you haven't seen a production at The Side Project, you really are missing out on some of the most exciting theater in Chicago, and possibly the country. It won't be long before this little company begins to receive the critical and box-office attention it deserves, and you'll want to be part of the growing crowd who can say, "I saw them when..."

All promotional images are available in the Promo section of the Archetype Images website.