Mondays with Mike: All the world's a stage

Live theater is a marvelous thing. Witnessing actual people up there on stage in real time creates a tension and energy that, for my money, makes even middling plays worth the time. And then there are those times when live theater is magical, powerful and unforgettable. That’s how it was yesterday, when Beth and I attended The Herd at the Steppenwolf Theater.

We knew very little about the play, other than it had been positively reviewed and that the cast included longtime Steppenwolf stalwarts—among them John Mahoney, he of “Frasier” fame. As Beth and I settled into our seats, Steppenwolf’s Evan Hatfield stopped by to chat. Beth’s written about Evan here before—he’s the Director of Audience Experience and has created special opportunities for people with visual impairments to experience Steppenwolf—that’s how Beth met him. Evan said he’d run into John Mahoney in the green room and learned that the actor is a huge music fan with eclectic tastes, and that they compared notes on their collections, and even swapped some CDs. In all, Evan was his welcoming and witty self. He said goodbye and that he’d check in with us after the show.

The writing and performances were crisp from the very first moment. We knew we were in for a good one. In short order, we learned that this play includes subject matter very close to our hearts. The story revolves around a special occasion—the 21^st birthday of a young man with severe developmental and physical disabilities.

How life with that young man affected his mother, sister, grandparents and father is revealed over an hour and 45 minutes. It is not maudlin, it is often very, very funny, and yes, heartbreaking enough that Beth had to give me her Kleenex. Regardless of the disability angle, the family dynamics are fantastically written and performed. That the playwright also nailed the particulars of raising a child with multiple disabilities left me sort of stunned. In a good way.

After the play Beth Googled the playwright, Rory Kinnear, and found an interview he gave to the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones. We learned to our astonishment that he is a remarkably accomplished actor, but this is the first and thus far only play he’s written. We also learned that his sister is severely disabled, which explains the uncanny accuracy of the emotions of his characters.

I can’t really say enough about the experience. Just think about pretty much every platitude you’ve ever heard about the power of art and culture. Then repeat.

On the way out we ran into Evan on the sidewalk. He asked how we liked the play, and we gushed. We told him we didn’t know about the plot in advance. “I don’t know if you know, but we have a son who’s disabled,” Beth said. Evan nodded and said, yes, he reads our blogs and he knew.

After Evan got us a cab, Beth and I realized on our ride that Evan had taken some special care of us, knowing about the play and our unique connection to it.

Between the humanity of the play and our Steppenwolf friend, it was a day that reminded me of how good people can be. Thanks, Steppenwolf, thanks Evan, I needed that.

(FYI; The Herd has been extended to June 14—go!)