next up: In the Company of Men at Profiles Theatre.
In the Company of Men is written by Neil LaBute, revised from earlier productions and a Movie script, Profiles got the World Premiere.
Neil LaBute is a hit or miss with me, I liked what he did with The Taming of the Shrew a while back at Chicago Shakespeare Theater but saw another play of his some time ago in London and absolutely hated it. I generally enjoy the productions at Profiles Theatre though and it got great reviews and it was directed by Rick Snyder... plenty of reasons to add LaBute's newest play to the schedule. This one I liked very much, not top of the list but close.
‘Let’s hurt someone... really mess them up.”
I won't give away the story, but it's brutal, there are 3 lead actors, all three were great, though I thought the girl playing the deaf woman was not always consistent in her manner of speaking, but that's really nitpicking.
I had not seen the movie before coming to this play, did not know much about the story so sat back and enjoyed... it took a while to get sympathy for the lead male characters, they come across as egotistical men (especially Chad), slowly we see a more sensitive side and I kind of got swept away by the story... only to discover how much we were all fooled... all in all an excellent play, I sympathized with all characters at some point, I hated all characters at some point and in the end sat back and thought about how I missed the clues (if there even were any) of the big lie.
great cast, great space... I think even that abominable play I saw in London could improve much by this Company.
Why is it not top of my list? well, mostly because I have seen an amazing array of fantastic work this trip so it was a huge fight for the top of the list... but also because no matter how much I liked the play, I did not like the end, it was a bit to much for me and could have done without that last scene.
from the official website:
In the Company of Men
World Premiere
by Resident Artist Neil LaBute
Directed by Resident Artist Rick Snyder
May 16 - July 28, 2013
Profiles Theatre presents the World premiere of Resident Artist Neil LaBute’s revised stage version of In the Company of Men, now playing at The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway. Directed by Profiles Resident Artist and Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder, the production is now playing and has been extended through July 28, 2013.
Profiles Theatre presents the professional debut production of Neil LaBute’s revised stage play, In the Company of Men. The script, performed in various incarnations as a play at earlier stages of LaBute’s writing career as both a student and otherwise, was eventually made into the acclaimed film released in 1997 launching the careers of star Aaron Eckhart and Neil LaBute as a filmmaker and playwright. When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, In the Company of Men created a firestorm of controversy with wildly divergent yet passionate opinions. It received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay, the Filmmaker's Trophy at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival and The New York Film Critics Award for Best First Feature.
Two frustrated young executives vent their pent-up rage via a childish prank and end up paying a price in the psychological dark comedy, In the Company of Men. Former college buddies Chad and Howard, now in their late 20s, work for the same company. When the two begin expressing their mutual frustration regarding their lack of rapid advancement at work and their recent bad luck with women, they hatch a nasty scheme: Find a vulnerable young woman to court, slather with affection, and then callously dump. They choose a lovely, hearing-impaired typist named Christine, but soon their scheme creates escalating tension and psychological games not only with hapless Christine, but also with each other.
Resident Artist and Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder directs the World premiere production of the revised script of In the Company of Men following his acclaimed Profiles productions of A Behanding in Spokane, reasons to be pretty and the Jeff Award-winning Killer Joe (Production, Director, Principal Actor). Guest Artists for In the Company of Men include Jordan Brown as Chad, Brennan Roche as Howard and Jessica Carleton as Christine. Appearing in ensemble roles are Dennis Bisto, Alex Fisher, Kroydell Galima, Shelby Garrett, Poppy Golland, Sarah Herndon, Joseph W. Moore III and Laura Leonardo Ownby.
"I'm so excited to be putting this early work of mine into the hands of my trusted collaborators over at Profiles Theatre,” says playwright Neil LaBute. “The film was a fantastic experience for me personally, but I've always hoped that the script would make its way back to the stage. I've truly enjoyed the creative process of adapting the original play for the screen and now turning it back into a play again. I think it's in perfect hands with Joe, Darrell and Rick. I feel that these characters will still resonate with audiences and I know that Profiles will take In the Company of Men for the ride that it deserves--they never pull punches at Profiles and I love the artistic relationship that we have fostered together over the past few seasons. I consider myself a lucky man to still get work done regularly in Chicago and I believe I have a genuine home for that work at Profiles."
The stage version of In The Company of Men is produced by special arrangement with LaBute’s longtime collaborator and one of the film’s original producers, Stephen Pevner of Stephen Pevner, Inc and Company One Productions.
Review Blurbs:
“Highly Recommended! Profiles Theatre knows how to nail the juicy plays of Neil LaBute. Aside from his mordant wit and whip-fast pace, the director Rick Snyder's great strength here is in the way that he fleshes out the cubicle Satan and his sidekick, focusing on the moments when the faintest glimpse of compassion or complexity flicker across their brows. Jessica Carleton avoids the traps of sentimentalism but also breaks down with a level of realism so intense that it's kind of shocking. LaBute certainly has made this into a viable and wickedly amusing stage piece!”
-Chris Jones, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“Highly Recommended! Rick Snyder has assembled an ideal cast. Jordan Brown is chilling for the full force with which he plunges into his reprehensible character and Brennan Roche is a fine mix of nerdy, bright and real. Jessica Carleton is utterly beguiling as a woman whose every vulnerability is played on, and whose exhilaration at suddenly being desired leads her to make bad decisions and an ensemble of eight actors creates just the right sense of office politics!”
-Hedy Weiss, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
“Highly Recommended! Directed to chilling impact by Rick Snyder for Profiles Theatre, the 90-minute piece peels back the facade on entitled, violent, men who are driven by fear and rage. The production is grounded in reliably well-wrought performances. Jordan Brown crafts a portrait of a young man who embodies the male gaze at its most malignant and Jessica Carleton manages the meltdown with a believability that brings that LaBute's psychosexual parable of white male privilege to a wrenching end!”
-Catey Sullivan, CHICAGO MAGAZINE
“Recommended! LaBute's main target is the false equivalency perceived by the broken-hearted between pain felt and pain intended, a concept explored in Rick Snyder's level and often bitingly funny production. Jordan Brown gives a virtuosic comic douchebag performance as LaBute's black comedy evolves into a nuanced satire of misrepresentations of strength and the privileged class!”
-Dan Jakes, TIMEOUT CHICAGO
“Highly Recommended! In ninety chilling minutes, Rick Snyder’s kinetic staging crackles along with LaBute’s pulverizing dialogue. Jessica Honor Carleton makes Christine’s sudden loss of innocence and trust as palpable and shocking as an earthquake while Jordan Brown’s smooth-faced duplicity comes straight from hell. This show is definitely a must-see!”
-Lawrence Bommer, CHICAGO THEATER BEAT
“Highly Recommended! Rick Snyder expertly directs this talented ensemble and Thad Hallstein’s high tech, chrome-accented set is stunning. Jessica Honor Carleton is sweetly earnest and heartrending as Christine and Brennan Roche is a sadly likable, easily-manipulated Howard, but it’s Jordan Brown’s charming, cruel, immoral anti-hero Chad who stands out, haunting you long after the final blackout!”
-Colin Douglas, CENTERSTAGE
"Highly Recommended! LaBute’s revised version of IN THE COMPANY OF MEN is a fascinating study of pervasive malevolence. This show is a piece of work, charged by director Rick Snyder with the tension of a murder mystery and raised off the page into palpable life by three skilled actors!"
-Lawrence Johnson, CHICAGO ON THE AISLE
"Highly Recommended! Director Rick Snyder has guided IN THE COMPANY OF MEN's return to its stage roots immaculately with great performances all around in the company. A brilliant and deliberately nasty piece of work!"
-Scott C. Morgan, WINDY CITY TIMES
“Highly Recommended! The revised stage version of IN THE COMPANY OF MEN comes wonderfully off the screen once again at Profiles Theatre under the direction of Rick Snyder. Jordan Brown delivers Chad’s narcissistic rants and raves with such wit and humor you actually find yourself liking the guy and Brennan Roche gives Howard a heart, a brain and a backbone. Jessica Carleton did a wonderful job of the rounding out the character to more than just a hapless victim!”
-Joseph Hillenmeyer, SHOWBIZ CHICAGO
“Highly Recommended! IN THE COMPANY OF MEN haunts after our viewing of this black comedy is over. We're drawn to Christine, and much credit for that is due to Jessica Carleton's beautiful performance, making us feel empathy for her situation, but not pity. Director Rick Snyder gives the 95-minute intermissionless piece crisp direction—with the action moving briskly and cinematically between scenes!”
-John Olson, TALKIN’ BROADWAY
“Highly Recommended! This deliciously mean-spirited dramedy is still boldly unapologetic. Neil LaBute’s play IN THE COMPANY OF MEN is newly revised in a relentless and gutsy production at Profiles Theatre. Jordan Brown perfectly captures Chad’s ruthless ambition to win and as an effective counterweight, Jessica Honor Carleton gives a pitch-perfect performance as the deaf Christine. Brennan Roche succeeds in reflecting the audience’s own sense of rage-filled frustrations while remaining still charming!”
-Anthony J. Mangini, CHICAGOCRITIC.COM
“Recommended! As a portrait of malice at its most devious and relentless, the play carves out its own niche in modern American drama. Jordan Brown is a perfect physical choice to play the manipulating Chad and Brennan Roche is an effective Howard. Jessica Honor Carleton is the latest in a continuous stream of young little known actresses that Profiles casts in leading roles with bulls-eye accuracy. The entire audience will depart knowing its been taken on an engrossing if perverse ride!”
-Dan Zeff, CHICAGOLAND THEATER REVIEWS
“Highly Recommended! The World premiere of IN THE COMPANY OF MEN gives an imaginative and twisted look into the ladder climbing employee world. And for good measure, it's peppered with a thriller plot set to a love triangle. Jordan Brown is in fine form as the brash Chad, Brennan Roche is even better as Howard, and Christine is captured quite nicely by Jessica Carleton!”
-Phil Potempa, NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES
