Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Steppenwolf Theatre, in the Garage Theatre
Tickets: 312-335-1650
Through June 11

Almost all the way through Detail of a Larger Work, Lisa Dillman's new play at Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre, we are presented with an image so shocking that you can't help gasping. The problem is, we weren't prepared for it, and it's hard to figure out who dropped the ball.

Directed by Robin Stanton, Detail of a Larger Work is a play that deals with (among other things) the nature of art, relationships and death. The play opens with Ed Grand (Maury Cooper), a once famous painter, and his wife Vanessa (Mary Ann Thebus), getting ready to greet a young couple they have recently met. The young couple - Zach (Joe Forbrich), a self-centered photographer, and his girlfriend Chloe (Katherine Martinez Ripley) arrive. As they guzzle margaritas on the Grand's patio, they share reminiscences of their deceased mutual friend Duane (Ron Wells), a painter who died of AIDS. Over the course of the evening, Ed goes from being the host to being the subject of Zach's latest project, a project similar to one he recently finished that was a chronicle of Duane's life with AIDS and eventual death. Eventually, Zach presents a slide show to the others revealing the shocking way that Duane met his death. Detail of a Larger Work raises an interesting dilemma: is art for profit's sake good or bad? Who loses when the commercial artist wins?

This production of Detail of a Larger Work, while an interesting play with well-written dialogue, drags throughout and lacks character detail, such as the cause of Vanessa's drinking problem. She sucks down alcohol at such an alarming rate that such a trait should have some clear cause. Also, some small details are missing. In the opening image of the play we see Ed shaking what are supposedly his famous margaritas in a shaker that is clearly empty, and the drinks are served not from the container he is shaking, but from a pitcher that is in front of him the entire time. This would not have mattered if the margaritas were not such a topic of conversation in the opening scene. As soon as the drinks are served the shaker disappears, never to be seen again. They say God is in the details.

Detail of a Larger Work also suffers from one crucial casting error. Katherine Martinez Ripley, as Chloe, is quite attractive, but she misses almost all her marks. Ms. Ripley plays a character that is clearly sympathetic and kind on paper, but in her dealings with the other characters we see nothing of the kind. It's clear she has a secret, and when we find out what that is, her past actions do not ring true. I was just glad at the end that she didn't get to spend much time alone with Ed.

In the performance I saw, all of the actors gave lackluster performances, and there was no sense of urgency to tell the story. There are just so many missed moments in this play that it would be hard to mention them all. I just hope this production does not signal an end to this play. I do believe it deserves another chance, but maybe a different cast, venue and director would work better.