Playwright: adapted by the ensembleAt: Waltzing Mechanics at the Greenhouse, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Phone: 773-404-7336; $13. Runs through: Aug. 13
Whether inspired by the current fashion for “staycations” or the influx of young artists from other parts of the country, Chicago has recently seen an abundance of regionally focused plays offering theatergoers a tour of our city’s neighborhoods from the comfort of their fold-down seats. The Waltzing Mechanics ensemble takes a documentary approach to its creative process, collecting oral anecdotes gleaned from the members’ own experiences and those of strangers on the topic of the electric trains that make The City That Works—well, work.
Ethnographers can talk of courtrooms, hospitals and baseball games, but a community’s transit system is where you will find the widest cross-section of humanity, with every traveler’s journey—no matter how brief or habitual—encompassing an individual embarkation and arrival that contain infinite possibilities. Initially, the Brown Line (aka Ravenswood), originating on the predominantly Eurocentric Northwest Side and circling the Loop, may appear less fraught with adventure than the Red Line that provided material for the Mechanics’ debut, but this quickly proves to be an illusion.
In the 26 episodes—one for each stop on the route—composing this hour-long late-night show, we meet teenagers smuggling beer and homebound revelers in need of bathrooms; self-absorbed commuters (who offer a lesson in theft prevention) and bulldozing backpackers; shy young men hoping to achieve allure through sartorial eccentricities or live-action interactive fantasy scenarios; and bold young women dressed for Halloween in full Marilyn drag. There are serious moments, too: A motorman explains the consequences of track-jumper suicides, and a bus driver’s widow confesses to switching allegiances in her choice of transportation. Then there are the truly bizarre incidents, like the prankster flashing passersby with bear-paw mittens, or the self-styled evangelist who finds himself upstaged by a one-woman choir.
The Mechanics warm up for a full hour before every performance, pumping themselves into a high-energy alertness that keeps the action zipping along from platform to platform—but even after a spontaneous dance-party breaks out among a carload of exuberant passengers, the ride isn’t over. For the final episode, the ensemble solicits a CTA-related story from an audience member and proceeds to forge a mini-play from its events right there before our eyes. Come prepared with your tale of getting from there to here.