“Hymn,” about two Black males of their early 50s discovering newfound concord, is a modest two-person work that, on this excellent, extremely localized Chicago Shakespeare manufacturing, punches manner above its weight.
British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (the stage adaptation of “Lifetime of Pi”) has stated in lots of interviews that she wrote “Hymn” — say the title out loud to listen to its give attention to maleness — as a result of she wished to see on stage a deep, nuanced friendship between two males.
It’s value noting that she’s additionally an actress, and married to outstanding actor Adrian Lester, the son of a Jamaican immigrant who starred in “Hymn” in London when it premiered in 2021. These info clarify two important qualities of the play: It succeeds primarily, however not solely, as a automobile for its performers, and it feels actually attuned to its characters.
The 2 males meet after a funeral the place Gil (James Vincent Meredith) has delivered the eulogy for his father, a Jamaican immigrant who arrived with little, constructed a household and a enterprise, and despatched all 4 of his children — Gil is the youngest and the one male — to school. Benny (Chiké Johnson) approaches Gil and shortly reveals he’s Gil’s half-brother from a brief, secret affair. Benny, although, by no means met his father, and spent vital parts of his childhood in foster properties.
Preliminary shock and pressure give solution to an intimate friendship. Every man, equivalent in age, offers the opposite with one thing new. Benny has by no means had a supportive household prepared to offer counsel and encouragement, and positively by no means somebody to offer his children with the kind of benefits — a primary job, for instance — that wealth and possession can convey. Gil, who grew up with older sisters who all turned independently profitable whereas he was introduced into enterprise along with his father, has by no means had somebody who appears to be like as much as him as a hit story of his personal.
The story itself works, however quite than evolving with some twists alongside the way in which, there’s only a single huge one on the finish, and the play ends so shortly that you just go away wanting extra however not essentially in a satisfying manner. To her credit score, although, Chakrabarti fills in her characters’ lives with particulars however with no need to over-explain. For instance, her play contains clear references to racism, however the characters can merely inform a narrative and obtain a nod of acknowledgment. And we get a way of offstage life with key figures — Gil’s sisters, Benny’s children — turning into necessary elements of the story with out being seen.
What makes this “Hymn” genuinely particular, although, is the relaxed authenticity of the performances and the fluid class of director Ron OJ Parson’s manufacturing, each made potential by the impressed selection by Chakrabarti to adapt the play to Chicago’s South Aspect.
The transplantation works seamlessly — “Hymn” feels very very similar to a neighborhood expression of place. Set and projection designer Rasean Davonté Johnson takes us everywhere in the metropolis with background photos of native streets and parks and outlets, with out ever getting too sure to the absolutely literal; for instance, a picture of an outsized black hearth stands in for an opulent home at Christmas time.
The manufacturing additionally makes the very best use of Chicago Shakespeare’s tough thrust stage I’ve ever seen for a recent play, using simply the precise amount of place-identifying props. The transitions transfer shortly, as actors retailer or take away gadgets from upholstered chests that work equally effectively to recommend a church and a nostalgic junk room.
This all helps the taking part in to maneuver together with outstanding ease, permitting full give attention to Meredith and Johnson, who ship the kind of performing that merely appears like folks being themselves. These are two distinctive actors at peak excellence, bonding deeply with characters who bond with one another.
The very best scenes — actually joyful ones — come in the midst of “Hymn,” when Gil and Benny reminisce about ’80s and ’90s songs, connecting throughout their class divide, exhibiting off some rusty dance strikes, and opening up about their insecurities. We expertise what household and group can actually imply in these moments, an utter allowance to be oneself and be appreciated for it.
This stage of efficiency — the sheer sense of the real — turns into its personal hymn of celebration to dwell theater and group.
