Review: THADDEUS AND SLOCUM an Act For the Ages

Lookingglass Theatre always brings thought-provoking, visually entertaining work to its stage, and its latest production -- the world premiere of THADDEUS AND SLOCUM: A VAUDEVILLE ADVENTURE -- fits that bill, for the most part.

Lookingglass ensemble member Kevin Douglas wrote a play in which the subject matter -- racial equality -- is as relevant today as it was a century ago. In THADDEUS AND SLOCUM, the year is 1908, and Vaudeville is thriving in Chicago (as are the Cubs!), where the comedy duo act of "Thaddeus and Slocum" is desperately trying to get on the bill at the Majestic Theatre, where only one "colored" act is allowed to perform. Slocum is white, Thaddeus is black, and the Majestic already has a colored act.

Slocum (Samuel Taylor) comes up with a plan he thinks will get them the exposure they crave: They'll do the act in blackface and will make sure to enter and exit the theater in full makeup so no one will be the wiser. This doesn't sit well with Thaddeus (Travis Turner), but he agrees to it as a means to an end. And Thaddeus and Slocum aren't the only ones with secrets. The Majestic's star singer, Isabella ("Chicago Fire's" Monica Raymund in fine voice), is black, passing for white. Douglas is posing the question: How far is one willing to go to make it in show business?

The poignant relationship between the title characters is at the heart of the story. Thaddeus and Slocum are best friends since childhood, when Slocum's Vaudevillian father taught them everything he knew about entertaining an audience. They are essentially brothers -- affectionately "Slo" and "Thaddy" to each other -- and issues of race that were likely shielded from them as children start to bubble up in young adulthood, as do issues of love, responsibility and betrayal, all of which test their bond.

The first act is highly entertaining, illustrating what Lookingglass does best: physically impressive acrobatics married with thoughtful subject matter in a carefully crafted stage setup.

Interspersed throughout the more serious themes are the varying types of acts on the Vaudeville circuit: singing, dancing, comedy, burlesque, animals, acrobatics, etc. Some of the ensemble doubles up, portraying behind-the-scenes characters and then onstage performers. (Poor Raymond Fox had a hard time keeping his fake mustache on opening night, no doubt because he had to keep taking it on and off between characters.)

Collette Pollard's set design is perfect, down to the cabaret seating around the stage that requires a bit of interaction from actual audience members. The lighting (Christine A. Binder), costumes (Samantha Jones) and choreography (Katie Spelman, Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and Ryan Bourque) are top-notch as well.

The second act doesn't build on all that mastery, though, and the abrupt ending leaves it all a bit empty. Douglas deserves kudos for exploring the big, tricky issues of race, even if they're not thoroughly fleshed out. In a country where one day thousands show up to peacefully mourn the death of an iconic black American Muslim athlete and the very next day a hate-filled armed terrorist storms a nightclub and kills 50 people ... clearly stories like THADDEUS AND SLOCUM are relevant reminders of how far we've come and how much more needs to be done.

THADDEUS AND SLOCUM: A VAUDEVILLE ADVENTURE, through Aug. 14, at Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave. Tickets are $40-$75; cabaret pit seats $20 for patrons under 35. Call (312) 33700665; lookingglasstheatre.org.

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