Recommended
Three suburban mothers meet to plan the removal of offensive books from the local high school in the world premiere of Adirondack Chair Circle by Chicago playwright Stephanie Alison Walker at Steppenwolf Theatre Company directed by Pam MacKinnon.
The self-righteous triumvirate gather periodically sipping hard kombucha and noshing on superbly displayed charcuterie in the backyard of their perfect hostess Banna (Katrina Lenk), founder of the local chapter of a larger movement ostensibly formed to protect children from pornographic literature being made available in school libraries.
Libby (Sadieh Rifai) is perhaps the most enthusiastic of the three, ready to sabotage their opponents by taking more extreme measures to make her point be known.
Conversely, Winona (Wendy Mateo) reveals herself to be the most open minded and flexible of the group. Finding she is short a pickleball partner for an upcoming competition she considers joining forces with Evelyn Grace (Caroline Neff), a member of the political opposition, a move that does not sit well with her fellow committee members.
Observing the events is a crow – that’s right — a talking crow humorously played by David Darrow who periodically adds further insults to previous insults. The job of Crow is to make it abundantly clear literally which side-of-the fence we are on. It’s an interesting conceit reminiscent of a Shakespearean fool, interjecting third party humor into the action that keeps this from being a dry serious debate.
The women at times voice what might be construed as valid concerns while simultaneously undermining themselves by revealing their unwillingness to consider other positions and exposing their unpopular homophobic and hypocritical ideas.
This story plays well in the confines of Steppenwolf’s traditionally liberal community smack dab in the middle of a deep blue city. But it would be curious to see how it might be received in a more scarlet part of the country. This presentation is not intended to be a “fair and balanced” discussion. Walker is clearly “preaching to the choir” while at least letting the opposition’s words be heard even if it is with the intention of making them look silly.
The action volleys back-and-forth between the Banna’s backyard Adirondack chairs and a pickleball court cleverly defined by faultlines projected on the grass and a net that emerges seamlessly from the stage floor. Kudos to scenic designer Todd Rosenthal and crew for a job very nicely done.
The subplot of pickleball is a metaphor for the intellectual competition playing out and the importance of winning.
This is a well written, nicely performed, thought provoking play that might have you considering how much control parents are entitled to have when it comes to ideas that might be considered controversial to some and how much we are willing to sacrifice for our cause. Walker only superficially argues the more liberal position, simply assuming that it is correct and the audience is with her. In the end it is unclear whether there is a clear winner.
Details: Adirondack Chair Circle is at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1646 N. Halsted Street in Chicago through December 13, 2026. Runtime is about 2 1/2 hours with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets and information visit steppenwolf.org or call the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.
Reviewer: Reno Lovison