Skyler Tipton and Orion Lay-Sleeper. Photos by Steven Townshend (Distant Era)
Highly Recommended
In “Changing Channels” at City Lit Theater, Maggie Carlin and boss Eddie Gilroy abruptly learn that creating what will become an iconic TV comedy show is not all fun and games.
The storyline is a fictional account of actual events and the characters are thinly veiled portrayals of real people.
The character of Eddie Gilroy is Jackie Gleason, a representation of one of the early giants of television. The creator of the popular syndicated situation comedy “The Honeymooners,” Gleason is played by Orion Lay-Sleeper with a perfect balance of requisite broad humor, bombastic personality and all-important charm.
The massive popularity of Gleason, and by extension Gilroy, is the ability to play a loud and at times obnoxious character, and still keep him likeable.
Underneath his rough exterior, Gleason was a sensitive and wounded person, giving him the ability to play wonderfully dramatic roles and portray characters like his alter ego “The Lost Soul” a perpetual outsider only able to observe life but never joining in.
Gleason was a softie and Lay-Sleeper did his homework, allowing him to tap into that dichotomy necessary to deliver to us a full three-dimensional interpretation of Gilroy.
The first appearance of “The Honeymooners” was as a series of short, ten-to-twenty-minute, comedy sketches on Gleason’s variety show.
Gleason’s on camera wife, Alice Cramden, was played by Audrey Meadows. However, what many people do not know or have forgotten is that Alice was originally played on the DuMont Network by Pert Kelton who is the basis for this version’s Maggie Carlin played by Kat Evans.
Feeling the need for an actress who could stand up to him, Gleason liked to spar with Kelton who played a more aggressive and caustic Alice that was different from the later, more well known, stern but warm, preson portrayal by Meadows. Consequently, Evans gives us a more outspoken Carlin with a bit more Brooklyn attitude and fiery independence.
It is perhaps this attitude that sets in motion the central event of this play clearly and convincingly crafted by John Reeger.
The premise is simple. Currently appearing on the fledgling DuMont TV network, Gilroy has an offer to move his wildly popular show to CBS. However, his manager, “Bullets” played by Johnny Moran, informs him that CBS is requiring all of its employees to sign a loyalty oath.
Due in large part to the “Cold War” the nation is in the midst of a “Red Scare.” Certain politicians and right wing organizations are terrified that the movie industry and now television are being infiltrated by communists bent on utilizing this new media to promote their propaganda to the American public.
Kenny (Andrew Pappas) in Citi Lit’s “Changing Channels.”
A list of actors, directors, and writers suspected to be commie sympathizers has been distributed to broadcasters and sponsors with the threat to boycott their companies if any of the listed people are hired.
In order to move the show to CBS everyone must sign the loyalty oath whether they are listed or not. As it turns out, Carlin and husband Peter (Skyler Tipton), are on the list because they attended a rally in support of labor unions. As a matter of principle Carlin refuses to sign, setting up the conflict in the storyline.
As it turns out, in reality, we know Kelton did not go on to make the more popular version of the “Honeymooners.” In fact, she basically did not get any really good acting opportunities for about 15 years until she created the role of the widow Peroo, Marian’s mother, in the Broadway version of “The Music Man” which she went on to play in the movie.
The character of Kenny (Andrew Pappas) is a stagehand who overhears much of what is happening. As part of the staff he will have to make some choices of his own. He is us.
Reeger gives the character of Kenny a chance to express his own dreams of success to Peter. It’s a juicy short monologue which Pappas literally “knocks out of the park.”
“Changing Channels” is not so much about what happened or even how it happened but rather, that it happened at all. That is the cautionary tale.
In our current political climate playwright Reeger is asking us to learn from the past, to see the danger in political paranoia, ideology run amok and social divisiveness–to witness how this plays out on the micro level–how, political mass hysteria effects actual people living their own day-to-day lives and to see how those who simply standby and observe are complicit in the conspiracy.
City Lit does a nice job of offering thought provoking entertainment with a good balance of humor and drama, and this particular ensemble headed by director Kevin Theis was terrific.
“Changing Channels” is presented by City Lit Theater Company at 1020 W Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL 60660 (on the second floor of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church). Runtime is about 2 hours with one intermission. Visit citylit.org for tickets and information.
Reviewer: Reno Lovison
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