Citadel Theatre: I And You REVIEW
Amia Korman and Jay Westbrook
Citadel Theatre Presents I AND YOU Review - The Universe Works in Mysterious Ways
TLDR: Two teenagers, one homebound with a chronic illness and the other a star athlete and student, work together on a Walt Whitman poetry project and find an unexpected connection. I And You explores many different pop culture and literary references and builds an unlikely relationship between the two characters that develops into a bigger message.
Amia Korman and Jay Westbrook
Citadel Is Stuck At Home
Caroline never leaves their room. Played by Amia Korman, they feel safest when they’re surrounded by their comforts and connected to the world via the internet. But Caroline has a good reason. They have a liver condition that has them always thinking about dying and tries to be nonchalant about it with sarcasm and black humor.
Looking around their room, we can tell purple is their favorite color. It has all the marks of a teenager with remnant Lisa Frank stickers, an eclectic collection of wall decor from posters, to records, to pictures of their cat, and messiness with clothes strewn around the floor.
Enter Anthony, played by Jay Westbrook. A smart student, star basketball player, and popular at school. He volunteered to be Caroline’s partner for their lit project on Walt Whitman and he desperately needs help making the poster board more artistic.
After almost throwing a hairbrush at Anthony, Caroline begrudgingly agrees and so begins their journey together.
On a Time Crunch
It feels like we’re running out of time. Jay Westbrook as Anthony presses Caroline to finish their project that’s due tomorrow. They have to work through the night to get it done, but Westbrook shows Jay has what it takes to break through Caroline’s shell. Amia Korman embraces Caroline’s sardonic humor but lightens it with glimmers of hope for the future.
They go from just pulling out the glitter and fixing the poster to discussing everything under the sun. They dance around each other, throwing fast paced dialogue back and forth trying to figure each other out. Anthony asks about Caroline and draws parallels between Caroline and Whitman himself as they both focus on the minutiae of life. Caroline, skeptical of Anthony, asks questions back. Does he have a favorite sport? What music does he like?
They share their hopes and dreams for the future, maybe visiting New York, maybe becoming a photographer. They listen to a jazz staple by Coltrane. Slowly, they grow from strangers, to friends, to perhaps more in the most unexpected way.
Amia Korman and Jay Westbrook
The After Party Thoughts
I’m torn on how I feel about this show. On the one hand, I love the premise of a cute teenage love story and building to a message that says remember to live. On the other hand, I felt getting to the message was muddled.
I didn’t quite get the emotional build from the start to end because, to me, the script itself meanders with too much teenage-ness. Looking back I can pull out the big impact points that should lead up to the big, grand point at the end. But the tone and dialogue delivery felt very one note the whole way so we couldn’t distinguish the poignant moments to see the throughline that leads to that ultimate message. But Korman and Westbrook were believable as two teenagers that slowly connected on a deeper level in their own awkward way.
So my recommendation would be, if you’re not a fan of shows that are mostly dialogue that you need to sift through, this might not be the show for you. However, if you like cute love stories with a bigger meaning, go see I And You. Try to focus on the bigger picture and not get lost in the teenage stream of consciousness. Or maybe see it twice and on the second rewatch, you’ll see how it was all leading up to that end and maybe it’ll feel more connected to you.
RECOMMENDED
Jay Westbrook
When
Now through March 23, 2025
Where
Citadel Theatre at Lake Forest School District
300 S. Waukegan Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
Runtime: 90 minutes, no intermission
Tickets
$45+
Tickets can be purchased through the Citadel Theatre website or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
Photos
North Shore Camera Club
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre In Chicago
Amia Korman and Jay Westbrook
CAST
Amia Korman (Caroline)
Jay Westbrook (Anthony)
Arya Halbleib (Understudy)
Gino J. Hernandez (Understudy)
CREATIVE
Lauren Gunderson (Playwright)
Scott Shallenbarger (Director)
David Solotke (Set Designer)
Danielle Reinhardt (Costume Designer)
Jodi Williams (Lighting Designer)
Maya Reter (Sound Designer)
Sheryl Williams (Intimacy Designer)
MJ Dougherty (Props Designer)
Bob Knuth (Technical Director)
Ben Ballmer (Assistant Director/Run Crew)
Scott and Ellen Phelps (Production Managers)
Abby Truett (Stage Manager)