Edge Of The Wood Theatre: The Language Archives
The cast of The Language Archives
Edge of The Wood Theatre Presents THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVES - Finding The Need To Cry
TLDR: As George and Mary’s marriage suddenly ends abruptly, it causes a ripple effect and in The Language Archives we see how different relationships change and can be created. An intimate show that explores relationship dynamics and why is it so hard to say what we feel in our own language, but maybe easier in another.
Stephen Loch as George and Bethany Weise as Mary
A wife and husband…
A boss and employee…
Two strangers at a train station…
What do these people have in common? Do they mean anything to each other? How are their relationships different? In The Language Archives, we dive into the power of words and how they can change not only our own lives, but others we have relationships with as well.
Let’s Travel Down to Archives at Edge of The Wood
As we descend the steps of the Edgebrook Community Church, it feels like an apt setting for a show called The Language Archives. We descend down into what feels like a library or research center’s basement where all the file cabinets are stored with old books, records, and other forgotten materials. Light brown wooden file cabinets flank the stage, waiting to be opened and shuffled through.
The seats sit close to the stage so we can tell we’re going to be up close and intimate with the actors. A squishy, red armchair sits off to the left with a side table stacked with books sitting next to it. Off the right, another scene sits in front of another cabinet with a long wooden table, chairs, laptop, and microphone waiting to be used.
The file cabinets remain and become our frame for all the scenes. The set designer, Natasza Naczas, keeps the design simple – the chair for the living room, sound made by a wooden train whistle for a train station, and a rolling bed popping in briefly for a visit to the hospital. We move easily from one place to another, leaving us free to focus on the relationships building in front of us.
Stephen Loch as George, Amelia Bell as Emma, Jeff Broitman as Resten, and Ellen Shaw
Everyday People Feel Like We Know Them
George, played by Stephen Loch, is finding notes everywhere. In his book, in his pockets, even in his coffee mug. He asks his wife, Mary, played by Bethany Weise, if she knows where they’re coming from. Weise comes back on stage after George calls to her after each note, she’s in the middle of laundry, washing the dishes, or dusting, and claims she doesn’t know anything about the note. Then it comes to a head and Mary announces she’s leaving him. Feeling like he’s in a tailspin, Loch as George looks lost and disheveled showing up to work as a language archivist the next day. He drinks himself into a collapse on the floor after ruminating on these notes.
He sits down to interview an older couple, some of the last speakers of Eloway, soon to be a lost language. Resten and Alta, played by Jeff Broitman and Ellen Shaw, sit down silently and cautiously. Oh, perhaps they are shy and timid in this new and strange place, we think to ourselves watching them. Then with a little prompting the two burst out into a full-fledged bickering argument about who got the window seat on the plane. As we learn more about this couple,Broitman and Shaw charm us with their history and love story leaving us with a glimmer of hope for the future.
Mary stands at the train station along with a lone gentleman. Weise twists her wedding ring around her finger before she bursts into a bout of laughter as an emotional release. This man, Baker (played by the understudy R. Scott Purdy for the production I attended) holds a small box, looks a little lost, and asks for the time. The two chat back and forth and find commonality that they’ve both just experienced a tragic, life changing event. The two leave the train station together and decide to share a lunch together.
All the characters learn a little bit about themselves as they grow with all their relationships around them.
Jeff Broitman as Resten and Ellen Shaw as Alta
The After Party Thoughts
The biggest selling point of The Language Archives for me was how the actors brought their characters to life. The overall premise of the show felt a little tired. A man has trouble expressing his emotions and letting his wife know how he feels about her. Then *shocked face* she ends up wanting a divorce and he has to learn how to emotionally grow. That being said, the actors did bring the story to life and make us feel like these were real people in front of us. We feel George’s emotional release, the flicker of hope between Mary and Baker, and the love between Resten and Alta.
So for those that are looking for a more action-packed play, you might feel like sitting this one out. But if you’re a fan of small, intimate shows that explore human relationships and feelings, The Language Archives would be a good fit for you.
RECOMMENDED
When
November 8-23, 2024
Where
Edgebrook Community Church
6736 N Loleta Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646
Run Time: 2:15, including a 15min intermission
Tickets
$14+
Tickets can be purchased through the Edge of the Wood website
Photos
Stacy Lind
CAST
Rusty Allen, he/him: Conductor, George u/s
Amelia Bell*, she/her: Emma
Jeff Broitman, he/him: Resten
Stephen Loch*, he/him: George
R. Scott Purdy*, he/him: Zamenhof, Baker u/s
Ellen Shaw, she/her: Alta
Lisa Stran, she/her: Instructor, Emma u/s
Bethany Weise, she/her: Mary
Fred Wellisch, he/him: Baker, Zamenhof u/s
Hanna Beth Mitchell, she/her: Mary u/s
Jeanann Power*, she/her: Instructor u/s
Janet Rourke*, she/her: Alta u/s
Chris Toft*, he/him: Resten u/s
CREATIVE
Playwright: Julia Cho
Director: Stacey Lind*
Scenic Designer: Natasza Naczas*
Costume Designer: Elizabeth Niemczyk*
Lighting Designer: Finley Wedge
Sound Designer/Composer: Tim Kwasny*
Intimacy Director: Courtney Abbott
Stage Manager: Angel Page Smigielski