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Regional Reviews: Chicago Birds of North America Also see Seth's reviews of Stereophonic and Salome and Joe's review of Little Shop of Horrors
And yet, the father, John (John Judd), can never see her as a grown-up. And the daughter, Caitlyn (Cassidy Slaughter Mason), can never quite manage to see him as a friend, in spite of her best efforts. It's a source of panoramic dismay in Ms. Slaughter Mason's performance, in a variety of ways. When she tells him her most personal story, we gasp. But he merely tut-tuts his way through it, in that bluff American way, as Caitlyn's face becomes a mask of hopelessness. The whole thing is perfectly thought out by director Kristen Fitzgerald in this A Red Orchid Theatre production, and runs about 90 minutes in the Old Town neighborhood. The play was first developed and produced in 2017 at the Boulder (Colorado) Ensemble Theater Company. And now in Chicago, composer Ethan Korvne's sound design is highly evocative, with birds seeming to flash overhead, at least in their passing cries. Like the Bible's Adam, John has the power to name each of these creatures. But he goes too far, extending it to every aspect of his daughter's own life as well, labeling and categorizing each despairing bit of plumage with great dumb-guy humor. The atmospheric/poetic set is by Morgan Laszlo in a story that spans a little over a decade in suburban Baltimore, beginning in 2014. Birds seem more real to him than the life that surrounds. And he won't catalog them in his birdwatching field book unless he can actually see them. But when it comes to taking his wife (whom we never see) on a trip to Italy, he's perfectly content to substitute store-bought pasta and pictures from the internet instead. He doesn't get lyrical about birds, but the father and daughter do lock horns over climate change. I wish there were a more broad thematic intertwining in the story, although a scene involving a bird that's fallen out of its nest seems to wind together both of their stories quite firmly. And Ms. Slaughter Mason is startling in her vulnerability throughout, using her huge crystalline eyes to dart around him, suggesting, perhaps, she's weaving a nest of watchfulness and worry around her father in spite of all his emotional density. Nevertheless, Mr. Judd has an old-school nobility in the role, in John's search for cures to diseases. It's the average man, alive within his own story. That biblical power also extends into his daughter's affairs, as he sets about trying to solve her problems with old polemics. In that sense, they switch political sides (I'm being intentionally vague here). And it's a splendid example of good structure building a modern kind of tension. In spite of his character's opaqueness, a long phone call eventually opens up deep passages and great transitions to us, within John's heart, thanks to Mr. Judd. Birds of North America is made up of a lot of great little scenes, like rare birds. And like life itself, you never know where it's really going or how it might end. The show comes up nearly to the present day, but suddenly feels like a memory piece about halfway through, when John faces a sudden loss of status. In that moment Caitlyn stands looking down at him, as if she were up at the edge of a gravesite. The feel of the play changes with that new perspective, turning subtly sentimental. Otherwise, Birds of North America is charged with Caitlyn's moving desires, in spite of frequent let-downs, and John's stubbornness toward life in general. And, like any great stage piece, we finally realize there's no better place to be than right here, even as the pair's multi-lensed reality begins to fall apart. Yes, both actors appear "owlish" from time to time, even without binoculars: Ms. Slaughter Mason appalled to varying degrees, in her parents' empty nest, in ways that are weirdly nightmarish, and eternally funny; and Mr. Judd filled with a remorseless piercing clarity. Dramatic intent, like owl's wings, sweeps in and scoops us up. Birds of North America runs through February 22, 2026, at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street, Chicago IL. For tickets and information, please visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Cast: Production Staff: * Denotes Member, Actor's Equity Association ** Denotes Ensemble Member of A Red Orchid Theatre |
