Returning to a show that one has loved at first sight is always a tricky proposition. On second sighting, will it hold up? Or will it be a disappointment?
With the press of new openings to attend, I rarely get a chance to answer those questions; but I felt compelled to come back for another look at “Among the Thugs” because of extraordinary circumstances.
The play had enjoyed a tumultuous reception on its May 1 premiere at The Next Theatre in Evanston, but in a fluke accident in the aftermath of the opening, the young leading actor, Christian Kohn, had broken his left kneecap, and the show, a potential hit for Next, was in jeopardy.
On May 11, however, “Thugs” reopened with Kohn once again center stage, the only observable restrictions in his movement being a tendency to favor his left leg. He did not run and jump as he had before with the production’s nine-man ensemble, but having him as a still point in the mad action of this story of hooliganism among soccer fans in England was perhaps even more striking.
So, does the show hold up? Yes. Is it a disappointment? No, and in some ways, it is a richer and better experience the second time around.
It’s a rousing action show, full of vocal and physical violence, but in playwright Tom Szentgyorgyi’s adaptation of Bill Buford’s book, it’s also a thoughtful work, trying to analyze the reasons for the thuggery Buford observed.
The person in charge of delivering this analysis is Kohn, an amazing young actor who, portraying Buford, takes us through the author’s three years of trying to fathom the souls of the soccer “supporters.” A great deal of the production’s success lies in his clear, sound, ordinary guy delivery of the complex social issues with which Buford is grappling.
He speaks directly and dramatically to the point, suggesting the horror as well as the fascination that the subject had for Buford.
As important to the impact of the production are the heroic ensemble, portraying all the other roles with unrelenting energy and precision; the dynamic direction of Kate Buckley, and the lighting and sound design (by Jack Magaw and Lindsay Jones, respectively) that heightens the action in every instance.
I still love this show, not only for what it is, but for its resounding reaffirmation of what faith, dedication and talent can accomplish in a small theater.
This is a prime example of the rich treasures that the theater of poverty is capable of producing.
It is what distinguished contemporary Chicago theater in its early stages more than a quarter-century ago, and it is what continues to make Chicago theater so exciting.
“Among the Thugs” runs only through June 3, after which it must vacate its space in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center for children’s programming.
Do not miss it.
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“Among the Thugs”
When: Through June 3
Where: The Next Theatre, 927 Noyes St. in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston
Phone: 847-475-1875
