"Desire Under the Elms," at the Goodman Theater on 2/24/09 in Chicago, IL

This is, by far, the most successful production of "Desire Under the Elms," I've ever seen. A number of years ago I saw the Court Theatre's production with a mixed cast that created an additional layer of meaning to the text that I liked very much. For me, though, there is always a nagging issue with the productions I've seen: I never believe the attraction of the new wife and the son. Without buying into that passion, it is impossible to connect emotionally to the tragedy in the play.

There is much to like about this production: the barrenness of the landscape as conveyed by the boulders on stage, the house that is taken apart and put back together in various ways, the strong acting across the board, etc. Bob Falls has taken care of the problem of conveying the sexual excitement of the couple by invoking the audience's sexual excitement. The son is shown undressing slowly and he lingers naked while getting in his bath. Similarly, the new wife lingers as she undresses for bed. On one level, we get to watch them peek at each other naked. At the same time, we get to see that nudity and it moves us. Thus, we can easily buy into their passion. This is accomplished largely by the way Falls uses their nudity. Of course, it's also only possible because they really are fine actors.

I won't go into it but I will say that this is a production with a concept. Sometimes concepts serve as a distraction. In this case, the concept is in accord with the play's themes and makes them clearer. In a way, this play ends as it begins, with men pulling big pieces of rock in a quarry. the opening image conveys something about the place we'll be seeing during the play. At the end, it's a description of the character's life and leaves us with a powerful, and moving, closing image.