Though Lolita Chakrabarti’s play Hymn, now onstage at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is bookended by two funerals, it’s bursting with so much life that it left me hungry to see more theater exploring brotherly joy, Gen X joy, and Black joy.
Originally set in London and now updated to Chicago’s South Side (the story is truly universal), Hymn explores the relationship between two brothers from another mother, born six days apart, who meet each other in their 50s and become fast friends.
James Vincent Meredith is Gil, the youngest (he thought) child of a large family run by a tough immigrant patriarch at whose funeral he meets Benny (Chiké Johnson), the product of dad’s long-hidden affair.
Under the energetic direction of Ron OJ Parson, the men forge a delightful, playful, soulful and loving bond made all the more believable by the palpable chemistry between these two fine actors.
When they pulled out 80s gear and a karaoke machine to bust some choice moves complete with Hammer pants, sequined jackets, light-up glasses and even a codpiece, I grinned and thought, finally a play that genuinely plugs into the Gen X spirit in all its multifaceted moods. That led to a pleasant state of saudade, which may be our generation’s signature emotion.
I found myself longing for this story to follow Gil and Benny through a deepening, richly rewarding friendship lasting for decades. But such is not the stuff of drama, alas.
When the worm inevitably turns for these two, we get an insightful meditation on what it means to be overshadowed by sibling successes, navigating parental failings that leave deep scars, and finding the connection you thought you needed only to discover it might not be the piece that completes the jigsaw puzzle of your life.
In other words, the play packs a lot into its intermissionless 100-minute run time, but it never feels overstuffed. In fact, I wish I’d had even more time with these brothers and this deeply affecting play.
Hymn runs through May 25 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Vashon Jordan Jr.
