MONSTERS II–VISITING HOURS
“Monsters II–Visiting Hours” is an ambitious cabaret-style revue of songs, sketches, and monologues that examine the monsters inside us. Showcasing the works of nine Chicago playwrights, it’s an eclectic mix of styles and moods reminiscent of one of those CD samplers put out to promote new releases. Maybe not everything on the CD is to your taste, and you wonder how Weird Al Yankovic and Meat Loaf found their way onto the same album, but you wind up thinking the whole thing is pretty cool.
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The offerings fall into three basic categories: clever and entertaining successes, intelligent and worthwhile near misses, and derivative shrugs. The acting and direction are generally excellent.
S.L. Daniels’s Come Home With Me is a well-drawn character study of a Clark-and-Belmont Dunkin’-Donuts-style metalhead who reveals her inner pain and loneliness to us with a directness that’s as realistic and horrifying as the removal of bandages. Another excellent performance here, this time from the quirkily charismatic Cecilie Keenan.
