Theatre & Stage reviews by SalsaChicago.com critic Al Bresloff

"Just Wanderer" (thru April 10th)Ê

Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, located on Belmont Ave. is known for some spicy and bawdy theater. Nudity is not surprising, nor is fine acting. Chicago playwright Stephen Cone's new play, "Just Wanderer" tells the story of a Chicago Police Officer who has gone to his cabin in order to sort out his life and write his memoirs. It is a stormy night, just as his life has been, but his journey into his past is interrupted by a wanderer,a mysterious young man named "Max" who despite many requests refuses to leave. The story revolves around these two and as it turns out, I cannot say a lot more , as to do so, would ruin the ending for you (and that is something I would not want to do). I will tell you that this 80 minutes (no intermission) of story has some very good moments- exciting, comic and the two actors directed by David Zak, Mark Steel as Anthony, the troubled cop and Tyler Moore as Max are near perfect for the roles. It may be safe to say, that they bring more life to this play than the words of the author. Mr. Cone has a wonderful concept, but the story telling is a bit wordy and he wastes more time than needed to get to the end. When he gets there , it happens to fast, confusing the audience. This could be a mystery that could hold the audience on the edge of their seats, trying to figure out the sub-plots, but Mr. Cone needs to rework it to keep the audience at that point. Mr. Zak and his quality performances from Messrs. Steel and Moore can't do anymore than they have done. It is now up to the writer to add the words that can make this happen.

The set design by Kurt Boetcher has the complete feel of the dirty old cabin. The Studio Theater is a very unique venue. I counted 38 seats (they had an overfilled audience) and being located at what must have been the attic of the building, was truly a cabin feel. The lighting (Jared Moore) and sound(Peter Storms) worked in perfect tandem to create the rain storm and lightning that were an important part of the story. It is always a pleasure to watch live theater- even the weakest of scripts can be made solid by good direction and fine acting. The illusion has been created and at a $20 ticket price, this is solid entertainment. "Just Wanderer" will continue through April 10th at the Bailiwick Theatre,located at 1229 West Belmont with performances as follows: Saturday at 6 p.m.\Sunday at 6 p.m./Monday at 8 p.m. and tickets can be purchased by calling 773-883-1090 or online at www.bailiwick.org.