Steadstyle Chicago
	November 2009 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
	Becoming Ingrid Writing is all about passion, which is why writers are usually encouraged to write about what they know.  The very best writers are those who can express the passion they feel in words and language that jump off the page, provoke, stir and engage the imagination of the reader.  "Becoming Ingrid" introduces us to a woman with a passion for writing who seeks out her literary idol and discovers a few things about herself in the process.  Are our heroes and role models all they are cracked up to be?  Is there some magical connection or transference that happens when we are deeply touched by a book or music or play?  New York playwright Liza Lentini offers some intelligent and articulate food for thought in her World Premiere work, currently being offered by Rubicon Theatre Project at Stage Left Theatre. Christine (the very appealing Meg Harkins) is an American who has traveled with her biochemist husband Paul to cold, dark and damp Scotland so she can be close to the woman who has been called "the voice of a generation".  That voice speaks most vibrantly to Christine.  The elusive, Pulitzer nominated author Ingrid (April Taylor) has written two novels, her most recent a commercial failure.  Her publisher is anxious for her to move in a different direction, something more personal, an autobiography perhaps.  Ingrid is repelled by the idea and opts to begin teaching a small adult education class, which will count Christine as its most enthusiastic student.  Although Christine's sweetly obsessive nature might categorize her as a stalker, she explains that her intentions are purely in a "friendly research way". Very little, if anything is known about Ingrid personally.  We find that she doesn't even own copies of her two books and barely remembers reading much less writing the last.  Christine wonders if that is usual for writers.  Well, usual doesn't begin to characterize Ingrid.  As Christine attempts to learn what makes her muse tick, she learns a few lessons.  "What's not real is how you see me," Ingrid gently chides her pupil.  "Be honest, take some risks," she implores her class.  Christine envies Ingrid's solitary life, while Ingrid expresses jealousy that Christine has everything she wants.  Christine is surprised to find that someone like Ingrid could ever long for anything.  The best and worst parts of being a writer, Ingrid reveals, are being alone with your thoughts. Christine casts herself as the heroine of her own fictional tale.  She believes "Writers are the bravest creatures, like hunters and pirates they put themselves in the most audacious situations".  And since every heroine needs a good villain, we have an obnoxious fellow student and a heartless and demanding teacher.  Christine and Ingrid battle these "scary monsters" who are ultimately "confronted by the truth and slither back to the land of legend".  Ingrid teaches Christine that it is okay to fail as long as she follows and trusts her instincts.  "If it's honest, it will always be good," Ingrid says.  Her own writing comes from the pain, shame and despair of a devastating loss.  Christine discovers scattered scraps of paper with Ingrid's handwriting in a magical courtyard that she believes were torn up in the heat of passion.  Will they unlock the author's dark secrets?  Will Christine learn to unleash her own passions?   The playwright offers us a pair of female characters who are strong, assertive and believable.  The other characters tend to disappear into the sidelines and the doubling of actors in supporting roles is a bit confusing.  One also gets the sense that there is more in Christine's relationship with her husband Paul, her fear of intimacy and reluctance to be touched by him that is visited briefly but not quite fleshed out.  Whatever attraction brought Christine and Paul together in the first place seems to have flickered out before the play has even begun, leaving Christine and her love of language as the focal point.  Fortunately, the relationship between teacher and student, idol and fan and their mutual desires for creative passion and expression provide enough substance to keep us engaged. Rubicon Theatre Project presents "Becoming Ingrid" through December 5, 2009 at Stage Left Theatre, located at 3408 N. Sheffield Ave in Chicago.  The play runs 2 hours with intermission.  Performances are Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m.  There are no performances November 26 or 27, and an additional performance on November 21 at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are $20 at the door, with $10 Industry Tickets Thursdays and Sundays.  Call 773-466-1835 or visit wwww.rubicontheatreproject.org.     About Joe Stead Joe Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for the past twenty-five years.  He served as founder, producer and Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida.  Favorite productions have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap," "The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Godspell".  He has also performed leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for Waukegan Community Players.  Joe holds a degree in Commercial Art from Tampa Technical Institute.  As a critic, he has reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America.  He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers.  He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene.  Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays.  His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).