Steadstyle Chicago
	October 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Fake One of the features of Steppenwolf Theatre is the "think pieces" they offer, plays that allow you to think and discuss what the playwright was trying to say.  In many cases, they host post production discussions so that we as an audience can learn more about what the author was saying and how the actors and director got into the play.  Their current production,"Fake," written and directed by Eric Simonson, is such a piece.  The subject matter is the "Piltdown man," supposedly the link between man and ape, a skull that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that man evolved from ape.  Or did it?  Was it real or was it a fake? "Fake" takes us on a journey of two worlds and two periods of time, 1914 and 1953 in London and Sussex.  We meet the first cast of players in 1914, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arthur Woodward, Charles Dawson, Pierre Teilard de Chardin and Rebecca Eastman.  The discussion is about the finding of the skull and what it means.  In the 1953 scenes, we discover that what appeared to be factual may not be as it appeared.  The same cast now play Katarina Meras, Jonathan Cole, Paul Moody, Doug Arnt and Henry Billings. In the early scenes, Doyle (Francis Guinan) has brought together a special group of people so that he can, in his Sherlock  Holmes mentality prove that what was discovered is indeed a hoax.  Alan Wilder is Woodward, Coburn Goss is de Chardin, Larry Yando is Dawson and  Kate Arrington is Eastman, the American writer.  In 1953, the Piltdown Man was discovered to indeed be a fake and what Simonson explores is the people and their beliefs, the tension between religion and science.  What is real may be what you want to be real, at least in your mind.  Some us of can be swayed by our religious beliefs into accepting what we think may not be real and others demand scientific proof.  Some of us truly feel that we have evolved from the ape and others fear that this may be the case, afraid that they may fall back in time to come. This is a brilliant piece that does cause one to think about the mystery of who we are and how we got there and will give you some things to think about.  We all have our own opinions and feelings and what is discovered about the Piltdown Man will give you your own thoughts and opinions for consideration.  Even though we know from history that the skull that was found was indeed not what it was purported to be, we may still have our doubts. We as humans all have our own thoughts and ideas about the past, the present, science, history and of course logic.  Test your own mind by seeing this well acted, tight production at Steppenwolf.  This is a wonderful cast of actors.  Having Wilder, Arrington, Guinan, Goss and of course Yando on one stage is a theatrical experience on its own.  Add to it a striking story on a marvelous set by Todd Rosenthal, great lighting by Joe Appelt and perfect sound and music by Barry G. Funderburg and you have a complete picture. "Fake" will continue its run through November 8, 2009 at The Steppenwolf Theatre located at 1650 N. Halsted.  Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (Sunday evening performances thru 10/18), Saturday and Sunday matinees at  3 p.m., Wednesday matinees on October 24 and November 4 at 2 p.m.  Tickets range in price from $20-$70 and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 312-335-1650 or online at www.steppenwolf.org.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.