Steadstyle Chicago
	October 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	The Mercy Seat The date is September 12, 2001 as we visit a loft apartment in New York City and meet Ben and Abby who from their window can look at what is remaining of the Twin Towers and see the scrambling on the streets below.  Ben was supposed to be in one of the towers at his desk, but instead on the morning of September 11th stopped off at Abby's, his supervisor who worked in a different location, for a quickie.  Ben is married with children and at this time they have no idea that he is not among the missing or dead.  His phone rings, but he doesn't answer.  Over the course of the last twenty four hours they have been contemplating using the current event as a way to end the lies and take this opportunity to let Ben be dead so they can slip away and start a new life together. Written by Neil LaBute, "The Mercy Seat" now in its Midwest Premiere at Profiles Theatre (evidently LaBute's favorite Chicago company) is a story that gets into a relationship with great depth.  Here we have two lovers, Ben (a solid portrayal by Darrell W. Cox) and Abby (a powerful performance by Cheryl Graeff) who for three years have been involved with each other.  Abby is older and has no family; Ben is married and has children.  Abby has been after Ben to make that special call and tell his wife that he no longer loves her and wants to be with her and Ben has promised to make the call.  In fact, he had told her on 9/11 that he would.  Then came the tragedy and Ben saw this as an opportunity to escape without ever facing the truth; without ever having to tell his wife and kids that he wanted out.  The question remains as to if he really wanted out, or if he told Abby he would make the call to placate her. In this ninety minute character study directed by Joe Jahraus we are given a lot of information about these two characters and how their relationship started and what they think and feel about each other.  There are issues of trust and honesty that are dealt with as each of them search for some sign from the other that this is more than just an office affair.  Ben's idea seems like it is the perfect escape, but is it?  Can a man who has been unable to face the truth with his family walk away from his children?  Can a woman who has worked her way up the career ladder give up her seniority to start a new life somewhere else, for love?  These are some of the questions posed by LaBute and in answering these questions he takes us on a bit of a roller coaster ride and not until the very end do we learn the fate of these two wonderful and somewhat real characters.  Cox, as always underplays his character and in doing so makes Ben very real.  Graeff also makes Abby a very real character and someone you might work for or live near and the two of them together have some chemistry allowing this powerful story to work. Profiles Theatre located at 4147 N. Broadway is a very intimate theater with the stage set in the middle of what was a store at one time and seating on two sides.  The stage area is small and hard to build a set for, yet Sotirios Livaditis has done a solid job in creating an apartment feeling with lots of window space allowing us to feel that all we need to do is peer out and see the events for ourselves.  Being on Broadway, there were many sounds of sirens outside which were real but seemed to fit the story in just the right places and the sounds and special music by Stephanie Sherline added to make it all complete.  "The Mercy Seat" is a story that will chill you at times and certainly will give you something to discuss.  Could this really happen?  Could someone truly try to make an opportunity out of a tragic event?   I found that LaBute's handling of this material was thought provoking.  He is indeed one of the more powerful playwrights in today's theater scene. "The Mercy Seat" will continue through December 13, 2009 at Profiles Theatre.  Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m.  Tickets are $30 on Thursday and $35 for Friday,Saturday and Sunday.  They can be purchased by calling 773-549-1815 or online at www.profilestheatre.org.  Parking is available at 4100 N. Clarendon for $10 or $11 depending on day, but the CTA stops right at the door on Broadway.   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.