Steadstyle Chicago
	June 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Looking for a Ticket Broker? Check out the hottest broadway tickets from Gotickets.com Relatively Close Critical Evaluation: **** out of **** Wendi Weber, Laura T. Fisher, Daniel Cantor, Dexter Zollicoffer, Penny Slusher, and Usman Ally are featured in James Sherman's comedy "Relatively Close," at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater.  Photos by Liz Lauren. How lucky are we in Chicago to be able to see the works of James Sherman and the partnership he has with Victory Gardens.  His latest play, " Relatively Close" is his 12th premiere with this company and by far his funniest work, very Neil Simon-ish.  It is a close look at a very dysfunctional family that almost everyone will be able to identify with.  The story is about three sisters from Chicago who return to the family Summer home in Union Pier Michigan.  This is the home where they spent their youth and now, since both parents are gone, they are returning to clean it and decide what to do with it.  One sister wants to sell it, another keep it so it remains in the family, and the third would like to make it into an art colony/school.  Each of the sisters has arrived with her spouse, one with a troubled teenage son and as we learn about each of the characters we wonder just how they can make it through this family week reunion. Directed by Artistic Director Dennis Zacek with a cast that is sheer perfection, this two hour 10 minute play is filled with laughs from start to finish.  There are moments where we get into their minds and souls, but for the better part of the play the audience cannot help but laugh out loud.  The three sisters are played by Penny Slusher (as Jan, the eldest, a Realtor and politician), Laura T. Fisher (Beth, the middle child, a librarian on her fifth husband), and Wendi Weber (Marlene, the baby, who has some shyness problems).  All three are delightful to watch on stage, but there is no question that Marlene is the best of the roles and Ms. Weber, in her VG debut, is a stitch.  She may be the "shy" one, but when she comes out of her shell, she comes out! The husbands are played by Usman Ally (Yusef, Jan's Persian Husband, very successful), Daniel Cantor (Ron, Marlene's assistant D.A. husband) and Dexter Zollicoffer (Arthur, Beth's latest husband).  All three are strong actors with just the right comic touch.  Mr. Zollicoffer's timing is about as perfect as one could hope for.  The final player is Beth's son, Dylan, a marvelous look at a depressed teen on his fifth father by newcomer David Gonzalez.  While his character starts off just surly, he becomes more important from the end of Act One through the play's end.  This is a solid ensemble doing a true ensemble piece.  This production is one that truly shows what theater is all about.  We are looking in through the fourth wall and this could be any family of any ethnicity.  In this case, the sisters are Jewish, one husband is as well and besides the Persian, we also have an African American, so there are lots of ethnic jokes mixed in, but nothing in bad taste at all.  If you like humor, this will take away any trouble on your mind, and I am pretty sure you will see some of the people in your life in this story. The set by John C. Stark is quite realistic and very close to some of the summer homes I have seen in Union Pier (we were just there over the Father's Day weekend).  The rooms were very detailed and each was named: the Gold Room, The Green Rook, The Blue Room, The Brown Room etc.  Julie Mack's lighting helped to make it even more realistic.  Andre Pluess handles the sound and Christine Pascual's costumes add the finishing touches.  If you are limited in the amount of theater you can see this summer, and can only do one this should be at the top of your list! "Relatively Close" will run through July 13, 2008 at The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.  Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 5 and 8:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.  Additional matinees on Wednesday July 2nd and 9th at 2 p.m.  There will be no evening performances July 1, 2 or 4.  Tickets range from $20-$45 and are available at the box office, by phone at 773-871-3000 or online at www.VictoryGardens.org.  You can also find some special events here, and I mean special!  20 seats at $20 for each performance, subject to availability on same day of performances.   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 EpochTimes.  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.