Stories that crouch down and sniff out the human element behind some of our most contentious issues always seem to bring the most satisfaction. That’s certainly true of The Smuggler, Jackalope Theatre Company’s tiny new powerhouse of a play about what it takes to corner the American Dream. As we learn while listening to Tim Finnegan (Andrew Burden Swanson), that formula doesn’t really change much if you’re American by birth, or, if you’re like him, happen to be an immigrant. It’s how he arrives at that conclusion, along with Swanson’s incomparable performance, that makes The Smuggler so captivating.
Billed as a “thriller in rhyme”, the rhyme is ever-present and lustrous. A thriller is something this luminous one-man play would build to and become. First, we’re introduced to, and are soon engrossed by, a smart well-meaning guy who hails from Ireland with dreams of becoming a novelist. Conditioned to have a narrow concept of who an immigrant is, he’s doesn’t fit the preset profile of our expectations. Entering the country at the bottom though means his goals and aspirations are no different than someone coming from South America or North Africa. They’re all looking for genuine opportunities and a better life. The American Dream. But before anyone can start chasing dreams, they must find a way to survive.
Because he’s married, has a two-year old son and is harried by in-laws who don’t mind sharing their thoughts on his life choices, Tim feels the pressure to shelve his most personal dream and choose prosperity. Tending bar in a tony little New England town to make ends meet, while living in a shack and writing when he can isn’t placating his wife, her family, or providing a future for his son.
By the time he reaches this inflection point, we’ve met many of the people who make up the nucleus of his life. We sense the depth of importance they feel for one another and have an organic understanding of what drives them. To keep whatever we’ve attained in life, or to reach another rung up, the same forces push many us and we can empathize with Tim and the people around him who’re so compelled to strive. The authenticity of their interactions stands as a marvel of the play and highlights one of The Smugglers chief fascinations. As a single person performance, Swanson inhabits and becomes all of the other characters. By altering the timbre of his voice, adjusting its pitch and cadence, modulating its speed, lowering it to the equivalent of a Godfather growl; and even changing his accent from contemporary Irish to cultured and urbane Spanish, he nimbly makes the stage teem with life. Stellar acting, undoubtedly. But Swanson’s achievement can also be attributed to other potent influences. As dialect coach, Sammi Grant helped give substance to that retinue of other personalities. Gus Menary’s splendid direction brought out their nuance and individuality. His contributions also gave the play its dynamic flow and assured momentum.
Tim’s new gig brings him into contact with people who, like him, are immigrants. But unlike him, they’re undocumented and exist in an unseen layer of life where exploitation and self-sufficiency are the closest of kin. His proximity to their plight gives him a clearer view of their vulnerability and allows him to see something he hadn’t consciously been looking for, an opportunity. One that is abhorrent, dangerous and potentially fateful. But the payoff would be considerable; a down payment for a house.
That decision to prey on the voiceless doesn’t come without guilt and self-recrimination. He even confesses his misdeed. The abundance of pragmatism that tempers his essential decency still leaves him compromised. Success once becomes a siren call to try again. It’s that second attempt that turns The Smuggler in a full throttle thriller. As malevolent as anything you’d find in the Aliens franchise, the monstrous rat Tim encounters and battles during his second heist attempt is only a harbinger of the perils to come. It also points to how dramatically he’s evolved and would continue to harden as the consequences of his decisions and actions take form.
Intricate, surprising, sometimes truly stunning, playwright Ronán Noone’s finely crafted story of how one man achieves what everyone desires is a mirror of who we are. When Tim says “family, God and country”, you understand his reasoning behind the order. Like his protagonist, Noone experienced a close encounter with someone who had been trafficked. Revelations from that friendship inspired The Smuggler and the way it bravely and honestly exposes the moral cost of complacency and inertia.
Ryan Emens spare but handsome set made an ideal backdrop to a journey of cryptic self-discovery. Michael Huey’s sound design added audio nuance that brought dimension and rich textures of suspense. The Smuggler brings the world we live in into clearer focus and deepens our understanding of people. That it does it so well makes it both hugely commendable and remarkable.
The Smuggler
Through March 16
Jackalope Theatre Company
Tickets: $15 – $25
6205 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL
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