"RAISING BLUE" at Prop Thtr
BY LUCIA MAURO
At a time of looming war – and the increasing anonymity of battle that modern military technology promotes – a play about the earliest invention of a submarine by the Confederacy during the Civil War offers stinging relevance. And Chicago playwright G. Riley Mills’ Civil War-set drama, "Raising Blue," tells a little-known yet crucial story of the dehumanizing effects of war and its endless cycle of destruction. The work is receiving its world premiere at Prop Thtr, in association with the Actors’ Center of Chicago Production Company.
Inspired by real incidents and people, "Raising Blue" tracks the development of the HL Hunley, a crude "torpedo boat" tested by Confederate soldiers as a new arm of war aimed at halting the relentless onslaught of Union forces. Although most of the men who pioneered this risky project perished, they did succeed in sinking the U.S.S. Housatonic in 1863. The cigar-shaped weapon also underwent a number of incarnations before it hit its target.
Riley Mills, who specializes in the historic-drama form (previous plays include "Sawdust & Spangles" and "Streeterville"), is naturally faced with the challenge of translating dry historical facts into compelling drama. "Raising Blue," at this stage, only half realizes its goal. In an effort to shape characters with an inherently dramatic back story, Riley Mills gets caught somewhere between a linear history play and wooden melodrama – with brief moments of touching epiphany (particularly comments on how can God be on everyone’s side during war or the disturbing paradox of brave men who gave their lives for a vision that involves future mass killing).
The playwright anchors his story in the initially idealistic Alabama soldier George Dixon, who survived the brutal battle of Shiloh due to a gold coin given to him by his fiancee, Queenie Bennett. The coin was believed to have deflected a bullet. Their romance, which frames the play, also needs to be more convincingly developed. A subplot – not unlike a silent movie with a moustache-twirling villain – revolves around the ambitious submarine funder, Horace Hunley, who is obviously in love with Queenie.
Yet this fiery conflict never gains momentum. Hunley makes Dixon – also shown to have psychological scars from Shiloh that quickly disappear after one particularly weak scene in which Dixon flings in anger a bowl of Queenie’s soup – captain of the submarine. But we’re not sure if he’s doing this so that Dixon is guaranteed a swift death and Hunley can marry Queenie or if he’s testing Dixon’s mettle. Then Hunley rashly takes command of the cigar-shaped weapon – making his confounded motives more confusing.
Director Adam Theisen emphasizes the melodramatic stage acting of that era – right down to scenic designer Eric Appleton’s gorgeously tattered theater set compete with seashell footlights illuminated with a vintage stained hue by Dustin Riedel. The cast – although they employ an eardrum-breaking earnestness while singing traditional American folk tunes – brings a staunch devotion to their characters.
Matthew Brumlow as the beleaguered Dixon and Jason Denuszek as William Alexander (whose life was saved when he was transferred from the HL Hunley project) carry the show. Denuszek gives a touching and understated performance as the play’s narrator and moral center.
Other outstanding interpretations include E. Vincent Teninty’s refreshingly non-cliched bully, Robert Brookbank; and James Wm. Joseph’s ambiguous and immovable man of the cloth, Frederick Wicks. The rest of the cast still needs to make a more viable transition from self-conscious acting to molding believable human beings with multidimensional dilemmas. Christopher Gausselin especially tends to telegraph his genteel rapscallion qualities; and Sarah McMaster’s Queenie is simply too angelic.
On that note, Riley Mills should revisit the script and pare it down to its essence: the story’s humanity and the relationships that drive this ambitious military endeavor. It’s easy, when writing a play of such historic significance, to fall into the trap of creating "types" – not unlike the war-film genre.
The playwright can still push the envelope in terms of the larger killing machine known as war. It’s best exemplified in Dixon’s comment of "This is a borrowed face," when he looks in the mirror. He is no longer human. A deeper exploration of this idea, minus the fussy "Gone with the Wind"-style earnestness, could unveil greater truths about human or, more accurately, inhumane behavior.
As it stands, "Raising Blue" enlightens audiences about an obscure yet monumental historical event – but in a way that’s better suited to a Civil War museum exhibit than the stage. Riley Mills, a playwright of great skill and promise, can infuse these figures with a more genuine life force to provocatively unveil the vital spirit war has forever proven to extinguish.•
"Raising Blue" runs through March 23 at Prop Thtr, 4225 N. Lincoln. Tickets: $18-$20. Call 773-348-7767 or log onto www.propthtr.org and www.raisingblue.com.
