ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues
at Raven Theatre
Presented by The Outer Loop Theater Experience
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Written by Kathleen Kerrigan Duff & Michael Herman
Directed by Michael Herman, Aviva Katz, & Kate Mullis
REVIEW
By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara
In a season packed with a plethora of holiday performances, I was finally able to catch 13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues last night. They only have one remaining Chicago performance, at 3pm this Sunday, but this gutting yet gorgeous celebration of life and loss deserves look, and a remount.
13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues is extraordinary in it's very ordinariness. Deaths due to drunk driving are shockingly common, yet everyone's grief is unique and soul crushing. It's especially tragic when the loved one is young, and the death is an accident; a cruel and senseless hit and run, at age 30.
I thought it was ingenious to have this specific mother's loss portrayed by multiple mothers/ races/ languages to emphasize how interconnected we all are, and how universal loss and grief is. Drunk driving sobering statistics are effectively projected on the walls at several points, coupled with a narrator voice over to drive home the horror. The narrator also announced each flashback memory, cleverly tied in with the production's namesake, 13 Suits, given away to a thrift store after a young man's untimely death.
The production employs simple, yet effective casting and staging, with surprise actors initially scattered throughout audience, and staging that breaks down the 4th wall. We all even share chocolate chip cookies together, as a tender and tasty communion. This intimate staging, interaction with the audience, and proximity increases empathy, and the audience's connection to the loss. I'm reminded of a friend of mine who tragically lost her college age son. Kim has pivoted her grief into philanthropy in his name, as well as a regular series: Let's eat cookies and talk about death.
13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues deals with the weighty, uncomfortable subject of loss, grief, and our own mortality, and that's all the more reason to see it. This piece is a beautiful personal and universal exploration of grief. Through one mother's monologues and memories, we are able to at once celebrate and immortalize on stage, seminal moments in a young life cut short. And we also are silent witnesses to the permanent, gaping hole this loss and injustice has left in the lives of this young man's mother, sister, family, and friend group. This lovely ode to a life cut short takes the audience back to this man's high school years all the way up through 5 years after his passing. We're even shown the cruel irony of his $500 fantasy football league win, the comes months after his death, as life and his passions go on without him.
Grief also runs on a non linear time line, and pops up to ravage survivors, in the small moments as much as the large. Few things are more gut wrenching to think about than losing a child, even an adult one. Our children are meant to outlive us. To add insult to fatal injury, this death, like this run, occurred right before Christmas. The cruel timing ruins Christmas for years for this man's family and friends, as the memories of this horrible, unexpected loss supplanted a season of joy and family togetherness with pain.
We are privy to his life stories, sometimes funny, and entirely relatable. This recounting of kind deeds, high points, and low, in an utterly ordinary life, attest to and celebrate his character, and makes the loss of this young man's life all the more personal and jarring.
This insightful and powerful production walks us through a deep dive on loss, and how much we take for granted, when a simple twist of fate could end any of our live without notice. There are deep truths in this mother's musings. The death of her child not only ended his life but removed all chance of future memories and future generations. I was struck, too by the injustice of it all. The drunk driver who killed him was eventually just given a misdemeanor, slap on the wrist and no prison time. This lack of consequences for such a devastating loss for this family and friends is a frustrating devaluing of life. Even the guilty woman's insurance payout to the family for his death feels like a payoff, a slap in the face, and an entirely insufficient, insulting exchange for his loss of life.
This seismic shift in the lives of family and friends after a tragic loss, is conducive to seeing in community, so live theatre is the perfect vehicle for this type of storytelling. And this subject is well worth seeing, discussing, and internalizing. Recommended.
We'll be keeping an eye out for The Outer Loop's next offering, in community with Raven Theatre.
Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).
Based on actual events, 13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues is a documentary theatrical experience, initially crafted from a mother’s reflections after losing her son. In a Laramie Project meets Vagina Monologues-style event, this immersive play also draws on dozens of personal accounts and stories, as well as powerful statistics, to help weave a timely and poignant cautionary tale… one of grief, loss, and healing, in the wake of seemingly insurmountable tragedy.
November 30 - December 5 - Previews
December 6 - December 22 – Performances
The show runs approximately 90 minutes. No intermission. Click HERE for tickets.
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Up Next:
Talk Hard: Chicago
For the first time since 2016, Talk Hard is back live and in person. A new-work salon for playwrights, actors, directors, poets, musicians, singers, DJs, painters, writers, dancers, comedians, filmmakers, and all creatives, to get a peek at what others are making, build community, and show off any new piece they're working on in front of a supportive audience.
Talk Hard Chicago, presented by The Outer Loop, in community with Raven Theatre
This event will take place on the first Monday of every month. Upcoming Dates: Jan 6th, Feb 3rd, Mar 3rd, Apr 7th, May 5th, Jun 2nd
January 6, 2025 (monthly) - Raven Theatre - chicago, Il
