As directed by Ronnie Marmo, the Will Kern play uncovers the diverse wanting lurking at the edges of the American dream as Chicago riders succumb to desire during the holiday season.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 12-19-2023
A seventy-minute collection of mostly rides from a day in the life of a Chicago cabbie in the 1990s, HELLCAB presents the audience with a dark reflection of the American dream. Beginning with a self-righteous, born-again couple going to church at 6:30 in the morning, the young white cabbie’s long day’s journey into night is a comedic drama with dark undertones. As precisely directed by Ronnie Marmo with a bountiful ensemble of excellent actors, the play is a success for Theatre 68, one of the finest independent venues in Los Angeles.
Described on the program cover as a “gritty holiday slice of Chicago life,” the playwright is not one to give his characters a break or succumb to a desire to treat them well. Instead, embracing the brute reality of modern life with all its hypocrisy and narcissism, Will Kern puts the cabbie through an arduous journey that rips the scab off, showing the traumatic core of human nature. Indeed, we are all wounded souls, many looking for love and approval but unwilling to give the same to each other on equal terms. In most cases, the riders choose the fear of other people over a primal faith in themselves and humanity.
From a threatening trio of desperate drug addicts and a cheating couple ready for action to a drunken woman on welfare and a pregnant woman about to give birth, the vast array of characters covers the bases of modern America. Funny and touching, poignant and frustrating, the little slices taken from the cabbie’s long day are enticing to watch, like eating potato chips that represent the strange vagaries of the human experience.
As the Chicago cabbie, Ian Peterson is an excellent barometer to measure the extreme boundaries of the various rides. Just wanting to get through his day and live a decent life, the Cab Driver mirrors so many young people facing the harsh realities of living in the modern world. Dreaming of finding a good job in Chicago, he settles on driving a cab to pay the bills. Although his humanity often surfaces, his exhaustion is more prevalent.
The rest of the cast is also excellent, with too many great performances to cover. Two standouts do bear mentioning. Janelle Marmo, the director’s talented wife, as the drunk girl, manages to balance humor and desperation with ease. Such a balance gives the audience an empathic sense of how close we all are to the edge. As both the pregnant woman and Shalita, the angry girlfriend, Phylicia Wissa stands out for the power of her performance. You cannot take your eyes off her when she is in the cab because her performance demands your attention.
From the first scene to the last, HELLCAB throws transition after transition at the audience as the rides change. Will Kern excels at knowing when to end a short scene, never dragging the moments on for too long, but such lightning endings demand capable direction. In the proficient hand of Ronnie Marmo, the transitions felt seamless, with a flow created by the speed and focus of the ensemble cast. Indeed, from the first ride to the last elegiac moment, HELLCAB moves effortlessly across the dark landscape of the American dream.
Photos Courtesy of Ronnie Marmo and Theatre 68