John Rooney, Five Flights assistant director and production manager,says playwright Adam Bock “tends to focus on writing plays that have gay characters but it’s not about them being gay.”
Bock’s plays aren’t about coming out, sleeping around, or AIDS; they deal with elements of the human condition. Immediate Theater Company’s Chicago premier of Bock’s Five Flights opened last week at Red Tape Theater.
Five Flights centers on siblings Ed and Adele’s struggle to cope with the loss and aftermath of their father’s death. Before he died, Ed and Adele’s father built a large aviary as a tribute to his deceased wife, whom he believed had transformed into a wren. Adele recalls her father saying, “This bird is my wife’s soul.” Now, the siblings must decide what to do with the aviary, whether to dispose of it or find some other inspired use.
Adele’s friend Amelia and Ed and Adele’s sister-in-law Jane both have fierce opinions about what should be done with the aviary. Amelia wants to turn the aviary into the meeting place for her newly formed Church of the Fifth day. Jane, however, argues that she and her husband Bobby feel strongly that the decrepit aviary should be torn down and the land developed. “Let the land rest…that would be wasteful,” says Jane.
Ed, the play’s main character and narrator, not only struggles to determine what to do with his father’s aviary, he also searches for his own identity. “My strongest weapon is not caring,” says Ed. “I want to live a paler life; one’s that too loud attracts too much attention.” Ed happens to connect with another male, Tom, at a time when he cannot connect with himself. The issue of Ed’s sexuality does not take center stage, but is rather another element added to a complicated mix of debates about grief, faith, and commitment.
Five Flights runs from November 10 – December 18 at Red Tape Theater at 621 W. Belmont Ave. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00 pm; and Sundays at 5:00 pm. Tickets are $18-28 and can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com or www.immediatetheatrechicago.
