Is $1.5 million enough to recompense a grieving parent?
Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s newest original play “Windfall” goes beyond answering this question — it forces the audience to confront the dilemma themselves through two impassioned acts that had this theatergoer leaning forward in her seat.
Set in Chicago and featuring an all-Black cast, “Windfall” explores the power of grassroots activism and the aftermath of police brutality.
When a police officer shoots a young, non-binary activist named Eli, their father Henri “Mr. Mano” Tamaño is confronted with the question of whether he should accept the police department’s sizable cash settlement.
Written by Steppenwolf ensemble member and Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, the play premiered Sunday after two weeks of previews and will run through May 31.
Mr. Mano (Michael Potts) anchors the production with stubborn, fiery intensity. His soul-wrenching monologue about his struggle to appropriately support his child through their gender transition elicited deep hums of support from the crowd.
The play undulates between the real world and the imaginary: Mr. Mano frequently converses with the ghost of his adopted son, Marcus (Glenn Davis), who tries to convince him to take the settlement. Marcus often breaks the fourth wall, engaging with patrons and immersing them in the performance.
The play is intentionally interactive in a way that never feels disingenuous. In a pre-show sequence, Eli (Esco Jouléy) invites the entire audience to pull out their phone flashlights. This gesture reminded audience members of the power of community, visualized by the combined brightness of their lights.
With the play staged in the round, the six actors moved onstage and through the house fluidly; the lights rarely went into a full blackout. Hand-drawn signs reading “Keep your head up” or “Sí, se puede” hung around the space, emulating an encampment and bringing activism to the forefront of audience members’ minds.
Steppenwolf ensemble member and Northwestern Communication Prof. Alana Arenas shone in one of the most memorable tracks in the show, appearing in succession as three different characters — all of whom attempt to convince Mr. Mano to take the settlement. Arenas embodied each character with such skill that it felt like the part was written for her — which it may very well have been.
Arenas and playwright McCraney, along with Davis, are all former students of NU Communication Prof. Henry Godinez. They took Godinez’s Shakespeare acting class together at DePaul University over two decades ago.
Thus, the unique strengths of the entire Steppenwolf community were on full display in “Windfall.” Only a regional theater of Steppenwolf’s caliber that is deeply attuned to its community could produce a work so poignant and hard-hitting.
Live theater is a powerful medium because it puts actors face-to-face with their audience, and this play takes full advantage of the human connection that allows. I think I was the youngest person in Sunday’s audience, which is a shame because students have so much to gain from Chicago’s theatre scene.
Treat yourself to Steppenwolf’s $15 student tickets, get on the CTA train and go see “Windfall.”
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