Left out in the cold...

I was able to take in a play this weekend, at a cool little theatre in Wicker Park called The Den. It's a loft theatre, and the lobby is full of big comfy couches, so it's like a living room to hang out in before and after the show. The play was Bus Stop, and was based on an old Marilyn Monroe movie of the same name. It was really good, and I love the intimate settings that small theatres like The Den create. It takes place in a small-town diner where a group of people are stranded during a winter storm and focuses on the relationships between them--some which have begun before the action of the play, some during their time at the diner. I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut here too (as I was with a book I read recently), as there are several funny moments in the story, but still this underlying dark layer that's the real core of it all and leaves you feeling slightly depressed at the end. I don't find that a bad thing, however. Not every story is a happy one, and sometimes, like with Bus Stop, that's just how it is. The acting was also superb. Unfortuately, this weekend was the end of its run, but if you ever get a chance to see it, you will be left with the solemn but realistic last line from the most grounded character in the play--but I won't ruin that for you here.