Lovers and daughters – Chicago Reader

Lisa Dillman’s No Such Thing, now in a world premiere at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble under Malkia Stampley’s direction, intertwines two primary plots: an extramarital liaison between Ren (Susan Gosdick) and a younger man (Josh Odor) whose real name she doesn’t even know, and the unfinished business between Ren and her adult daughter, Olivia (Jessica Ervin). While neither strand feels fully fleshed out, Dillman’s story shows a firm understanding that getting older (especially as a woman) doesn’t mean you’re any less capable of sexual desire, and that being a mother means you never stop worrying about your heart walking around outside your body in the form of another person.

No Such Thing
Through 4/27: Thu–Fri 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; Sat 4 and 8 PM; also Sun 4/13 3 PM (mask required performance), Mon 4/21 8 PM, and Sun 4/27 3 PM; Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge, 773-334-7728, rivendelltheatre.org, $39 ($17 students, educators, military/veterans, and industry on first-come first-serve basis; $28 seniors)

The younger man, who we eventually learn is named Fallon, revels with Ren in taking on the names of different literary characters for their hotel assignations. Ren is a screenwriter who hasn’t had any success in several years (as her agent, Marilyn, played by Cheryl Hamada with a charming blend of no-nonsense straight talk and genuine concern, keeps reminding her). The stories she and Fallon share seem to be a way to jump-start her creative juices again. But her concern about Olivia, whose adolescence was marked by eating disorders, mental illness, and very bad choices in boyfriends (and Olivia’s resentments about her mother’s inability to trust her to make her own decisions) keep getting in the way. Meanwhile, Ren’s husband, Ted (Matt DeCaro), largely stays out of it—until he doesn’t. (I can’t reveal much more about the plot without giving away a major spoiler.)

The intimacy and honesty of Stampley’s staging make up for some of the undeveloped plot points. (I, for one, wanted to know more about Ren’s past career away from her personal relationships.) Gosdick wisely doesn’t try to play for our sympathies with Ren, who has clearly made plenty of mistakes of her own while trying to protect her daughter and her own voice. She is at times controlling and self-absorbed, but her love is never in doubt. Ervin makes us feel the pain of walking through the world, knowing that the person who gave you life will always think of you in some way as damaged. Thoughtful stories about older women wrestling to keep all the parts of their lives in sight, even as society tries to erase them completely, are rare enough that Dillman’s No Such Thing is ultimately a refreshing and welcome portrait.