Review: Backyard Theatre's RED BIKE at Berger Park Coach House

A core memory of my childhood is riding my purple bike around the neighborhood and going down a slight hill too fast, crashing and scarring my elbow — a scar that remains today, a gentle reminder of my youth. Biking as a kid gives you a whole new taste of freedom, independence, and exploration. For 90 minutes, Red Bike by Caridad Svich captures that precise feeling with so much heart and soul while using it as a lens to examine the world in which we live. Backyard Theatre Company’s production of Red Bike, directed by Emma Parsons, is an enchanting, imaginative story from a kid’s perspective about growing up and seeing the town you’ve grown up in change, and the formative stuff and thoughts that shape who we are as a result. 

We follow The Kid (Sophie Berger) on a journey — a physical journey as they ride their red bike around town and an emotional journey as they grapple with the socio-economic divide, gentrification and industrialization, and global forces even bigger than they can imagine. Mom (Mary Evelyn King) and Dad (Collette Michelle) work many jobs, including at the new warehouse. Along their journey, the Kid talks to Old Guy (Zach Kunde) who reminisces about the way things were, before Man Who Owns the Town (Dylan C. Wack) came in and tore down the trees to build developments. 

Sophie Berger anchors this play with pure childlike wonder in her eyes and smile, gentle exploration of the world, and bold dreams and visions for the future, even as the Kid confronts late-stage capitalism and mass consumerism and the unrelenting passage of time. There is something so magical hearing the precise observations and lyrical narration of the town and the people in them through the Kid’s innocence and understanding of adulthood, and that’s from a perfect blend of Svich’s prose and Berger’s delivery. There are moments where the Kid expresses the joys and tribulations of life through movement — movement that Berger captures with such a delicate softness that you can’t help but feel a lightness in yourself while watching such natural, unfiltered expression. 

The rest of the ensemble complements the Kid well as the supportive adults and mysterious villain in this story. King and Michelle offer so much warmth with an underlying weariness from juggling multiple jobs while dreaming of owning a house one day that is a hauntingly realistic portrayal of the working class. As the Old Guy, Kunde plays an important role in shaping the changing landscapes of time and memory through his wisdom, nostalgia, and reminiscence. Wack nails the performance of turning from a pretentious man talking about stocks and derivatives and securities into a cartoonish caricature of a monstrous villain as the Kid’s imagination runs wild about The Man Who Owns The Town. 

The Kid’s patched denim shorts and knee pads convince us even more of her youth thanks to costume design by Valerie Cambron. Another standout element of this show was the use of shadow puppetry, with scenic and lighting design by Tianxuan Chen. From mirrored shadow movement to monstrous hand characters, this puppetry helps transport us to the vast imagination of a young mind and makes the show seem larger-than-life, despite being in a small historic black box space.

Described as an “intimate, movement-driven play” and staged in the Berger Park Coach House, Red Bike fits perfectly in Backyard Theatre’s programming and mission to produce “work in storefronts, flexible spaces, and other intimate settings, with a focus on experimentation, strong artistic relationships, and sustainable practices for independent theatre-making.” With this stripped-down production that includes one red bike, one bench, a white backdrop, and a whole lot of creativity, Red Bike beckons you to become a kid again and to dream about a world even bigger and better than the one in which we currently find ourselves.

There is poetry in everyday life. There is joy to be found in every street and every corner. And there is magic in storefront theater. If there’s ever a show that highlights the beauty, strength, and talent behind Chicago independent theater, Backyard Theatre Company makes a very strong case with its production of Red Bike. 

Red Bike plays at the Berger Park Cultural Center’s Coach House (6205 N Sheridan Rd.) through October 24, 2026. Tickets are pay what you can starting at $5. 

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