Review: Black Cat Theatre's ELEPHANT IN THE WOMB at Theater Wit

Black Cat Theatre’s world premiere production of Elephant in the Womb, written by Katy Smith and co-directed by Sara BenBella and Jared Sheldon, contends with some all-too-familiar questions of existence (“Am I on the right path? What's my purpose? What happens when I die?”) with a generous dose of sexual humor, a bit of gore, and a whole lot of existential dread. Powerful lighting design by Emmett Socey combined with the sound design from Morgan Dudaryk and the scenic design from Nicholas Taboni fully immerses you in the sticky warm claustrophobia within the uterus while adding dramatic flair and horror to the intimate Theater Wit stage. Elephant in the Womb somehow strikes a perfect balance between inappropriate quips, social commentary, and tasteful fourth wall breaking that will leave you feeling uncomfortable, pensive, and warm and fuzzy all at once.

The play follows PeeWee (Madison Hill), an unborn genderqueer clown singularly obsessed with perfecting their ever-impending performance to impress Mom/Mother, but frequently distracted by visitors that drop in at random. Hill gives an extremely layered and brilliant performance as PeeWee, accessing the depths of emotional despair and anguish, the raw vulnerability of being an artist, and the hyperactive tendency to please and to be seen — sometimes all within the same breath. Hill’s performance expertly takes the viewer through the ever-changing emotional landscape of a child: one minute filled to the brim with glee, on a dime resorting to violent anger, then quickly back to remorse when faced with the consequences of their brash actions. This infantile dynamic is often in direct opposition with the witty (and often sexual) one-liners that PeeWee delivers frequently, keeping the audience on their toes as each moment unfolds within the womb.

The rest of the cast is small but mighty, with Lizzy Mosher, Amanda Elena de la Fuente, and Tris Miller seamlessly changing between the roles of strange and unnamed amorphous creatures and the three visitors to PeeWee’s womb, each of whom bring a lesson on the three stages of existence: becoming, attempting, and being. The first visitor to enter is Dilen (Lizzy Mosher), an SEO engineer dealing with an existential crisis, who an ever-aroused PeeWee quickly takes a liking to. Following Dilen’s abrupt exit comes Polly (Amanda Elena de la Fuente), a young girl who just wants to play, much to PeeWee’s dismay. Finally, Edwood (Tris Miller), graces the stage with his block of wood that magically and hilariously transforms into a guitar before the audience’s eyes and endless metaphors about the beautiful and fraught experience of being. 

Throughout the first act, PeeWee is also frequently visited by the creatures who creepily come bearing the “Word of the Day” à la Sesame Street, always heeding a warning about the impending visit from Mother by speaking in unison or tantrically finishing each other's sentences. Also interspersed through both acts are brief glimpses into the outside world through Mom, who PeeWee regards as the ultimate baddie that only speaks when she wants to, leaving PeeWee constantly yearning for even a morsel of acknowledgment or reassurance from their creator. When we finally encounter Mother (Julian “joolz” Stroop) in the second act, we are met with a drag-style World War II era housewife whose judgmental and condescending nature is sure to trigger anyone in the audience with mommy issues. The second half of the play brings a more somber and serious tone, showcasing Hill and Mosher’s range as actors to create a deep sense of intimacy and emotional vulnerability despite the hilarious backdrop of de la Fuente’s The Walls. The ending — reminiscent of the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice for those familiar with the myth — feels like a sucker punch to the gut. Through all the twists, turns, trials, and tribulations of what it means to develop, to live, and to die, we are led to the ultimate question: what and when will PeeWee become?

Elephant in the Womb thoughtfully touches on many themes which, much like life, can be interpreted in a myriad of ways depending on the beholder. Playwright Katy Smith’s sharp wit, dark humor, emotional intelligence, and poetic descriptions provide the perfect vessel for reflecting on becoming and belonging, identity and purpose, performing and being. This production of Elephant in the Womb perfectly encapsulates Black Cat Theatre’s mission of “queering” theater by uniquely representing the experience of queer individuals to constantly put on a cisgender, heteronormative performance to appeal to the rest of society. The characters bravely bare their souls to declare that their being need not fit into any box — just to be is enough.   

Curious souls that take a chance on the eccentric and absurd experience of Elephant in the Womb will be rewarded with a passionate and thought-provoking performance that will surely stick with them and maybe even have them questioning their own existence.

Elephant in the Womb runs through September 13 at Theater Wit, with 7:30pm evening performances and 2:30pm Sunday afternoon performances. The runtime is 2 hours and 10 minutes, with a 10 minute intermission. General admission tickets are $15, with tiered sponsor tickets available at $25 and $40.

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more Chicago Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...