Review: Tin Drum Theatre's SOUTHERN RAPTURE at Theater Wit

When honest artistic integrity meets conservative religious outrage, what follows is escalating frenzy, controlled chaos, and poignant reflections on what it means to produce art and tell the stories where they need to be heard — and the conflicting struggles that come with such intentions. Tin Drum Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of Southern Rapture, written by Eric Coble and directed by Jason Palmer, holds a brilliantly comical and satirical mirror up to the weaponization of civic institutions and artistic freedom. 

The year is 1996 in the heart of the Bible Belt. A local theater makes the bold decision to stage “Rapture in America” — a play that features seven seconds of male nudity. A cultural clash of religion, politics, and the arts that starts with attempts to let everyone quietly win quickly spirals out of control into a national spectacle. Based on an actual 1996 incident in North Carolina involving the Charlotte Repertory Theatre, a production of Angels in America, the district attorney, emergency court injunctions, a “Good Morning America” debate, and slashed arts funding, the relevance 30 years later is staggering. 

On one side of the battle is Mayor Winston Paxton (Teddy Boone), a true politician through and through. Boone captures the small-town, conservative political spirit perfectly, as he flips from a jolly politician who initially wants to keep the peace to a threatening politician grasping at everything at his disposal to save the reputation of the town and his political future. Boone does a great job capturing the gradual unraveling of the Mayor, represented physically with his posture and hair and emotionally with his voice and composure. Leading the charge with the Mayor are Reverend Dupree (Andrew Bosworth) and Laverne Jackson (Jenny Hoppes), characters who are so familiar in their vocal outrage and pearl-clutching preaching that they are sure to hit home for many patrons.

On the other side is the theater, led by artistic director Marjorie Winthrop (Shannon Leigh Webber) and producer Donald Sherman (Michael Stejskal). With everything stacked against them — political power, religious hysteria, outdated laws, public funding — it would be so easy to compromise and sacrifice the art to assuage the masses and preserve the theater. But through it all, Marjorie Winthrop has the audacity, tenacity, and strength to stand by her artistic vision and fight for what’s right. Webber captures her conviction powerfully, delivering sharp arguments and stirring monologues as rallying cries to bring this production featuring supposedly-raging homosexuality to life against all odds, rooted in her determination to honor her dead brother. As the animated, flamboyant producer of the show, Stejskal brings a charming and contagious energy to the stage and has strong chemistry with Webber as they navigate thiz rocking ship together. 

With an exceptional standout cast of seven, only three cast members played single characters throughout (Webber, Stjskal, and Boone), while the other four rotated through their character list with impressive talent, often mere minutes from one another — all worthy of particular note. Mary Anne Bowman plays the eccentric angel actress, a proper board member, and the stoic defense attorney. Jordan Gleaves shifts between an overzealous theater critic, a neurotic actor, tenor Nightline host, and a suave lawyer. Andrew Bosworth portrays the protesting reverend, the full-frontal actor, and a pontificating playwright. Certainly but not least, Jenny Hoppes captures the spirit of a self-appointed arbiter of morality, the soothing and influencing wife of the mayor, and the ever-present yet ever-overlooked stage manager. It is an extremely talented cast all around, with credit to casting director Teddy Boone. 

In Theater Wit’s intimate theater, the stage is thoughtfully divided into thirds, often with Marjorie and Mayor Paxton visually on opposing sides. The show is produced by Steve Needham, stage managed by Emily Nicholas, and set designed by technical director Kaitlyn Hettinger, assisted by Sil Rivera and Jason Nykiel. Rounding out the production team is excellent costume design by Kasey Wolfgang, lighting design by Ellie Fey, sound design by Zach Stinnett, and intimacy and movement direction by Erin Alys. 

The production does indeed contain brief nudity, which turns out to be so anticlimactic that it just drives the whole point of the play home. Live theater certainly has the power to educate and bring people together by giving voice to important topics through different perspectives, and Southern Rapture is an illuminating depiction of the tension that arises in small towns when “provoking” art threatens the narrow-minded worldview of backwards conservatism. With the push for book bans and drag bans still at the forefront of discussions concerning freedom of speech and expression today, it’s hard to view this as a play of the past when history continues to repeat itself in jarring and less-than-funny ways. However, Tin Drum executes this production with humorous delivery, witty dialogue, clever innuendos, outlandish metaphors, and expressive physicality that ultimately provide levity and light to an otherwise demoralizing situation — proving in its own meta way during Pride Month how art has the power to send a much-needed message, shift the narrative, and transform even the most divisive communities into inclusive, accepting, and empowering spaces for all.

Southern Rapture at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., is now playing through June 28. The total running time is two hours and 10 minutes including an intermission. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with a closed caption performance Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 with $15 student tickets and may be purchased at the link below.