Review: THE WHITE CHIP at Marin Theatre

Marin Theatre opens its 60th season with a bang – a sobering dark comedy from director, writer and former California Shakespeare Theatre Associate Artistic Director Sean Daniels. Chronicling the dark ride of self-delusion into alcoholism, Daniels’ semiautobiographical story is beautifully executed by director Lance Gardner who will be celebrating twenty years of sobriety himself. This personal knowledge of the material and the struggle to climb out of the bottle provides a unique authenticity and honesty to the story. The White Chip tackles the stigma of drug abuse and its accompanying denials, loss of identity, destructive behaviors and the lows of hitting rock bottom with a balance of humor that lifts the play from a cautionary tale to one many of us with even a touch of addictive behavior can easily relate.

In his Marin Theatre debut, Benjamin Clark gives a standout performance as Steven, the successful theatre director mired in the battle of his life. Straight up from childhood, Steven is a troubled child. A Mormon who doesn’t believe in God, a mother who’s two-word admonishment to her son is a fuck you, and a demure, encouraging father, Steven is sent to a reboot camp where he ironically points out that the ironically the gay Mormons will be cured by putting on a theatrical production. He begins to drink like most teens, but he escalates into full blown alcoholism, which he hides quite well. He’s a high functioning drunk, rising through the theatre world and astonished at his own self-deception.

Along on this wild ride are two extraordinary comic performers, the legendary Danny Scheie and Lyndsy Kail making her Marin Theater debut. Playing a myriad of characters, the quick timing pace and scene stealing slapstick balances out the tragedy of Steven’s decent into hell. Scheie is Steven’s father suffering from Parkinsons, the tough Jesus loving ex-military drug rehab programmer and the airport bartender with all the wrong advice on how to mask your drinking addiction. Kail is wonderful as the mother, Steven’s girlfriends, his best co-worker friend, and his estranged long-distance wife. There’s a terrific Keystone Cop/Benny Hill chase scene involving the titular white chips given to those with 24 hours of sobriety or the desire to quit. Like Groundhog Day, Steven, like many addicts, gets many white chips after numerous relapses.

Both Daniel’s and Gardner understand the addict mentality. Steven is expected to be eccentric as a theatre director. He justifies his behaviors through his successes, after all, look at famous people like Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Edward Albee, drunks all. Steven quips “who would wanna read a story by a sober Hunter S. Thompson?” The White Chip doesn’t sugar coat Steven’s life – we see the failed personal relationships, the lost jobs, the car crashes, the lying to oneself. A mother’s love and the belief in the science of the human brain will turn the story around, providing hope for anyone stuck in the routine of an addiction. The comic performances,  the sparkling direction, the expert set design (Christopher Fitzer), and stark lighting (Spense Matubang) make this season’s opener a hit.

The White Chip continues through September 20th. Tickets and information available at marintheatre.org or by calling 415-388-5208.

Photo credits: David Allen