A play produced in September about a man being held hostage in the Middle East is returning to Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan for six performances this month.
After the first show at the theatre, actress Caitlin Robertson dislocated her finger and could not perform, said Josh Beadle, theatre executive director. The four-person show had to be canceled, but “we thought it was too important of a show not to reschedule, and the actors were able to return.”
Those who had tickets for the other performances could receive a refund or see the show now, he said.
The play, written by Lee Blessing, is about an American teacher held hostage in Beirut while his wife holds vigil for him in an empty room in their home in Washington D.C. She encounters a journalist who wants her to tell the story and a government official who wants her to keep quiet.
“Two Rooms” was named the best play of the year by Time Magazine in 1988.
The production is “even more relevant, sadly enough, than it was in September,” referring to recent terrorist attacks in Paris, said Caroline Beadle, artistic director and Josh Beadle’s wife.
“We had been working on the show for months. It’s such a beautiful show, and the cast is so wonderful.”
More Top Picks Best Smart Kitchen Faucet
The actors agreed they needed to perform it after Robertson recovered from surgery on the finger she injured the first day.
“It’s an important subject matter. A lot of people don’t see what these types of situations do to the families at home … How would you deal with something so unimaginable?” Beadle said.
“This is a really passionate group of actors. We became a small family while working on the project. It was important for all of us that everybody got to do it.”
To prepare for directing the play, Beadle said she researched Middle East history, as she did when she helped direct it 15 years ago in college. But so much has happened since, she said.
She also asked the cast to read the nonfiction book, “Den of Lions,” written by Terry Anderson about his kidnapping in Lebanon in 1985. The book was published in 1993 and helped to prepare the actors emotionally, Beadle said.
“It gave them a sense of being able to have a true personal story that can help them apply it to fiction. The book was written in the same way as the play from the perspective of being kidnapped and then what it was like for his wife,” she said.
Actress Robertson said the play is also a love story.
“Even if you aren’t particularly up-to-date or educated on all the various conflicts that the play discusses, it’s still, at its core, about the human condition, about longing for something, wanting to protect someone you love,” she said.
Richard Adams, who portrays the husband who was kidnapped, said the play will remind the audience to “make every day count.”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
“Two Rooms”
Where: Three Brothers Theatre, 115 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
When: Jan. 15, 16, 22 and 23; Friday shows at 8 p.m., Saturday shows at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$20
Information: 708-548-0283; 3brostheatre.com