When visiting Yankee Tavern, one might want to brush up on his conspiracy theories, where they seem to flow from patrons like drinks from the tap.
Set in 2006 in the soon-to-be demolished New York City bar, “Yankee Tavern” is playwright Steven Dietz’s look at the impacts, both big and small, of such theories and beliefs.
“It is a very intriguing thriller centered around conspiracy theories and how we are brought to believe things that may or may not have occurred, as we see them unfold before our eyes. And how conspiracy theories work and how they affect both the general public and our individual lives,” director Bernie Weiler said. “Intertwined within this is the intriguing story that makes the whole play quite a thriller.”
“Yankee Tavern” opens at Steel Beam Theatre on Friday, running through Feb. 7. Performances at the St. Charles theater are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Sundays.
“(There are) four characters who listen primarily to the pontification of one of the regular bar patrons about conspiracy theories and quite a bit about some of the mysteries associated with the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center,” Weiler said. “It’s a very, very fascinating discussion about some of the known and unknown facts about 9/11.”
Steel Beam Theatre had been considering the play for a couple of seasons before scheduling it for this winter, he said.
“It’s a very well regarded play. Steven Dietz is a fabulous playwright. We had done ‘Becky’s New Car’ a few years ago, which was very, very well received,” Weiler said. “There’s a great deal of interest in this playwright, and he’s really an excellent writer.” he said.
The first goal of Steel Beam’s artistic staff is to present things that are well written, Weiler said.
“If you have work that is well constructed and well-written, everything else follows,” he said.
The characters are very well-drawn by Dietz, Weiler said
“I think the playwright has done a very, very fabulous job of preparing a thriller that raises fascinating questions about truth and skepticism, and how we see what’s before our eyes and how it can be manipulated by either nefarious forces or those who may or may not be into any fact,” Weiler said.
It also explores how a public event can affect individuals, and how some of the characters may or may not be involved in some of the aspects they are discussing, he said.
“It’s really a very fascinating personal story that’s being told,” Weiler said. “There’s a great element of mystery. It has all of the aspects of a stage thriller. It’s very intellectual, and it’s pretty exciting.”
While written as a thriller, there is quite a bit of humor in it, he said.
“There is a great deal of comedy associated with it. It’s certainly not lecture, it’s very entertaining,” Weiler said.
The cast, he said, handles the challenging writing in the play very well.
“Although in the play unfolds in about 90 minutes or so, it’s a lot of work for the actors,” he said. “The language is the challenge. It’s a lot for the actors to do. It’s very cerebral.”
The four actors in the play “are as good as I’ve worked with ever,” Weiler said. The cast features Scott Purdy of St. Charles, Brenna Welsh of Chicago, Joey Banks of Chicago and Ben Slabik of Elgin.
“All of these actors are extraordinary,” Weiler said. “I’m very happy to be working with them.”
The 90-minute play is appropriate for “anybody who’s old enough to read a newspaper,” Weiler said. It is split into two acts, with one intermission.
“I think the intermission is appropriate because of the tension that is created,” he said. “There’s a lot to digest.
More Top Picks Best Talking Watches For The Blind
“Every moment is thought-provoking,” Weiler said.
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer.
‘Yankee Tavern’
When: Friday-Feb. 7
Where: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $28 adults; $25 seniors 62 and older and $23 students
Information: 630-587-8521 or www.steelbeamtheatre.com