Following the success of last year’s critically acclaimed hit Sex with Strangers, Laura Eason’s new play the Undeniable Sound of Right Now explores the intersection between young and old and the choice to move ahead the times or refuse to change. Since opening almost 25 years ago, Hank’s Bar has become a vital Chicago stomping ground among music lovers from all over the world. People have not only flocked to witness the legendary rock prowess of musicians like Joe Strummer, Stevie Nicks and Kurt Cobain, to name just a few, but also to see its owner, Hank (Jeb Brown), a legend in his own right.
It’s 1992, however, and Hank’s storied status does not sit well with him. The growing nostalgia surrounding the quickly approaching 25th anniversary, along with the rocketing costs of property taxes on the now struggling bar, signal the end of an era. In the midst of Hank’s struggles, his loyal daughter Lena (Margo Seibert) begins dating the very embodiment of the changing times and his worst nightmare: an up-and-coming DJ named Nash (Daniel Abeles). Lena tells Nash that Hank hates DJs because “it’s not a skill -- not like being a musician.”
Nash, on the other hand, reveres Hank and the bar. Having started his career as a musician, being a DJ means taking all the music he loves and making it sound new. As Toby (Brian Miskell), Hank’s young bookkeeper points out, the DJ’s creative output is similar to Duchamp and the Dada movement, which questioned long-held assumptions of what art should be by changing the context in which it was displayed, making the work “something bigger than the object.” Caught in the middle, Lena is working hard to keep Hank’s bar running while swept up in the euphoria of Nash and the emerging world of warehouse raves.
The production oozes with authenticity from the clothes to the bar’s tattered stool cushions and stickers lining the walls. A native of Chicago, Ms. Eason imbues the dialogue with her personal experience of the scene. (She was a singer, songwriter and bass player of the ‘90s power band Tart.) Under Kirsten Kelly’s direction, the actors fully inhabit the stage, giving off a genuine connection with the space. It’s easy to understand why Hank’s Bar means so much to them. Though frustratingly stubborn, Mr. Brown's Hank is powerful and irresistible. In one particularly soul-baring scene, he proclaims his unconditional love for Lena, and the chemistry between the two is palpable.
Ms. Seibert more than holds her own, delivering a strong and confident performance. Mr. Abeles skillfully keeps Nash from being an unredeemable creep, a difficult task given the circumstances. Hank’s ex-wife Bette (played by the hilarious and sexy Lusia Strus) is right when she tells Hank that Nash is just like him. Both men are driven, ambitious with a vision and a knack for making things happen. The difference is that Nash realizes his moment will eventually pass; he’s going to take full advantage of it while he can. Hank, however, has difficulty reconciling himself to the fact that he needs to adjust to the inevitable, even if it means saying goodbye to all he has ever known.
