Director Jason Utesch admits finding an answering machine to use as a prop in the year 2024 was much like his own personal Easter egg hunt.
“It’s an important part of the story, which is set in 1995,” said Utesch, who just finished playing the lead last month in Chicago Street Theatre’s run of the Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps.”
“In this short 35-minute dinner show I’m directing, the audience is introduced to the lives of four struggling characters all trying to deal with their individual feelings of isolation, identity, regrettable choices and the power of secrets. It may not sound like it, but it’s a fun comedy audiences will love.”
Utesch and his cast of four are the talents inviting audiences for a stage visit to “A Dead Man’s Apartment” for six performances 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays April 5-14 in the 50-seat Studio Diner Theater at Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso.
The dinner ticket option includes a full meal served one hour prior to curtain time.
Donna Henry helped launch the concept for Studio Diner Theater a year ago with the one-act production of “Rosemary with Ginger,” written by playwright Edward Allan Baker, who also penned “A Dead Man’s Apartment,” both written and released in 1996.
“Using our upstairs Edith B. Wood Studio, which is also where our classes are held, seemed like a great idea for launching a dinner theater ticket opportunity for our patrons,” Henry said.
“This was something I wanted to try to do for a long time. You make your reservation and show up an hour early to be served a delicious diner-style home-cooked meal with a choice of fried chicken or meatloaf, along with a vegetarian option, all served with mashed potatoes, green beans and coffee and dessert. For those who want to just buy the show ticket, there’s also a full coffee counter available or a bar area for purchasing beer and wine.”
Included with the roster of titles for Chicago Street Theatre’s 69th season, “A Dead Man’s Apartment” is the tale of a lonely truck driver named Lonnie who has been meeting his mistress Nickie in an apartment a few times every week.
Both characters are married and plan to leave their spouses. It’s a mysterious voice on the answering machine at their secret apartment abode which causes concern for the couple after they hear the recorded warning “you’re a dead man.” Adding to the confusion are Nickie’s daughter Valerie and her brother Al, both arriving the apartment trying to lend help to the strange unfolding of events.
Utesch, who is directing the show with assistant director Emma Johnson, said despite the short running time of the play, audiences will quickly feel they know the backstory of each of the characters.
The cast includes Erik Gollnick as Lonnie, Nikki Ameling as Nickie, Knox Hurley as Valerie, and Tim Gleason as Al.
Utesch said he conducted auditions in February and rehearsals started in March, none of whom he’s worked with previously.
Gleason said he likes the connection to the audience when working in the smaller stage space as opposed to the main stage.
“The studio performance area allows for a larger range of more subtle interaction to utilize between the characters,” Gleason said.
“Gestures don’t have to be as exaggerated and so they can be more true to life.”
Next on the Chicago Street Theatre main stage is the musical “Next to Normal” April 26-May 11.
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for The Post-Tribune.
‘A Dead Man’s Apartment’
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays April 5-14
Where: 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso
Cost: $15 for show only or $40 for dinner and show
Information: 219-464-1636; chicagostreet.org
