KURT JOHNS' PROJECTS
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Set in a Scottish woman's prison, IRON tells a complex tale about two women. One is a long-term prisoner, a “lifer,”Fay, and the other her daughter, Josie, whom she has not seen for fifteen years. The Cast
cast | press | photos | Director's Notes | tickets Press Copley News Service review cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Copley News Service review by Dan Zeff "Iron" at the Apple Tree Theatre is everything adult spectators could want in a play. It's beautifully acted, sensitively directed, honestly written, and builds to a wrenching but inevitable climax. There isn't a wrong note in the drama as it gradually but relentlessly draws its audience into a psychologically gripping mother-daughter relationship set within the claustrophobic world of prison life. There is comparatively little physical action in the play, but the vigor and integrity of Munro's writing keeps the drama vibrant with interest once we get past the early introductory scenes. Part of the credit goes to the author's script and part to the flawless production at the Apple Tree, which fits perfectly into the theater's intimate new theater performing space. Kirsten Fitzgerald portrays Fay with stunning truth, a woman who killed her man in a fit of anger and regretted it two seconds after the act and loves him still. But she's a skittish and sometimes unstable woman who likely will never convince parole authorities she's fit for the outside world. She detests prison life and longs for the sensory delights of the outside world, but her sense of guilt demands she stay in prison. Lindsay Gould continues her ascent in the Chicagoland theater-acting pyramid as Josie. The petite Gould makes a striking visual contrast with the hefty Fitzgerald, as if emphasizing the physical as well as psychological gulf between the two characters. Her Josie gradually grows as a person as she becomes obsessed with her mother, the first real anchor in her meandering life. Her passion for Fay makes the final scene all the more poignant. Steve Misetic and Anita Deely are perfect as the two guards, forever intruding on the prisoner's space, following the prison rules to the letter, and yet coming across as real people enduring in their way the same restrictions as the inmates in prison culture. Kurt Johns directs with a sure but unseen hand, each scene unfolding naturally and credibly. Johns steers his ensemble through the script to ensure that the play never descends into talkiness, or worse, melodrama. Steve Carmody (scenic designer), Erin Fast (costume designer), Jacqueline Reid (lighting designer), Scott Miller (sound designer), and Dan Pellant (properties designer) combine to give "Iron" the stark look and sound of prison life. Dialect coach Linda Gates does a fine job of instilling convincing English and Scottish accents into the cast, though one wonders if the play would not have been just as effective relocated in America with regional American accents. The show gets a rating of 4 stars. cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Pioneer Press review by Catey Sullivan It's an unfortunate combination, that of true love, blinding rage and a handy kitchen knife. That's essentially all the detail the audience gets about the homicide that shapes "Iron," Rona Munro's precisely worded, emotionally loaded drama. In Kristin Fitzgerald and Lindsay Gould, director Kurt Johns has a core cast up to the raw, wounding dialogue unleashed as 25-year-old Josie (Gould) attempts to forge a relationship with the inmate mother Fay, (Fitzgerald) she hasn't seen in 15 years... In guards Sheila (Anita Deely) and George (Steve Misetic), Munro complements the mother/daughter foundation of "Iron" with a subtle portrait blurring boundaries... ..."Iron" is no expose of prison injustices. It's simply a rich, deeply human story. In Fitzgerald, "Iron" has an actor all but capable of moving mountains to tears with the subtlest flicker of expression. Gould's cold, collected exterior perfection provides the ideal counterpoint in Josie. In all, "Iron" is as solid as its title implies. cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Daily Herald review by Barbara Vitello The play, which opened this week at Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park, centers on Fay (2006 Jeff Award winner Kirsten Fitzgerald whose raw, powerful performance should earn her another nomination), who's serving life in a Scottish prison for the murder of her husband. After 15 years, Fay's estranged daughter Josie (the exquisitely vulnerable Lindsay Gould), a lonely, rootless 25-year-old seeking to ground herself, arrives at the prison. Memories are the currency of the relationship they re-establish under the watchful eyes of a pair of prison guards: the suspicious Sheila (Anita Deely) and the sympathetic George (Steve Misetic) within the confines of designer Steve Carmody's grim, cheerless visiting room. With Fay refusing to discuss the murder (and Munro parsing out details sparingly), "Iron" emerges as something of a mystery. At the same time, it's a provocative domestic drama about the repair and resumption of a relationship derailed. It's a well-directed (by Kurt Johns), superbly acted production with a standout turn by Fitzgerald. By turns loving and manipulative, cruel and paranoid, frightened and desperate, Fitzgerald's Fay exists on the edge of madness. It's a remarkable thing to see. 3 stars cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Chicago Tribune review by Chris Jones "Iron," a widely admired British drama that
played the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2003 to great critical acclaim,
gets a belated Chicago-area premiere at the Apple Tree Theatre
under the taut direction of Kurt Johns (who used to work at MTC).
It is a superb script. If you've ever had the experience of meeting
a long-absent parent, or been close to someone going through
such a thing, you'll recognize its essential veracity. People
are messy. Time lost is irrecoverable, even with the best intentions.
Relationships forged in such circumstances can be valuable, but
they never are easy. The players...have a moving show, replete with
rich truths about the vexing disconnections of life. cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Chicagocritic.com review by Tom Williams Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park is offering one of the finest plays of the year. Rona Munro's script is an unsentimental work that unfolds as a psychological drama full of subtle, tense and harrowing drama. Set in a Scottish women's prison, Iron tells the story of a “lifer” Fay (Kristen Fitzgerald in a most riveting and nuanced performance) is in prison for murdering her husband 15 years ago. Her daughter, Josie (the charming Lindsay Gould) after a 15 year absence, decides to visit her mother to find out about her father with whom is has no memories and to reestablish a relationship with her mother. This play, written in 2003, is a tense character sketch that unfolds as gradual emotional journey that has clever twists and a plausible conclusion. The two prison guards, George (Steve Misteic) and Sheila (Anita Deely) add depth to the show as they are not the stereotyped prison guards. This well written play is a fresh take on the clichéd daughter meets estranged mother structure. We wonder why Jay killed her husband; she had never told anyone her motive. The dramatic tension is weaved as Josie and Fay interact during the prison visits. This splendid play has a most satisfying structure. It'll grab you and hold you tight until the end. This is a tremendous, marvelously acted beautifully paced show. Director Kurt Johns has a mounted a gem. Don't miss this powerful play. Highly recommended cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Chicago Sun-Times review by Hedy Weiss Much has been written in recent years about the devastating impact on children of a parent's incarceration. In Rona Munro's play "Iron," now in an exceptionally well-acted production at Highland Park's Apple Tree Theatre, the Scottish dramatist explores the long-term effects on both parent and child. The play offers impressive insights into the many subtle psychological adjustments made by both a mother serving a life sentence for murdering her husband, and by her now grown daughter, who was robbed of both a father and mother as a result of the crime. [Kirsten] Fitzgerald is a brilliant actress whose physical and emotional life onstage are so authentic you sometimes fear for her health. Tiny and taut, [Lindsay] Gould holds her own every step of the way, even giving brilliant little flashes of her mother's temper at moments -- flashes tempered by a very different psyche. To her credit, Munro also has made the prison guards real people with complex personalities, and they are expertly played here by Steve Misetic and Anita Deely. Kurt Johns has done a first-rate job overall... Recommended cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Highlights from the Windy City Times review by Jonathan Abarbanel Go see Iron and you'll see two women acting their hearts out in a drama that puts them through the many paces and faces of a mother-daughter relationship. It's a splendid showcase of laughter, tears and tension for Kirsten Fitzgerald (Fay) and Lindsay Gould (Josie), as directed by Kurt Johns. cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Photos
cast | press | photos | Director's Notes Director's Notes Rona Munro's play Iron is not about prisons, though it takes place in one. It's not about murder, though it is built on one. I was introduced to it while I was working for Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. I was both intrigued and moved by it. In researching it I became aware of its astounding critical success in London and Scotland. Because I have two sisters, I have observed that tumultuous and powerful mother-daughter relationship which is at the heart of this play. In Iron , Fay and Josie struggle to have their relationship entirely in a prison visiting room. Like John Patrick Shanley in Doubt , Rona Munro leaves much about the central crime unsaid, allowing the audience to speculate about circumstance and motivation as they are drawn toward the ending. The play's ending doesn't take us where we expect it to go. This is a provocative, intimate, and moving play about shame, damage, love, and fear. Are there any circumstances in which you could commit murder? It is a harrowing journey through Iron . I'm so excited to do this work with these actors. I hope that you are as compelled by it as I am. I would like to thank Eileen and Apple Tree for including it and me in their season. cast | press | photos | Director's Notes |
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