Pretty Penny
by Randall Colburn

Pretty Penny2010 began with a bang with local playwright Randall Colburn's sexually charged story of identity and longing. Pretty Penny explores five individuals whose lives become intertwined, and subsequently deconstructed, through Penny - a fictitious character created by 19 year-old Victoria. Penny is Victoria's alter-ego when she picks up the telephone as a phone sex operator on a no-taboo line. What begins as an intriguing job and psychological experiment for young Victoria soon turns into a journey of self-discovery - not only for Victoria, but for Crystal, whose racy photos from the past serve as the face for Penny. Through the course of the play, the line between fantasy and reality becomes blurred, not only for Victoria and Crystal, but for the men in their lives as well, who are seeking a sense of emotional stability in the only ways they know how.

Pretty Penny marked the first of three Colburn pieces that the RBP will be presenting in 2010, all exploring themes of identity, sexuality, and redemption.

Director: Nathan Robbel
Stage Manager: Michelle Carlene Roth
Tech Director: Anthony Ingram
Dramaturg: Jamie Bragg
Mime Coach: Elizabeth Bagby
Featuring: Katy Albert
Stephen Gawrit
Nick Mikula
Susan Myburgh
Josh Sumner
Buck Zachary






 

 

 

 

 

Feedback:

"The actors crackle with un-self-conscious boldness... Its excellence is its matter-of-fact handling of such desperate and intimate material. Even if you guess a few twists before they come, you're unlikely to predict the pace and plainness with which they're presented, and plain is rarely so magnetic."
Benno Nelson, Time Out Chicago

"It's not exploitative in any way--Colburn isn't rubbing our noses in depravity, just showing us real people in real situations. ...It's exceptionally strong, always fascinating to watch, and getting a first-rate production.  ...I highly recommend a trip to see it. But if you miss it, all is not lost--the company is doing another of Colburn's plays, Hesperia, come summer. I'll certainly be there."
Zev Valancy, On Chicago Theatre