Really good playwrights know how to take the arcana of a specialized world and make it feel universal and immediate. Based on *The Pilon*, now in a terrific world premiere with Red Theater, Zach Barr is such a playwright.
**The Pilon**
Through 11/23: Mon and Thu–Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM (Mon industry night)
Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa
redtheater.org
$30 (limited number of $10 access tickets, $50 pay-it-forward tickets)
Set in a collectibles shop in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Barr’s play follows a group of enthusiasts who bond over their love for cards, especially basketball cards. Corbin (Rio Soliz Ragazzone) runs a Twitch livestream from the shop, founded by his aunt Rhonda (Delia Kropp). He’s assisted by choleric Marc (Josh Razavi), whose interest seems more mercantile than personal—in contrast to Lex (Jo Tannous), who just collects what he likes, including vintage Shirley Temple cards. As Rhonda notes at one point, “Not everyone is trying to make a retirement portfolio out of cardboard.”
Young Griffey (Harper Levander), a transmasc kid just getting into collecting, rounds out the group. When a very rare basketball card (the source of the play’s title) comes into the store, the relationships become more complicated than just the love of the game and its ephemera.
Barr’s play, directed with an adept hand by Jessica Love, gives us time to adjust to the language of this world—I had no idea what a “slabbed” card meant prior to this show—while making it clear that the store is a stand-in for a lot of places where, as one character notes, “It’s rules that keep people out of the hobby.”
Manuel Ortiz’s set and Chas Mathieu’s props in the small Edge Off Broadway space add cozy verisimilitude.
Barr’s play is wise and warm, with many lovely exchanges providing important insights. It’s clear, for example, that Rhonda, who is also trans, is a source of support for Griffey, but she’s also smart enough to see that Lex and Corbin have a bond—even if the latter hasn’t picked up on the former’s attraction yet.
The generational connections that collecting provides—Rhonda treasures a baseball card from her father, and collecting cards is also something that Griffey’s dad does, though the boy isn’t ready to share that part of his life with him yet—also feel resonant and honest.
Barr never strains to make their points. Instead, they create a place where the slightly off-kilter collectors can find home and identity, even if it doesn’t bring the immediate riches of a rare find. In that way, *The Pilon* mirrors the sensation of opening up a fresh pack of trading cards. The treasures you find in life may not be the ones you thought you were looking for.
https://chicagoreader.com/performing-arts/theater/theater-review/pilon-red-theater/
Be First to Comment