'THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY' a Refreshing Theatrical Promenade

An eerie, seemingly timeless portal leads audience members down a corridor when the you first come across June and Jennifer Gibbons. As a promenade piece (read: lots of worth wild standing and moving around), Dog & Pony's premiere of THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY places the audience along side, next to, and completely within the twins' private world. It's like a wandering through a living museum ... without the grade school field trips or repetitively rusty animatronics.

Playwrights Seth Bockley and Devon de Mayo (who also serve as co-directors) have chosen an intriguing tale to bring to Steppenwolf's Garage Rep: a pair of twins who made a pact not to speak to anyone beside the other and to do daily activities in entirely in unison.  A peculiar yet engrossing story -based on true events- given a quirky staging thanks to set designer Grant Sabin's ever-shifting sliding walls. At any given moment throughout TWINS' hour long duration, several scenes may be going on at the same time. While there is a possibility you'll miss some dialogue here and there, the ability to wander as you may gives TWINS a refreshing and interactive feel, like a living "choose your own adventure" book.

Focused and committed actors Paige Collins (the warmer, softer June) and Ashleigh LaThrop (the colder, sterner Jennifer) are stand outs as the bizarrely committed Gibbons girls.  Their dedication to Dan Stermer's modern choreography -let alone one another- is reason enough to take TWINS' wild trip, but then there's Nick Leininger (the disarmingly warm Mr. Nobody), Millie Langford, Brandon Boler, Kasey Foster, Rob Fenton, Kathryn Hribar, and Teeny Lamothe rounding out the well-cast lot.

To say THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY is a theatrically refreshing 60 minutes would be an understatement.  Aside from possibly Redmoon Theater, Dog & Pony knows how to manipulate a space -and an audience member's sense of awareness- like no other company I've experienced in Chicago.  There are moments when the TWINS' abstract storytelling, wildly imaginative staging, and fully committed performances are great.

Other times, they're even better.

PHOTOS: Peter Coombs

THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY runs in rep at the Steppenwolf Garage, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $20, $12 for students, are available calling (312) 335-1650 or online at www.steppenwolf.org/garagerep.  Every Wednesday performance is "pay what you can."