ICE FISHING, MALE BONDING,
AND ONE VERY TALKATIVE FISH

An uproarious and unexpectedly poignant Midwest
comedy that finds connection in the unlikeliest of places.

Jeff Rodriguez (left) as Sven and Carl Hallberg as Ole

“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before”.

That line from O Pioneers! by the great Willa Cather popped into my head about midway through the new play by Paul W. Kruse, making its world premiere with Shattered Globe at Theater Wit in Lakeview. You see, thematically, there’s not much new in Eelpout!, an uproarious comedy about male bonding rituals in the frozen Midwest. It tells us a familiar story; it just does it very well, and with verve and panache. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Lydia Moss puppeteers this eelpout designed by Saskia Bakker

(from left) Dinah Berkeley as Lars, Jeff Rodriguez as Sven, and Carl Hallberg as Ole

Eleanor Kahn’s gorgeous set gets us into the correct frame of mind right away; it depicts the inside of an ice fishing shack on a frozen lake but the design eschews most walls and any furniture—a solitary door at the rear is the only indication that this is a building—and the first impression is more of an ice floe, adrift at sea. In wintry Minnesota, Ole Olsson (Carl Hallberg) is getting married, and has decided to celebrate his last night of bachelorhood by going ice fishing with his best friend Sven Svensson (Jeff Rodriguez). Along for the trip is Lars Larsson (Dinah Berkeley), who’s snagged an invite purely because his father owns the shack. Sven dislikes Lars so much that he hasn’t even invited him to the wedding, but Lars is okay with that. He has ulterior motives involving Ole’s buxom sister Heidi (Taigé Lauren) and is determined to work his way into Ole’s good graces.

Dinah Berkeley (from left) as Lars, Carl Hallberg as Ole and Jeff Rodriguez as Sven

Jeff Rodriguez (center, left) is Sven and Jesús Barajas (center, right) is the titular fish in Eelpout!

So we have blue collar rough-and-tough men, alone in an ice shack, indulging in a manly sport, grunting, and chugging beer. It doesn’t take a brain trust to see what’s coming next and it is to Eelpout!’s enormous credit that it doesn’t waste any time getting there. Barely fifteen minutes into the play, during an argument about the bride-to-be, a tipsy Ole jumps Sven and we are treated to a man-on-man makeout session. Krause smartly gets the “will they-won’t they” trope out of the way right off the bat. This is not a play about homoerotic undertones in straight male friendships—it would be much less interesting if it were. Their snogging interrupted by Lars, the three men settle down with their not-at-all-phallic fishing rods and soon enough Sven hooks a fish–the titular eelpout—only this is no ordinary eelpout; it talks.

Jesús Barajas (from left) as Eelpout, Carl Hallberg as Ole and Jeff Rodriguez as Sven

Dinah Berkeley (from left) as Lars, Jeff Rodriguez as Sven and Carl Hallberg as Ole

Eelpout! wears its influences on its sleeve. Cinematically, Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water (2017), and further back, his compatriot Alfonso Cuaron’s marvelous Y Tu Mamá También (2001), are its most obvious antecedents but as the play went on, I found myself thinking more and more of the great American absurdist Edward Albee, specifically his Pulitzer-winning Seascape and even more so, his first play The Zoo Story. More than anything else, Eelpout! is about finding a connection; much like Jerry in The Zoo Story, Sven is desperately searching for someone–any one–that he can feel connected to, even if it’s with a fish (Jesús Barajas, in a lovely, delicate performance, underplayed to perfection). Sven and Ole are refreshingly unconflicted about their feelings for each other, but they both want very different things from life. Ole can have a lesser version of that with his wife, but Sven is adrift and unmoored.

Carl Hallberg (left) as Ole and Taigé Lauren as Ole’s sister, Heidi

Carl Hallberg (left) as Ole and Rebecca Jordan as Ole’s mom, Holly

Eelpout! has its problems to be sure: the dialogue is occasionally a bit too Lake-Wobegon-ish for my liking although I’m well aware that I’m in the minority when it comes to that show, so your mileage may vary. The female characters are barely sketched out; a flaw that’s somewhat mitigated by the terrific actors playing them—I especially liked Taigé Lauren’s feisty Heidi— and Ole’s character is taken to a tantalizingly dark place, only to immediately retreat a few scenes later. Carl Hallberg does some terrific work here with Ole, both in sweet “aw shucks” mode and especially in the latter part of the play where he effortlessly slides into entitled, toxic, masculinity. Ole’s actions spring from jealousy and longing but that doesn’t make them any less cruel and self-serving.

Jeff Rodriguez (seated, left) as Sven and Jesús Barajas as Eelpout

Taigé Lauren, Dinah Berkeley, Carl Hallberg, Lydia Moss and Rebecca Jordan perform an underwater fish ballet

Jeff Rodriguez—a remarkably versatile actor—has a difficult task, given that Sven is mostly reactive as a character, but she gives a beautifully soulful performance, providing a strong emotional core which grounds the play, anchoring its silliness in something real.

Ultimately, a comedy must be judged by laughter, and by that criterion, Eelpout! is a rousing success. Director Jeremy Ohringer keeps his crackerjack cast on their toes and the play moves at a rollicking pace. He’s also adept at the quieter moments which frequently sting in their melancholy. Sierra Walker’s light design, and Christopher Kriz’s sound design and music are also aces. In an early set piece, having fallen through a hole in the ice, Sven cavorts in an underwater ballet with assorted fish, entranced by their grace. Suddenly the light parts in a corner of the space, and arms reach in, their shadows bent and elongated by the light filtering through the ice and water. Arms trying to find Sven, adrift under the ice, to connect with him, to rescue him, while he floats suspended between the ice and the lake bed. It’s an image of startling, chilling beauty.

All that and a fish orgy on stage. What more could one ask for?

Jeff Rodriguez (front) as Sven and Carl Hallberg as Ole

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photos by Michael Brosilow

Eelpout!
Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL
Thurs–Sat at 7:30; Sun at 3; Sat at 3 (May 30); dark April 24
90 minutes no intermission
ends on May 30
for tickets ($20–$60), call 773.975.8150 or visit SG Theatre

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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