Chicago Critic reviews Mercy Strain at ATC
Sep 27, 2014 Notes from the Road
Posted by
michael
In this 57 minute one person drama, Mercy Strain, we meet a working class rural Ohio man, Joe, who tells the police about the events that brought the cops to his home. Joe is a red-neck Rush Limbaugh listener whose life falls apart when his young wife is diagnosed with breast cancer. When their insurance cannot cover his wife’s treatments, bankruptcy ensues and then, divorce follows so Medicaid can help save her.
Michael Milligan’s fantastic and deeply emotional performance aptly dramatized the problems of our healthcare system. Milligan puts the struggle into stark human terms with all the dyer effects. Milligan is a polished performer who quickly engages us into his world of nightmares. This piece is the best argument for Obama care that I seen yet.
These two parts of the healthcare plays are riveting theatre. They play separately. I’m not sure who the audience is for Let Me Down Easy or Mercy Strain since 20-30somethings and seniors alike don’t like to speak or think about death and sickness. But the two performance (by Usman Ally and Michael Milligan) compel us to get to ATC.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Read the entire review at Chicagocritic.com
