‘Luna Gale’ Comes to the Center Theater Group

A Lawrence Dreyfuss

When the play “Luna Gale” opened in January at the Goodman Theater in downtown Chicago, Variety wrote that it “presents a nearly flawless depiction of a world where flawed people make flawed decisions in a flawed system.”  It is a serious dramatic work, exploring issues of drug use, family abuse, and the foster system.  The New York Times described the ensemble in Chicago as “largely excellent.” For those who were unable to make it to the windy city last winter, the show will be at the Center Theater Group’s Kirk Douglas theater. Reportedly, the cast is traveling with the show to present this tale of moral ambiguity.

Luna Gale tells the story of two parents whose baby, Luna Gale, is taken away from them by Child Protective Services after a report concerning parental abuse is filed. The parents are drug addicts, meth to be exact, and the only way to reconnect with their child is to become drug free.  Another family member can take care of the child, as preferred, so when grandma volunteers, Luna goes to live with her.  Grandma is a devout Christian and so sees it as her religious duty to take care of the baby. She also views her daughter’s, Luna’s mom’s, drug use as being irrevocably sinful and so she begins taking action to adopt Luna permanently to ensure that Luna will not go back with her daughter. Meanwhile, her mother and father are working hard to clean up their acts.  The local rehabilitation clinics have long waiting lists forcing them to detox on their own. Yet, they do want Luna back. Either mom and dad or grandma, will most likely be better for Luna but deciding what is the correct moral decision is the main quandary that this play wrestles with. What factors should CPS consider when making these sorts of decisions?

Playwright Rebecca Gilman is no stranger to addressing tough social issues.  Her play “Spinning into Butter,” named one of the best plays of 1999 by Time, concerns issues of racial identity.  It was later made into a movie starring Sarah Jessica Parker.  In “Luna Gale”, her characters are grounded by the guidance of longtime Chicago director Robert Falls. Falls, who won a Tony for his 1999 Broadway production of “Death of a Salesman” creates a sobering reality within which Gilman’s characters are able to function. Simultaneously “Gilman’s quiet realism grounds this restless director in a social reality,” wrote Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune.

Luna Gale is only running for four weeks.  If this play is like Gilman’s and Fall’s previous productions, it will go on to be nominated for various awards.  This might be the last chance to see the production with the original cast so get your tickets before they sell out.

Luna Gale will run from November 23 through December 21 at the Kirk Douglas Theater at the Center Theater Group.