Absurdist Comedy ‘The Chairs’ at APT

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Photo by Michael Brosilow

Colleen Madden and James Ridge - The Chairs

Colleen Madden and James Ridge in American Players Theatre's production of 'The Chairs' (2026).

It is far easier to experience Eugène Ionesco’s play, The Chairs, than it is to write about it. But here goes.

The play, now running at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, only lasts 95 minutes (without an intermission). The best thing this reviewer could say about the play is, “I wish it was longer.”

Brevity is not something you’ll typically find at APT, particularly not at the outdoor Hill Theatre. Here, plays can run for three full hours (not always). But in the indoor theater, you never know what you’ll get (aside from air conditioning).

In this case, Ionesco’s absurdist comedy is completely delightful from start to finish. Two of APT’s finest performers, James Ridge and Colleen Madden, take the humor quotient to the max. Each scene is funnier than the last, with slapstick-type humor integrated with far more subtle jabs.

But unless audience members check the program, they’ll never guess that it’s Madden beneath all that makeup. She first appears in a mimed prologue, with more cosmetics on her face than a character in a Bertolt Brecht play. Along with her gaudy, overdone cosmetics, she is haphazardly dressed like a sleazy madam from a ramshackle brothel (costumes by Robert Morgan).

Send In the Chairs

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Photo by Michael Brosilow

Colleen Madden and James Ridge - The Chairs

Colleen Madden and James Ridge in American Players Theatre's production of 'The Chairs' (2026).

Madden begins the show by twirling a lone theater “ghost light” around the stage. Meanwhile, one can hear the sound of lapping waves (composition and sound design by Ethan Korvene).

The play’s title suggests that some chairs will eventually be revealed. They certainly do – by the armful. Not all will do the job, however. Some of the wooden chairs have weak bottoms, while others completely disintegrate, etc. (Set design is by Courtney O’Neill.)

The chairs are being set up in a semicircle by Madden, known as “Old Woman,” and James Ridge, who appears as “Old Man.” Ridge’s costume suggests an elderly professor, with his bow tie and rumpled sports coat. However, he claims to be a janitor, “master of the mop and bucket.” The Old Woman is not impressed. She chides him repeatedly for not having “more ambition.”

Ridge is a master of expressing puzzlement, and his dazed look suggests that he may literally fade in and out of reality during the course of the play. At one point he makes a long face and scratches his head to suggest a befuddled Laurel Hardy. That is an excellent description of his character’s facial expression during much of this play.

Actor Also Memorable in Previous Ionesco Play

As an aside, Ridge also starred in APT’s last absurdist comedy, 2018’s Exit the King, which was also written by Ionesco.  Ridge memorably played a king who could never be satisfied.

Despite Ridge’s claim of being a janitor, he feels strongly that he also has a “message for humanity” that people must hear. Thus begins the assembling of chairs for people who never show up.

The Old Woman fully supports his notion, claiming that his dreams are her dreams, too. So she assists him in setting up the chairs. When the elderly people get tired, they sit next to each other on a pair of chairs. They focus their attention on different areas of the stage, suggesting that they may actually see people occupying the chairs. When one makes a statement to their listeners, the other immediately says the opposite.

Long-married couples can easily identify with this situation, as each spouse may have his own version of shared events. The play’s pacing and movement are exquisitely directed by Vanessa Stalling. She keeps things interesting throughout, sometimes by having the characters troll through the theater’s aisles on various quests. Be sure to watch Madden as she attempts to “suspend” herself by hoisting her body on a handrail attached to one of the theater’s walls. Only someone with a great deal of physical strength could pull off this stunt, which seems to last several minutes. The longer Madden is able to hold herself aloft, the funnier the scene becomes.

The “APT actor with the most patience” award must go to Nate Burger (yes, the same multi-talented person who adapted APT’s current version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya). Burger makes a very late appearance in the play as the Orator. It is his task to share the Old Man’s message for humanity.

However, what happens next fully supports Ionesco’s vision of the innate absurdity of living. If audience members are expecting to receive some Great Truth from this message, they might be somewhat disappointed. But their funny bone will certainly be satisfied with the play’s abundant humor throughout, whether delivered as slapstick comedy or something far more subtle. The Chairs is not to be missed during this current season.

The Chairs runs through September 27 in the Touchstone Theater at American Players Theatre in Spring Green. The play runs 95 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, go online to americanplayers.org, or call the box office at (608) 588-2361.