Marquette Theatre Debuts ‘Cities of Refuge’

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Photo by Cassidy O'Neil via Marquette Theatre - Facebook

Marquette Theatre's ‘Cities of Refuge’

Marquette Theatre's ‘Cities of Refuge’

Life can be particularly harsh in and around a homeless shelter. People are struggling to live in a world that can seem cold and unforgiving. Political matters surrounding some of the duties of a shelter can complicate things immeasurably as playwright Frank Winters explores in the world premiere of In the Cities of Refuge. The drama makes its debut with a captivatingly nuanced Marquette University cast. Though the show manages to hold some very powerful moments in and around the edges of the central plot, dramatic tensions can get lost in the sheer volume of story that Winters is delivering to the stage. 

Gabriela Shulman carries herself with an admirable vulnerability in the role of Esme, a recovering drug addict who has arrived at the shelter in its final days of operation. Scenes set in the final days of the shelter alternate gracefully with drama drawn from legal depositions concerning those final days. 

Director Deb Krajec does a respectable job of juggling a huge ensemble as it is tossed about in a complex and bewildering script, but the 2.5-hour tragedy tries to cover far too much ground for any one plot element to move across the stage with the proper momentum. Winters has crafted a script that gives more or less equal time with every major character in the ensemble. It’s a huge cast, though ... and ultimately there just isn’t enough time with any one character to feel totally satisfying. As a result, the Marquette production of In the Cities of Refuge kind of feels like a series of previews of a three or four much more satisfying full-length plays.  

Marquette University Theatre’s production of In the Cities of Refuge runs through Oct. 13 at the Helfaer Theatre, 525 N. 13th St. For more information, visit Marquette University Theatre online.