Four years ago, at Steppenwolf Theatre's Garage, actress-writerLusia Strus performed her breathtaking monologue, "It Ain't No FairyTale" -- a piece that could have converted even the most cynicalsouls in the audience into believing that marriage was worth a try.After all, here was a story told by a woman who was certainly noinnocent -- even if she viewed the marriage of her Old World parentsas a model of true romance -- about her decision to finally walk downthe aisle with the man of her dreams. And though filled with a senseof wonder and terror, she was about to walk the walk, with theaudience right alongside her at every nervous step.
"Wedding vows are not civilized," Strus reminded us in her uniquegravel-and-smoke voice. "They are primal and base and nottraditionally romantic."
Flash forward. The marriage vows were taken, as promised. But asday follows night, a troubled relationship ensued. And within twoyears so did a divorce. Now, Strus is back to both reclaim theoriginal dream and chronicle the ensuing nightmare as she presentsher updated monologue as part of Neo-Solo, the Neo-Futurists' eight-week, four-installment series of solo performers. Sharing the programwith Strus will be Chloe Johnston, who has created a piece with acountry music twang -- "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" --inspired by a romantic idyll in the life of Sara Carter, a member ofthe original Carter Family group.
Without giving away too much of Strus' story, let's just say thetrouble began when she and her husband moved to Las Vegas, where theybuilt a little addition to their large house for her husband'smother. In the process, Strus found herself dealing with a troubledman. She also found herself commuting four hours by car to LosAngeles, where she hoped to get work in television and film.
"Yesterday's honesty is today's b.s.," said Strus, with hercharacteristic deep-throated laugh. "But I've learned a lot along theway. One thing I know: You divorce a different person than youmarried. As for what happens in the interim, that's what this show isabout. What I can tell you is that I meant it when I stood up thereand took those vows. But by the end I knew I couldn't take one moreday, let alone a lifetime. I had to get out while the getting wasgood. And believe me, all this has tempered my previous opinionsabout other people's relationships, and what I thought was the 'ease'of their divorces."
Yet Strus insists she is neither jaded nor cynical about marriage,even now.
"I am still in awe of those who can live together," she said. "Isaw it work for my parents. They were married for 20 years when myfather died at the age of 60, leaving behind my mother, who was only45. She never remarried. And her name is on the cemetery plot next tohis; she is spoken for in the afterlife. I think there is somethingalmost metaphysical about those marriages that succeed, somethingmaybe unnatural. And of course people have myriad reasons why theystay together, or have to stay together."
While performing "It Ain't No Fairy Tale," Strus, who recentlyrecovered from a broken leg (a freak accident that occurred while shewas walking her dog), also is rehearsing for the Chicago ShakespeareTheatre production of "Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2," which she willperform here, and then as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company'smarathon summer festival at Stratford-upon-Avon. She is playing therole of Mistress Quickly, the tavern hostess with a soft spot for thehard-drinking, high-spirited Sir John Falstaff.
Following those performances in England, Strus plans to set off onher own for a tour of Eastern Europe -- Prague, Budapest, Cracow andthe Ukraine, where she will rent an apartment in Kiev and conductinterviews for a work-in-progress about the nuclear disaster atChernobyl that occurred 20 years ago this month.
Now, for Chloe Johnston's performance piece: She eschewedautobiography and instead found inspiration in a highly acclaimedbook she read a year or so ago -- Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?:The Carter Family and Their Legacy in American Music.
"The original Carter group was made up of A.P. [Alvin Pleasant],his wife, Sara (who was June Carter's aunt), and Sara's cousin,Maybelle," explained Johnston. "And I became intrigued by aparticular incident in Sara's life. It was during the 1930s, when shefell in love with a younger man, Coy Bays, who just happened to be acousin of A.P.'s."
"This was a time when the Carters were famous in their way, butthere was none of the private life exposure that celebrities facetoday. To avoid scandal, Coy's mom just packed up the whole familyand took them to California."
Sara eventually divorced A.P. And over the course of six years shewrote many letters to Coy, though she never heard back from him.Then, as Johnston explained it: "One day when she was at a radiostation on the Mexican border she stepped up to the microphone beforesinging 'I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,' and said: 'This songgoes out to Coy Bays'."
Sorry, but you have to tune in for the rest of the story.
Note: Coming up in the Neo-Solo series will be performances by IanBelknap (Apr. 27-19 and May 4-6); Scott Hermes and Caitlin Savage(May 11-13 and 18-20); and Dina Connolly and Meagn Stielstra (May 25-27 and June 1-3).
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'NEO-SOLOS' AT THE NEO-FUTURISTS
- 7:30 p.m. tonight, Saturday and April 20-22. (Additionalperformers and dates to follow.)
- Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland
- Tickets, $15 (and pay what you can on Thursdays)
- (773) 275-5255
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