Chicago Dramatists’ new ‘Cadillac’ needs no hard sell
Populated by reliable veterans of the Chicago boards such as Craig Spidle (superb as a sales manager trying to shove together two competing halves of his life), Rob Riley (crisp, smart and funny) and Gene Cordon (who deftly provides the emotional core of the play), Edward Sobel’s honest, truthful and well-paced production would stand proud at any theater dealership in town. Kevin Depinet’s set is remarkable.
Even though the play basically takes place inside the office of the finance manager and the stage is tiny, we get a sense of the anonymous warren of the rooms at a car dealer, wood paneling and all, where workers try to hawk extended warranties, shove through finance agreements and make sense of their myriad relationships. Both the script and, at times, the production could use a jolt to the battery so that both ratchet up the stakes and go more for the jugular.
And you might find you see the end coming. I was also confused about whether this was a new or used-car joint it appears to sell only used vehicles, but it is also, apparently, an authorized dealership. That needs clarifying because the play is otherwise so careful with its little details. All that said, this is a very engrossing, old-fashioned night of theater. “A Steady Rain” attracted a lot of Chicago police officers. “Cadillac” would be an ideal winter outing for an auto dealership.
Salesmen, managers and customers all get a fair honk.