Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

The Steppenwolf Arts Exchange may be viewed by some theatergoers as just-for-kids entertainment. That perception is absolutely exploded by the program's latest offering, an adaptation of the Toni Morrison novel "The Bluest Eye," which turns out to be a searing and surprisingly adult piece.

The set for the show is fairly simple, in large part due to necessity (the Arts Exchange shows are performed on the set of whatever is playing on Steppenwolf's main stage at the time); various clothes and fabrics hung on clotheslines represent rooms and beds. The set's centerpiece is a miniature white house, straight out of the Dick and Jane novels. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll rests nearby; everything is quite pleasant looking.

The actual events of the play's plot are not so pleasant. A little black girl named Pecola Breedlove has been told all her life that she is ugly, an invisible nobody and worth less than nothing. In her desire to be loved, she idolizes the blond-haired, blue-eyed white girls that everyone around her (even including her mother) seems to adore. When her drunk father (haunted by racial oppression from his own past) first divides her family and then commits a heinous crime upon Pecola herself, the girl starts to unravel completely, and her prayers to be given blue eyes like those of the pretty white girls are eventually granted in the most heartrending manner imaginable.

Director Hallie Gordon, playwright Lydia Diamond and the ensemble of actors have been wise enough to find bits of humor and warmth along the way. Especially good comedic work comes from TaRon Patton, Libya V. Pugh and Monifa M. Days, who play the fussy mother and two daughters of the family taking Pecola in for a time when her family splits. The most credit must go to Alana Arenas, however, for the astoundingly difficult emotional journey she must make during each performance as Pecola.

By the time the title phrase "the bluest eye" is actually uttered, you'll probably be crying. Parents be advised: This show includes some very mature content, including incest, rape, menstruation and animal cruelty. None of what I mention is gratuitous, and the events of the play are staged tastefully and respectfully. Still, be prepared to discuss these matters with young theatergoers afterwards. While this is a good show, it's far from a happy one.

Steppenwolf Arts Exchange at Steppenwolf Theatre; 1650 N. Halsted; (312) 335-1650; $10. Through Feb. 19 (with additional performances later); 11 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. Sunday Feb 13.; additional public performances on April 20, 26, and 27 at 11 a.m.