Like a combination of a glossy bygone Sandra Dee weeper mixed with Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes contemporary take on that era, The Artistic Home’s potent production of The American Plan sweeps you away with nostalgia – and trembling waves of regret.

It is summer in the Catskills in the late 1950’s and privileged, quirky Lil Adler has fallen in love with handsome Nick Lockridge. Even when Lil’s domineering mother, Eva, lets Nick know the true nature of Lil’s fragile emotional state and uncovers his questionable past, the two seem drawn toward a sure future together. But after a mysterious stranger arrives, Eva’s iron clad hold on Lil is soon revealed while Nick’s secrets threaten to destroy everything the young lovers have hoped for.

Borrowing a bit from Tennessee Williams and Ross Hunter, playwright Richard Greenberg creates an evocative tale of shattered dreams and unfulfilled desires. Using rich imagery and vivid back story, he often leaves you in a state of hopeful curiosity as you wonder which way the story will unfold. In that respect, his second act revelation, concerning the true nature of Nick’s background, is tantalizing. But, his characters are so mired in their untruths that he occasionally misses needed beats and motivations, ultimately, allowing for a superior work that still seems a bit imperfect at the evening’s end.

Director Robin Witt, meanwhile, with the help of sound designer Adam Smith and costumer Emily McConnell, perfectly captures the piece’s time period.  Witt effectively sends audience members into another world, even despite her creative misstep with lead actress Margaret Katch.

As, Lil, Katch seems truly connected to her character and is capable of moments of supreme beauty, but Witt ultimately directs her in such a socially affected manner that she rarely comes off as a true human being. Meanwhile, Kathy Scambiatterra has moments of understated brilliance as the evil Eva and Tim Musachio twists Gil, his wrench throwing stranger, into a passionately antagonistic take on vengeful love. It is Nick Horst, as Nick, that connects the deepest, though. Horst delivers a deeply emotional, heart sore performance. His charisma helps make The American Plan, despite any flaws, an often beautiful, completely recommended piece of theater.

Here, the talented Horst, an ensemble member of The Artistic Home, talks a bit about the creative process behind The American Plan.

Sheridan Road: What has been the most interesting aspect about the creative process of The American Plan for you?

Nick Horst: The most interesting aspect of putting together The American Plan was the opportunity to work with an amazing cast and director Robin Witt. As an ensemble member with The Artistic Home, it is always a nice change of pace to bring an outside director onto a project. From the beginning of rehearsals Robin brought such a precise vision of The American Plan. It made my job easier as an actor because I was given a clear sense of where Robin was taking us. I also think the bar was raised because we wanted to match Robin’s enthusiasm and preparedness and make sure we tell this beautiful story as best we can.

SR: You bring a very impressive, genuine sense of decency to Nick in The American Plan. You brought the same essence to Al, another recent role, in Tea and Sympathy. Is that something that is inherent in those characters, themselves, or is that something that you’ve added to the roles, yourself?

NH: Well, thank you very much, and as much as I’d love to say it was all me, I think Nick and Al are somewhat similar. Both have a heavy conscience and strive to do the right thing. They are essentially good people who care so much about the people around them, but are aware of the social stigma and consequences about what they really want. With Al, it was about the struggle of not wanting to abandon his friend and roommate, but knowing that there was no way he could get around it. And Nick, who is a little more complex then Al, has to struggle with who is really is, what he really wants and if can he live in society having these things. Although, both, have been given different circumstances in life, I think both would react similarly if put in the same situation.

SR: Playwright Richard Greenberg and director Robin Witt have truly brought the essence of the late 50’s to the stage with The American Plan. But, how do you feel the play relates emotionally to a modern audience?

NH: I think every time The Artistic Home puts on a play, we have to ask, “How does this relate to today?”; “Will audiences be able to relate to this?” One of the themes of this play is “The American Dream” and is it for everyone? And by that, is everyone given an equal opportunity to achieve it?  I think today that issue is all around us, with the question of equality. You try to create this ideal life for yourself, but in certain situations society unfairly stacks the deck against you. In The American Plan you have five characters who, even in the 1950s, are dealing with the same issues that we still see today. This season at The Artistic Home we wanted to focus on the idea of “being true to yourself” and I think no matter what the time and place, people will always be able to connect characters who are striving for that.

The American Plan runs through August 26^th at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Avenue. Tickets are $28 -$32 and can be purchased by visiting www.stage773.org or by calling 773-327-5252. —Brian Kirst

If you’ve experienced raunchy-talking, boys-club movies like Superbad or I Love You, Man then you’ve already spent time with The Watch. However, this one only has a couple funny moments threaded into the chaotic outpouring of improvisational sex cursing and an over reliance on clichéd bits and schtick.

Evan (Ben Stiller, Tower Heist) is a genuinely good guy who wants the best for his suburban neighborhood. When a brutal murder is perpetrated in the Costco he manages he forms a neighborhood watch to track down the murderer and the only guys who apply are a slick talking ex-frat boy (Vince Vaughn, Couples Retreat), a mentally unstable militant (Jonah Hill, Moneyball), and a socially awkward Brit (Richard Ayoade, The IT Crowd). As they look further into the murder they uncover a vast intergalactic alien conspiracy and they’re the only ones who are in a position to stop it.

I’m a big Vince Vaughn fan, and a big Jonah Hill fan, and a big Richard Ayoade fan, and Ben Stiller is fine, so The Watch looked like a good time as soon as I saw the poster. The film, however, is in trouble from the very beginning. The opening narration and montage set our main character up as a bit of a clueless schlub and it’s clear that the filmmakers think his puritan life of do-goodery is worthy of scorn. Yup. All good people just trying to live a productive life take cover, because Evan needs to learn to cuss and throw caution to the wind. Practically before the opening credits are over, nice-guy Evan congratulates one of his Hispanic security guard employees on all his hard work getting his American citizenship. As soon as Evan leaves for the night, the security guard is rolling through the store on a kids bike drinking beer to a rap soundtrack and smoking weed while watching soft-core thrillers on the big screens. That’s pretty much how the movie goes.

The entire first hour is simply vignette after vignette of the four main guys sitting around in different locations riffing crude, overly long conversations while everybody but Stiller gets drunk and avoids responsibility. It takes forever to go anywhere. When the alien plot finally happens there are some funny moments, but all character logic is repeatedly thrown out the window in favor of last second improv jokes and cool alien spectacle.

I think it all boils down to the fact that this was directed by the guy who does all the SNL digital shorts. He’s adept at getting a gag across for a couple of minutes, but he didn’t believe in his movie enough to rein it in and keep it on track. He let the cast go crazy and didn’t cut it down to size. Vaughn does what he does best, he vamps off the cuff in every scene, which can be outstanding (Swingers, Old School, Wedding Crashers) when there’s a director who knows how to properly cut it into the context of a film, but in The Watch there’s no one holding the fire hose and it’s out of control.

There are good things here as well: Ayoade is hilarious in every scene and is inadvertently the most relatable character. The creature design for the aliens is very cool and practical characters (costumes and puppets) gets more screen time than computer generated ones. And there are side stories involving Vaughn’s daughter and Stiller’s wife that are genuinely involving and human. But mostly it just feels like a fun concept that’s been weighed down by vulgarity and cynicism.

My personal opinion: Skip it. I have better hope for emotionally resonant characters and a more logically executed plot at this week’s other offering, Step Up Revolution 3D. –Jake Jarvi

This isn’t your grandmother’s classic! Rich in history, Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters was originally performed in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of famed acting maestro Constantin Stanislavsky. Steppenwolf’s current version with its staccato modernization of Chekov’s dialogue, multi-cultural casting and Todd Rosenthal’s amazing floating set piece definitely puts a new spin on this thoroughly enjoyable warhorse.

Longing to return to Moscow and abandon the provincial life that they have been living, three sisters instead find themselves facing day to day melancholy while dealing with volatile affairs of the heart and a devious sister-in-law who threatens their day to day existence. Taking place over a period of several years, eldest sister Olga ultimately inherits a position worthy of her many skills while melancholy middle sister Masha and dreamy Irina are taken in by men whom forgive all their faults including the girls’ lack of love for them. Rumored to be based on the famous writing Bronte sisters, the three characters’ inherent sadness is often played for laughs, a symptom of Chekov’s true desires. He often described his work as comedy not tragedy.

Not surprisingly, this adaptation by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Tracy Letts is filled with contemporary phrasing. Subsequently, there are moments when the dialogue feels a bit unnatural coming out of the actors’ mouths. But, that unusualness ultimately adds to the overall experimental feel of the show. The missing classicism also lends itself to a certain abruptness in the proceedings that takes a moment to get used to. Patient audience members will find much to enjoy when the piece’s inherent rhythms finally wash over them, though.

Famed director Anna B. Shapiro stages the proceedings with a ballet smooth economy and the connection she brings out between the actresses playing the siblings is rich with subtle undertones and understanding love. Meanwhile, Rosenthal’s hovering model of the family’s home is as much a part of the show as the performers.  This is a true feat for Usman Alley, Alana Arenas, Carrie Coon, Scott Jaeck, Ora Jones, Caroline Neff and their co-stars are all top notch.

Three Sisters runs through August 26^th in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted Street. Tickets are $20-$75 and can be purchased by calling 312-335-1650 or by calling 312-335-1650. —Brian Kirst