Two chairs, a piano and a big bird. That simple scenic design—combined with a creatively structured script and superb performances by four actors playing 20 roles—creates magic on a small stage. The play is Incognito, by British playwright Nick Payne, now being staged by Tin Drum Theatre. Jason Palmer directs with impeccable timing and attention to the stories of troubled people.
Incognito blends several story threads and the four actors move seamlessly from one character in one thread to another. At first, the quick scene breaks, lighting and character changes may seem confusing but they soon become moored to reality and we recognize the main characters as real people dealing with human problems like illness, love and divorce. (The masterful lighting is by Jack Goodman and the stunningly simple scenic design by Marcus Klein.)
The four actors—Erin Alys, Teddy Boone, Riles August Holiday and Shannon Leigh Webber—perform their many characters by changing their physical movements, voice and accents but without any costume changes. No wigs, headgear or makeup are used to create the illusion of their 20 different characters but their acting skill makes them believable. These character transformations are fascinating to watch.
The story that might be considered the lede, in journalistic parlance, is the story of Albert Einstein’s brain. A pathologist named Thomas Harvey (played by Teddy Boone) is asked to perform an autopsy on the great physicist’s body; Harvey decides to take the Einstein brain so that he and others can do research on the nature of that brain. He even gets handshake permission to do that from Einstein’s son, Hans Albert (I worried about the lack of legal documents here). Thomas’ relationship with his wife Elouise (Shannon Leigh Webber) deteriorates—not only because of his obsession with the brain but because of his other extracurricular activities.
The most poignant story is that of Henry Maison (Riles August Holiday), a man who suffers seizures and has lost his short-term memory. He loves his wife Margaret (Erin Alys) dearly and greets her—even if they’ve only been apart for a few minutes—as if she’s been long lost. Each time they meet, she asks him to play something on the piano, but he can’t remember the melody. Two different doctors work with him as they try to find a solution for his memory loss (which resulted from surgery to deal with his epileptic seizures).
The third story thread is Martha’s (Shannon Leigh Webber), a neuropsychologist, who we learn about as she meets with her patients and spends time with her friend Patricia (Erin Alys). Martha has the best line in the play: “The brain is a storytelling machine and it's really, really good at fooling us.”
The creative team also includes Steve Needham as producer and Alex Kingsley as sound designer. Costumes are by Kasey Wolfgang. Erin Annarella is dialects coach. Stage manager is Joey Bluhm.
The stories of Thomas Harvey and Henry Maison are drawn from real life. Harvey, who did not have a background in neuroscience, kept Einstein’s brain and traveled around the country with it over the years. Henry Molaison was a famous case in the study of amnesia.
Playwright Nick Payne often uses science as part of the storylines in his plays. Steppenwolf Theatre staged his 2012 play, Constellations, in 2016; Pride Arts has scheduled it for 2026. He also writes for film and TV.
A symbolic thread joins these stories. Starlings, those birds that fly in murmurations, are mentioned a couple of times in the play; they’re also suggested by an abstract pattern painted on the floor and the big bird-like sculpture overhead, as well as by colored lighting changes.
Incognito by Tin Drum Theatre continues at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., through August 3. Running time is 100 minutes with no intermission. Tickets and more info here.
Curious about starling murmurations and how they form? Watch them here.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
Support arts and culture journalism today. This work doesn't happen without your support. Contribute today and ensure we can continue to share the latest reviews, essays, and previews of the most anticipated arts and culture events across the city.
