Steppenwolf Theatre’s robust Garage Rep, in which the mighty Lincoln Park institution hands over its handsome 80-seat Garage Theatre—as well as production and publicity teams—to three substantially less-than-mighty local companies for nine weeks, has traditionally been something of a free-for-all. It’s never mattered whether the shows had anything to do with one another, hewed to any particular aesthetic, or offended anyone’s tastes. If a chosen company wanted to try it out, it was in.
Red Tape’s aptly messy production, directed by Bonnie Metzgar and Eric Hoff, is visually vibrant and thematically incoherent. The group can’t find a tone or point of view to elucidate Mac’s dizzying text. While isolated bits shine, muddiness dominates most of the show’s two-hour running time.
Through 4/26: times vary, see website Steppenwolf Theatre Company Merle Reskin Garage Theatre 1624 N. Halsted 312-335-1650steppenwolf.org $20
