‘Hellcab’: Sharp-Eyed, Openhearted Fare

Driving a Chicago cab on a bitterly cold day during the holiday season sounds like a recipe for high stress. But stress often creates drama, and Will Kern’s “Hellcab,” at the Hudson Backstage, capitalizes on that fact.

Kern presents a simple series of glimpses of a cabby (Loren Lazerine), his passengers and a few of his fellow drivers. We meet churchgoers, cokeheads, an attorney, a woman in labor, a squabbling couple, the sleazy owner of a deli and his girlfriend, a woman who thinks of herself as a “sugar mama,” a man who wants to mine the moon, a menacing figure hidden by a hood, and others. An episode with a woman who has just been raped--and the architect who is the next passenger--provides a natural climax.

As the human parade passes through the cab, Lazerine usually keeps his eyes on the road--that is, the audience--and reveals his reactions through masterfully subtle facial nuances as much as through his words. But he is so stirred by one of his encounters that he exits the cab to speak his mind--and then wonders why he did so.

The rest of the ensemble switches rapidly from role to role, nailing them all. David Razowsky’s staging hurdles the many blackouts between scenes with ease, assisted by Michael Franco’s sound and lighting. The production is by Soul for Hire in association with Zoo District.

Full of life, both funny and grim, “Hellcab” is that rare holiday-oriented show that neither glosses over the ugliness it discovers nor wallows in exaggerated parody or vitriolic iconoclasm. It’s got open eyes and a big heart.

*

“Hellcab,” Hudson Backstage, 1110 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 22. $13; free to cabdrivers with valid taxi license. Phone: (323) 769-5674. Running time: 1 hour, 5 minutes.