Penned by Will Arbery, Pulitzer Prize finalist for “Heroes of the Fourth Turning,” EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING was born in 2014 while Arbery was a college student at Northwestern University (2023 interview reported in Northwestern Magazine). When asked to write a play based on a local news article, he reportedly searched for the most boring article he could find – and then kept the article’s title as the play’s name. At the time, he was living in Illinois, a state known for its bitterly cold winters and terrible snowbound traffic conditions. What better inspiration for a short one-act play? The resulting play premiered off-Broadway in October 2022. In 2025, the Rogue Machine proudly presents the Southern California premiere of EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING.
Hugo Armstrong and Michael Redfield – Photo by Jeff Lorch
The place if Evanston, Illinois; and the time is three Januarys (2014, 2015, and 2016). Peter (Michael Redfield) and Basil (Hugo Armstrong) are two blue collar workers who spread salt to de-ice Evanston’s dangerous, slippery roads every winter. The winters seem to be getting worse every year, making their job as salt truck drivers harder and harder. At the same time, the price of salt keeps rising, making it more expensive each year to keep the roads safe. Their boss is Jane Maiworm (Lesley Fera), a bureaucratic functionary for the local public works department, who also happens to be genuinely concerned about public safety while hoping to find an alternate method of cleaning up the roads without using the very non-green method of salting. Jane is a widow who lives with her adult stepdaughter Jane Jr. (Kaia Gerber), a rather quirky young lady who cycles in and out of considering suicide as a cure for her problems. Their four-pronged interactions, often superficial cover-ups by the quartet, form the basis for the story.
Lesley Fera and Kaia Gerber – Photo by Jeff Lorch
It seems that Peter’s marriage isn’t working out very well. When his wife dies in an auto accident on a road which he and partner Basil just de-iced, he goes into a guilty blue funk (with the theme of suicide again raising its head). But who would take care of his young daughter? Basil, who enjoys writing short stories, tries to help by refocusing him – and might just be the more grounded of the two men. Meanwhile, it seems that Basil has had a two-year relationship with Maiworm, a secret which is well hidden from others. And let’s not forget that Basil has been hallucinating a mysterious woman in a purple hat. Finally, it appears that Maiworm has located a cure for using that expensive and unhealthy salt. Modern technology has come to the rescue with underground pavers which will keep the roads warm during the worst of the winter storms. The problem? Modern technology will result in Peter and Basil losing their jobs.
Kaia Gerber and Hugo Armstrong – Photo by Jeff Lorch
Skillfully helmed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING is a mish-mosh of complex issues focused on four imperfect people determined to keep their private thoughts and dreams private – at all costs. The talented cast does an excellent job of delineating each character while studying the dynamics that drive them together – and apart. Another star in the production is definitely the production team, led by Mark Mendelson’s scenic design keeping the snow whirling about and the cold seeping into your bones. Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer’s projection design continues the frigid themes as the two men roll out of their dark and stormy garage in their creaky old truck. The tone and feeling inherent in the piece come to life in an eerie, gripping, and prescient way.
Michael Redfield and Hugo Armstrong – Photo by Jeff Lorch
EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING is a recurring segment of four lives over a three-year span – a time when nothing and everything changes and questions are never really answered. Any comic relief is definitely in the range of dark comedy, and there is a somber undertone which pervades the tale. But the story also leans into the resilience of these characters who survive against all odds. As such, it certainly proves timely for a Los Angeles audience, some of whom are slowly coming to terms with a season of fires which destroyed much of the LA’s skyline, community, and history.
Michael Redfield and Hugo Armstrong – Photo by Jeff Lorch
EVANSTON SALT COSTS CLIMBING runs through March 9, 2025, with performances at 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays and at 3 p.m. on Sundays (no performances on 1/27 and 2/10). The Rogue Machine performs at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tickets are $45 (Sundays and Mondays) and $60 (Fridays and Saturdays). Discounts available for seniors ($35) and students and children under 18 ($25). For information and reservations, call 855-585-5185 or go online. Tickets also available through Shows4Less on Mondays, 2/17 at $20+ and on 2/24 at $25+.
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