Some playwrights have a gift to amuse; Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig has a darker gift. Anyone with romantic notions of Chinese culture will be unsettled by the jagged, unsentimental portrait of modern urban China presented in the Goodman Theatre’s world premiere of her drama The World of Extreme Happiness. Hell, even if you don’t have romantic notions, you’ll probably be unsettled. (The title of the play is, no surprise, sarcastic.)
Jo Mei must do this when one of her characters, the deluded follower of a self-help guru, is transformed from comic relief into someone we genuinely care about, as she’s ground down by the heartless system she thought she would prosper in. Donald Li is utterly convincing as a selfish father who cares more for his pigeons than his children. But the play really belongs to Jennifer Lim, who gives a virtuoso performance as the long-suffering Sunny. Watching her slowly unfold the character over the course of this two-hour drama is a lesson in acting at its most controlled and powerful.
Through 10/12: Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM Goodman Theatre 170 N. Dearborn 312-443-3800goodmantheatre.org $10-$30
