CenterstageChicago.com Presents: Theater

Sketchfest Explorer: Part 2

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:00:00 CST

Last week, I explored the opening acts of the magically hilarious Chicago Sketchfest. This week, there?s even more funny. First up was The Backrow. These guys are veterans, one of a tiny handful of groups that has performed at every Sketchfest since 2001. Their work is delightfully offbeat, turning mundane situations into surreal romps, like going to the Algonquin Target and meeting a minotaur. This was also the first time I got to sample the work of the very locally active Latino/Latina focused group, Salsation. Salsation pulled off one of the rarest and most impressive tricks in the sketch comedy art form, injecting real drama while still being funny, addressing homophobia in the Latino community. Pangea 3000 was my narrow favorite of the week. They essentially put on a meta show in which they are never actually able to start their material because they keep arguing over it. They deconstructed sketch conventions with very sharp deadpan wit. The all female Mountain Dawn also put on a great show. They took a single concept, a reunion of aging actresses who once starred in the 1980s action series ?She Cops?, and made it revue length. My biggest disappointment was Second City?s topical ?This Week? sketch show. It wasn?t necessarily bad but did not live up to their iconic name. By coincidence more than design, the shows I sampled in the second week were all notable for the innovative ways in which they played with the traditional sketch comedy format. All of this bodes well for the continued growth of Sketchfest into a major Chicago comedy institution. Do yourself a favor and be there in January of 2013.

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Sketchfest Explorer: Part 1

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 CST

Chicago Sketchfest, now in its eleventh year, is an efficient (as can be expected) finely calibrated machine of funny. Chicago has long been one of the capital cities of sketch and its twin brother, improv. Sketchfest does a brilliant job of highlighting not only the many great local groups that perform here year round but also attracts top talent from all over the English speaking world. The action happens at Lakeview?s Stage 773, a theater which contains four separate performance spaces. Over the eight nights of the festival, a group performs in each space for one hour or less, allowing hundreds of performers to shine onstage. And shine they do. Sketchfest is selective and highly committed to quality. I?m happy to report that the most obvious objective was achieved: every group that I saw in Sketchfest?s first week made me laugh. A lot. Among the great ones I saw: Happily Ever Laughter. This undergrad group from Vassar College follows in the footsteps of the Harvard Lampoon and the Cambridge Footlights in the time honored tradition of smartasses brought together by elite universities. The New Jersey group Upset Triangle impressed me with their high concept surrealism. The flagship show of Sketchfest is arguably Chicago?s own Cupid Players, if for no other reason than it contains the festival?s founders. Cupid has a continuous musical theatre format that explores the eternal theme of loooooooooveee. Far and away the best of what I saw was the Seattle based duo Charles. These absolutely brilliant writer performers made the audience howl with unabashedly highbrow material mixed with low, what they call ?unibrow? comedy. In practice this meant 10th century ethnic humor (?Who cut this wool, a Gaul??) jokes about Thomas Jefferson, HP Lovecraft and quantum physics. But they still find time to do bits based around Arsenio Hall, large breasts and the ghost of Patrick Swayze. Next week: Part Two!

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Where to Go Before and After the Show

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:00:00 CST

So, you were able to snag tickets to a hot new production at one of Chicago's favorite theaters. Awesome. But your plans aren't quite set yet. In order to make it a really memorable experience, you'll want to find the perfect place for that efficient, yet not rushed pre-show meal. We've investigated the areas around the city's top stages and found some suitable restaurants at which to start your evening - and some great bars to hit after the curtain falls.

Briar Street Theatre
The intimate setting at Briar Street Theatre makes every seat in the house the best, so you won't have to don a poncho to ensure you get a good view of the resident Blue Man Group.

Before: Have a fun BYOB feast at Andalous Moroccan Restaurant.
After: Make a beeline to Sheffield Avenue for craft beers at Sheffield's or an above-23 atmosphere at Matilda.

Cadillac Palace Theatre
This towering, 2,500-seat gem provides an evening out fit for tourists and natives alike, as it's home to bigtime productions like "The Lion King," "August: Osage County" and more.

Before: Enjoy an appropriately big meal at Rosebud Theater District.
After: Savor the sleek setting at Renaissance Chicago hotel's Bar Novo.

Chase Auditorium
This downtown hall is home to just one major production, but it's a biggie: the live taping of NPR's "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!"

Before: Enjoy borscht and vodka flights at Russian Tea Time.
After: Discuss NPR-esque issues in hushed tones at Potter's in the Palmer House Hilton.

Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre
Like big Broadway shows? You'll feel at home in this huge, ornately designed venue hosting mostly musicals like "Billy Elliott."

Before: Reserve a table at Trattoria No. 10 and let the ravioli feast begin.
After: Continue your super-size evening with a stop at the Hyatt Regency's BIG Bar, which claims to have the longest freestanding bar on the continent.

Goodman Theatre
A key component of the Loop Theater District, the Goodman's current home stretches a full city block with a long, open and comfortable lobby that welcomes audiences to its two theaters for a mix of classic and edgy productions.

Before: Explore one of the three restaurants in the famed Italian Village.
After: Unwind with a craft brew at State and Lake in the Wit Hotel.

Mercury Theater
This 300-seat playhouse was designed as a venue in which to stage fresh off-Loop theater. For a long time, the theater was the home to a sit-down production of the comedy "Over the River and Through the Woods"; more recently, the theater scored a hit with the critically acclaimed "The Screwtape Letters."

Before: Get your fill of meat and wine at the BYOB Tango Sur (just make sure to get there early, as waits can be long).
After: Chill out with some brews at Toon's, or follow the crowds south to packed spots like Sopo.

Second City
If you care about comedy, you've gotta go where it all began, and this is ground zero for improv, having spawned legends like John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Stephen Colbert and more.
Before: Enjoy another Chicago classic with ribs at Twin Anchors. (Those less carnivorous might enjoy Perennial instead.)
After: Head over to Old Town Ale House; you'll likely see a performer or two there before long.

Steppenwolf Theatre
The always-surprising company behind this Chicago institution puts on any number of awesome productions on three stages in its Lincoln Park complex, from experimental world-premieres to classics for the kids.

Before: Visit Boka for a decadent dinner.
After: Keep the Chicago theme going with pints at Goose Island Brewery.

Going somewhere else? Use our Virtual L navigator to find a nearby bar or restaurant, or just ask us for a tip.

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Ready, Set, Improvise!

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST

Picture this: You get up on stage with no costume, no props and no script. You ask for an audience suggestion, and that drunken guy in the back of the room, nursing his sixth beer, yells out "chicken wings!" Or maybe an astute Sarah Palin look-alike in the front row screams out "lipstick!" Regardless of the audience suggestion, you and your team of two, four, seven, eight or sometimes even 10 other improvisers create a variety of scenes on the fly using only this ridiculous word or phrase as the backbone.

Sound crazy? Well, it kinda is, but that's how you play the improv game. At the 2010 Chicago Improv Festival, you'll be able to catch teams of improvisers from around the world do at times hilarious, at other times dramatic, but always guaranteed strange, scenes that begin with a mere suggestion. Don't believe me? Stop by the festival to see these teams blow your fuckin' mind, as they say in the improv world.

1, 2, 3...Fag!
Tuesday, April 20 at IO Theater, 8 p.m.; $12
Don't be fooled by the name: this ain't some Boystown bar brawl. Energetic Chicago improvisers John Hartman, Kellen Alexander and Seth Dodson bring together strong character work and a wacky, campy sense of humor. These boys are adept at interjecting humor into gender, proving that boys will not always ? in fact, probably never ? be boys. At their weekly Friday evening show a few weeks ago, the players created a bizarre scene about a closeted gay dad leaving his boy-obsessed teenage daughter and her dud of a little brother at home while he went on a "men's retreat" in Ohio. Watching Hartman, Alexander and Dodson brings you to a whole new understanding of queerness and comedy. And sometimes, they bring in a "hag," changing the name of this show to "1, 2, Fag and Hag!" Seriously, move over John Waters.

Messing with a Friend [with special guest Tim Meadows]
Thursday, April 22 at Annoyance Theatre and Bar, 10:30 p.m.; $20
The winner of this year's Chicago Improv Festival "Improviser of the Year" (awards will be given out on Wednesday at Second City ETC), Chicago legend Susan Messing brings her renowned long-form improv show, Messing with a Friend, to the festival. In each show, she plays with one, and sometimes two, improvisers from her "special circle of friends." An inspiration to improvisers everywhere, especially women, Messing's show is a must-see - especially with SNL-alum Meadows in tow.

Boner Petite
Friday, April 23 at Playground Theater, 10:30 p.m.; $10
This seven-member, all-female long-form improv team focuses on scene work and tons of physicality. Maybe you've seen them at Second City? Or IO? Perhaps in another major city like New York ? you know, the "other" comedy town? Wherever these ladies perform, their uniquely charming groupwork around topics like "how do you have sex on your wedding night?" gets laughs.

Boom Chicago All-Stars
Friday, April 23 at Laugh Out Loud Theater, 9:30 p.m.; $18
Saturday, April 24 at Donny's Skybox Studio, 7 p.m.; $15
Note: Boom Chicago has reportedly been having trouble getting to Chicago due to the Icelandic volcano eruption. Keep an eye on the CIF blog for news about these and other shows.
Originally from Chicago, the members of this improv team have worked out of Amsterdam since 1993. Why Amsterdam, you ask? The founder chalks it up to a self-described great "stoner" idea they had: move there and start a troupe. Did they think it would work? Maybe. Did it work? Yes. All their shows are in English but, naturally, two-thirds of their audience is Dutch. And they've taken their shows online, too, so that American audiences can still see what they're up to. Since landing in the Netherlands, they've grown to become one of the best-known and loved improv-sketch comedy theatres in Europe. Here's to brilliant, pot-induced ideas!

Bearded Men Improv
Saturday, April 24 at Athenaeum Theatre, 9 p.m.; $15
Okay, so not every improv troupe asks for a suggestion, but one thing is for certain: No one has a script. The Bearded Men are known for their Granny skit, where they hit the stage clad in your grandma's clothes: a pastel pink shirt and top, or a mint green polyester skirt-and-blouse attire, and improvise conversation about cookies, specifically Fig Newtons. In a Hot Pocket second, you'll forget that they ever called themselves bearded men. The Bearded Men are visiting from Moorhead, Minnesota.

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Theater Is For Lovers

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 CST

Visit the Valentine's Day Guide to
singles' events and romantic outings �

Chocolates are cliched. Flowers appear forced. And dinner's nice, but not enough. If you're not quite sure how to one-up last year's Valentine's Day performance, consider a trip to one of the many Chicago theaters offering some sweet stage action on or before February 14. You just might get a standing ovation.

Duets for My Valentine
Saturday, February 13 at Park West, 8 p.m.; $25
Being in love, flirting and seduction are all like dances. That's why this Valentine's Day performance includes every type of dance ? from jazz to modern, tango, tap, ballet, swing and even cha cha ? that'll make you swoon. Companies include DanceWorks Chicago, Elements Contemporary Ballet, Breakdance Chicago, Chicago Tap Theatre, Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre, Joel Hall Dance Company and Culture Shock Chicago.

River North Chicago Dance Company's Valentine's Weekend Engagement
Friday, February 12 - Saturday, February 13 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 8 p.m.; $30-$65
River North Chicago checks into the Harris Theater for a weekend of Valentine's Day performances, including two world premieres (Robert Battle's "Three" and Laurie Stallings' "Suppose"), "Evolution of a Dream," a re-imagining of the Company's signature work, "Reality of a Dreamer," and several other performances.

Bikerman and the Jewish Avenger: Love Hurts
Saturday, February 13 at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 10 p.m.; $16.50
No punches are pulled in this Valentine's Day show, as two ordinary guys break down the intricacies of dating, romance and love. Find a date if you can (not a young teen, please).

Valentine's Dance Night
Saturday, February 13 at Ballroom Dance Chicago, 6 p.m.; $50
Ballroom Dance Chicago invites you and someone you love to celebrate a weekend of romance. You'll experience an evening of romantic Latin dance and a complimentary sampling of selected wines and hors d'oeuvres.

A Valentine's Show
Sunday, February 14 at Annoyance Theatre and Bar, 8 p.m.; $10
You never know what to expect from love, so why should a show about it be any different? Derrick Aguis and Lindsey Finn use as suggestions from the audience to create an unscripted romance in this one-night-only show.

VD with Cornfusion
Sunday, February 14 at Cornservatory, 6:30 p.m.; $25
Booze, food and relationship-themed comedy are on the menu for Valentine's day this year.

Show Us Your Love
Sunday, February 14 at Mary's Attic, 7:30 p.m.
You could just buy a couple of $15 tickets for this collage of love-themed comic and dramatic musical selections - but to really make it special, go for the Valentine's Day Couples Package ($79), which includes two reserved seats, two servings of champagne, two red roses and a dessert to share. Get tickets at BailwickChicago.com.

Cupid Has a Heart On: A Musical Guide to Relationships
Saturdays at IO Theater, 10:30 p.m.; $18
The Cupid Players continue the open run of their love-themed show, in which they poke fun at relationships, love and, well, life in general. Is there a better day to evaluate and reflect on your own self-worth this Valentine's Day? That's what we thought.

Kama Sutra The Musical
February 13-March 27 at Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret; 10:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 14 only)
Chicago may not be home to Kama Sutra's origins ? that belongs to (duh) India ? but our big-shouldered city is the birth place of "Kama Sutra: The Musical." Dustin Hamilton and Kendel Lester reprise their roles as sexually dysfunctional Dick & Gina, with director/choreographer Buddy Reeder returning for his second season as Swami Comoniwannagetonya, the 1800-year-old creator of the Kama Sutra, whose enchanted vibrator - the John Handcock - resuscitates the couple's lackluster lustlife.

MATE: Male Attraction Techniques Exposed
February 6-27 at Town Hall Pub, 7 p.m. Friday (February 12 and 26 only) and Saturday; $10
After being displaced from their convention at McCormick Place, a group of eccentric scientists gather here to present their breakthrough findings regarding the connection between animal courtship displays and human attraction techniques. The scientists explore all corners of the animal kingdom, from reptiles to arachnids, as they demonstrate males and females in pursuit of a MATE. If this doesn't get you in the mood, nothing will.

Visit the Valentine's Day Guide to
singles' events and romantic outings �

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Chicago SketchFest Picks

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:00:00 CST

We're not seeing a whole lot of smiling faces this time of year, and it's not just because they're all covered up by scarves. As the holiday high recedes, we need something to lift our spirits once again - and right on schedule comes the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (better known as Chicago Sketchfest). From January 7-17, over 100 troupes from all over the place will perform nearly 150 shows at Theatre Building Chicago. Why should you go this year? Well, we don't know your sense of humor, but we do know you're lazy, and don't want to sort through tons of bad comedy videos 'til you find an act that gets you laughing. That's why we did it for you. Here's the best of what we've found:

Hey You Millionaires
8 p.m. January 7

The Phone Call...(LIVE at Chicago Sketchfest 08)

Hey You Millionaires | MySpace Video Heavyweight
9 p.m. January 8 and 9

HEAVYWEIGHT - watch more funny videos

Pangea 3000 10 p.m. January 8 and 9
BriTANicK
11 p.m. January 15
Best Church of God 1 p.m. January 17

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NYE Picks: Theater

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:00:00 CST

E. Faye Butler will take you through the American songbook at Northlight.

Want a real fireworks show on New Year's Eve? Head to one of these special theater events. You'll have a ball, we promise.

For the class clown
The Chuckle Bowl Spectacular
12/31 at Lincoln Square Lanes
"Don't Spit the Water," a giddy live game show that asks audience contestants to hold cheekfuls of water while withstanding assaults from bizarro gimmick comedians, headlines what might be Chicago's least pretentious New Year's bash. The Chuckle Bowl, held at dive bowling alley Lincoln Square Lanes, features open bowling, vid screens looping comedic found footage, free pizza and cheap booze. At midnight, toast the High Life with Miller.

For your mom
E. Faye Butler and Her Trio
12/31 at Northlight Theatre
This New Year's, put yourself in the hands of a diva. Hometown heroine E. Faye Butler, who blasted audiences away with lead performances in "Ella" and "Caroline or Change," will sing out 2009 with verve and a jazz trio. Perfect for grownups who want to be in bed at a reasonable hour, this show will take you through the American songbook starting at 8 p.m.

For the musical theater dork
A Cabaret New Year's Celebration
12/31 at No Exit Cafe
Theo Ubique, with its young, gutsy casts and atmospherically gunky venue, almost makes showtunes cool. Almost. For the Eve, this small company will help you get your geek on in the intimate dark of the No Exit Cafe. Start with selections from their current show, "Man of La Mancha," break for snacks, then come right back for a set of musical-theater favorites at 11 p.m. Your ticket comes with an open bar, party favors and a glass of the bubbly at midnight.

For the French kissers
Michelle L'Amour's Chicago Starlets
12/31 at La Mediterranee
If 2009 left you in need of an uplifting performance experience, may the splendid rear of Michelle L'Amour, duchess of Chicago burlesque, preside over the dawn of your 2010. L'Amour and her Starlets are planning two NYE performances at La Mediterranee, and the striptease will be as French as the four-course meal (included). With a champagne toast, bien sur.

For the die-hard off-Loop fan
Too Much Light New Year's Eve '10
12/31 at the Neo-Futurarium
Fifty-two weeks a year, these shoestring-theater deities serve Chicagoans a rotating menu of 30 quick-fire world-premiere plays. And what did you accomplish in 2008? Celebrate another year of sold-out shows, persistent creativity, and pizza with the Neofuturists. Tickets must be purchased in advance for this one (no long lines and dice rolls) and the "30 Plays in 60 Minutes" time restriction has a special urgency: the plays must wrap before 2009.

If these don't fit the bill, check out these other New Year's Eve events.

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Ha-Ha Hunters

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:00:00 CST

They say "one man's trash is another man's treasure." They are the ones who try to sell you caved-in furniture and "gently used" undergarments from their front lawns every summer. Anyone who's attempted to hunt for treasure at garage sales, thrift stores and the like knows it's a thankless pursuit that usually ends in disappointment. No one knows it better than Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, the founders and co-hosts of the Found Footage Festival. The two comedy writers ("The Colbert Report" and "The Onion," respectively) have spent the past several years digging through a whole lot of trash in the hopes of finding their version of treasure: celebrity infomercials, amateur music videos, local ads and other humorous videos that have been - mostly for good reason - discarded from public memory. Since their obsession was first inspired by a McDonald's training video in high school, the friends have amassed thousands of hours of ridiculous footage, some of it submitted by their growing legion of fans. And each year since 2005, they've edited the best of it together and shown it, live, to an audience while telling stories of where and how each video was found. This year's festival promises a fresh round of hilarity, with clips including a Milton Berle exercise tape and a 1987 video-dating reel submitted by none other than David Cross. We asked Prueher and Pickett to share some of their thrift-store wisdom before the fest rolls into Chicago (December 18 at Lakeshore Theater).

Why should people go to your show when they can just go online and find funny videos? What is added in the live experience?
Nick Prueher: Well, first of all, the footage in our live show is stuff you can't see anywhere else, including on our own website. But more importantly, with the glut of goofy videos out there right now, you need tour guides to separate the wheat from the chaff and take you through it. And luckily, we're willing to dig around and thrift stores and sift through hundreds of hours of discarded VHS footage to pick out just the best stuff. We also share the stories of how and where we found the videos and provide our own unique perspective on the material. Plus, when you're watching videos that weren't meant to be shown in public on a big screen, surrounded by 300 like-minded people who are there to laugh, something magical happens. And that's something you can't get in your inbox on your work computer.

YouTube has definitely changed the found-footage landscape. Is it harder to find those rarely seen gems, now that everyone?s posting up old infomercials?
NP: We've been collecting videos since 1991 and doing the Found Footage Festival since 2004, so we weren't sure how the rise of YouTube would affect what we do. But we've found that it's actually increased people's awareness and appreciation for what we do. When we first started the show, it was really tough to explain the Found Footage Festival. People would say, "But why would I want to watch bad videos?" And while my grandparents are still perplexed by the concept, I think most people have a frame of reference nowadays.

In your expert opinion, what makes for good found footage?
NP: I guess the first thing is that it has to be legitimately found on some sort of physical media, usually VHS. To us, the story of how a video was found is sometimes just as interesting as what's on it, so we're decidedly old school about our video procurement. Second, it has to be unintentionally funny. Whatever the video was attempting to do, it has to fail colossally. And lastly, although this isn't a criteria per se, we've found that a lot of our favorite videos involve people with a lot of ambition and very little talent. Luckily for us, there are a great many folks out there like that with access to video equipment.

Bargain Bernie just wants to save you money.

Tell us about a few of your favorite videos you've found, whether they made the list for this year's fest or not.
Joe Pickett: My favorite this year is this tape a friend gave us featuring raw footage from a local furniture store in Corpus Christi, Texas. It's hosted by the owner of the store who calls himself Bargain Bernie. Nick and I are huge fans of crappy local commercials and this video is a candid look behind the scenes of a pretty typical one. Bargain Bernie is probably a helluva salesman, but he's not a very good pitchman. He repeats his slogan "All I wanna do is save you money!" incessantly and he does this weird tree-hugging gesture while he's saying it. Plus he kind of reminds me of a Muppet. I've seen this video hundreds of times, but I look forward to it at every show.

Can you remember any particular videos you've found in Chicago, or that have a Chicago connection?
JP: Jan Terri, whose incredible homemade music videos were featured in our first installment, hails from some suburb of Chicago. Most of the video for "Journey to Mars" was shot at O'Hare International. Another video we've featured is actually a public access show still on the air - Chica-go-go. It's such a wonderfully bizarre kids dance show featuring kids, adults, puppets and occasionally robots dancing. Most of the time it feels like you're watching a weird dream. Nick and I appeared on an episode when we were in town a few years ago. It was so much fun, but my body wasn't used to dancing that much. I was sweating profusely and wearing a skin-tight leopard costume. I felt like I could've been arrested.

What happens to all the stuff that doesn't make it into your DVDs or shows? Does it go back to the thrift store?
NP: We have about 2,000 videos spread across two storage lockers and an apartment in Queens, NY, that we have yet to go through. But when we've watched a video and decided it doesn't make the cut, we drop it back off at a Salvation Army for other people to find. It's the circle of life.

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Holiday Theater in Chicago

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CST

The holidays aren't complete without David Sedaris, ruminations on the temperamental economy, some Dickens lovin' and a multicultural take on Christmas. Get out and see some theater with the family because, honestly, what else are you going to do this holiday season that doesn't involve gobbling food, sneaking under mistletoe, lighting candles and eating Chinese food because every other restaurant is closed? Yep, that's what we thought. (Scroll down to the bottom for all the Nutcracking and Caroling you can handle.)

General Merriment

"A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas"
This fun, fresh holiday spectacular for the entire family boasts holiday hits like "Welcome to Christmas Wood," "The Wind-Up Toy Ballet," and crowd favorite "Let's Ruin Christmas."

"The Santaland Diaries"
Theater Wit presents a wry holiday tradition in its sixth year. David (Sedaris) is a struggling young writer who takes a job as an elf at Macy's and struggles to maintain his dignity.

"Son of Santa's Great American Depression Holiday Show"
This collection of sketch comedy and improvisation from Second City and iO actors is an entirely original sketch-comedy revue about the words in its title.

"Santa Claus Conquers the Nazis!"
World War II is going poorly for Hitler, so he decides to kidnap Santa Claus. The only thing standing in the way of their evil plot? A misunderstood elf, a misfit toy and a couple of hit men reindeer. Will that be enough to save Christmas?

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
Teaming up with fellow outsider Hermie, an elf who longs to be a dentist instead of just another factory worker, this wacky North Pole pair takes a crazy adventure through scary lands like the Island of Misfit Toys. Rudolph gets a lot of slack for his brightly colored red nose but, ironically, it ends up saving the day.

"Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer"
Pull up an iceberg and join Rudolph and his misfit friends, Herbie the 'not gay enough' elf and Yukon Cornelia, the butch prospector with a deep, dark secret, as they search for happiness and attempt to outrun the horrifyingly tacky Abominable Drag-Beast.

"Father Christmas"
It's one month before Christmas, which means crunch time at the North Pole. Then St. Nick gets an unexpected visit from the 12-year-old daughter he didn't know he had. Now Santa must balance parenthood and career. Presented in the style of a classic radio program, this interactive stage reading will have you laughing all through the holidays.

"Mother Superior's Ho-Ho-Holy Night"
Did Baby Jesus get to ride in the sleigh? Was Santa in the manger with the Holy Family? Did the elves guide the Three Wise Men? Your favorite nun will answer these questions and more.

"The Greatest Holiday Improv Show Ever"
The Comedy Shrine presents this holiday improv show every Thursday through the end of January.

"The Second City's Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue"
The holidays are depressing, but not with Second City. Making light of every holiday misstep, whether it's making up your own "creative" words to traditional carols or a disgruntled elf ruining the North Pole?s Christmas party, this satire is your new holiday tradition.

"Mark & Laura's Couples Advice Christmas Special"
This satire is based on TV's self-proclaimed counseling gurus and the dysfunctional American family. Will Mark & Laura's volatile relationship get in the way of their primetime debut?

"Feats of Strength: Six New Plays for Surviving the Holidays"
Dramatis Personae presents this festival featuring the works of six Chicago playwrights. Their-six minute creations based on a prompt of "surviving the holidays" are all Chicago premieres. Each play features a holiday survival situation, such as a Reindeer revolution, Jesus' birthday party, and even an electric turkey carver duel.

"Holiday Ha-Ha's with Patti Vasquez and Tim Harrison"
Patti Vasquez, a Chicago native, joins Tim Harrison to offer a perspective on family and relationships, including stories about growing up in a multi-ethnic American family.

"Snow White and the Drag Queen Who Stole Christmas"
This MidTangent Productions event combines two classic children's tales (well, sort of) into one outrageous production.

"The Ha-Ha Holiday Show"
This improv show features totally improvised scenes based on the audience's holiday-themed suggestions.

"It Came Upon a Midnight Queen"
Hit hard by the economic downturn, the people of Dorchester, Nebraska are down in the dumps. That's when 10-year-old Annie Mitchell decides to stage a Christmas pageant to save her town. Now all she needs is a celebrity to host it, but who will she find? Find out in this new holiday show.

Holiday Traditions New and Old

"The Christmas Schooner"
The story of Peter and Alma Stossel, who decide to take Christmas trees from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan across the icy waters to post-fire Chicago, this tale always delights.

"Miracle on 34th Street"
When a whitebearded gentleman claims to be the real Santa Claus, he spreads love across New York City, convincing a divorced single mother, her solemn daughter, and the entire state of New York that Santa Claus is no myth.

"It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play"
A Chicago holiday favorite back for its eighth year, it's the classic story lovingly performed as a period radio play. ATC's ensemble plays the well-known roles from the film with heart and passion, supported by live music and live Foley sound effects.

"It's a Wonderful Life"
American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble company, kicks off its 2009-2010 season with this new adaptation of the classic story based on the Frank Capra masterpiece and performed as a period radio piece complete with commercial breaks.

"My Three Angels"
In French Guiana, a region where on Christmas Eve the temperature has graciously dropped to 104 degrees, three amiable convicts are employed as roofers above the Ducotel's general store. The roof winds up being the least of the family's troubles. On the way from France is Henri - an evil-minded cousin and owner of the flailing store, and his nephew Paul - who recently jilted the Ducotel's fanciful young daughter. The three warm-hearted convicts are passionate believers in true justice, and decide it's their job to take the visitors on as they plot to set matters right. A captivating and comedic holiday treasure also known as "We're No Angels."

"The Snow Queen"
Talking animals, wooden soldiers, witches and lost children: Victory Gardens' production of "Snow Queen," adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen story by director Frank Galati and songwriter Michael Smith, provides enchantment and wonder. It's the story of how beautiful adolescent Gerda rescues her best friend Kai from the clutches of the titular evil monarch, whose icy lips offer the terrifying kiss of death. Along the way, she meets the usual witches and princesses, as well as ravens and reindeer.

Musicals/Dance

"A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" (A Red Orchid)
This satirical musical (a returning favorite) explores Dianetics, the E-meter, Thetans, the story of Xenu, and many other...compelling aspects of Scientology.

"A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" (Next Theatre)
Uplifting pageantry and song commemorate the life of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, in this avant-garde performance.

"Tidings of Tap!"
The innovative Chicago Tap Theatre offers a new holiday tradition. Featuring rhythm- and whimsy-filled interpretations of your favorite Christmas, Chanukah and Winter songs, this family-friendly evening of culture and cheer features pieces as varied as "Carol of the Bells A Capella," "Ocho Kandelikas," and Joni Mitchell's "River."

"Mid-Winter's Tales"
This winter solstice celebration draws on songs and stories from a variety of cultures and generations. Belinda Bremner directs.

"The Gift of the Magi"
The poignant story of young, poor newlyweds, each of whom sacrifices his or her own treasures to purchase a special Christmas gift for the other. O. Henry?s classic short story of sacrifice and the enduring magic of love is transformed into a heart-warming musical treasure.

Offbeat

"G.I.F.T."
Otherworldly characters take the audience on a journey that traverses through four different environments built within the 7,000-square-foot Collaboraction space in this atypical holiday show.

The Nutcracker

"The Nutcracker" (Paramount Theatre)
Sugarplum fairies, nutcrackers, and mice dazzle you in this seasonal sensation. The ballet incorporates a cast of local dancers as well as world-class guest artists.

"The Nutcracker" (Chodl Auditorium)
This classic ballet dances into town just in time for the holiday season. Ballet Legere's 25th-anniversary production includes a full orchestra.

"The Nutcracker" (Auditorium Theatre)
The Joffrey Ballet's production has been a Chicago holiday favorite since its first performance here in 1996. Combining classical elegance with explosive action, the show rolls out favorite characters like Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the warring Mice led by the Mouse King.

"The Great Russian Nutcracker" (Rosemont Theatre)
Members of the Moscow Ballet and children from SPACE arts conservatory present this holiday classic. Featuring timeless music and elegant ballet, this show is sure to delight young and old.

"The Nutcracker" (Centre East)
The Civic Ballet of Chicago presents "The Nutcracker". Pay an extra $10 and you'll get admission to the post-show Sugar Plum Parties.

A Christmas Carol

"A Christmas Carol" (Goodman Theatre)
Scrooge strikes again in this classic production.

"A Christmas Carol" (Metropolis Performing Arts Centre)
Singing, dancing and celebration abound in this Arlington Heights theater's production.

"A Christmas Carol" (Paramount Theatre)
This lavish production bursts with pageantry, laughter, gorgeous costumes and classic lines.

"A Christmas Carol" (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre)
The Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences presents a musical which combines a classic story with music by a Disney composer, Alan Menken.

"A Christmas Carol" (Civic Opera House)
This production affords the audience an opportunity to see six beloved, much-admired actors on stage in a production faithful to the original 1943 novella. The dramatic arc of the story ? tracing Scrooge from his happy childhood and adolescence to his embittered, miserly adulthood and the magical night that leads him to recognize the true meaning of Christmas ?is one of the most satisfying in all literature. The splendor of Chicago?s Civic Opera House will be filled with a lavish production featuring beautiful, historically accurate scenery, props and costumes, eye-popping special effects and a supporting cast of twenty-eight.

"A Christmas Carol" (Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace)
A popular holiday tradition entertaining hundreds of children and families each year is back once again this Christmas season. In addition to a performance from a cast of top Chicago actors, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace offers families the special opportunity to have breakfast or dinner with Santa Claus on select performance dates.

Naughty or nice, you'll want to check our list twice.
We have the goods on holiday giving and festive fun. �

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Erica Watson

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:00:00 CST

photo: Jovanka Novakovic

Erica Watson was blessed with a pretty face. That may be every little girl's dream for snagging Prince Charming, but for a plus-sized woman, it can create a nightmare. "People don't realize how demeaning it is to hear 'you have such a pretty face,' as if it's wasted on you because you?re fat," she says. Fueled by her anger about how plus-size women are treated as well as stereotypical black female media images, Chicago-born comedian and director Watson developed a one-woman show that basically "wrote itself." A 90-minute, witty ride through mammy portrayals, body image issues and the requisite "fat and sassy black woman" roles, "Fat Bitch" is Watson's answer to all the haters. The show gained great response in New York so Watson decided to bring it home to Chicago. We sat down recently with Watson for a long lunch of jerk catfish and brown stew chicken at the South Loop's Utopia International Caribbean Cuisine and talked about everything from her Hyde Park childhood to her gay mirror.

How did you develop the idea for "Fat Bitch"?
In my stand up routine, I avoid talking about my weight at all costs. It's so obvious when you're plus-size to make a fat joke. But people like Tyra did undercover reports about being big and put on fat suits. They don't ever talk to somebody like me to find out how it is to live daily like this. I want to show that hey, fat girls have a voice too. I wrote a hybrid between theater and stand-up. There are moments that are serious but it's a funny show.

What's your favorite part of the show?
One of my favorite parts is when I act out a conversation that I have every morning with my magic mirror, who happens to be a gay man. Yes, I said it, my mirror is gay and he tells me how FIERCE I am every day. If you can't get a gay best friend, a gay mirror is the next best thing!

After earning a masters in media management from Columbia College Chicago, you moved to New York to direct music videos in 2003. How did you wind up in comedy?
I worked on a couple of sets. I did some PA work and I saw what was going on behind the scenes. The women popping their butts and performing oral sex in trailers, I couldn't deal with that. So I took a comedy class at the Manhattan School of Comedy and within two weeks, I had my first show at Caroline's.

How was your body image and self awareness shaped by growing up "thick" in Hyde Park?
Yes, I was captain of the cheerleading team. Yes, I was senior class president. Yes, I was cool with everybody from the thugs to the chess team. But the guys at my school were just not interested in me. I don't think it had anything to do with my size because the "thick" girls were the favorites of the guys there. I still got a lot of attention from older guys in college and boys at other high schools. Kenwood Academy had some of the most beautiful girls in the city so the average-looking girl of any size had very tough competition there. It didn't really affect me because I have always pulled self esteem from within.

You have a small role in the movie "Precious" with Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, who are both big, beautiful black women. Are there any positive representations of big black women in the media that you'd like to see more of?
Honestly, there aren't many plus-size women in the media of any race. Even the ones we think of as "big girls," when you see them in real life, you realize they're not too big after all. When everyone on TV is a size zero, then the size 4 girl looks fat! One plus-size woman that I really admire for her fearlessness is Beth Ditto. She's my hero!

"Fat Bitch" runs through November 28 at Chicago Center for the Performing Arts. The show will return to New York in February.

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The Nude Abides

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:00 CST

Does the female form make you uncomfortable? If so, you'll probably want to stay far away from the Gorilla Tango Theatre on Saturdays in September, when local burlesque troupe Vaudezilla Productions debuts "Rollin' Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque." That's right, dude, it's a striptease show inspired by the Coen brothers' 1998 cult film starring Jeff Bridges as a bathrobe-wearing, White Russian-swilling hippie who gets tied up in a complicated plot involving a soiled rug, a known pornographer and lots of bowling. We caught up with show creator Ann Marie Weinert (aka "Red Hot Annie") to find out how this here story's about to unfold.

What about "The Big Lebowski" made you think it would make a good burlesque show, and how long has this been in the works?
Part of what makes "The Big Lebowski" such a great basis for a burlesque show is the variety of situations The Dude finds himself in. He meets strange people, he does strange things, and these experiences are great inspiration for burlesque routines!

Using "The Big Lebowski" as a concept for a Vaudezilla burlesque show was something that came up while my partner, Dick Dijon, and I were watching the movie earlier this year. In fact, Dick Dijon came up with it as sort of a throwaway idea. But we both really dug the idea right away. At the time, we weren't looking to put on another big production, but we knew we wanted to do something later in the year. We kept coming back to it every now and then, but once we learned that Lebowski Fest was coming to Chicago in September, then that just clinched it for us. "Rollin' Outta Here Naked" was born, and we've been working on it since June.

How big of a Lebowski fan are you? How many times have you seen the movie and what's your favorite part/character?
Both Dick Dijon and myself have seen the movie 10-20 times, and I can quote more parts of it than most men. I know nuances and obscure references. So I'd say I'm a pretty big fan. My favorite character is definitely Walter. The character Walter forever changed my opinion of John Goodman. I think he should have won an Oscar for it, and I'm being totally serious. Depending on the day you ask Dick, he'd say Walter, Brandt, or Jesus.
You've recently signed on to perform at Lebowski Fest. How did that happen?
The guys at Lebowski Fest reached out to us ? asked us to bring a 15-minute preview to the movie viewing on September 13 at Portage Theater. Naturally, we couldn?t resist! We?re also hanging out at Diversey Rock 'n' Bowl on Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15, and bowling with the fans! Bonus ? Diversey Rock 'n' Bowl is sponsoring our show, too. We have $100 gift certificates to give out each night of the run!

"Eight year olds, Dude."

(See more photos from the show here.)
Photo: Joe Marinaro, oomphotography.com

Can you give us some hints as to specific songs/scenes to expect during the show?
You can certainly expect some hot and fun stripteases. One of the requirements for the stripteases was that they had to be to songs from the movie, so you'll hear a lot of the classics: "Run Through the Jungle," "Hotel California," and "Technopop," among many, many others. As far as the scenes, we've actually written original scenes that we feel would have taken place before or after something you see in the movie. So, for example, we have a scene where The Dude is on the phone with Brandt setting up the first meeting between The Dude and Jeffrey Lebowski after The Dude's rug gets peed on.

We don't want to give away too much, because half the fun of the show is discovering exactly what the Vaudezilla brain trust has come up with!

What do you think The Dude would say about your show?
I think he'd say: "Far out!" "Rollin' Outta Here Naked" runs at 10 p.m. September 5, 12, 19 and 26 at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling (773) 598-4549, or visiting www.gorillatango.com.

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Battle of the Sexes

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 CST

When one thinks of musical theater inspired by great literature, Lord of the Flies is probably the last thing that comes to mind. But The House Theatre, known for its innovative genre-bending and vibrant storytelling, is certainly not one to balk at the challenge. This time, the House teamed up with the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University for a developmental production of a pop-punk musical, "Girls VS Boys," penned as "a modern-day Lord of the Flies that examines the human hunger for connection and challenges the storybook ideal of love."

Set in an amplified world of adolescent angst, "Girls vs. Boys" follows a brother and sister as they struggle to make sense of their new surroundings. The game of love becomes a battle of the sexes, as well as a battle of the self. An interesting take on teenage heartbreak has high-strung emotions played out through interpretive dance and literal violence, a dynamic approach to such well-worn images as being shot through the heart.

On working with The House's Nathan Allen, who, in addition to directing "Girls vs. Boys," also taught a master course in Theatrical Storytelling at Northwestern, AMTP's David Bell had this to say: "The entire department was set afire by the complex and challenging issues explored?. To many of the students enrolled, Nathan's class was the single most productive and exciting class that they had ever taken."

It's not every day that undergrads get to learn tips and tricks from critically-acclaimed theater companies like The House. Such collaboration fits in well with one of AMTP's tasks to develop "adventurous new musicals that expand the boundaries of the form." After an all-student cast at Northwestern performs "Girls vs. Boys," which runs until August 2 at Evanston's Wallis Theater, Allen and The House Theatre plan on unleashing a professional world premiere of the musical during their spring season.

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Them's the break/s

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:00 CST

photo: Courtesy Bethanie Hines

Can a performance on the Museum of Contemporary Art stage truly be considered hip-hop? Writer, dancer and storyteller Marc Bamuthi Joseph addresses the issue early on in his multimedia mixtape "the break/s" (running March 26-28); he quips that he's managed to convince the performing-arts machine that he is both high-art and hip-hop. And convince he has?over the past year "the break/s" has played to acclaim at such hoity-toity venues as the Walker in Minneapolis and the Kennedy Center in New York City. However, in Joseph's opinion, high-art settings do less to question the authenticity of the youth culture driving the show as the preconceptions of the audiences such venues attract.

"Folks see the show and want to divorce it from hip-hop; they feel the elements are there, but put it in a proscenium space and they want to call it something else. The problem is in the definition," Joseph says. "In our codification hip-hop is a signpost for some of the worst things about American culture: misogyny, hyper-consumerism, homophobia. So the trope is an effective mechanism for corporate culture to access a youth population who they actually belittle by pushing these tropes. Listening to commercial radio is really an insult to all our intelligences, and hip-hop is the same way: here's one view of young, urban America and that's all you?re going to get. 'the break/s' is theater and contemporary dance; it's no one thing. It's a demonstration of the evolution and diversity of the form."

Joseph explores diversity on a global scale; the show relates through verse, music and several dance styles Joseph's experiences traveling the world?Senegal, Paris, San Francisco, Cuba, Bosnia, Japan and Haiti, his parents' home country. Hip-hop, like jazz, blues and rock, is an influential American export, and "the break/s," while deeply personal, investigates how the form is adopted and transformed in a global context. "It's an amalgam of forms to document the transiency of identity across planet hip-hop," Joseph puts it. "A struggle with American identity in a trans-global society."

The title comes from Jeff Chang's history of hip-hop, Can't Stop Won't Stop, which documents the first parties, hosted by DJ Kool Herc in the South Bronx. Herc developed a spinning technique called the merry-go-round; he used the same record on two turntables, cueing up the breakdown on one as the other was finishing, thereby extending the most exciting part of the song indefinitely.

"The break is the place of possibility," Joseph says. "The break is not only where the music is stripped down, but that bare, raw moment, [where] there's infinite possibility for innovation, for gathering, for acceptance, for the imagination to flourish."

"the break/s" runs March 26-28 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, with shows at 7:30 p.m. each night. Buy tickets here.

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Movin' Out is Movin' In

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:00:00 CST

Rock 'n' roll, love, lust, drugs, death, war. It may be set in the 1960s, but Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's jukebox musical, "Movin' Out," is just as much a tale of modern America as it is a reflection of history. And thanks to six consecutive years of success on the stage, the dance-focused story will hit the Rosemont Theatre this weekend.

The emotional plot follows six life-long Long Island friends through the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam War. In the beginning, the characters' preoccupations with love, marriage and work are just as ordinary as their suburban lives. But then, suddenly, everything takes on a dark and sorrowful tone when it's overshadowed by the war. Over the next two hours, two decades rush by - and you can bet they're packed with trauma, death, fear and separation (and that's just the first act). Initial dance scenes are full of energy and interpret a tug between adolescence and adulthood. The second act is a more uplifting one, when the characters set out to get their lives back on track, which, as the somber dance numbers prove, is no easy feat.

While it sounds like a complicated whirlwind of emotions, the story is an easy one to follow. The key is to focus on movement, rather than Joel's cinematic lyrics. It can be difficult, though, at times to keep your eyes on the dancers, when the music is coming from somewhere else entirely. Unlike in a classic musical, where the characters sing their parts, the tunes in Movin' Out are performed by a pianist and band (usually suspended on a platform above the stage). In fact, the characters don't have any lines at all; instead they use dance as a means of expression, communicating through a series of spins, kicks and leaps. The songs are a lineup of Billy Joel's greatest hits, including "Uptown Girl," "Movin' Out," "Why Judy Why?," "Angry Young Man," "James," "We Didn't Start the Fire" and 18 others. You may find it difficult to keep your lips sealed during the string of pop songs, but singing along is not encouraged.

The collaborative effort between Joel and Tharp (who has also created ballet dance numbers to go along with the music of the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen) has made the show a huge hit since its opening in the fall of 2002. The following year, the Broadway production was nominated for several Tony Awards and took away two: Tharp for Best Choreography and Joel for Best Orchestrations. In 2004, "Movin' Out" progressed to its first national tour and even received international fame in the UK and Japan. The musical has been featured in a number of national publications and has been called "the most enthralling Broadway choreography on the contemporary stage" by The Washington Post. One thing is certain; "Movin' Out" isn't your typical musical. Instead, it's more like a rock concert, with equal parts song and dance.

"Movin' Out" will be at the Rosemont Theatre from Friday, February 20-Sunday, February 22. For more information, or to purchase tickets, head here.

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Suds on Stage

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:00:00 CST

After more than 20 years, the Neo-Futurist theater troupe has become one of the most venerable institutions of the far north side. On January 29, the group will be teaming with one of the newest, Metropolitan Brewing, to present Sean Benjamin and Steve Mosqueda's play, "Beer."

Mounted on a makeshift stage next to Metropolitan's fermenting tanks, "Beer" is the touching, quirky story of a ten-year-old boy named Boon, who, after illicitly drinking his first beer, a low-quality, mass-produced concoction, enters a surreal fantasy world of music produced by a band of "beer geeks" and beer ingredients brought to life by puppets, all of whom work to show young Boon the potential to be found in the ancient frothy beverage. The central antagonist is the none-too-subtly named Bud Millweiser, an evil purveyor of corporate beer. Boon must defeat him by learning the secret arts of brewery.

The show is a joyous celebration of quality beer, and a passionate denunciation of mediocrity, a philosophy its creators share with their hosts. When asked about the origins of the show, Mosqueda (who also co-created the popular Drinking & Writing Brewery with Benjamin) says "We were basically looking to tell people the story of beer in an entertaining way, and we came up with the idea of telling the story to a child." (While the idea of introducing a minor to the joys of alcohol might raise eyebrows, it must be remembered this is an adult show with adult actors and a lightly satirical tone.) Mosqueda also cites the psychedelic puppet show work of Sid and Marty Kroft from the 1960s as an inspiration for the play's visual aesthetic.

Mosqueda met Metropolitan Brewing co-owner Doug Hurst in an ancient brewing class some years ago, and they became fast friends based on their mutual passion. Hurst started out as a home brewer, and after some sucess exhibiting his creations at beer festivals throughout the Midwest, he began to desire a broader canvas.

He and his wife, Tracy, founded Metropolitan after laboring for years to lay the foundation for their own business. Their operation is just now getting started and, for the moment, is entirely run by the two of them. Doug is in charge of production while Tracy is in charge of "everything else," including business and marketing - although they both dabble in each other's areas.

Metropolitan's Ravenswood space has a warm and inviting vibe for what is essentially an industrial factory. It gives the impression of being exactly the kind of place its owners always dreamed of working in. The Hursts are big fans of the original Star Trek series, and their fermenting tanks are whimsically named after obscure characters such as "Zefram Cochrane."

Starting a business is always a tremendous gamble, but the Hursts believe they will be successful because Chicago is a town that is as passionate about beer as they are, an assertion borne out by the multitude of craft beer-purveyors in the city, such as Hopleaf and the Map Room. Bars like these, as well as some liquor stores, will be the main market for Metropolitan's product when it rolls out. Metropolitan's first major craft beers will include the Dynamo copper lager and the Flywheel bright lager. The brewery's major goal, Doug says, is to "take beer and go somewhere with it," combining reverence for Old World techniques with an American DIY spirit to explore uniquely Chicagoan flavor possibilities.

The Hursts' partnership with the Neo-Futurists came about not just because of friendship but out of a desire to connect to the community they will soon be serving. "Chicago has a great craft-beer culture," Tracy says, "And we want to do anything we can do to grow and foster that culture, because these tend to be adventurous people who want to try new things, and that will help us and anyone else who wants to do this kind of thing and participate in this culture."

"Beer" runs January 29 through March 7 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. at Metropolitan Brewing, 5121 N. Ravenswood. For tickets ($15), call (773) 275-5255 or visit www.neofuturists.org. No alcohol is allowed at the performances, and warm clothing is encouraged. Note: There will be a special preview performance on Thursday, January 29 with complimentary beers and pizza from Apart Pizza Co.

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Acts of Love

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:00:00 CST

Visit the Valentine's Day Guide to
singles' events and romantic outings �

Whether you love Valentine's Day or loathe it, there's one thing you have to remember: It's an excuse to enjoy yourself. Grab your partner, a friend, or a new date (queer folks, see my LGBTQ dates guide) and hit the streets. Our guide to comedy, dance and theater shows?some naughtier than others?will get you off the sofa on this romantic holiday.

Get kinky with "KamaSutra"
Opens Saturday, February 14 at Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret, 10:30 p.m. (open run)
Chicago may not be home to Kama Sutra's origins?that belongs to (duh) India?but our big-shouldered city is the birth place of "KamaSutra: The Musical." Buddy Reeder stars as Swami Comonowannagetonya, the 1800-year-old creator of Kama Sutra. Chicago audiences get a sneak peek at "Kama Sutra The Musical: Vegas Bound...and Gagged" before the play goes to?you guessed it?Vegas. With a new line-up of songs, and a raunchy plot to match, this version of our city's longest-running original sex comedy will get you in the mood for some Vajay Day lovin'.

Love Is For Suckers
February 9 at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 8 p.m.
Three years after its premiere at the Apollo Theater, The Poetry Center of Chicago returns with its tongue-in-cheek anti-Valentine's Day show that questions the supposed "Sweetest Day of the Year" (after the Hallmark holiday "Sweetest Day," of course). Hosted by Time Out Chicago Books Editor Jonathan Messenger, this show features Rosie Forrest, Edward Thomas-Herrera, Robbie Q. Telfer and short filmmaker Steve Delahoyde. Together they bag the pink hearts, sappy flowers and overly sentimental Valentine's Day cards for an honest look at the real story behind love.

photo: courtesy of River North Chicago Dance Company

See dance, dance, dance
February 13 & 14 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 8 p.m.
Can't dance? We're with ya. Ditch the ballroom attitude and head downtown for one of two special performances at this Valentine's weekend engagement. River North Dance Company's Artistic Director Frank Chaves presents his racy "Sentir em Nos (Even for Us)" about an affair (no, this is not a foreshadowing of the months to come) set to the music of famous Tuscan tenor Andrea Bocelli, as well as the group piece "Tuscan Rift" featuring music by Chicago's own rockstar musician, Andrew Bird. Company dancer Monique Haley premieres "Uhuru", a full-company performance set to a warm combo of Afro-beats. Her show inaugurates the "New Beginnings Artistic Fund" program.

Valentine's Day jazz hands and feet
February 14 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 8 p.m.
Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago presents a special Valentine's Day performance of works by choreographers who worked with or were inspired by the company's late founder, Gus Giordano. The show originally premiered last October at the Harris Theater; now dance fanatics at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts can get a taste of the legend whose company is located in neighboring Evanston.

Puerto Rican-style lovin'
February 14 at Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m.
Think Valentine's Day is funny? So does Puerto Rican stand-up comedian Elizardi Castro. In his show, "Puerto Rico: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Spanglish," which the talented man wrote and directed, he tackles racial issues head-on, infusing his performance with an honest take on his place in the larger scheme of things. Presented by the Chicago Latino Network.

Visit the Valentine's Day Guide to
singles' events and romantic outings �

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A Chicago Burlesque Primer

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:00:00 CST

pictured: Belmont Burlesque

It happened in theaters, music halls and gin-joints; a young lady by the name of Lili St. Cyr caused an uproar by innocently bathing on stage, and Gypsy Rose Lee raked in major cash?and one hell of an arrest record?peeling off her clothes at the legendary Minsky's. There was also the incomparable Sally Rand, who famously proved that the "fan is quicker than the eye" right here in Chicago at the 1933 World's Fair. Such is the rich and storied history of an often misunderstood art form: burlesque. And you thought it didn't go beyond the awkward gyrations of a few dozen Suicide Girls. Tsk. Tsk.

Chicago's burlesque scene is bawdy, brazen and brimming with extraordinary talent. It can be a daunting world to navigate without proper guidance, so we've prepared a handy primer to steer you through all of the feathers and fans of the barest of subcultures.

Belmont Burlesque
Need a dose of tease without the sleaze? Well, maybe just a little of the sleaze. The Belmont Burlesque Revue delivers a sultry brand of romping revelry at the Playground Theater (and occasionally other venues). Plowing through master-of-ceremony duties (and usually an entire bottle of Jim Beam) is the delightfully dysfunctional crooner Jack Midnight, aka Mark Henderson, who wears the ugliest vintage tux on the planet. Of course, you'll find tassels and ta-tas galore, along with plenty of improv, slapstick, magic and even a dim-witted hillbilly. You get all of this for only 10 bucks. What more could a vaudeville tourist ask for? How about a BYOB policy to make sure the entire ordeal is well, err, lubricated?

Girlie-Q
When the HotHouse closed, the Girlie-Q-Variety Hour lost its home, and heaps of fans wondered when they'd ever see another queer burlesque review. Lucky for those folks, campy maven Miss Bea Haven (sorry, couldn't resist) reincarnated the project and settled it into the Empty Bottle for shows featuring plenty of edgy performers, live music and a raucous blurring of gender lines. While we're waiting for the announcement of the next show, Miss Bea Haven offers "art of burlesque" classes at Design Dance.

Michelle "Toots" L'Amour
Nothing short of burlesque royalty, Chicago's own Michelle L'Amour has her peep-toes in just about every exotic activity in town. Crowned Miss Exotic World in 2005, L'Amour has performed for over 50 million people, has a cocktail at the Motel Bar named after her, hosts "In Bed With Michelle L'Amour" on Fearless Radio (now on hiatus while it gets turned into a video series), and still finds time to take on proteges at Arabesque Dance. Whew! If just thinking about this lady's schedule leaves you breathless, imagine how you'll feel when you see her perform. L'Amour has been involved in many of the city's burlesque groups, including the Pillow Fight Club, the Star and Garter Burlesque Show, Lipschtick and the Motel Bar's Absolut Burlesque series. In short, if it's in Chicago and held up with a garter, L'Amour probably has had something to do with it. Catch her on Thursdays at 11 p.m. at Blue Bayou.

Arabesque Dance
Ready to give it a go? Become intimately acquainted with feather boas, fedoras and ostrich-feather fans in one of L'Amour's Arabesque classes. Hardly a bored housewife's pole-dancing flirtation at a flashy fitness chain, The Art of Burlesque explores the tease, which means no nudity is required. Advanced classes dig further, training students on makeup techniques, costume choices and music selection. Students are able to develop and workshop their own routine before the graduation performance. Arabesque also offers belly dancing classes, an art which has long been intertwined with burlesque performances.

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Theater Marathon: The Great Gatz

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:00:00 CST

Your bold reporters.

Six and a half hours of theater? Yes, please. Our intrepid writers braved a play that involves an actor speaking the entire text of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Here, Beatrice Smigasiewicz and Reina Hardy log their experience with the Elevator Repair Service's production of "Gatz," playing for just one weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

PRE-SHOW

1-2:30 p.m.
Reina
In any marathon, preparation is crucial. The show starts at three, so at one, I prepare with a nap. Then I prepare by dressing in a tunic/leggings outfit, because tunic/leggings outfits are like PJs that you can wear out of the house. Finally, I prepare by mainlining a soy chai latte. Bring it, Fitzgerald!

2:55 p.m.
Reina
I meet Beatrice at press check-in, and we immediately start acting like obnoxious tourists, snapping pictures of each other and the theater. I spot some local actors milling around, and go paparazzi on them.

PART 1

3:06 p.m.
Reina
The show starts a bit late, without fanfare, without even the "turn off your cell phone" announcement. I scramble to put mine on silent as an actor enters a shabby modern office, and tries to turn on a recalcitrant computer. Eventually, he finds a copy of Gatsby and reads the famous opening lines in a monotone. We have lift-off!

3 p.m.
Beatrice
9:40 a.m., reads the clock on the office desk. A man enters a dilapidated office stuck sometime in the early '90s and turns on his computer. Jabs his finger into the keyboard of the yellowed PC and still nothing happens. But that doesn't seem nearly as pressing as the fact that he's got nothing to fill his work hours, nearly seven whole work hours and seven hours of the show. It must be out of boredom that he comes across an old copy of The Great Gatsby and starts reading the book in a half-interested drone. Slowly the office staff starts to resemble the characters in the book...

3:17 p.m.
Reina
The show is still essentially an office worker reading a novel out loud. His boss is not as upset about this as one might expect- but then again, none of the other employees seem to be doing any real work.

3:20 p.m.
Reina
Man, Gatsby is a great book. Fitzgerald keeps dropping these prose bombs - clusters of words so indelibly gorgeous that they cause audience members to gasp out loud. Anonymous office worker is starting to transmute into Nick Carraway, jazz-age bond salesman, and serious contender for best first-person narrator in English literature.

3:25 p.m.
Beatrice
I turn off my cell phone, leaving myself without a clock. I still can't decide whether the book fills up his work hours at the office or if it stops time completely but one thing is certain, the clock on stage never moves past 9:40 a.m. This little slip in time can't be a coincidence. Fitzgerald has always surrounded himself with clocks, and even when he wrote he was always eager to know how much time was passing. I have been preparing myself for this the entire week and to my surprise, it seems like a lot of others have been, too. The theater is all full, rows and rows and not a gap between. The scene seems a little slow-moving at first and I am only half-listening to the reading. The clock still reads 9:40 a.m. ? I will use this as my timer from now on.

3:30 p.m.
Reina
We have our first moment of genuine theatricality! The show has crept up at a truly novelistic pace - but now we're in it, with the office workers taking on characters in the novel and speaking their lines. I immediately wonder who's going to be Gatsby.

3:45 p.m.
Reina
Suddenly, I notice the background noise has shifted from urban static to something more scenically appropriate: Long Island summer-night birdsong. All of the objects on the set seem capable of transformation now, like they might suddenly become anything the story needs them to be.

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
The audience is an unusually well-behaved group. I have hardly seen a person move, or even so much as budge an elbow. At most, the audience engages in quiet habits of excessive nail-biting, rolling and unrolling of the theater program and the classic stance, sulking with a neat droop of the head that from far away resembles a kind of resigned thinking-man's pose. That one is by far my favorite. After more than two hours of nearly motionless sitting, I seem to be the only person dying for a bathroom break.

3:56 p.m.
Reina
Out of office detritus and really smart lighting, Elevator Repair Service creates the famous image of Gatsby on the dock, looking towards the green light. It's so beautiful that I nearly sob.

4:15 pm.
Reina
I have kind of a crick in my neck. If I ignore it, maybe it will go away.

4:26 p.m.
Reina
Beatrice leaves for some reason. Wuss.

4:40 p.m.
Reina
I notice that the stage clock reads 9:40.

4:45 p.m.
Reina
Gatsby makes his first speaking appearance! Just like in the book, he's present before you quite realize who he is. He's big, with a thick voice and a heavy brow, and I think I love him a little already.

Chicago Off-Loop Theatre Stars! They're just like us! They need coffee during seven-hour plays, too!

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
End of chapter three. Ten-minute break and the line for water and snacks stretches almost as far as the line for coat check. They are out of coffee and I am given a bag of peanut butter cookies to stop asking. I haven't seen anyone leave yet, but the theater is getting colder and colder. Both Reina and I are now in our jackets. Reina is doing back stretches, and the elderly couple behind us finds this really amusing. They giggle and ask her questions. My stomach's been growling for some time now, though the only person who could have heard was Reina and she says she heard nothing.

5:20 p.m.
Reina
The line for cookies and coffee is full of the desperate. I take a cautionary bathroom trip. You can never be too safe, Beatrice.

PART 2

5:25 p.m.
Reina
I begin to experience serious back/shoulder issues. Is something wrong with that clock?

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
I forget to write. Gatsby's triumphant exclamation sometime after chapter three, "of course you can repeat the past," brings back his long-gone romance with Daisy, but to me it sounds like a sad realization that he still hasn't been able to move on. A moment for the Gatz.

6 p.m.? Maybe?
Reina
I'm so into this. We're spinning through the most delirious, romantic part of the book and I'm starting to feel Fitzgerald-drunk. I forget to check the time or take notes.

Bea loads up on food for the remaining four hours.

DINNER BREAK

6:45 p.m.
Reina
Your hungry correspondents get a fairly decent box lunch as part of our press package. I do a little yoga in my leggings, and jump up and down. I feel psyched; the second wind is coming on!

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
Reina's back problems return. We are munching down our complimentary veggie sandwiches cozied in the corner of the MCA's spiraling staircase. Reina is stretching her back in something that looks like a combination of a downward dog and something from "Flashdance." Either way, she does splits in-between her dinner bites and proves she is agile enough to handle both at the same time. There is some chatter about Shakespeare and young girls when she meets an old friend of hers, and I wander off, venturing to the MCA exhibition of a Jenny Holzer project.

7:46 p.m.
Reina
About 15 minutes before the curtain of a normal show, and we've already seen over three hours of theater. I expected some audience attrition, but the place actually seems fuller.

7:50 p.m.
Reina
Beatrice, after reading a review of a previous production, manages to spoil an important theatrical device that's coming in the last act. Dude! How do you spoil an adaptation of the GREAT GATSBY?

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
When I get back inside Reina accuses me of ruining what she calls a "theatrical moment" (which I will not say here). We both notice that the audience seems to have grown in size quite a bit.

The audience sticks it out after the dinner break.

PART 3

7:55 p.m.
Reina
The clock now reads two-thirty, and Gatsby is wearing a pink suit. Clearly some kind of sea-change has taken place.

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
There seems to be some problem with the clocks...It's a theatrical device...

8:05 p.m.
Reina
Fitzgerald writes such amazingly realistic drunk party-talk. It kind of makes me want to be drunk.8:13 p.m.
Reina
The clock wasn't fixed. It was just upside down.

8:20 p.m.
Reina
We hit that one segment about Gatsby and Daisy that everyone remembers, with the "unutterable visions" and the "perishable breath," and it actually makes me pant, as if I've just had a transcendent sexual experience. Good stuff, Fitzgerald!

8:50 p.m.
Reina
We just hit a Proposition Eight reference. Very up-to-the-minute for a 1920s novel.

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
Last 10-minute break. I sneak out for some air, feeling a bit heavy with plot. Outside I run into Sarah, a graduate of the University of London's School of Dramaturgy. She tells me she had stopped acting, and came tonight for something a little different than theater; she begged her friends to come with her but somehow everyone mixed up the dates. She got tickets but it was too late for her friends; everything was sold out already. So tonight she's alone and seeing that she's very friendly, right away tells me what she likes most about the play. "They're not character-acting at all; there is no need to be "in" character or to "become" the character."

Still 9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
She walks away and I think what is most enjoyable about the play is that the play is more of a reading or maybe that the reading is more of a play. Either way, I have never been able to sit in one place for so long and be perfectly unaware of just how much time is passing between my coming and going. It feels like no time at all. Outside the theater people are grabbing more coffee and before I get a chance to stand in line I am told again that coffee has run out. A kind staff member hands me a complimentary water and a cookie to keep me going through the last stretch.

9:24 p.m.
Reina
Coming back with my jerry-rigged mocha (packaged cocoa plus brewed coffee), I note that we are about 20 minutes behind the posted schedule. My neck is screaming, but I don't mind. The end is in sight.

PART 4

9:50 p.m.
Reina
A woman behind me whispers "OH, Daisy was driving." Excellent detective work there, but in theaters we say those things in our inside-of-the-head voice.

10:20 p.m.
Reina
This story is so sad.

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
Gatz on stage in all pink. The tension is the room is rising. I don't want to write anything at all. Reina is on my left, she seems completely engrossed in what's going on the stage, she's leaning forward and holding her notebook feebly. I don't think either of us writes another word 'til the end of the show.

10:39 p.m.
Reina
Nick gives us a lovely description of Chicago trains at Christmas-time, and we are reminded that, despite the East Coast setting, all of the major characters in Gatsby are Midwesterners. The audiences winces in recognition and muddled pride.

10:49 p.m.
Reina
We hit the even-more-famous end lines, and the cast comes out for three curtain calls. You guys, that poor man playing Nick has been talking for six hours straight. Let him get home and drink his tea!

9:40 a.m.
Beatrice
There are two reasons people give standing ovations. One, because it seems to them that the actors or rather talented youngsters are an especially promising bunch. The other, which seems at first to be the more obvious reason, but which is also the more rare one, is because the show in its totality is a success in all aspects. What we look like after seven hours of theater. 10:57 p.m.
Reina
We stumble out into what Nick Carraway calls "my middle-west," downtown Chicago with the "chatter of frozen breath," the street lamps, and the readily available public transportation. Phrases from the novel still ring in my ears. I'm in a total F. Scott mood: ready to go home, get drunk and write.

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How Not to Plagiarize

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:00:00 CST

Just so you know, I took the title of my article from the results of a Google search for the word "plagiarizing." Does that mean I'm a thief, that I'm one of those people who would disagree with this statement: "Obviously it's against the rules to buy essays or copy chunks from your friend's homework"? Chicago's up-and-coming theater company, The Plagiarists, would scream "not guilty" on my behalf, especially considering that their new show, "Promiscuous Stories," based on seven of Jonathan Lethem's short stories, tests the ideas of copyright law and "originality." I sat down with playwrights Kaitlyn Bird, Gregory Peters and Lindsay Verstegen to see just how they get away with it.

Where'd you get the idea for the play, to perform Jonathan Lethem's work?
Gregory Peters: The idea, the play and the idea of the company are inextricably linked. The idea for the company, our vision statement, and our idea and approach to our work as theater artists sprung from an essay by Jonathan Lethem called "The Ecstasy of Influence" that's about copywriting, sharing art, meditation and the idea that art arises from other art?and to pretend that it doesn't is kind of ridiculous. So we were already looking at Lethem's work and his website, and he had a Promiscuous Materials Project on his website, [which is] designed specifically for filmmakers or dramatists to adapt. We thought it was a natural outlook of what we're doing, [so] when we saw it on the website, we knew this was our show idea. So the evening features seven of Jonathan Lethem's short stories (part of his Promiscuous Materials Project); we've got "K For Fake," "Holidays," "Planet Big Zero," "The Children with Hangovers," "Interview with the Crab," "Their Back Pages" and "Sleepy People."

We also project certain filmed elements. Lethem's work reflects the ecstasy of influence attitude, of finding a new creation that reflects all those other things, and then adding another layer of adaptation. Filmed sections are drawn from pop culture and art. There's actually a scene from a sitcom that the crab, a character in one of the stories, is from.

How did you start working with artist Tony Fitzpatrick? I see he designed the poster for the show.
Kaitlyn Bird: I met Tony seven years ago when we worked on "To Kill a Mockingbird," right after I moved to Chicago with Collaboraction. He played Lee Bradley. I didn't see him for a long time after that, and then I ran into him on the sidewalk three years ago and he asked me to come by his studio, and I told him about wanting to start the company. He was very supportive of our project, and it's been amazing to have someone like him on our team. And the poster, I never would have asked him to design a poster for us. But he offered, and he loves Jonathan Lethem so that's another reason I think this appealed to him. His artwork is the ecstasy of influence?pulling from pop culture and advertising, his memories, and it involves poetry?all made into collages.

So if I were to come to the neighborhood by the Athenaeum Theatre, where you're performing "Promiscuous Stories," where would you insist I visit?
Kaitlyn Bird: Go to Schubas if you wanna booze it up late, if you're looking for dinner before the show. Or go to Wishbone, a great breakfast/dinner type place where we're having our post-show dinner. Jack's Wine Bar up the street is cool, too. There's one on Belmont too, but this is the wine bar version.

"Promiscuous Stories" previews Saturday, October 18 at 7 p.m., and opens on Sunday October 19 at 7 p.m.; shows run Thursday�?Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. through November 23 at Athenaeum Theatre.

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Mierka Girten

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:00:00 CST

photo: Clifton Henri

Born an imaginative kid, both theatrical and bashful, Mierka Girten moved from Cincinnati to Chicago to attend graduate school at the DePaul Theatre Conservatory. Thrilled by the city's diversity, the "different colors and flavors of people, the trains, the architecture and the art," she pushed enthusiastically forward, undeterred by Chicago's pace, her lack of money, even the strange tingling she began to feel in her foot. Eventually, Girten was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a diagnosis which, although initially overwhelming, she eventually chose to meet head-on. With her disease in remission, Girten, a successful Chicago actress, has gone on to write and perform a one-woman show about coming to terms with MS as well as found Mookie Jam, a not-for-profit designed to benefit artists suffering from the disease.

When we sat down to talk at Andersonville's Kopi Cafe, Girten, warm and witty, spoke enthusiastically about everything from her show, "With or Without Wings," to her favorite Chicago haunts.

How exactly did "With or Without Wings" come about?
I'm a very passionate journal writer and when I toured with "A Secret Garden" I would write in my journal every day. I shared some of the entries with a friend of mine who was on tour with me, Michael Thomas, and he said, you should write a play. I wrote the first version so 50 of my friends could be in the show with me, and everyone made fun of it. I didn't really get into the dirt, the ugliness about my depression and my suicide attempt, so Michael made me go into bathrooms and closets and talk into a tape recorder about specific feelings and really be honest. I'm an actor not a writer, so I'd sit down at the computer and I'd have to become each character in order to get the words out of my mouth. We improvised a lot.

How long did the whole process take?
About two years, just going through journal entries and sort of picking things out. The first time I did the show it was a little more presentational. My narration was cuter, I hid all my tattoos, I didn't want anyone to think anything bad about me. Now that I'm older I'm like, I have tattoos, I'm not gonna hide the fact that I have hips. I'm able to scream and yell this time and start to cry, whereas before I repressed that because I didn't want people to think my diagnosis made me weak somehow. Now it's just a part of who I am.

Tell me about Mookie Jam.
Well, it seems sort of self-indulgent to do a play about my disease and then keep the cash. I figured if I could make money from the play I could give it to somebody who needed assistance. People who apply have to prove they're an artist, that they have MS and that they don't have a whole lot of money. Like Montel Williams, I would not be able to get him a grant. It's very grassroots. All these artists donate their artwork and we have professional musicians who play. It'll be my ninth year this year. It's a Chicago-based thing.

Speaking of Chicago, what's your favorite Chicago hidden gem?
I live in Lincoln Square and I wrote a lot of this play at the Huettenbar which is in the square. It's a German bar. There's some real serious German people who go there. I know all the locals, all the regulars.

If I came to Chicago where would you insist I visit?
The Morseland. That's in Rogers Park. Fabulous food. They're very open to everybody, every color, every person, very eclectic; it's a groovy little spot. It's where we're holding Mookie Jam this year. They gave me the space for free. They're just very good people, very considerate to people's needs and their individuality.

Finally, any Chicago related advice?
Be careful where you park your car. I lost my car in a snowstorm and I couldn't find it for three months.

"With or Without Wings" runs through November 2 at A Red Orchid Theatre.

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Next August

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:00:00 CST

"Ensemble" is the word most frequently used in connection with Tracy Letts' "August: Osage County." The play, after all, was written for the ensemble of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and the production was hailed for the believability of the family bonds among the characters. So the fact that only five of the current cast members in the New York production of the show were in the play during its Chicago run causes some worry. Can the new actors bond artistically with the original ones? It is a pleasure to report that the new cast members fit in seamlessly, and the production still makes for an extraordinary evening of theater.

After its premiere at Steppenwolf in the summer of 2007, the play moved to Broadway's Imperial Theatre, where it weathered the stagehands' strike to open to raves. The production then managed something rare for straight plays; it connected with a wide audience. People who didn't often go to see non-musicals were attending, enjoying it, and telling their friends. The initial limited run was extended several times, then moved to an open run at the smaller Music Box when the production needed to vacate the Imperial to make way for "Billy Elliott." Along the way it picked up a raft of awards, including the Pulitzer and five Tonys, for Best Play, Anna D. Shapiro's direction, Deanna Dunagan and Rondi Reed's performances, and Todd Rosenthal's set (and now, a movie version is in the works).

The play centers on the Weston family, living in a large house outside of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Beverly, the father (Michael Maguire, in a part played by Dennis Letts, the playwright's father, until his death from lung cancer this February) disappears after the first scene, and the entire family returns home to deal with the crisis. Considering that the house is now occupied only by the family matriarch, Violet, an abusive pill addict (Oscar-winner Estelle Parsons), fireworks are sure to follow. The play is a steadily escalating series of confrontations and revelations, with at least half a dozen genuinely gasp-worthy moments.

Some have accused the play of being simply a soap opera, and there is an element of the potboiler to it, in Letts' shameless use of plot twists that sometimes strain believability. But, crucially, the script goes much deeper. If the first act, setting up the characters, is fascinating, and the second, culminating in a jaw-dropping dinner scene, is riveting, the third, showing the aftermath, is simply heartbreaking. A soap opera would never give us the richly realistic characters, the tiny details of personality, or the sorrowful understanding of the consequences of hurtful actions that this play does.

I should explain that I do not have the background to compare this cast to the orgininal. I was out of the country during the play's Steppenwolf run, and my tickets to the Broadway production last Thanksgiving weekend were refunded due to the stagehand strike. However, I can say that this cast genuinely feels like a family with a long, tortured history. The fact that two of the new cast members are also ensemble members at Steppenwolf probably helps. However, I believe the greatest credit goes to Letts' beautifully written characters and Shapiro's extraordinary direction. (Full disclosure: Shapiro is a professor at Northwestern, and I took a workshop from her when I was a student there.) The production pays attention both to the complex and fast-moving plot and to tiny, telling details. My personal favorite image is of Karen, the youngest Weston daughter (Mariann Mayberry), engaged in a tense conversation and compulsively putting olives onto her fingers and eating them off. It's a minor tic, but it tells so much about her character.

The cast is superb all around; there isn't a weak link. Each gets a chance to shine and has a deep commitment to his or her character. However, highest honors must be given to Parsons, who frighteningly illuminates both Violet's terrifying abusiveness and her pitiable state while high on pills, and Amy Morton, as the eldest daughter, Barbara, trying desperately to understand and control her world as it falls apart. The designers also do superb work at telling the story of the play. Rosenthal's Tony-winning set, towering and skeletal, is the perfect arena for the family's battles. Ana Kuzmanic's costumes always tell us about the characters; Violet's outfit of blue silk pajamas and blue high heels, worn whenever she is stoned, is particularly apt. And Ann G. Wrightson's lighting succeeds both in creating gorgeous pictures and in helping to shape the story.

Some have complained that the play does not live up to the comparisons with Eugene O'Neill that it has received from some. However, such comparisons are meaningless. Letts isn't O'Neill, and shouldn't be. Whether "August: Osage County" will be considered a classic in 50 years is immaterial. It is an extraordinary play now.

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Your Town

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:00:00 CST

The diverse Chicago theater scene allows play-goers to explore many different worlds, from the land of Oz to Osage County. But as any proud Chicagoan knows, there are plenty of stories to be told right here in the city. Grab a ticket to one of these locally focused shows, and watch your town take center stage.

"I Saw You"
8 p.m. Mondays (ongoing) at The Spot (Bruised Orange Theater Company)
Most Chicago residents have read?or regularly read?The Reader. And even though the paper was recently sold and doesn't weigh nearly as much as it used to, it still has its special place here in the city. Flip to the back for the hilarious "missed connections," personal ads and?our favorite?X-rated requests. Each week during "I Saw You," you'll be able to catch dramatic readings from this section. You're guaranteed to laugh hard?until you realize it's your ad getting the comedic treatment.

"Fast Forward"
Runs through August 2 at Center on Halsted (About Face Youth Theatre)
Every summer, Chicago's only theater company committed to LGBTQ issues rallies up queer youth from the city and the suburbs, helps them write about their own experiences and then transforms them into actors performing their own work on the stage. This year, Youth Outreach Director Paula Gilovich and her crew focus on connections between the lack of sex education in schools today and the ways that HIV and AIDS have impacted the youth community. The enlightening show, set against the backdrop of high school, delves into the current state of gay-straight alliances, the backwards abstinence-until-marriage ideologies present in today's sex education, the gay prom phenomenon and cyber-bullying.

"Superior Donuts"
Runs through August 24 at Steppenwolf Theatre
Tracy Letts follows up on his acclaimed play, "August: Osage County," with this new piece set in Chicago's quickly gentrifying Uptown neighborhood. Arthur Pryzbyszewski owns a run-down donut shop that his Polish immigrant father opened years ago. But as the neighborhood undergoes changes?and his Russian neighbor continuously asks to buy the store from him?Franco, a black teenager from the neighborhood, strolls into Arthur's life. Franco wants to change the store for the better, but it isn't so easy to change Arthur's attitude toward the dying donut store.

Aqui Estoy
August 12 (one night only) at the Goodman Theatre (Albany Park Theater Project)
Back for one night only during the Goodman's 2008 Latino Theater Festival, this twice-remounted Albany Park Theater Project play showcases the true stories of undocumented immigrants living in Chicago. Directors David Feiner and Maggie Popadiak focus on two stories by ensemble members about their experiences. "Amor de Lejos" looks at the difficult lives of day laborers from Central American and Mexico. And "Nine Digits" follows a Chicago teen who has lived as an undocumented immigrant since his parents brought him to the U.S. from Columbia at age six. It's a fearless foray at the corrosive national immigration debate.

Solo Homo?an Evening of Solo Performances
7:30 p.m. July 23, 24 and 30 at Chemically Imbalanced Theatre
Chicago's thriving LGBTQ community needs some lovin', too. After all, us homos are everywhere, from Andersonville to Boystown, but also scattered throughout other, less-gay areas of the city. In this new series at the improv-tastical North Side theater, the NewTown Writers?a Chicago-based gay and lesbian writers' salon?shares works-in-progress. Eventually, it'll publish the literary anthology Off the Rocks and the e-zine Swell.

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Let's Take It Outside

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 CST

photo: courtesy of Ravinia

Ravinia is just one of several outdoor theatre options in the area this summer.

With warm weather right around the corner, it's hard to justify buying tickets to a stuffy, indoor theater show. After all, here in Chicago the warm weather doesn't last that long. Luckily, these five theater venues are all either outside or open air; either way, you can indulge your summer fun while still seeing new theater. Who says you can't have the best of both worlds? Theater on the Lake
I recently caught Dog & Pony Theatre's "As Told By the Vivian Girls" at this Chicago Park District outdoor theatre. The company utilized all of the open, airy spaces inside this venue. But if you're watching a play here, you can also hear the lake hitting the shores, the sound of joggers running by and sunbathers chilling out on the beach. Most traditional shows take place on the ground-level space?it has two huge, high-ceilinged rooms. It's not the most fun in cold weather, but perfect for a summer show.

Ravinia
Maybe your parents are season ticket subscribers to Ravinia. Or maybe you've randomly taken the Metra up to this classy outdoor venue for a select summer concert. But regardless of whether or not you're into the suburban feel, there's no excuse not to catch summer shows here. With their bandshell-style stage and seats, along with grassy areas for picnicking (bring your own food or buy the overpriced eats there) and watching, you're sure to enjoy the summer weather while embracing the live entertainment experience. For a full schedule, visit their Web site.

Outdoor Shakespeare at Oak Park Festival Theatre
Take a trip to this charming suburb for an evening of outdoor Shakespeare. ?Much Ado about Nothing,? which runs June 13-July 19, is the next endeavor (every summer the company does a different show.) All summer shows are performed in the Austin Gardens. Parents can bring their kids out to the theater, too, especially during Family Days on June 22 and June 29 for special pricing, pre-show activities and an early 5 p.m. performance for the kiddies. For complete information, visit the site.

Berger Park Cultural Center
Hell in a Handbag made great use of this North Side space during their production of "The Birds." Not only did they get wild with actual fake birds flying up against the windows facing the lake, but actors ran in and out of the building, and scenes actually took place outside. Audience members acted as viewers of the film-within-the-play, and had to walk from the Cultural Center proper to the coach house out back. The coach house space offers a great alternative to the traditional indoor theater experience, and we can't wait to see how The Journeymen make use of this unique space with the upcoming "tick, tick...BOOM".

New Leaf Theater at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center
This Chicago theater company parks it at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center. With goals to serve the community and bring theater to Chicagoans, there's no better place than this vibrant, open space that's registered as a Chicago landmark and was designed in 1926 by Edwin H. Clark. A string of one of the Chicago Park District centers, the LPCC has community activities year-round. Although New Leaf?s most recent show, ?Girl in the Goldfish Bowl,? closed in early April, the company is currently stirring up new shows. Stay updated on the group's Web site.

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Funny Ladies

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:00:00 CST

photo: courtesy of Sarah King

Chicago has no shortage of talented, funny ladies, but you gotta know where to find 'em in the male-dominated comedy scene. Clubs like Zanies or The Improv in Schaumburg are more likely to book well-known national acts, so many female comedians have taken it upon themselves to establish an underground scene of sorts. You'll find these young, up-and-coming comedians performing one-woman shows at venues like the Apollo Studio Theater or Playground Theater, as well as bars like Town Hall Pub or in the backroom of the Lincoln Restaurant. Sometimes, they'll even crash an open mic night. Because aside from being hilarious, these ladies have another thing in common: They're not afraid to pave their own paths.

Sarah King
Perhaps you see a shrink or take lots of drugs (prescription or otherwise) to figure out if you're crazy; that's one way to go about it. The other way would be to visit King's new show, which asks audience members to help decide if the characters she explores are "good crazy" or "bad crazy." You'll probably leave wondering which type of crazy you are. Comprised of sketches with characters like her signature supastar Mama Truth, an in-your-face pansexual nightmare of an open-mic poet (with terrible rhymes to prove it), King's Texan parents and many others, this comedian's high-energy whirlwind of a show will leave you wondering about how many crazies are actually lurking out there. Scary thought, no?

Jena Friedman
Jena Friedman co-hosts "Entertaining Julia," an experimental variety comedy/music showcase at Town Hall Pub, with Sarah King. At a recent show, Friedman dove into scary territory with jokes about HPV, the sexually transmitted disease that apparently everyone has. But that's part of her dark, dry humor, which both offends and pleases. A stand-up comedian to the core, Friedman can take the stage and keep the audience captive. This might be partly because she's a very innocent-looking lady, but also because you're never sure what she's going to hit you with next. Check out her myspace page for more show info.

Puterbaugh Sisterz
Whether they're onstage at a variety show or creating a wacky character-based video, these two sisters are usually doing it together. In their recent spoof of a rug store infomercial at "Entertaining Julia," the two dressed up as a rug salespeople, chanting "rugs, rugs, rugs" and dramatizing the monotone speak of a low-budget cable TV ad. And their outrageous videos?like the one about an insane woman trying to find a miracle weight-loss drug?let's just say the nauseatingly funny humor (both literally and otherwise) isn't good to consume after eating dinner. For upcoming shows, check out their myspace page.

Cameron Esposito
When Cameron Esposito left Boston for Chicago, the improv capitol of the U.S., she assumed she would end up doing even more improv. But when she got here things changed: She realized she didn't want to share the stage with male comics whose jokes usually turned sexual, which she just couldn't support. She's since converted to doing stand-up in the underground scene, especially at the Lincoln Lodge?in the backroom of the Lincoln Restaurant, which her and friends discovered and transformed into a sometimes-comedy-venue. When the openly lesbian comic takes to the stage, she wants to get to know her audience members a bit before she starts telling her slow-burn jokes. See her at the next Lincoln Lodge show, "Dwight Night," on May 15, 16 and 17 at 9 p.m.

Fay Canale
Stand-up comedian Fay Canale, a member of the Chicago-based female collective SpitFire Comedy, jokes about everything, but especially about the ridiculousness of life. Another performer at Lincoln Lodge, she'll make observational jokes about an experience she had being out in the world?like entering into a squabble over "for here" or "to-go" orders at a fried chicken joint?or the inequalities that smokers experience in everyday life. And then there are the jokes about jobs?because, really, if we couldn't laugh about paying the bills, we'd probably just be crying.

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Kiddie Theater

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:00 CST

photo: courtesy of Adventure Stage

After schlepping the kids to the movies nearly every weekend, you're ready for something new. Why not introduce them to the wonderful world of theater? We searched all over town for shows that are designed especially for kids, and picked out the cream of the crop. Not only will your children's imaginations expand; these productions will hold their short attention spans?not to mention your own.

"That's Weird, Grandma"
There's nothing like a child's imagination. Barrel of Monkeys Theatre Company recognizes that, and partners with the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Communities in Schools to get little kids' writing noticed?and, eventually, performed live on stage. For 90 minutes each week for a six-week session, three volunteer teachers conduct classes at public schools, where students brainstorm and write stories. After each residency ends, actors from the company adapt these pieces, act them out during a school-wide assembly, and take some of them to the weekly Monday evening show at Andersonville's Neo-Futurarium. This ever-changing variety show delights parents and children alike.

"The Dirty Cowboy"
Chicagoan Amy Timberlake wrote this neat little story about a dirty cowboy who desperately needs a bath. Once he's cleaned up, however, no one knows who the heck he is. Like the dirt all over his body, the cowboy's identity was washed away. Not even his loyal dog recognizes him! When mistaken identity issues take hold, the cowboy and his faithful hound belt out a musical battle. Shole Milos directs this play, adapted for the stage by James E. Grote with music by Victoria DeIorio, that's suggested for families with kids ages 5 to 10.

"The Blue House"
Little Maricela lives in Pilsen, a Chicago neighborhood with a rich, yet devastating, history. When the 13-year-old starts having dreams about strangers from another time, she ends up in an abandoned lot where the 'Blue House' once stood. What secrets will she discover? Set during the 1919 Race Riots and told in English and Spanish, this world premiere of the play by Jose Cruz Gonzalez is rich in Chicago history. The show is recommended for kids eight and up, and on most Saturdays before the performance, kids and parents can participate in workshops that involve teamwork, problem solving and discussion topics that center on the play's dream theme.

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