I’m certain one of the main reasons I blog is I live alone. I wake up with all kinds of stuff percolating in my head. When I sleep, my subconscious replays my life happenings. Work issues, relational struggles, theatrical reviews are all jumbled together in my head. In my vegetative state, my mind connects the ...
Vision Quest: A Cocktail of Hallucinations in the Amazon Rainforest (Ray BradGary): Take the Drink…and the Trip!
Reviewed by Tom Lawler There is a moment, early on in Vision Quest: A Cocktail of Hallucinations in the Amazon Rainforest that would be very hard for most productions to top. No spoilers here, but let’s just say it involves two men and a bucket. These two men are soon revealed to be the stars ...
Review “Carrie The Musical” (Bailiwick Chicago): Horror Flick Carries a Tune
Bailiwick Chicago presents the Chicago premiere of CARRIE: THE MUSICAL. I have to be honest. “Carrie: The Musical”?? I thought it was going to be a spoof on the Sissy Spacek film. It’s not. It’s the staged horror flick. And it’s set to music. Right? The horror genre doesn’t quite translate into a musical. *SPOILER ...
Annacakes: The Tasty Carb Alternative!
It’s been my experience throughout life that to learn, I must listen. I never know where or when a great idea will reveal itself. I practice not always monopolizing the conversation with my recent laments. Instead, I ask questions. When I’m quiet, I hear other people’s great ideas. At my last haircut, my stylist Anna told ...
Nip it in the bud
When getting fit, everybody looks for signs it’s happening. We want to see indicators that we are moving from sloth to athlete. I got mine at 4am the other day. I woke up to an itchy foot. The bottom of my right foot was a tingly sensation. Upon examination, I found the culprit. In ...
Review “Caged Dames” (Hell in a Handbag Productions): Handbag Kicks it Up!
Hell in a Handbag presents CAGED DAMES, A Shocking Musical. Handbag kicks it up and spreads it out with this remount of their 2006 production. For the last few years, Handbag has performed at Mary’s Attic. Those tight quarters only allowed for minimal scenery and choreography. Their current move to Theater Wit allows them to dress ...
I’m being trained…personally
I worked out with my new personal trainer yesterday. He’s also an old friend. Josh has been a personal trainer at Equinox for several years. He’s a guru of fitness. I always wanted to hire him to help me get fitter. Alas, I couldn’t afford even the basic Equinox membership much less their additional personal ...
Because I’m Happy
Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth Because I’m happy Clap along if you know what happiness is to you Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do ...
Dark and angsty
....unfinished, imperfect lives. I saw the play EAT YOUR HEART OUT on Saturday. The story was both funny and dramatic. The characters were a hot mess. Each infrequently said the wrong thing in trying to get what they wanted. They were authentic people. And just as all the scenarios came to a life altering moment, ...
Review “Eat Your Heart Out” (Rivendell Theatre): I HEARTED It!
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble presents EAT YOUR HEART OUT. Nervous laughter. Awkward pauses. Little revelations. Big fat lies. Playwright Courtney Baron keeps it real. Baron spins the tales of six people trying to be honest. The kicker is none of them can even be honest with themselves. They hide their desire behind a smile, a joke, a ...