I saw this play last week about a fat teenage girl. She was sullen. She reeked of defeatism. I wanted to slap her. The play’s premise was about how her world was falling apart. Her parents were splitting. She was getting bullied at school. She was eating to comfort herself. The play tried to evoke ...
Review “Ruined” (Eclipse Theatre): Important Story to be Told, Heard, Understood
Eclipse Theatre Company features one playwright in one season. The Pulitzer Prize winning drama RUINED opens Eclipse’s 2014 season as the first of three Lynn Nottage plays. Playwright Lynn Nottage’s RUINED won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize Award for Drama. The story looks at the Congo Civil War from a brothel perspective. Mama Nardi (played fiercely by TayLar) negotiates her survival ...
Black Jelly Bean Easter
I thought I had a stroke on Sunday… for real. Instead of Dolly’s “Hard Candy Christmas,” it was Katy’s black jelly bean Easter. I was getting ready for my brunch shift at Wood. The place was filled with the typical pre-opening chit-chat as we prepared for a blockbuster brunch. Since waking up, the tips of my ...
2014 Non-Equity Jeff Awards NOMINATIONS
2014 NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES PRODUCTION - PLAY "Great Expectations" - Strawdog Theatre Company "Incident on Run #1217" - The Factory Theater "The Knowledge" - Steep Theatre Company "The Mother" - Oracle Productions "The Playboy of the Western World" - Raven Theatre "Veronica's Room" - BoHo Theatre PRODUCTION - MUSICAL "Dessa Rose" - Bailiwick Chicago "Kiss of the Spider Woman" - BoHo Theatre "Monty Python's Spamalot" - NightBlue ...
EXTEND Thru June 29 Review “Mud Blue Sky” (A Red Orchid): Trifecta!
A Red Orchid Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of MUD BLUE SKY. I love smart comedies, strong female characters and powerful storytelling. Red Orchid’s newest production is my trifecta. The play’s premise sounds like a set up for a joke: three flight attendants meet up in a hotel room. The first one goes out for pot. The second ...
What he said…
My great nephew and I wish everyone a Happy Easter!
EXTENDED Thru June 7 “If There is I Haven’t Found It Yet” (Steep Theatre): Dark Humor and Truth
Steep Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of IF THERE IS I HAVEN’T FOUND IT YET. Playwright Nick Payne dissects family disfunction from a global warming perspective. As a weight-challenged teenager battles her self-worth, her parents drift listlessly apart from each other and her. Her father, in particular, obsesses over saving the earth from environmental ruin. His tunnel ...
Review “L’Imbecile” (Babes with Blades): Twisted Gender-Bender Burlesque
The Babes with Blades Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of L’IMBECILE. The Babes was established to advance female-focused, action-oriented plays on stage. Almost every Babes’ production I’ve seen has humor infused in the combat. This time around, the Babes surrender their blades to tackle Commedia dell’arte. They still showcase a few skirmishes but the physicality ...
TGIGF!
Happy Good Friday! The lines between religion and government are often blurred. Jesus was executed by the Roman government for his religious preachings. The Christian Crusades were fought in the name of religion with the prize being new territories to rule. During the Spanish Inquisition, Catholics killed 150,000+ people for their non-Catholic beliefs. While he was sovereign Henry VIII killed ...
I forgot to breathe this week…gasp!
I’m over halfway through Serenity April. I’ve slowed down. Some of my schedule has remained unscheduled. I’ve spent a lot of time breathing easier. And that’s why I can totally justify not succeeding in this week’s challenge in “How to Train a Wild Elephant.” The book suggested every time the phone rings taking three long ...