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Literary Wed Nov 24 2010
Review: The Paper Machete @ Ricochets
The atmosphere at The Paper Machete, a free weekly live magazine at Ricochets, is like sitting in the rec room of your best friend's house, if your best friend was an emcee with a microphone and a weekly lineup of writer/performer guests who talk about everything from local politics to the latest movie releases. Roughly a third of last week's audience was comprised of either performers or friends of performers, which added to the laid-back vibe. I shared a table with a stranger, and ordered my first beer just before the show started at 3pm, which seemed early for beer-- but it's getting dark early, so I can justify it.
The show is hosted by former Time Out Chicago theater editor Christopher Piatt (pronounced pie-it), who began the series in January of this year along with his co-producer Ali Weiss, and business manager Maggie Boyaris. Last week's lineup included: theater legend Sheldon Patinkin, who told the audience about the first time the words "fuck" and "shit" were uttered on the Second City stage; Neo-Futurists Dana Slickman and Rachel Claff, who reminded us that the world is not our living room; writer/performer Patrick Gill, who I'm pretty sure convinced me that I need to go see Cher's new movie, Burlesque; 848's Kelly Kleiman, who told us why everything sucks, and that the word "nepotism" is closely related, if you will, to the word "nephew"; comedian Adam Guerino gave us his take on the recent media focus on potentially gay children that was kind of started by that woman whose son dressed as Daphne for Halloween; manicurist and celebrity star-fucker Marlena Biscotti (a.k.a. Kristin Studard) told us what it's like to make love to Prince; writer and editor Jonathan Messinger took on citizen journalism; and musical guest Lili-Anne Brown ended the show with some gorgeous vocals.
It's a mix of current events, commentary, and stand-up, or in Piatt's words: "a salon in a saloon." The 3pm timeslot was chosen purposely to accommodate the schedules of most performers and theater types, and I have to say, it was nice to see a show in the middle of the afternoon and not have to struggle to fit it into my week. Keep an eye on The Paper Machete's website for upcoming shows, they generally run every week, and as the weather makes it's inevitable turn for the worse, I have a feeling I'll be making it a habit.
The Paper Machete happens most Saturdays at 3pm at Ricochets (4644 N. Lincoln Avenue), is free, and runs about 90 minutes with one break. Check The Paper Machete's website for the weekly lineup, podcasts of old shows, and other particulars.
