Dance Fri May 16 2008
This weekend and next, you'll get the chance to see some acrobatic dancers create a story in the air using ... giant lampshades. And picture frames and clotheslines and boots, oh my! Aloft Aerial Dance presents The Dinner of our Discontent, in which they tell the story--which "veers from heartbreaking to hilarious"--of five estranged sisters returning home after the sudden deaths of their parents. The company has spent some time in China since their last full-length show, and they picked up some tricks from Chinese acrobats who make use of every-day objects to create their art.
The show is May 16-18 and 23-25, 8:00 p.m. at the Aloft Loft, 941 N California Ave. (down the alley, in the back). Go to Brown Paper Tickets for...well...tickets at $20-$30.
As a side note--if you've ever wanted to join the circus but don't want to leave Chicago, you can learn how to be a trapezist right here! Check out the Aloft Loft for all the classes Aloft has to offer.
- Rachel Zanders |
Theatre Thu May 08 2008
Over at the theater blog An Angry White Guy in Chicago, a debate rages about the nature of art criticism. Blogger Don Hall claims that "most theater people just want affirmation and aren't really interested in criticism, constructive or otherwise but we all claim to want honest evaluation from our peers." Check the comments section for the response from the theater community.
- Lindsay Muscato |
Theatre Wed Apr 23 2008
The Cubs will not be in town this weekend, but you still have a reason to experience wonderful Wrigleyville in the spring. Stage Left Theatre, known for tackling tough social issues in its productions is currently performing Omniscience, a play about the psychological and emotional trauma suffered by living in a quasi police state. The play follows a documentary producer and his military officer wife as he attempts to bring to light the truth of war and the suppression of expression by corporate and government forces intent on maintaining "control" of its populace.
When: Through May 24th; Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 3:00pm
Where: Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave.
Price: $20.00
Box Office: (773) 883-8830
- Norman Doucet |
If you haven’t cleared your calendar for the MCA’s upcoming Hip Hop Live + Reel, you might want to get on that. Born of New York City’s Hip Hop Theater Festival, Live + Reel is a four-day bonanza of hip hop culture. Artists from both coasts – including New York’s Reggie Watts and Bay Area lyricists The Suicide Kings – will be joining forces with local performers like Deja Taylor, whose work from Louder Than a Bomb has been recorded for Chicago Public Radio, and Teatro Luna, Chicago’s all-Latina theater company.
“This new format – two days of film and two days of live performances – creates a mini-festival atmosphere,” says MCA House Manager Surinder Martignetti. “The strength of combining local artists with national performers offers people such a great opportunity to see what’s happening out there and to really get involved.”
With all four days boasting a packed line up of spoken word performances, outstandingly original films and, of course, music (and only $5 for tickets to the films! Five! For the whole night!), the MCA is encouraging everyone to try to make the whole series. If you can only make one, though, I recommend aiming for Saturday, when The Suicide Kings’ In Spite of Everything, a startlingly timely play revolving around a school shooting, will be performed. Louder Than a Bomb 2008 winner Kuumba Lynx will also perform, and beatboxer Yuri Lane will close the night with an excerpt from his show From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A Beatbox Journey.
Film night tickets are $5 for all screeings; performance nights are $16 member/$20 non-member. Student pricing is available. To see the full list of performances or to buy tickets on line, visit the MCA’s website, or call the box office at 312.397.4010 for more information.
- Jaime Calder |
Tonight (April 11) marks the kick-off of comedienne/writer/actress Sarah King's new one-woman show, "good crazy/bad crazy," which runs at the Apollo Studio Theater every Friday until May 2. In addition to dancing, lots of audience interaction, and a general exploration of the idea that "everyone is crazy, but some people are just better at hiding it," the show features words of wisdom from King's parents, who hail from Sugar Land, Texas (whose Town Crazy isTom DeLay) and provide their own insights on what "crazy" means. For a preview, here's a video featuring King's mom and dad, clad in matching pink sport shirts, chatting about "bad crazy drivers" and picking up cans. 8 p.m. $12, $10 for students. 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. For more info, call 773-935-6100 or visit the Website.
- Lauri Apple |
Dance Thu Apr 10 2008
This weekend at the MCA, you can see what one of America's great modern dance companies has to say about our "mediatized" world, touching on morality, humanity, and violence, the judicial process, and prison. The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company has been a major force in American modern dance for nearly 25 years. In this visit to Chicago, they will be presenting Chapel/Chapter, a performance that retells two "high-visibility" news stories and one company member's "reminiscence/confession." The music is performed live, the set plays a role, and video and spoken words are involved, all contributing to the choreographer's desire to create a "self-enclosed world." The show promises to be both intellectually and visually fascinating.
Shows are at the MCA, 220 E. Chicago Ave., on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30. Tickets are $35-$40 ($28-$32 for MCA members). For tickets and more information, including a video preview, visit the MCA's website.
- Rachel Zanders |
Theatre Thu Apr 03 2008
This is your last chance to see a great play, Next Stop Spinsterland, showing at the Athenaeum Theatre in Lakeview. Two single girls are teleported to Spinsterland where they have 24 hours to find a husband or else spend eternity there. It closes April 6th. Go check it out!
Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave (312) 902-1500
When: Sat, April 5th at 8pm. and Sunday April 6th (final show) at 3pm.
Tickets: $18.00
- Norman Doucet |
Theatre Wed Apr 02 2008
For the next few days, the Live Bait Theatre is staging Heat Wave, a dark comedy chronicling the events of the 1995 Chicago weather disaster. Based on Eric Klineberg's book Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, it is a moving examination of the tragedy that took the lives of over 700 Chicagoans. A must see.
You can catch it Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm in the Pegasus Player's Theatre, 1145 W. Wilson Ave. Tickets run from $17-25.
- Norman Doucet |
Dance Thu Mar 27 2008
Here are some options for this weekend (starting tonight!).
- Chicago Moving Company presents Dance Shelter, CMC's annual artist-in-residence concert. March 27, 28 and April 3, 4 @ 7:30. $15 ($12 students), Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater, 3035 N Hoyne Ave. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.
- Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Spring Series opens tonight. If you were to see only one Chicago company this year, I'd say these are the folks to see. Consistently fantastic performances, consistently accessible to a wide audience. Various dates, tonight through April 5. Their site has all the info you could need.
- The final event in Links Hall's Choreographing Coalitions (see earlier GB entries about the series here and here) is Denise Uyehara's Big Head, an interdisciplinary performance piece that "revisits the treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II and considers current-day treatment of those perceived as 'the enemy now.'" March 28, 29 @ 8:00, March 30 @ 7:00. $15 ($12 students). 3435 N. Sheffield, #207
- Rachel Zanders |
Theatre Wed Mar 19 2008
Chicago's storefront theater scene rivals that of anywhere in the country. But still, critically acclaimed shows struggle to fill their houses and actors keep on eating rice with soy sauce for every meal. A group of theater bloggers, here and around the country, chose today to tackle the big question, "What is the value of theater?" -- and they attempt to dissect why theater matters to people who aren't in the industry.
Don Hall of WNEP Theater posts here, and links to other bloggers, too.
- Lindsay Muscato |
Theatre Thu Mar 13 2008
Chicago-based In These Times magazine features an interview with a young, up-and-coming playwright, Christopher Shinn. When asked his advice about where an artist should begin, he responded in a way that made me think about my own artistic perspective, saying: "Any artist needs to come up with a theory of human nature. And mine has to do with an inherent vulnerability in people, and their attempt to escape that vulnerability through a narcissistic denial of reality. That’s been around since the Greeks and Shakespeare’s tragedies."
- Lindsay Muscato |
This weekend, nine companies and artists will present their interpretation of this year's Full Circle Danztheatre Festival theme, Milestones. Performing new works will be: Kate McIlvain, Shabam! Productions, The Core Project, Shahina, Christy Munch, Soul Theatre, Perceptual Motion, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, and Wannapa Pimtong-Eubanks.
The festival aims to "blend all forms of art, dance, text, music, and visual art into performances that capture and stimulate the mind." And media isn't the only diverse aspect of the festival. Take a peek at the subject matter. McIlvain's "dance for the camera," Three Men in Two Parts, follows three young men through a night in a bar. Shabam!'s West Side Story Redux views today's racism and division through the lens of the eponymous musical. Munch's Rubber Coated Chlorine takes a stab at "political speak" while the audience hears recordings of Adlai Stevenson at the United Nations in 1962. Performances will range from political and serious to light and warm-hearted, while subjects range from a Baptist church, to mid-life discovery, to death. There are even promises of belly dancing and traditional Butoh dancing!
Tickets are $15 ($10 students). Shows are March 13 and 14 at 7:30 at the Hamlin Park Fieldhouse Theater, 3035 N. Hoyne. 773-486-8261
- Rachel Zanders |
Theatre Wed Mar 05 2008
There is still time to see the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) on Navy Pier's presentation of Othello, which ends on April 6th. It is not as easy as it looks to adapt Shakespeare to a modern audience, but having seen the CST in action during their production of Troilus and Cressida in 2006, I can tell you that this Chicago troupe makes it happen in a big way.
They deliver engaging and exciting performances that captivate their audiences and keep them coming back for more. If you haven't seen a Shakespearean play performed live, this would be a great introduction. If you're a Shakespeare veteran, the CST will provide a great "shot in the arm."
If you want to see great acting, great costumes and a wonderful production, go check them out!
When: Saturdays : 8pm
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays : 7:30pm (ends April 6)
Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier: 800 E. Grand Ave.
- Norman Doucet |
Theatre Mon Mar 03 2008
Presented by the Signal Ensemble Theater, a Chicago nonprofit professional company, this performance of the Tony Award-winning musical was commendable. The story is well known. It is the summer of 1776 and the Continental Congress is debating what will become the seminal moment of our nation: the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There is bitter division and political infighting. The outcome is unclear and the future of the colonies and a nation hangs in the balance.
What makes 1776 amazing is two-fold. The acting and singing in this performance were both strong and seamless. I was pleasantly surprised to see that neither the singing nor acting was compromised by the other. The performance was strong and engaging throughout the nearly three-hour event. I immediately connected with the plight of John Adams (played by Phillip Winston) as he struggles to convince the holdouts in the Congress to share in his ideal vision of a free America, all the while longing to be reunited with his wife Abigail (Lindsay Naas). Benjamin Franklin (Vincent Lonergan) added humor to the performance as well the pragmatism that Adams desperately needs. All of the actors were exceptional but there was a standout performance by Jeremy Trager who sang "Molasses to Rum" as Edward Rutledge of South Carolina. The song was complex, required a tremendous amount of range and energy, and Trager nailed it cold. Although the song was essentially a defense of slavery, it mas a moving reminder of what regrettably helped build this nation. I felt that the audience was uncomfortable with the subject, but that they, too, were amazed at the execution.
The venue was also integral to the performance. The intimacy of the Chopin Theater made me feel that I was a part of the action. The actors were so close you could see them sweat. They moved on and off of the stage via the audience entries, which made it feel even more familiar. This is a great way to see great theater.
- Norman Doucet |
