miss ellen / July 8, 2004 10:52 AM

i saw "phantom of the opera" with my mom & some of her friends in march.

my new roomie is an aspiring actress, so i'll be hitting up more theatre; we're hoping to check out The Pyrates soon, with resident GB, kris vire.

Andrew / July 8, 2004 11:14 AM

The last play... unless you count improv shows, about a year ago. I do plan on seeing The Pyrates, though.

Vit / July 8, 2004 11:22 AM

I went to Second City last fall, the Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier last summer (pretty much the only reason to go to Navy Pier unless you're with a child), and a couple of smaller productions that a friend was in. This year I've only seen a ballet at Lyric, no theater yet.

'That Ian' / July 8, 2004 11:23 AM

I saw Chronicles of Riddick at the "movie" theatre and Blue Man Group at the "real" theatre.

Naz / July 8, 2004 11:23 AM

I now feel guilty for not taking in live thespian arts. Last play? - It was some sort of take on The Matrix, satire at the Live Bait. Waaaayyyy back in 99.

Pat / July 8, 2004 11:33 AM

Saw Godzilla re-released at the Music Box. The campiness was turned down a notch, and it had an interesting political message. Makes me wonder if Mothra and Rodan have hidden political agendas.

As far as seeing Thee-ay-ter, saw Rocket Man not too long ago at the Viaduct/House theatre. It was an incredibly fun take on Bradbury's Martian Chronicles themes. Frankly, is there even a chance to win tshirts at the Lion King? I think not.

anne / July 8, 2004 11:44 AM

I saw "Theatrical Essays" at the Steppenwolf Garage Space last week. A co-worker and friend was in it, but I'd heard nothing but great reviews of the show and probably would have caught it anyway. Sadly, it's run is over. It was a really interesting show though.

miss ellen / July 8, 2004 11:46 AM

anne, we tried to go see "theatrical essays" last weekend, but friday sold out too soon & other engagements prevented us from going saturday. busy, busy, busy!

Jonathan / July 8, 2004 11:50 AM

I saw The Chorus Rebellion at Breadline and the Patel Leads at The Playground last month.

Steve / July 8, 2004 12:13 PM

Nice to see the House Theatre Company getting some props -- they do great stuff. Unfortunately, I missed their last two plays.

Does the Admiral Theatre count as live theatre? Lordy, I hope them women are acting.

The last live theatre I caught was Death and Harry Houdini, a House production at the Viaduct.

anne / July 8, 2004 12:30 PM

Ellen, yeah, we got our tickets early in the week for the Thursday night show, and it sold out by Tuesday afternoon! My friend got the last seat. Granted, not a ton of seats in that space, but still, most of the shows sold out early. Sorry you missed it!

daruma / July 8, 2004 1:25 PM

"Betty Rules" at the Lake Shore last month. Looking forward to House's restaging of "San Valentino" at Theater on the Lake in a few weeks.

Eamon / July 8, 2004 2:00 PM

Funny you should ask. My wife and I saw "Winesburg, Ohio" at the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre last night. Fan-freaking-tastic. Luckily for you, they've extended the run to August 1.

Dragonslayer / July 8, 2004 2:26 PM

I saw "The Producers" and "42nd Street" in NYC over the 4th of July weekend.

Vit / July 8, 2004 2:28 PM

Actually, I had forgotten that I saw Orange Flower Water at Steppenwolf last fall (written by the guy who wrote Six Feet Under) and really enjoyed it.

andrew / July 8, 2004 2:33 PM

didn't anyone else see The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World? it ruled! also, i saw Schadenfreude at the Lakeshore theatre a few weeks ago. oh, and i'm going to a production by Spindrift Theatre tonight.

Miranda / July 8, 2004 2:36 PM

Strong Poison at Lifeline Theater - really great production.

'That Ian' / July 8, 2004 8:34 PM

Naz, low-budget thespian arts are over-rated anyway.

I mean why would I want to pay $25 to sit in a cramped smelly hole-in the wall where I will suffer through a shitty low-budget production filled with struggling actors and in which nobody can jump from a stalagmite to a hover-jet, when I could spend $5 (and get free popcorn) to sit in an air-conditioned room with Dolby and a lounge chair while watching a mindblowing fiesta of orgasmic special effects and Vin Diesel hopping around on an ice-planet?

Probably because it's "hip" to support the "arts" right? Well no thanks, I'll take Spiderman 2 over Lame Indie Tripe With Message any day.

NOTE: For all those without a sense of humor, this post is sarcasm.

Struggling Actor / July 8, 2004 10:26 PM

My thought is that 'That Ian' is a fuckin' chump. Without the arts we'll all become mindless drones, passionless and similarly lifeless. By supporting the arts we can not only ensure a brighter future for our children but also help those cliquish kids who ignored you in highschool persue their dream of prancing around on stage whilst under-projecting poorly contrived dialogue. SUPPORT THE ARTS!

Lisa / July 9, 2004 12:09 AM

Since I am a drama teacher, I go to the theatre as little as I can since I get to see lots of student productions. I did see "King Lear" in LA last year, though. It was really really long.... and Cordelia had the world's worst wig.

Wait a minute... does Second City count as theatre?

Lyle from Lisle / July 9, 2004 1:45 AM

I caught "Seven Out" by Due East Theatre at Stage Left. It just closed last weekend.

Due East is relatively new Asian American theater company, and "Seven Out" - written by a local about locals - is the kind of thing they're all about. It's derived from authentic Chicago lore: from the post-internment Japanese American community here rose some aspiring gangsters. It's not a tale of yakuza or triads - these striving slants were straight-up crime machine patronage hacks, teaming with Italian, Irish and African Americans.

Being a crossbeam (not "pillar") of the ChiAsAmArts, I attend most every such performance, out of a certain duty and karma-sowing. (I'm involved with the film festival, so they better come to my show too, if they know what's good for them.)

The show was savaged in the Reader. Even allowing for the little slack I can't help but to cut, the show was better than reviewed.

show background info:
www.dueeast.org/seven_details.htm#RealLife

jm / July 9, 2004 10:38 AM

Trojan Women at the Goodman...it was amazing. But then, Mary Zimmerman is amazing. The last theater production that I gushed over was her "Metamorphoses" when she staged it here in Chicago a few years ago. (2000, I think?) She rocks.

jenny / July 9, 2004 11:38 AM

I just started a club through my college's alumni association, where we go see a "storefront" play on the third thursday of each month. The general rule is that we don't pay more than $20 (usually $15), and that we try not to repeat companies very often, so that we see the range of what's going on. If people are interested in this, email me...I can add you to the list. The more, the merrier.

jenny / July 9, 2004 11:39 AM

P.S. We're seeing "Winesburg" next week, saw Rocket Man, and saw The Hypocrites' production of Leonce Und Lena