Author: Colin Douglas
A Madcap Historical Comedy
Iraq, But Funny
Welcome to Iraq: the original Cradle of Civilization. This ancient region of Mesopotamia is where it’s believed that urban development, written language and great architecture originated. But Iraq’s modern history didn’t actually begin until after World War I, as the area developed in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The British, who led the takeover of the country—with an emphasis on “take”— had their authority challenged time and time again. But Lookingglass Theatre Ensemble member, actor and playwright Atra Asdou has created a fast-paced, boisterous play called IRAQ, BUT FUNNY, that relates the country’s turbulent history, as told through five generations of her own family. And, for Lookingglass audiences, it’s really a more of a marvelously madcap historical comedy.
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Invaders From Mars
War of the Worlds
In one of the first books to ever depict a conflict between extraterrestrials and the human race, prolific English author H.G. Wells (The Time Machine, The Invisible Man) wrote a science fiction novel that proved so popular that it’s never been out of print. Originally serialized in Victorian periodicals, War of the Worlds was eventually published as a complete novel in 1898. The story, which was set in London and the nearby vicinity, introduced the word “Martians” as the invaders from Mars. But the term didn’t refer simply to beings from the planet Mars but included anything otherworldly or unknown. Wells’ novel went on to inspire an entire genre of fiction about intergalactic invasions and space travel.
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The People’s Princess
Diana
Most likely everyone, at least those of a certain age, remembers the story of Diana, Princess of Wales. Her courtship and tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles, the birth of two sons and a strained relationship with the Queen are well-documented. People are also aware of the Prince’s longtime relationship with a married woman, Camilla Parker Bowles. Then there’s Diana’s attraction to and ultimate affair with handsome equestrian and soldier, James Hewitt. This musical about the People’s Princess, as she was called, is many things. The witty script and songs are frequently funny, sometimes quite touching and often very sad. And, like the musical TITANIC, the audience knows the tragic ending where this story is headed.
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Two Lost Souls
Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues
Pompey and his longtime professional partner Ollie once had a successful Vaudevillian comedy act. Together they toured the country playing every theater on the circuit, telling corny jokes, singing catchy ditties and performing a jaunty soft shoe routines to ragtime. But that was then and this is now—1993, actually. In a cruddy, cluttered apartment on the north side of Chicago we meet Pompey. He’s now in his eighties and haunted by that day, long ago, when he could no longer remember the lines to their comedy routines. It was at that point that Ollie decided that it was time to pull the plug on the act. Now, with Ollie gone, Pompey has the blues, blaming his faulty memory for the demise of their successful career.
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The Cult of Antinous
Scandalous Boy
When the lights come up on Director Benjamin Mills’ production of SCANDALOUS BOY, we find what we at first think is a handsome, totally naked young man assuming a classical pose. He represents the likeness of one of hundreds of marble statues from antiquity of a man named Antinous. He’s known as the beloved sexual companion of Roman Emperor Hadrian, a ruler known particularly for his strong border, called Hadrian’s Wall. Then we realize that the attractive actor isn’t completely naked but simply clad in a flesh-colored dance belt. And, I might add, he wears it rather well.
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A Single Misunderstanding
Relatively Speaking
Welcome to London during the permissively Swinging 60’s! It’s a lovely Sunday afternoon in the Summertime and the perfect day for dining outside in the garden. The story is partially set in London, but relocates to the country, where flowers and falsehoods can freely blossom. A young man named Greg wakes up one morning to find that his live-in girlfriend is getting ready to take the train to visit to her parents. Or, at least that’s what Ginny tells her boyfriend. But there’s something fishy going on, in Greg’s opinion.
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Allowing Technology to Take Over
The Antiquities
In Jordan Harrison’s new 90-minute drama, the audience pays a visit to the past, the present and an imagined future. It’s not an easy journey. Two narrators greet the audience and tell us that we’re in a museum of artifacts. In bitesize vignettes of varying lengths. There we begin our trip through time in England in 1816. Around a campfire, we’re observing a blossoming new writer, Mary Shelley. She’s about to accept a challenge from her nighttime companions to come up with a scary ghost story to entertain the party. We’ll return to this scene again later at the end of the play to see how her story of Dr. Frankenstein, “the modern Prometheus” who brought us fire, will turn out.
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A Rossum’s Universal Robots Reboot
R.U.R.
In 1920, Czech writer, journalist, critic and playwright Karel Capek wrote a play that would become the forerunner of so many modern-day film classics, such as “Metropolis,” “Star Wars,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Terminator” and the animated movie, “Wall-E.” In imagining a future where robots become the world’s workers, Capek’s play warned of both the wonders and dangers of creating humanoid machines powered by artificial intelligence. His R.U.R., which stands for Rossum’s Universal Robots, was a dark, three-act science fiction melodrama that introduced the word “Robot” into the English language. The word was derived from “robota,” a Czech word meaning “forced labor.” Set in a dystopian future, Karel Capek was telling audiences to beware of letting science and technology get out of hand.
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Radiant!
Charlotte’s Web
Long before Harry Potter took over the bookshelves as the world’s favorite novels, author E.B. White wrote this beloved, heartwarming story about what it means to be a true friend. The 1952 classic that continues to be the favorite children’s book of all time (and has a place in the heart of every adult who’s familiar with it) is currently a family-oriented theatrical event, now playing at the Greenhouse Theater Center. With its easy-going style, its recollections of a simpler time when rope swings, the smell of newly-baled hay and the thrill of a county fair filled a child’s life, this story of the unlikely bond between a runt pig and a gray barn spider speaks to the heart. White knew how to capture the heart and warm the soul within a simple sentence or two. This translates flawlessly to the stage in a “terrific, humble, absolutely radiant” new production, presented by the Young People’s Theatre of Chicago.
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Magical and Majestic
Cats
It’s said that every cat has nine lives. Well, that must be true because Andrew Lloyd Webber’s whimsical musical from the 1980’s seems to continually get a new life. And the flamboyant feline fantasy has once again been reborn in Chicagoland. Filled with excellent singing, exceptional dancing, extraordinary feats of magic and exhilarating acrobatic and aerial work, this 1983 multi-Tony Award winner bursts onto the Paramount stage for a second time. By the way, this is the only show that Paramount has ever presented more than once. But even if theatergoers have seen CATS before, including Paramount’s exciting original presentation eleven years ago, this new production will absolutely amaze and delight audiences of all ages. It’s truly unique and far, far more spectacular than any I’ve ever seen. And, like all of Paramount’s musicals and plays, this reimagining of CATS is as professionally produced and performed as anything on Broadway.
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