News & Reviews Category
The Legacy of William Shakespeare
The Book of Will
Lauren Gunderson’s historical drama is filled with information, warmth and a lot of unexpected humor. The play was inspired by the true story behind the creation of Shakespeare’s inclusive First Folio. Still missing their friend, several of his peers gathered at a pub shortly after the Bard’s passing to remember him and mourn his death. They knew that there would never be any more beautifully poetic plays and poems from his pen. Even sadder, most of Shakespeare’s scripts had been destroyed in a fire. Only the great actor, Richard Burbage, a man who had played all of Shakespeare’s leading roles, remembered each word of every play. But, alas, Burbage wasn’t immortal either. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, the friends imagine, if somehow all of Shakespeare’s plays could be recovered and published, exactly as he wrote them? And if the more than 30 plays could appear in one, complete volume, how thrilling would that be for the Theatre World?
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Daddy Issues
Gangsta Baby
When walking into Open Space Arts, theatergoers will need to select their seats while working around a skimpily-clothed young man shadowboxing in the middle of the intimate theater space. The man’s name is Junior and he lives in Hastings, England. Dripping with sweat, Junior is built like a gymnast, all muscles, quick physical responses and sharp punches and jabs. And, although you might miss them because they blend in with the theatergoers, seated among the audience are three other actors. They will eventually enter the ring, as it were, and morph into the other characters who populate Junior’s world. Some are in the present; others are from his past. This is the corporeal and violent world of GANGSTA BABY.
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Out, Loud and Proud
TL; DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix
Theo Ubique continues their praiseworthy mission to present and support new, groundbreaking musicals with this Midwest Premiere. This musical (with the strange title) is a riff on the iconic 1991 film, “Thelma & Louise.” The show features a book by EllaRose Chary, Music by Brandon James Gwinn, with Lyrics co-written by both Chary and Gwinn. The musical, which had its World Premiere at the Diversionary Theatre in San Diego just a year ago, is part Punk Rock concert and Garage Band performance, and partly an exploration of what it means to recognize who you are. The musical weighs in on a person having the courage to come out as gay, while still feeling comfortable in their own skin. In all, the show is an irreverent, dynamic, in-your-face piece that’s presented from a feminist viewpoint. It also looks at various representations of being queer, while also challenging who gets to enjoy a happy ending in their story. The musical’s most definitely out, loud and proud.
Read MoreA Joy Easter Egg Hunt
Rabbits in their Pockets
What about a Conjuror with rabbits in his pockets?
What about a Rocket Man who’s always making rockets?
Oh, there’s such a lot of things to do and such a lot to be
That there’s always lots of cherries on my little cherry tree!
– A.A. Milne
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You’ve No Idea What I’m Capable Of
Misery
Just in time for the Halloween season, Citadel Theatre presents this horrifying, tension-filled one-act drama. With its slow build, MISERY is almost relentless in its emotional terror. Written by Highland Park-born screenwriter and playwright, William Goldman (“The Princess Bride”), adapted from Stephen King’s acclaimed psychologically suspenseful novel and Rob Reiner’s tense 1990 film, this riveting ninety-minute thriller grabs hold of the audience and never lets go until the very end.
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Between Holding on and Letting Go
Ashland Avenue
Welcome to Pete’s Television and Radio. For forty years, Pete’s owned and managed fifteen branches of his popular business, in addition to the main branch which is located on Ashland Avenue, on Chicago’s North side of the city. Pete’s known for his homey friendliness and his over-the-top television commercials. Because the world turns and things continually change, progress has affected Pete’s business dynasty. New rival competition and the popularity of online shopping have resulted in the closure of the branch locations, leaving only his main store in operation. But the Ashland Avenue shop hasn’t seen a customer all week and so its future is in jeopardy.
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Let the Good Times Roll
Blue Heaven
And I guess that’s why they call it the Blues. This powerful genre of music, that we call the Blues, emerged from the oppressed and economically disadvantaged African-American communities in the rural South. This musical style’s often believed to have originated during the 19th century, following the end of the Civil War. Blues singers and composers were descendants of slaves, but elements of their music can be traced back to its origins in Africa.
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A Warm and Welcoming Sitcom
The First Lady of Television
From an autobiographical skit that portrayed a Jewish family living in a Bronx tenement, to the first 15-minute episode of a radio program called “The Rise of the Goldbergs,” Gertrude Berg blazed a trail in entertainment. It was 1929 and families who could afford a radio gathered together to listen to the adventures of a typical American family. Eventually in 1951, Ms. Berg convinced CBS to produce the popular radio show as one of TV’s first sitcoms. The television show, now simply titled “The Goldbergs,” turned into a long-running hit. It even won Gertrude Berg the first ever Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Television Series, during its 20th year of programming.
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Mystery or Thriller
Dial M For Murder
To paraphrase Robert Frost, two roads diverge in the theatre. One is the Mystery and the other is the Thriller. But aren’t they the same, you may ask? Not exactly, although they’re definitely related. In a Mystery, a crime is presented and for the rest of the play, which is usually slowly paced, someone attempts to solve it. The Mystery lets the audience try to figure out whodunit, along with the characters. But in a Thriller, which is usually fast-paced and progresses in the here and now, the stakes are high. Thrillers are moody and provide heightened tension, suspense, fear, surprise and anxiety. There’s often an unexpected twist and usually much more action than in the Mystery. The Thriller is dark and gritty and explores the dangerous side of human nature. Also, the Thriller places the theatergoer inside the story, casting him or her as the worried observer.
Read MoreFor Muffs, McDonalds, and What it is to Love Theatre
Innovative and bold, wickedly funny, liberally studded with stellar talent; “Muffed” is everything there is to love about local theater. This is the sort of production that made Chicago the king of storefront theater, and The Factory Theatre a shining star in Chicago’s crown.
Muffed is slaying before you even get to the venue. Start with the title. This is crucial. Once you ‘get’ the title of this play you are beginning to enter the right mindset. The title is not “Muffed”; it will become obvious why shorthand is needed. Warning: no matter what the title tells you, do not be misled – “Muffed” is a full show of an original script by playwright Zack Peercy and directed by Kayla Menz, jointly produced by the Factory Theater and Unheard of Company.
Ready? The title: “The Meaningful Action Theatre Presents a Workshop Reading of ‘Muffed: A Recounting of Farmington, Maine’s 43rd Annual Chester Greenwood Day Devised by the Members of the Meaningful Action Theatre Company and Produced by David New”. That’s the title. Get it? That is the title of this play, of this full production, this production that is full to bursting with everything we theater-lovers love about theater. As ridiculously long as this title is, that is how quick, and witty, and – alive – this production is. As confusing as it is to title a play, in part, a ‘Workshop Reading’, that is how delightfully surprising and daring “Muffed” is. And all of that is why we will be using “Muffed” instead of the full title, throughout.
Second – This. Script. Peercy says his work is ‘all about people saying ‘I’m sorry and I love you’, and Muffed is undeniably a love letter to Theatre, and to those who love her. This is a script to be poured all over the crispiest buttery-est crust of your choosing. A script to spread across the sky and tell your fortune; to rake up into a pile of brilliantly colored moments and fall into them, and then do it all again and again. The show is clever and fast-paced, and the company hits every shot with sparkling energy. The play has moments of real vulnerability, and the actors dive into those depths. The bits build easily and reach comic climaxes that are natural and uncontrived. Under Menz’s deft direction all of the tiny details coalesce into a whole that is greater than the sum of its artfully designed parts.
Peercy’s ’I love you’ is throughout – in all the all the ‘inside’ jokes poking at performance tropes, in the pride of the company members and the drive of the ‘Company Leader’. The ‘I love you’ is the declaration that you fight for what you believe in, that you fight for the magical, necessary experience that is theater. The ‘I’m sorry’ is sprinkled into the laughs: quick changes because there are too many roles to cover, the pay (or lack thereof), the declaration that we who love Theatre have to fight for her survival.
Muffed is a mockumentary play-within-a-play. In the frigid north of Maine, our intrepid Company sets out to document the 43rd celebration of Chester Greenwood Day, whose invention, the humble ear muff, is far better known than he. The Company captures the chaos of a festival rapidly sliding sideways while navigating toxic torts, family feuds and a long-time resident’s guest appearance in search of revenge – or at least a holiday of her own. While the Company members devise this workshop reading they bumble amusingly through their own personal and professional dramas. Along the way we get Shakespearean personalities, seances, mysteriously missing muffs, and hard-hitting journalism about the culinary offerings of Farmington, Maine.
Prudes and parents beware: as one might expect from a comedy about muffs, there are So. Many. Vagina Jokes. The dialogue, the characters, and don’t miss the title cards for each scene. This show might need at least a PG-13 rating – but remember It isn’t playwright’s fault if your kid gets the jokes!
The presentation is spot-on portraying a ‘workshop reading’ with minimal, evocative costume pieces for the distinct characters, and a few multi-use pieces of mostly bare furniture. (Though the lighting and sound are undoubtably full-production level, perfectly focusing key details.)
The costume quick changes happen on stage, and climax in a ludicrously funny sequence absolutely nailed by Jaycey Carlson, as her Company Member 6 leaps between the roles of Sue Tinney, a local muff-stravaganza manager, and Dan Lombard who just needs any icy plunge to be secure in love. Carlson shifts easily between Sue’s explosive method of crisis management and Dan’s genuine, human struggles. Company Member 6 has moments pivotal to advancing the troupe’s internal storyline and Carlson gives it just the right combination of eye-rolling and machinations.
There are not enough superlatives to shower over Reginald Hemphill, especially in his role as Company Leader, a vibrant Master of Ceremonies who is pushed to the limits trying to herd the Company into completing the workshop reading. Anyone who has ever found themselves thrust into management will find his struggles painfully funny. It takes a special skill to embody larger-than-life characters believably, and Hemphill rules here, both as the showman Company Leader and the tart Wendy Simmons. He is a talent to watch.
If you have a delicate constitution Josh Philoon’s hysterical and viscerally nauseating portrayal of Officer Brett Crum might have you gagging through your laughter. Alternately, Philoon is angrily, earnestly, full of attitude as Company Member 4, a rebel very much dedicated to a cause. As Gary Lombard Philoon is a sweet, harried husband – until he stops the world in an unexpected, authentically vulnerable moment that is deeply moving and horribly timely. He brings an effortless reality to Member 4 and Gary that stands out in this high-voltage comedy and will leave you wanting more.
Asa Wallace is delightful as Willy DuChamp, the local expert on all things muff. Willy just can’t get enough of the Farmington muffs; fuzzy muffs, cozy muffs, giant muffs you could fit a car inside. Willy is the true-believer in the muff-stravaganza that is Chester Greenwood Day; Wallace carries off the obsession with ease, and delivers the flood of vagina jokes with the perfect deadpan.
Appropriately for a Grand Dame, Lady Nordica as performed by Liz Falstrerau, steals the show with her singular, amazing scene. Falstreau’s Company Member 8 is wonderfully fumbling and eager as the stand-in desperate to break in. With every member on stage almost the entire show there is too much happening to catch everything – but keep your eye on Falstreau for some stellar background moments.
If you didn’t get to any Shakespeare in the park this season never fear, Muffed delivers via Deb in Accounting and the tragedy that is a phone call to customer service. Adelaide Corbo gives us the histrionic accountant, who might not be able to escape the Queen’s English. Deb’s grandeur peaks when Corbo’s physicality is as extravagant as Deb’s verbosity. In perhaps the most extreme range of characters, Corbo also delivers spot-on glimpses of a legitimately creepy local guy.
For the press event Caitlin Dooks stepped into a central role. She goth-rocks as ghost-hunter Tara Meiser, and brought Company Member 3 to life as the serious theatrical journalist with a series of ‘deep’ yet endearing introspectives . . . mostly at McDonalds.
If theater inside jokes are Peercy’s love language, Karly Solon gets the best one in a very special moment of Company Member 2’s career. You’ll know it when you see it.
This play is a true ensemble piece, and the members mesh seamlessly, build off each other splendidly, and effortlessly present a close-knit company of unique personalities. As part of its play-within-a-play, Muffed doesn’t break the fourth wall, it transforms it. Just as the actors portray the Company Members of The Meaningful Action Theater Company, we are pressed into service as the Company’s workshop audience. We are acknowledged, courted, privy to asides and disputes and all manner of behind-the-scenes goings-on. Muffed ensures we know that we are the beloved family and friends, the treasured loyal patrons, of the earnest Company.
Go to The Factory Theatre, open the love letter that is Muffed, and be reminded of all the reasons you, too, are in love with Theatre.
Highly Recommend.
Reviewed by Soleil Rodrigue
“The Meaningful Action Theatre Presents a Workshop Reading of ‘Muffed: A Recounting of Farmington, Maine’s 43rd Annual Chester Greenwood Day Devised by the Members of the Meaningful Action Theatre Company and Produced by David New” runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30PM, Sundays at 3PM through September 20, All shows at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago.
Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at TheFactoryTheater.com or by emailing boxoffice@thefactorytheater.com
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com
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