Photo: Joan Marcus

RECOMMENDED

After enduring the horrors of “Dirty Dancing” and “Xanadu” live, you might be tempted to swear off attending musicals derived from cult movies altogether, but “Legally Blonde: The Musical” works so well on every level that audiences of every access point will enjoy it. For starters, if you are a fan of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie about a sexy “dumb” blonde who follows the boyfriend who dumped her off to Harvard Law School, all of the elements that made that movie so funny and so poignant at the same time are here: the charming lead, the girlfriends, the exercise guru accused of murder, the good and the bad lawyers, the law students, the horny professor, a pool worker with a secret, a UPS guy with a “big package” and even the adorable Chihuahua and bulldog.  What the musical can do, however, that the film cannot, is express its life-affirming message about prejudice and standing up for yourself through song and dance that makes that message even more potent and entertaining. Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Lindahl, Alex Turner and Michelle Pickett

RECOMMENDED

Director Jeffrey Cass has a good handle on musicals, even silly ones like “The Who’s Tommy,” now at Circle Theatre in Forest Park.

It’s about a young boy who becomes deaf, dumb and blind after witnessing a murder, is molested and bullied, discovers a genius for pinball playing, becomes a celebrity, regains his senses, is transformed into a messiah of sorts and then rejects it all for a normal life like yours and mine.  (And people say “Cats” has a stupid through-line.)  And yet, what Cass and his excellent creative team have done with the piece, that began as a 1969 double-album and was also the basis for auteur director Ken Russell’s campy celluloid treatment of 1975, is probably all you could hope for:  bombard an audience’s senses with pure musical and visual panache and divert their attention from the narrative absurdities and thematic shallowness.  This is exactly what director Des McAnuff (most recently responsible for “Jersey Boys”) accomplished with his extravagant staging from the early 1990s for California’s La Jolla Playhouse.

Unlike that production, which I caught on Broadway and in Boston via its first national tour, Circle can’t fly its actors around on wires or hydraulically propel set pieces in and out of space.  Instead, and all the better because of it since it adds a layer of humanity that was always missing in New York and Boston, Circle’s kinetic punch comes from the hard-working ensemble, constantly in motion and gliding in and around the small stage—sometimes within a single number to convey multiple locations—to infuse the production with a cinematic pizzazz that speaks to director Cass’ innate instincts for scene transitions and musical staging. Read the rest of this entry »

Derek Jarvis, Nat Topping

RECOMMENDED

A standout production of a play for which ambition in the theater company that would put it on is absolutely prerequisite. “Measure for Measure” is an utterly bizarre problem play, firmly planted both in comedy and often heavy-handed philosophical inquiry considered via a heroic nun, colorful characters from a local brothel, an incompetent cop, a duke posing as a monk to spy on his citizens, and a beheaded pirate used as a pivotal plot device. The Promethean Theatre Ensemble nails this ambivalence magnificently without for a moment regressing into farce. The play’s thematic concerns with justice, truth and sex are embodied consistently throughout the show, and each line is delivered at a perfect pace and translated beautifully through non-verbal language, with a healthy dose of the surreal, and finally with a tongue-in-cheek throwing up of hands in the last scene when the play devolves into utter absurdity. While it’s a complete comic and often dramatic triumph (the fact that the company illuminated the consistent comedy in “Measure for Measure” is a success alone), the production isn’t flawless by any means. Acting is very uneven, and the best performances (Nick Late as Lucio and Emma Kate Starling as a cleverly cross-gender casting in Escalus) are in supporting roles. The abundant and elaborate set changes, performed by various masked characters who cavort seductively around the stage, are mostly needless, and the costumes and set are all over the place, with little stylistic or thematic cohesion. However, these elements, which usually primarily characterize a Shakespeare production, feel beside the point when accessorizing such a controlled, effective production. (Monica Westin)

At City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, (773)305-2897. Through June 13.

Here’s the press release from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs:

CHICAGO DCA THEATER ANNOUNCES FALL 2009 SEASON

Emerging and developing theater companies selected
For performances in downtown’s Storefront and Studio Theaters

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs announces a 2009 fall season full of events at the Chicago DCA Theaters—the Storefront Theater, located at 66 E. Randolph Street and the Studio Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street.

Chicago DCA Theater offers downtown audiences an off-Loop theater experience with an exciting look at the vibrant emerging theater companies that call Chicago home.  An anchor of the downtown theater district, Chicago DCA Theater’s Storefront Theater will present productions by three Chicago theater companies: Caffeine Theatre, InFusion Theatre Company, and Silent Theatre Company.

Chicago DCA Theater will also host three theater companies in its Studio Theater Incubator Program.  The selected companies are Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Striding Lions InterArts Workshop, and LiveWire Chicago Theatre.  Additionally, Chicago DCA Theater presents several special events in the 2009 season, including Site Unseen 2009, the sixth edition of this annual site-specific performance at the Chicago Cultural Center. Read the rest of this entry »

1. TJ Miller

If Chicago has a superstar stand-up right now, it’s Miller. Lincoln Lodge’s Mark Geary calls him “the ascendant comedian in Chicago right now.” He’s also toured with Second City as an improviser, and is currently filming a pilot for ABC in L.A. (Kristy Mangel of the Bastion has a bet that we’ll see him on television by August.) If you can catch him here right now, do it, say his peers, because he’s going to be big. tjmillerdoesnothaveawebsite.com

2. Robert Buscemi

Buscemi has been at it for five years, and within that time, he’s perfected a weird patter about playing strip poker in a one-piece (“to lose”) and being seen by the ladies in a thong on a recumbent bicycle downtown. Don’t ask, just go see him. robertbuscemi.com

3. Jared Logan

Logan is a founding member of Blerds.com (as are many other comics on this list), a funny Web site featuring daily blog and video content. Outside of stand-up, he recently created the monthly variety show “A Demon Who Never Appeared” at the Playground Theater. jaredlogan.com

4. Prescott Tolk

Tolk, also a Blerds member, traveled to Chicago from New York in 2001. He’s appeared on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” and could easily pass for a stoner if he wasn’t so insightful. prescotttolk.com

5. Tony Sam

Sam is the founder and producer of Chicago Underground Comedy, and still finds the time to appear in pretty much every room in town (despite having a day job as a biologist). He’s been seen both playing the ukulele and holding a puppet version of himself named Dr. Tony (who has his own blog at askdoctortony.blogspot.com). tonysam.com

6. Hannah Gansen

Gansen co-founded the female comedy collective Spitfire (self-branded as “Chicago Comedy’s Broad Squad”) and often brings a 1989 Yamaha keyboard on stage to accompany her terrifically bizarre songs and insights.  spitfirecomedy.blogspot.com

7. Mike Holmes

Originally from Waterloo, Iowa, Holmes is currently working in Chicago and around the Midwest. He mixes observation and frustrated cynicism in equal parts, and it’s funny every time. myspace.com/mikeholmescomedy

8. Nick Vatterott

Vatterott has been off on tour with Second City lately, but if you get a chance to see him at Chicago Underground, you should take it. myspace.com/nickvatterott

9. Josh Cheney

Cheney hosts open mics, appears in showcases and tells jokes all over town. He’s equal parts absurd and traditional, and you can tell he’s been doing this for a long time. Catch him quick before he moves to L.A. later this year. myspace.com/joshcheeeneee

10.   Pat Brice

Also one of the Blerds, Pat Brice has taken stages all over town, including the staple Zanies. He also hosts a daily sports-comedy podcast called “Visitor’s Locker Room” with fellow local comic CJ Sullivan.  visitorslockerroom.com

And Five Places to Go See Them…

1. Chicago Underground Comedy was started by Tony Sam in 2005, and currently rocks the back room of the Beat Kitchen every Tuesday night. It’s quickly becoming a mainstay of alternative comedy in Chicago. chicagoundergroundcomedy.com

2. The Lincoln Lodge has been running for seven years now in the Lincoln Restaurant at Lincoln and Irving Park. Mark Geary originally started it because he wanted to bring professionalism to stand-up in Chicago, and you can find just that every Thursday and Friday night from September to May. thelincolnlodge.com

3. Open Mics. There are a lot—a lot—of open mics around town, but if you want to find good comedy, as Josh Cheney says, “you really have to look for it.” Two recommended by Chicago comics are the Sunday night room at Bad Dog Tavern (4535 North Lincoln) and Thursday night at Pressure Cafe and Billiards (6318 North Clark).

4. The People Under the Stares is a monthly showcase at the Hideout run by local indie record label Drag City. They’ve not only been able to bring national alternative comics back into Chicago (Zach Galifianakis was a recent appearance), but they’ve been able to connect them to local comics like TJ Miller and David Angelo to bring Chicago stand-up nationwide.  myspace.com/peopleunderthestares

5. Thunder Comedy just started as a showcase in January of this year, but they’ve been turning heads among comics in town already. The show is hosted by Joe Kilgallon at Brisku’s Bistro (4100 North Kedzie) every Thursday evening. thundercomedyshow.com   

(Mike Schramm)

Very sad news crossed the wires today, with the passing of 21-year-old Chicago Dance Crash member Laura Maceika. The company’s obituary follows; the future of dance burns a little dimmer this week.

Chicago Dance Crash Announces the Passing of Company Member Laura Maceika
With heavy hearts, Chicago Dance Crash is saddened to lose the closest of friends and a cherished soul with the passing of company member Laura Maceika, who died this past weekend at the young age of 21.  Described by Artistic Director Kyle Vincent Terry as a “poetic mover” and “the bird in flight,” the native of Woodstock, IL left high school at 16 to work toward a professional dance career, training at the Milwaukee Ballet, the Joel Hall Dance Center, and at the Performing Arts of Spring Grove under Alyce Keaggy-Brinkmann, where she met Crash Senior Company Member Lyndsey Rhoads. Maceika made her professional debut at 19 in CDC’s 2006 production of “Ghost Play,” joining Crash as a company member early the next year. By year’s end, the rebellious and unconfined ballet dancer had matured into an audience favorite, closing out the season to a standing ovation at a packed Lakeshore Theater in “The KTF Championship.” Read the rest of this entry »

Timothy Edward Kane/Photo: Michael Brosilow

Stoppard. Rock ‘n’ Roll. Seems like a “can’t-miss” cross-fertilization since most everybody likes one or the other—or both—and the summation of the two surely will be more than the sum of its parts. Well, as one who loves both, why doesn’t this come together? As is typical of Stoppard, the answer can be found right in the work itself: “Foreign journalists never write about the music,” complains Czech rock-lover-turned-dissident Jan (Timothy Edward Kane), “except as symbols of resistance.” Jan could well be offering a capsule review of Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the very play that his character dominates.  If you’re expecting a play called “Rock ‘n’ Roll” to somewhere, somehow, offer at least an attempt to account for the specifics of the connection between the rock genre itself and the ups and downs of social revolution in Prague across the Soviet invasion, occupation and withdrawal spanning 1968 to 1990, you are in for a disappointment.

As you would expect from Stoppard, the discussions in the work itself raise labyrinths of fascinating issues aphoristically and from all sides; how easily we can be manipulated, especially when the subject is something we don’t know anything about nor care anything about, which is demonstrated through a stale tea biscuit; who are the real losers and winners of (1) communism vs. fascism—”Stalin killed more Russians than Hitler”—and (2) communism vs. capitalism, when viewed from Eastern vs. Western Europe; how the inherent ambiguity of language can be used as a tool of manipulation by those in power.  But perhaps most tellingly, how even the most radical symbols of reform of the time—long hair, loud music—can be turned upside-down by the counterculture of the counterculture wherein rock can become the icon of the very establishment it originally was created to oppose both in the phenomenon of colonial capitalistic concretizing of mega-groups of the West and the establishment of party-sanctioned rock festivals in the waning years of the Iron Curtain. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Michael Brosilow

RECOMMENDED

If you don’t like musical theater stay away from this island. It is not the show that’s going to change your mind. However, if you find yourself inclined to get swept away by stories told through a beautifully complicated but accessible score, Porchlight’s “Once On This Island” might work for you. Penned by Stephen Flherty and Lynn Aherns, the story is a retelling of the classic “The Little Mermaid” set on a Caribbean island where the color of skin, not scales and fins, creates a chasm between two lovers.  Porchlight’s production is re-imagined so that the storytellers are immigrants living in an urban neighborhood, weaving the tale to calm a frightened little girl. Concepts are always tricky, and when you are dealing with work that is strong they can just get in the way. That’s what happened here. The neighborhood and its inhabitants appear rather antiseptic. I found myself wondering if I was watching the musical set on Sesame Street. Performers are expected to evoke real, hardworking people, while the movement is far from pedestrian. When the cast starts singing though, hardly any of that matters. This is what it should sound like. Powerful and exuberant, songs should lift your soul and move your feet. They do. Lead by Melanie Brezill as Ti Moune, a girl on a journey, the audience is in good hands. She is sweet and powerful and the production is better for having her as a guide. The spirit of this show and the emotional core of the music far out-sing the concept imposed upon it. For that reason go see it. Uou’ll leave wanting to dance. (William Scott)

“Once On This Island” runs through June 28 at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, (773)327-5252, porchlighttheatre.com. $37.

Photo: Michael Brosilow

By Whitney Dibo

The old saying, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity” seems an appropriate adage for Charlie Newell’s directing career. When the D.C. native originally applied for the associate artistic director position at Court Theatre back in 1993, he couldn’t have known the company was actually in search of a replacement for their retiring artistic director. A lucky break to be sure—but Newell was also firmly prepared for the opportunity: his very first directing gig for Court, a production of Marivaux’s “Triumph of Love,” won a Jeff Award for Best Production. “After that, I guess Court felt comfortable handing over the reigns,” Newell says with a modest laugh.

Fast forward to 2008—fourteen years into Newell’s successful tenure at Court Theatre. Tom Stoppard’s new music-infused play, “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” opens on Broadway, and Court tries to nab the production rights for the Chicago premiere. “They got back to us on a Thursday and told us our request had been declined,” Newell says.

Newell was naturally disappointed, and wondered which major Chicago theater had successfully wooed the producers of “Rock ‘n’ Roll” with bigger royalties and larger production capabilities. The answer came the next day, with a phone call from The Goodman Theatre. “On that Friday, the folks at Goodman called me up and asked me to direct the show,” says Newell, obviously still tickled by the serendipity of it all. “Rock ‘n’ Roll” started previews in the Goodman’s Albert Theatre on May 2 and will run through June 7, with a cast comprised almost entirely of Chicago-based actors. Read the rest of this entry »

Is Todd Barry merely a comedian? Nay! Todd Barry is an incoming juggernaut, a megastar on the rise, a future inductee to People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful stars. If George Clooney balks at “Ocean’s 14,” who do you think they’ll be calling to replace him? That’s right, Todd Barry, who, by the way, is poised to put the bongos back on the musical map. Yes, Todd Barry is a big deal. He says it himself on the opening track of his newest album, “From Heaven,” after he thanks the opening comics: “It must be exciting for those young comics to work with me, it’s kind of exciting, not be an asshole or anything, but I’m semi-famous.”

Of course, he’s joking, but it’s worth noting that Todd Barry’s built the foundation of his career on a very sly, crafty bit of self-deprecation. Bald, 45 years old, and a king of tongue-in-cheek cockiness, Barry says near the end of “From Heaven” that “time flies when you’re seeing the best show you’ve ever seen in your life.” It’s a really perfectly delivered line, and there’s some truth to it: the fifty-minute “From Heaven” breezes by all too quickly, and while Barry may not be biggest draw in the comedy world, he’s certainly not low-profile anymore.

“I have a nice level of recognizability,” Barry says via email. “I get approached several times a week, but people are usually nice, and I can still ride the bus and shop at Kmart without causing a mob scene.”

His celebrity status may get a nice bump from recent stints, having played Mickey Rourke’s jackass boss in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” and having briefly filled the role of “third Conchord,” a.k.a Todd the unwelcome bongo player, on HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords.”

“We had a brief discussion about getting me one bongo lesson, but that never panned out,” Barry says of his popular “Conchords” part. “It probably made it funnier that I didn’t completely know what I was doing.”

While Barry appeared to hint that he may have a TV engagement on the way (“way too early to talk about it”), it appears he’ll delay certain stardom for the time being to concentrate on stand-up shows and, in much more serious matters, a “colossal update to his Web site.” (Andy Seifert)

May 15-16 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, (773)472-3492, 7:30pm and 10pm. $20.