In honor of Pride Chicago 2009, PTC/The Legacy Project and MidTangent Productions are presenting Doric Wilson’s “A Perfect Relationship” at the Leather Archives & Museum. “It’s delightful, it’s perfect for PRIDE,” says Madrid St. Angelo, PTC/The Legacy Project artistic director, of the 1970s-set play. “The whole idea of relationships and how they work and how you find somebody. The story of sometimes everything you’re looking for is right in front of you and you just don’t see it until you go through some wild experiences.” The play has never been staged in Chicago and was chosen to reflect PTC’s goal of preserving legacies of LGBT playwrights and actors. Wilson is an award-winning playwright and pioneer of gay theater in the U.S. He will be in Chicago June 25 and 26 for talks after the performances. “He’s considered one of the founders of gay theater in America,” St. Angelo says. “Out of the group he was part of in the 1960s came some of the most highly regarded playwrights.”

Here’s the press release from First Folio:

FIRST FOLIO ANNOUNCES SEASON OF INVENTION
2009 – 2010 productions include 2 world premieres

OAK BROOK – Tickets and subscriptions are now on sale for First Folio Theatre’s 2009-2010 season.  Opening the Season of Invention is the world premiere of The Castle of Otranto, followed by the Chicago premiere of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves In Bloom, and the world premier of Will Rogers: An American Original.   The season will close with Twelfth Night under-the-stars.   Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630-986-8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org.  Ticket prices range from $23-30, and subscription packages begin as low as $51. Read the rest of this entry »

By Sharon Hoyer

In his inviting apartment overlooking Lincoln Park, I had the pleasure—and not a rare one, judging from his warmth and affability—of talking at length with choreographer and dance legend Paul Sanasardo. Despite his intention to retire almost two decades ago, Sanasardo’s new piece, “Sleepless Nights in the City” plays this weekend at the Ruth Page Center—it’s the second piece he’s choreographed in two years for dancers at Joel Hall. The new work is inspired in equal measure by his dancers, for whom Mr. Sanasardo holds tremendous respect, the city of Chicago, the paintings of Edward Hopper and reflection on subjects that have interested him over the course of his long and fascinating career.

As a young man attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sanasardo never intended to be a dancer. “I wanted to be Picasso; I saw a future in painting, not in dance. But I hadn’t seen Jose Limon, I hadn’t seen Tudor,” he says. “I had no idea.” Dance as a career came later, after he served in WWII, thanks to the urgings of influential teachers. In New York, he went on to study with Graham, to choreograph for Ailey, to direct Batsheva. He talks about the unique work of Jerry (Robbins) and Bob (Joffrey) with great affection. Read the rest of this entry »

Darrell Jones/Photo: Dan Merlo

A panel of experts selects a dozen talented applicants from a pool of hundreds to compete for a sizable cash prize. The chosen contestants—all disciplined, all deserving—must appeal to the audience, who will select the winner via popular vote in what is perhaps the only lasting example of pure democracy in action. “The A.W.A.R.D. Show!” (the title a sly blend of acronym-happy high-ish culture—Artists With Audiences Responding to Dance—with that retro, low-culture Pavlov bell of excitement, the exclamation point) started in New York three years ago, bringing the game-show format to contemporary dance as a vehicle for audience feedback, dialogue between artists and sorely needed funding. Only in this case, the public doesn’t get to gawk at the supercilious, deluded and awkward in the initial auditions; only the best go on display. This year the show goes national, with editions in Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle. One winner in each city will take home a cool $10,000 toward the creation of new work. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Fundamentalist Christians like to quote the bible verbatim when asked about the Lord’s stance on homosexuality. But they tend to ignore its other dictums, like how to sell your daughter into slavery. “Sodomites!!! A Musical of Biblical Proportions” is Annoyance Productions’ hopelessly warped look at the Bible, and man’s equally warped translation.

Homophobic Lot and his daughters are the only people to make it out of Sodom alive. We find out why and explore God’s laws as his angels interview the Sodomites. Director Sean Cusick keeps the funny coming fast; he and adaptor James Asmus’ number questioning Leviticus is a show stand-out. Chris Witaske is suitably blue as Lot;  Mike Descoteaux’s music and lyrics are sharp, irreverent and blasphemously catchy.

If you’re a person of faith, stay home. If you’re a person of faith (or an atheist or agnostic) with a brain and a sense of humor, buy a ticket. (Lisa Buscani)

Sodomites!!! A Musical of Biblical Proportions, Annoyance Productions, plays at Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, (773)561-HONK, through September 11.

RECOMMENDED

Griffin Theatre Company’s “Little Brother” handles the debate over civil rights vs. national security with techno savvy. It’s a balanced look at the way freedom erodes in dangerous times, and technology’s role on both sides of the argument.

Technophile Marcus (Mike Harvey) has a history of mischievous hacking. But after the Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists, he is detained by the Department of Homeland Security and his civil rights trounced. Released, he returns to find DHS tracking suspects via debit cards and bus passes, transforming his community into a police state. He vows revenge and sets out to systematically thwart the department’s activity.

The second act drags and the detailed revenge plot’s techno-babble made my Luddite eyes glaze over. But Dorothy Milne’s direction keeps the pace from flagging and all the small, clever ways David brings down Goliath have an “ain’t it cool” quality to them. (Lisa Buscani)

“Little Brother,” Griffin Theatre Company, plays at the Athenaum Theatre 2936 N. Southport, (800)982-2787, through July 19.

Steve Kimbrough/Photo: Rick Aguilar

RECOMMENDED

Shelley Winters lives—and dies—in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ remount of its long-running hit “POSEIDON! An Upside Down Musical.” It’s a bitchy, sexually ambiguous summer splash.

The book switches between a New Year’s Eve “Poseidon Adventure” fan fest to the arc of the movie itself. Fans comment on the action and then play the characters they pretend to be. The cast attacks the songs and story with energy and appetite, like Shelley at a cruise-ship buffet. Trista Smith is a real boost in the keester as the ship’s resident tramp; the ever-reliable Ed Jones is a giggle as flakey musician Nonnie.

The film/play integration can be awkward at times, and the fans’ monologues drain the energy from the overlong piece. Fortunately, “POSEIDON” has energy to spare. It has all the trademark HIAH camp and kitsch plus a little uplift at the end. Which never hurts. (Lisa Buscani)

“POSEIDON! An Upside Down Musical, ” Hell in Handbag Productions,  plays at the Chopin Theater, 1543 West Division, (312)409-4357, through August 16.

Here’s the press release from The Dance Center:

DANCE CENTER SEASON EXPLORES SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND DANCE

2009–10 Season Includes Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan,
Koosil-ja/danceKUMIKO, Troika Ranch, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Three Chicago Companies

CHICAGO—Leading visionaries in the field of contemporary dance and artists exploring the intersection between dance, science and technology highlight The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago’s 2009–10 season. Among companies performing are Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan (at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park), Koosil-ja/danceKUMIKO, Troika Ranch and Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, along with three Chicago companies. Subscriptions and single tickets go on sale July 20 at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Avenue, 312-369-8330 (NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBER) and online at colum.edu/dancecenter. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from the MCA:

2009-10 MCA STAGE SEASON

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, announces the 2009-10 MCA Stage Season of contemporary theater, dance, music, and multimedia performances. Additional theater and music programs will be announced at a later date. All MCA performance tickets also include free museum admission for up to a week following the performance. Tickets are available mid-July at the MCA Stage Box Office, 312.397.4010 or www.mcachicago.org.

Nora Chipaumire; photo by Mkrtich Malkhasyan, from the film Nora by Alla Kovgan and David Hinton

Nora Chipaumire with Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks  Unlimited: lions will roar, swans will fly, angels will wrestle heaven, rains will break: gukurahundi
October 1, 3-4, 2009
As exiles from Zimbabwe, dancer/choreographer Nora Chipaumire and master musician and poet Thomas Mapfumo challenge the accepted African branding – war-torn, tribal, and exotic. Known as the “Lion of Zimbabwe,” Mapfumo created and made popular the Chimurenga style of Shona music from Zimbabwe that mixes African rhythms and instruments with politically charged lyrics, which landed him in a  Zimbabwean prison camp in 1979. Chipaumire, a contemporary dancer rooted in African traditions, fuses her powerful and raw movement with Mapfumo’s music and incendiary writing to examine the migrant experience of Africa and the art of Zimbabwe over the course of that country’s downward economic and political spiral. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Raven:

RAVEN THEATRE ANNOUNCES THEIR 27th SEASON
Family. Justice. Laughter

CHICAGO – Producing Artistic Director Michael Menendian and Co-Artistic Director JoAnn Montemurro announce Raven Theatre’s 2009/2010 Season, which includes Arthur Miller’s timeless Death of a Salesman, Reginald Rose’s thrilling Twelve Angry Men, and Neil Simon’s classic comedy The Odd Couple. This season follows the rise of the baby boomer generation, moving from issues of morality and success through class and ethnic divisions, ending in the middle of a social and cultural revolution. Raven kicks off the season with its 27th annual benefit gala, Back Stage at Raven, Saturday, August 1, 2009. Season subscriptions are available for $35-72. Visit www.raventheatre.com or call 773-338-2177. Read the rest of this entry »