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Most will recognize Rob Riggle as “that one guy from The Daily Show,” the husky correspondent who showed up around the same time as John Oliver. But Riggle’s been all over the biz, the kind of guy  you start to notice after he’s popped up in humorous sketches over and over again, like on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Upright Citizen’s Brigade” and most recently in the bro-comedy smash hit “The Hangover.” But the most intriguing entry on Riggle’s resume? The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. Amidst tours in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, Riggle managed to squeeze in time to foster a comedy career, becoming one of the few (if any) comedians whose day job is lieutenant colonel. Riggle’s not especially known for his stand-up routine, but his work on “The Daily Show” and other sketch troupes suggests a blend of political humor and a lot of off-the-cuff jabs. Between the military experience and the dirt he surely has on Jon Stewart, he probably has a thing or two to chat about. (Andy Seifert)

July 23 at Zanies, 1548 N. Wells, (312)337-4027.

RECOMMENDED

Two is better than one, right? It seems like Randy and Jason Sklar understand this, because they’ve constructed a comedy routine that–like the old Abbott and Costello routines of the thirties–refuses to pause, one that uses their power in numbers to create a breathless, never-ending assault of dialogue. The St. Louis-born comedy duo are not just brothers, they’re also identical twins, a sight that lends itself remarkably well to the stage (it’ll also make you realize just how lucky we are Andrew Dice Clay never had a twin). As opposed to other comedy duos that featuring contrasting personas, the Sklar brothers are virtually the same, both in personality and appearance. Both come across as witty, intelligent and pop-culture savvy, but it’s their performance style that has carved a niche apart from other duos: where one stops, the other begins; when one asks a question, the other answers. Their indistinguishable voices create the sensation that you’re not watching two comedians work together; you’re witnessing some multi-voiced super-human comedian. (Andy Seifert)

July 24-25 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, (773)472-3492. $20.

The Ruckus Theater's world-premiere production of "Heist Play" by Mitch Vermeersch, directed by Allison Shoemaker. Left to right: Byron Melton, Melissa Pryor and Joshua Davis/Photo: Irma Hapsari-Ahadiah

By Ilana Kowarski

For the Ruckus Theater Company, the move to Chicago from Kalamazoo was a long time in coming but, according to Artistic Director Allison Shoemaker, it was “always the plan.” When brushing her teeth three years ago, Shoemaker had a revelation, and realized that she wanted to form a new-work theater company in Chicago. A Midwesterner, Shoemaker felt that she had “uniquely Midwestern stories to tell,” and that Chicago would be a place that would be receptive to those kinds of stories. Shoemaker also thought Chicago was unique because of its “community of supportive artists that challenge each other to be better.”

But she didn’t want to leave her friends at Western Michigan University behind. Shoemaker had enjoyed her student experience at the play-development lab, and thought that she and her fellow students “worked really well together.” “For the first time the theater I was making was the kind I wanted to make,” Shoemaker emphasizes. Because she wanted to continue that positive experience and thought that her friends shared her commitment to new-play development she recruited them to join her company in Kalamazoo, planning to move the theater to Chicago when everyone was ready to go. Logistically, arranging the move proved difficult, and took longer than expected. As Managing Director and Resident Playwright Ryan Dolley explains, “For a long time, we were scattered, but eventually we all settled down here.” Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Hobo Junction:

HOBO JUNCTION ANNOUNCES THEIR
2009/2010 SEASON, WHICH WILL BE
PERFORMED AT THE APOLLO THEATRE STUDIO

WHAT:
On June 12, 2009 Hobo Junction closed out their 2008/2009 season with a sold out run of BAD GUYS IN SUITS at Chicago’s landmark Apollo Theatre. Building upon that success Hobo Junction is planning to continue their association with the Apollo and scheduling their 2009/2010 to run in the amazing Apollo Theatre Studio. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Profiles:

Profiles Theatre announces its
2009- 2010 Season
Midwest Premieres by Neil LaBute and Annie Baker,
a modern classic by Tracy Letts,
and an extended run of Graceland by Ellen Fairey

Chicago—Artistic Directors Joe Jahraus and Darrell W. Cox announce Profiles Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season.  Profiles, one of Chicago’s longest-running ensemble theatres, is presenting its 21st season of new and challenging works, beginning with an extended run of the hit production of Graceland by Ellen Fairey.

The Profiles Theatre season also includes the Midwest premiere of The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute; the Midwest premiere of Body Awareness by Annie Baker, marking only the second production of this acclaimed new play since its World Premiere at the Atlantic Theatre Company this past season; and Tracy Letts’ modern classic Killer Joe, directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Rick Snyder.

Profiles Theatre is following up its celebrated 20th Anniversary season, which featured new works by acclaimed writers Lee Blessing, Anthony Neilson, Adam Bock and Ellen Fairey. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Ruckus Theater:

“DO YOU THINK YOUR WU-TANG SWORD CAN DEFEAT ME?”
THE RUCKUS THEATER—FORMERLY OF KALAMAZOO MICHIGAN—JOINS THE RANKS OF CHICAGO’S STOREFRONT THEATER COMMUNITY

***THE RUCKUS ANNOUNCES 2009-10 SEASON OF WORLD PREMIERES
PRESENTED AT THE SIDE PROJECT THEATRE***

(Chicago, IL) Chicago is officially one theater company richer after The Ruckus Theater recently karate-chopped and high-fived its way into the Central Time Zone. Made up of an industrious group of Michigan ex-pats, The Ruckus is composed of actors, directors, playwrights, musicians, casting directors, publicity managers, grant writers, baristas, grad students, poets, computer fixers, appointment-makers and census-takers who aim to create a new kind of company—a casteless theater that blends the lines between playwright and actor, audience and company member. The Ruckus Theater is led by Artistic Director Allison Shoemaker and Managing Director Ryan Dolley. The company’s inaugural Chicago season is produced as part of the side project’s Visiting Artist Series and is comprised of three world-premiere productions: Heist Play by Mitch Vermeersch, Tell It & Speak It & Think It & Breathe It devised by members of the company and contributing artists, and Linear A by Ryan Dolley. In addition, The Ruckus presents two workshop productions: Joshua’s Play by Ryan Dolley in collaboration with Filament Theatre Ensemble and 11-Detroit devised by members of the company. Further details regarding the 2009-10 season will be released at a later date. Prior to The Ruckus’ recent move to Chicago the company was based in Kalamazoo MI, where it produced such popularly acclaimed productions as Apple Frog Baseball, The Retreating World and Fore Play, in addition to a developmental reading of Linear A by Ryan Dolley at Barrow Street Theatre in New York. Read the rest of this entry »

Mattie Hawkinson and William L. Petersen/Photo: Liz Lauren

RECOMMENDED

At what point does a child’s mind become adult, not necessarily in a carnal way, but in a more abstract sense, roughly defined as having “adult emotions” and the ability to make “adult decisions”? The truth is that no one knows, but society takes a definitive stance on the issue nonetheless. You have to be 16 to drive a car, 18 to die in a war or to vote, 21 to drink a beer. But when are you old enough to know real love, or to have sex? On this question, even the states can’t quite agree. It’s 17 in Illinois, but over in Indiana, apparently, the young mature faster: 16 out of wedlock, but tie the knot and you can do the whoopie at 14. At least we can all agree that sex with a 12-year-old is wrong, right? But what to make of the likes of Mary Kay Letourneau, the school teacher who was impregnated by her 13-year-old student and now, a decade and a jail sentence later, is married to him, with two children?

Such musings are inevitable after taking in David Harrower’s “Blackbird,” which beat out the likes of Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll” and Peter Morgan’s “Frost/Nixon” for the prestigious 2007 Laurence Olivier Award—Britain’s equivalent of the Tony—and is now having its Chicago premiere at Victory Gardens. Read the rest of this entry »

Angela Ingersoll/Photo: Michael Brosilow

By William Scott

With the outbreak of infidelity that seems to be infesting American culture right now, from political indiscretions like those of the South Carolina governor, to pop-culture milestones like the split-up of Jon and Kate, one perspective seems to get left out more often than not—the perspective of the mistress. That all changes when Apple Tree Theatre mounts its first production in Chicago’s Loop, which is actually a remount of the North Shore theater’s 2007 Jeff-nominated “The Mistress Cycle,” this time on the stage of the historic Auditorium Theatre, for the first time transformed into an intimate black-box-style theater. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Cheryl Mann

Next week, Chicago’s Luna Negra Dance Theater, Los Angeles-based Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza and the Grant Park Orchestra join forces on the Pritzker stage as part of the Grant Park Music Festival. It’s a bill bursting with music and dance surrounding the Latino experience, hopping borders from Cuba to Argentina to Brazil to the U.S. mainland, forging what promises to be a rich spectacle of universal appeal. I spoke with Ms. Souza about the program and her unique collaboration with Luna Negra.

How did the partnership with Luna Negra form?

I met Eduardo Vilaro [the artistic director of Luna Negra] at Ravinia on a double bill—I fell in love with him artistically backstage. We wanted to work on a project together. Eduardo got a hold of some older recordings of mine—duets of Brazilian music for guitar and voice. And in researching this program, he came across the Miles Davis recording based on arrangements of Gil Evans, of “Quiet Nights.” This piece is at the heart of the bossa nova set. Read the rest of this entry »

E.B. Smith (Macduff) and Nathan Hosner (Macbeth)/Photo: D. Rice

There is much to recommend in the First Folio production of “Macbeth”; the west suburban outdoor setting could not be more ideal for Shakespeare, cooperating with even a hint of mist to suggest the moors. The attention to detail, albeit taken literally and done up traditionally, does an effective job of transporting us back to the Elizabethan era, minus the occasional passing plane. There are no surprises like, say, Barbara Gaines’ contemporary and gruesome adaptation earlier this year at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Indeed, if you crave a straight-ahead version of the Bard’s “Scottish” play, you’ll be right at home. Read the rest of this entry »