Martin McClendon and Erik Hellman in "Honest"/Photo: Mark Campbell

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Steppenwolf’s presenting its fifth annual repertory of developmental productions in its intimate Garage space, but don’t let the “under-construction” imagery fool you: this is a terrific opportunity to see very promising new plays in productions helmed by topnotch directors that feature a mix of accomplished and promising newer actors on the scene. Sure, the sets are minimal and the plays still have a few spots yet to polish, but you might not have noticed if no one told you. Read the rest of this entry »

Eric Burgher and Cheryl Graeff/Photo: Wayne Karl

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It’s a good sign that playwright Ellen Fairey avoids the easy Elvis references in her outstanding new play “Graceland,” now midway through its smash-hit world premiere at Profiles Theatre, since the Graceland in question is Chicago’s repository of the remains of the rich and the famous located not far from the Profiles storefront space rather than the house in Memphis that shares its name. Echoes of Elvis can be found, if you want them, in the musical obsessions of the recently deceased father of Sara and Sam, especially in the gospel hymns that form a sort of meditative soundtrack to the play. That Elvis is never mentioned in “Graceland” matters little, since the play has plenty to say about the weight of spirits of the dead on the living, burdens both real and imagined. Taking place in the cemetery and in a nearby apartment building (in a clever and economical set by William Anderson that manages to expand the tiny space’s geography beyond its physical limitations), the siblings process their father’s  demise in distinctly different ways. Read the rest of this entry »

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This may not be the analogy she was looking for, but Maria Bamford has effortlessly become the Dana Carvey of this decade. Nah, she doesn’t have a killer George H. W. Bush impersonation, but like the self-proclaimed “Master of Disguise,” she has in her comedic arsenal a myriad of characters, each with eccentric characteristics and distinct tones of voice, whether it be her mentally off and mumbling father, her superficial mother, or her arch enemy from high school, who says of her successful comedy career, “It’s just like in high school: you’re not funny, you’re just weird.” The former “Comedian of Comedy” star has crafted her routine with nonsensical ramblings and a self-deprecating biography, but it’s her incredible vocal work that truly sets her apart from her contemporaries. Oh, and she may not have a take on George H. W. Bush, but her impersonation of George W. Bush—as possessing the vocal attributes and motor skills of her pug dog—is pretty amusing. (Andy Seifert)

August 7-8 at Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, (773)472-3492. $20.