As I enter my sixth year of Chicago stage criticism, I find it harder to distinguish raw talent when it’s marred by bad material. Because no matter how much passion and commitment is pumped into a mediocre play, the evening usually becomes a case of watching performers working tirelessly, but to tiresome effect.  The hard work on display at the Viaduct Theater is courtesy of The Consortium Project, a brand new Chicago ensemble comprised mostly of Florida State University Theater graduates, and the so-so drama is the 1970 stage version of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by playwright Dale Wasserman, and based upon Ken Kesey’s 1960s novel of the same name.

The play brings to life Randle McMurphy, a paragon of individuality and free will that is emblematic of the spirit of the 1960s. Evading prison (for statutory rape) by voluntarily submitting himself to a mental asylum for rehabilitation, McMurphy’s “Jock Christ” (as the late Pauline Kael wonderfully nicknamed the character in her review of the 1975 Milos Forman film version) raises hell and ultimately sacrifices himself in an attempt to inspire his fellow inmates—a motley crew of emotionally and psychologically crippled men—to rise up against the tyrannical and oppressive Nurse Ratched (Tracy Wray), herself emblematic of totalitarian power structures. Read the rest of this entry »

Anand Bhatia and Nadia Anwar in "Midnite's Vultures"/Photo: Tom McGrath

An uneven but charming series of one-acts about the South Asian diaspora that deftly overcomes stereotypes of victimization and the American dream but gets undermined by increased sanctimoniousness throughout the night. The plays’ ordering is astute, moving thematically from immigration to working to the fallout of expatriation for later generations. The first, “Instant Recall,” is funny and compelling, playing cleverly on the concept of immigration by placing a South Asian newcomer on a cruise ship, where she confuses a British passenger with her selective memory and non sequiturs before revealing her quiet tragedy. “Night Shift” pits the Indian daughter of a hotel owner and the world-weary white woman who works the night shift against a bigoted and threatening (white male) client. It’s the weakest of the three, taking easy shots with hackneyed writing and excessive sentimentality. The final play is the most fascinating and also, at times, the hardest to watch. “Midnite’s Vultures” is also the longest by far, and features, among other trippy events (the main characters are on peyote, by the way), a man dressed in the costume of Apu from “The Simpsons,” dispensing wisdom on the oneness of it all through a character’s Blackberry. Read the rest of this entry »

The Thirteen Pocket ensemble: Mark Minton, Carin Silkaitis, Laura Rook, Jacob Lorenz, and Stephen Grush (left to right)

By Ilana Kowarski

With a baseball cap, wife-beater and exposed tattoos, Stephen Louis Grush may not look like the typical artist, but he says that he can’t imagine what his life would be like without art. “You can’t underestimate the importance of invention. The chaos it creates is the closest we can come to something that’s good and meaningful,” says Grush, an actor, director and playwright who has already performed in leading roles at Steppenwolf (most recently as Ethan Strange in “Sex With Strangers”) only four years after finishing the theater program at Roosevelt University. Grush’s mother was a professional actress, meaning theater has always been a part of his life. “I literally grew up in the theater. There were always actors in the green room taking care of me, trying to keep me out of trouble. They never did,” Grush grins. As a younger man, Grush had a few run-ins with the law, and he brings that same brand of rebelliousness to the theater. As the founding artistic director of new-work theater company Thirteen Pocket, Grush believes in causing trouble by making theater. He produces current, gutsy plays about controversial topics, like sexual promiscuity and cannibalism, because he says that “without examining these things we cannot hope to grow as a community or as a people.” “The reaction doesn’t always have to be positive, as long as there is a reaction,” Grush explains. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Matthew Hooks

There is something about entering a poorly marked building of halls and doorways and sitting on a hard floor in what feels like a storage unit to watch a series of scenes in which one person after the next dies a horribly gruesome death that makes a person squirm a little inside. I’m pretty sure that feeling is exactly the point. Abraham Werewolf’s “DECADENCE: The Two Faces of Robert LaPage” is raw and frayed around the edges, but this upstart company, now producing its second show, is finding something that just might work, a gritty experience with a few genuinely scary moments.  Actually, a couple of plays are happening here.  To see the show twice is to see the show once. Audiences may sit in one of two rooms and watch different scenes of blood and gore.  In the end, the stories on two stages collide in a death-filled finale that could stand to push the boundaries a bit more. The writing and performances are inconsistent; some fall flat while others are beautifully chilling or funny or sad. Abraham Werewolf is still finding its footing, but something about this project evokes a zeitgeist that I imagine to be similar to the early days of some of Chicago’s more illustrious ensemble-based theaters. (William Scott)

At the Post Family’s gallery and workshop, 1821 W. Hubbard #202, abrahamwerewolf.com, through August 22. $15-$25.

RECOMMENDED

Project 891’s first full-scale production examines the Leopold and Loeb case, one of the Jazz Age’s most notorious criminal trials. John Logan’s script delves into minds of two murderers dedicated to committing the perfect crime.

Leopold (Ron Popp) and Loeb (Matt Hays) murder a local boy and shortly confess; their trial then becomes a forum for the death penalty debate.  Popp captures Leopold’s arrogance and tenderness; Hays’ high-energy approach occasionally misses opportunities to express his character’s depth.

Michael Rashid’s rapid-fire direction keeps the action moving; while the pacing sometimes overwhelms the ensemble, the show’s energy stays lively.  Film designer Jim Vendiola’s  integration of found footage from the era and new work created for the production gives the show extra depth. Anatomical murals and birds of prey portraits lend the set the same clinical coldness that was Leopold and Loeb’s worst enemy. (Lisa Buscani)

Project 891 Theatre Company’s “Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story” plays at the Chemically Imbalanced Theatre, 1420 W. Irving Park, through August 2.

By William Scott

Tupperware may seem an odd choice of subject matter for a company of eager young theater artists, but the iconic storage product’s history holds a spirit of revolution that seems to ooze from The New Colony (TNC). And so comes “Tupperware: An American Musical Fable,” a new musical as the final show in a bold, often sold-out inaugural season for TNC.

Artistic director Andrew Hobgood and co-creators James Asmus and Julie Nichols have crafted a love letter to the power of female ingenuity. The story is that of a housewife daring to take big chances to lift up her family and herself. She does this in the faces of people telling her that women have a more traditional place. These women of “Tupperware” come from a very personal place for Hobgood. Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of time was put into Sad Hat Productions inaugural production of writer/director Roell Schmidt’s “The Rotogravure.”  The three-plus hours the audience has to sit through it is proof of that.  They call it a cine play, a live performance and recorded video mashup that tells the story of a budding young love that could not feel less vital.  The black-and-white video narrates the story of a guy and girl as fantastical interpretations of the mundane proceedings are enacted live in vivid color.  I will say the costumes, by Alycia Barohn and Jennifer Tillery, are beautiful and there are some really clever theatrical devices used for transition.  However, most of the cleverness is dampened by the overuse of spectacle moments and the seconds between transitions stretch on and on.  Soon, very soon, it just gets obnoxious.  The production didn’t damage me so bad that I’m not interested in seeing another of Sad Hat’s cine plays.  But here’s some friendly advice:  Do it in a smaller space. The Athenaeum mainstage ate your show up, and take the air out of it please. (William Scott)

At The Athenaeum, 2936 North Southport, (312)902-1500. Through January 31.

I liked the concept, I liked the set and I liked some of the performances very much, but I did not like Blackbird Theatre Company’s production of Daniel Jackson’s “Into the Pool or The Cheshire Cat Mourns the Death of The American Dream.”  I say this gingerly because there is some good stuff hidden in there.  The story though, drawing on characters from literary works like “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Wizard of Oz”  to explore what happens when youth realizes life is not the stuff of fairy tales, comes across too heavy handed.  It is an interesting world Jackson has created in the backyard belonging to the old lady in the shoe.  And moments of humor  really made me laugh.  It is when characters stop and make statements that sound like they come directly from the author’s program notes that my eyes began to roll.  Blackbird is a young company.  This is the first show of their first full season and I think this young group of artists have a lot more to say.  I have no doubt bigger better work will come from them, but I wouldn’t include this show in any Anniversary season.  Oh, and some good sound would really help. (William Scott)

“Into the Pool, or the Cheshire Cat Mourns the Death of the American Dream” plays through February 1 at the Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis. Thu-Sat/8pm, Sun/3pm, blackbirdtheatrecompany.com. $20 adults, $15 for students/seniors and industry.

RECOMMENDED

Aviator Amelia Earhart’s 1937 disappearance remains an unsolved mystery, still rife for speculation. In “Amelia Earhart Jungle Princess,” The New Colony posits that Earhart was rescued from her island landing pad by the amoral Altamont corporation to become their unwitting shill. Ferocious jungle cats have nothing on boardroom beasts.

The piece’s location switches back and forth from the island to corporate headquarters as staff devolves into the savages they are. Flashbacks muddy the narrative and drag the through-line down a bit, and playwright James Asmus needs to punch up the funny. But the competent cast invests the story with necessary energy: Kevin Stangler is spot-on as the gee-whiz Iowa kid struggling with his feelings for the married Earhart; Michael Peters is suitably villainous as the brass-balled Altamont CEO; and Nicholas Hernon scores as the bumbling Douglas, the lackey with a creamy, moral center. It’s smart, primal fun. (Lisa Buscani)

At The National Pastime Theater, 4139 N. Broadway, (800) 838-3006. Through Nov. 2.

New troupe National Headquarters’ debut production of Angelus Novus is steeped in concept and experimentation, based on a Paul Klee painting and the related writings of German cultural critic Walter Benjamin. While there’s no questioning the piece’s academic pedigree, the show’s narrative basics get lost in lofty aspiration.

The Angel of History (Angeline Gragasin) visits the down-and-out enclave of McKraken, Illinois. Heroine Angie Lou Lee (Gragasin) proposes that the depressed town hold a pageant to honor the angel and generate tourism’s filthy lucre. But the story dissolves as Angie and ambitious Mayor Minot (Brian Moore) fight for control of the pageant, only to have the whole thing falsely wrapped up as someone’s fever dream.

While Noe Cuellar’s sound design and Meredith Ries and Asta Bennie Hostetter’s costumes capture a ragged carnival atmosphere, the competent, energetic ensemble loses the language to the space’s muddy acoustics. Back to basics: Benjamin deserves better. (Lisa Buscani)

At AV-aerie, 2000 W. Fulton, #310, (312)850-9729. Through October 12.