Photo: Anthony Aicardi

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The nuns in Tony Fitzpatrick’s grade school created a disciplinary paddle exclusively for him; they couldn’t get the guy to shut up. Good thing; had they succeeded, we might not have this accomplished effort. The multi-disciplinary piece combines hilarious, poignant stories with live music and, of course, Fitzpatrick’s signature, looks-like-no-one-else artwork. Accompanied by unflappable major domo Stan Klein, Lynne Jordan’s warm, earthy stylings and go-to music vet John Rice, the ensemble journeys across the country with a side trip to Istanbul.

Much tighter than last year’s “This Train,” in “Stations Lost” Fitzpatrick lands punch lines harder than Cus D’Amato-era  Mike Tyson. This time, he’s preoccupied with superheroes and villains, recounting the champions (his Turkish guide, Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould) and baddies (stuffy dinner guests, French anti-smoking enthusiasts) he encounters. Ann Filmer’s direction keeps the humor and pathos balanced;  her guidance in his search for the “other,” enables Fitzpatrick to find himself. (Lisa Buscani)

Firecat Projects at Steppenwolf Garage, 1624 North Halsted, (312)335-1650. Through July 24.

Karen Aldridge and Steve Pickering/Photo: Heather Stumpf

RECOMMENDED

It’s a gritty cop drama set in Chicago, but Joshua Rollins’ new play has more in common with “The Shield” than “The Chicago Code.” Steve Pickering plays Landy, a police detective—looking a lot like that bulldog Michael Chiklis—searching for his missing former partner, Lucy, a vice cop undercover as a prostitute. He enlists the aid of another former partner, now an internal affairs officer, Goggins, and together they sweat out William, the straight-laced family man who was last seen with Lucy.

The script is not without its few police procedural cliches—hard to resist, I imagine—but Rollins has crafted satisfying journeys for his characters even if not for the investigation itself. Strong performances anchor this play, in particular those by Vincent Teninty (the newly installed artistic director of Pine Box following its three-year hiatus) as William and Karen Aldridge as Goggins, who has a monologue about the seemingly insignificant moments that can change a life irrevocably that defines the show. Director Matt Miller and team have a fine piece of theater here. (Neal Ryan Shaw)

Pine Box Theater at The Second Stage, 3408 North Sheffield. Through August 7.

Photo: Eric Y. Exit

RECOMMENDED

Not long after Ted Fishman wrote the book “China, Inc.,” I accompanied him on a trip to Shanghai, where he was to deliver a series of talks to American business leaders eager to gain access to this mysterious land of unprecedented opportunity. Shortly after landing at Pudong International Airport, I found myself not only caught up in the exotic excitement inherent in cultural tourism, but also succumbing to the infectious fever of capitalism raging in what seemed to be its rawest native state here in the cradle of Communism. Before long I was conjuring up ways that I too might strike gold in this frontier of fortune. Not till I got back home did I come to my senses and realize, as intoxicating as it all was, that in spite of the trappings of American capitalism—the shiny skyscrapers, the epic billboards, the smoggy traffic jams—China is a country that plays by very different rules. Not only are the practices of law regarding rights, contracts and justice bent wildly out of our frame, but very basic social customs are irreconcilably foreign and not especially hospitable to outsiders seeking a piece of this economic miracle.

David Henry Hwang’s “Chinglish,” now in its world-premiere production at the Goodman Theatre, explores these nuances through the prism of communication. Chinglish is the mangled-in-translation Chinese version of English, most famously manifest in public signs, and Hwang’s play finds no shortage of uproarious humor in such; in fact, his American character Daniel Cavanaugh is a manufacturing executive from Cleveland hoping to restore his family’s fortune by making the signs for the city of Guiyang’s new cultural center. As the American child of a Chinese immigrant, Hwang has the benefit of dual insight; he knows that the jokes play on both sides, and through translated Mandarin, we see the idiotic things being articulated by Daniel as he tries to grab hold of a language where a word means very different things based on subtle variations of tonality in pronunciation. Though “lost in translation” is not an especially new idea—virtually any “foreign” culture is going to offer up its own peculiarities—it seems to offer up an endless supply of laughs here nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »

Chance Bone, Nora Fiffer/Photo: Sean Williams

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Time and adversity can easily destroy culture; witness the pillaging of Iraqi museums at the beginning of the current war. Lookingglass’ latest is a tender look at one woman’s struggle with her past and her efforts to honor her heritage.

Lilith (Marilyn Dodds Frank) is an octogenarian living in clutter with her new caregiver (Usman Ally). Haunted by the specter of an old love, street performer Ben Ari (Chance Bone), Lilith drifts between present day and visions of her life as a young girl in wartime Poland.

David Kersnar’s staging guides the piece seamlessly between realities. Jacqueline and Richard Penrod’s set and Tracy Otwell’s design ingeniously illustrate the toy theater aesthetic popular in the 1930s. Bone is an appealing, versatile storyteller and the relationship with sheltered Lilka (Nora Fiffer) is charming yet vulnerable. Frank and Ally’s clever, sarcastic banter belies a grudging respect. It’s a story about stories that’s enchanting. (Lisa Buscani)

“The Last Act of Lilka Kadison,” Lookingglass Theatre, 821 North Michigan, (312)337-0665. Through July 24.

Benjamin Sprunger and Patrick Andrews/Photo: Jonathan L. Green

RECOMMENDED

Working backwards in time from 2010 to 2000 in two-year increments bracketed by time-specific pop songs, this moving world premiere by Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins follows the evolution of a shy Iowan, Evan (Patrick Andrews), and the interrelationships between his tight-knit group of friends as he makes his way in the big city, learning what it means to be a homosexual in the twenty-first century. Dawkins’ characters are fully formed and the impeccable cast imbues them all with intricate and relatable personalities. Over the course of a decade, with equal parts laugh-out-loud comedy and unforced drama, Dawkins’ script (under careful direction by Bonnie Metzgar) openly examines a number of weighty gay themes. More importantly (and impressively), “The Homosexuals” actively seeks out the meaning of friendship, personal discovery and the transcending of stereotypes by fully embracing one’s own identity. In short, it’s a show everyone, even “breeders,” can (and should) enjoy. (Zach Freeman)

About Face Theatre at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 North Lincoln, (773)871-3000. Through August 14.

Aemilia Scott and Ed Flynn

There are many moments in Gaetano Marangelli’s new play in which characters recite to each other entries from an English dictionary. You would think that such scenes would spell instant death, but there’s something about their exhaustiveness that ultimately compels. Hearing the etymology of a word like “venereal,” for instance, is like an elixir for lovers of  language. Would that the rest of the play were as dramatic as those readings, where in fact it is too verbose for its own good. Sofonisba, a failed, emotionally unstable Italian actress, hides away in her Brooklyn apartment still obsessed with her separated husband, a renowned poet and scholar. Their son tells her that his father has died, but she doesn’t believe him. The play is written with a rapacious wit, which the actors, especially Aemilia Scott as Sofonisba, are all too happy to indulge. Scott’s exuberant, buoyant Sofonisba is indeed the play’s only other saving grace, hemmed in as she is by Brendon DeMay’s flat performance as her son George and Ed Flynn’s decidedly uncharismatic Stephen, the mythical husband. I never looked forward to dictionary recitations so much. (Neal Ryan Shaw)

The Brigata at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 North Wells, (866)811-4111. Through July 3.

"Ohio & The Lake: Navy Pier," by Robert Koon: Baize Buzan and Tim Curtis/Photo: Amanda Clifford

An earnest young clerk in 1901 is hubristically determined to convince the chaotic city to adopt his grid system,  while his pregnant wife contemplates abandoning the urban life altogether; a father meets his daughter at Navy Pier on the eve of her college decampment to say farewell and more—the tourist trap holds both tender memories of visits to the Chicago Children’s Museum as well as lessons more historical and metaphorical; a couple of buskers scuffle for territory at the Logan Square Farmer’s Market.

It’s a compelling premise—enlist twelve playwrights and directors to craft twelve short plays set in different Chicago zip codes, and it more often than not lives up to its promise in execution. Those that work best, the aforementioned three by Marisa Wegrzyn, Robert Koon and Laura Jacqmin, along wth Brian Golden’s post-coital coffeehouse encounter and Brooke Berman’s spot-on riff on vintage shop attitude, generally use their settings organically, without making them the center of the story. The least successful suffer from trying too hard with their settings or, in a couple of cases, fail to bring any real coherence at all to their stories. Unfortunately, when that happens, it’s most often in Program B—you can see both together or either program separately and I’d recommend Program A—bringing an often-engaging evening to a close on a flat note. Taken altogether, though, the work crafts an engaging and diverse narrative about our city, and “co-coordinators” Brian Golden and Cassy Sanders do a nice job of creating little bits of “business” between each story to stitch everything together. (Brian Hieggelke)

At the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 North Lincoln, (773)404-7336. Through July 10. $15-$30.

RECOMMENDED

On the heels of similar “Glee” and Mario Brothers themed shows, this latest installment of boob-centered nerd comedy from creator/director MsPixy follows four buxom broads on their quest to reclaim the Icosahedron of Destiny from the evil Dragon Bitch. Led by a captivatingly droll narrator/dungeon master, the audience follows the group from town to forest to mountain as they face werewolves, warlocks, faeries and even the monster spider Shelob. Luckily, confrontations with these voluptuous villains typically result in clothing removal rather than bloodshed. Fantasy is a broad category and the script takes aim at everything from “Harry Potter” to “Labyrinth” to Leeroy Jenkins, resulting in a less-focused lampooning than previous Geek Girl Burlesque outings. But for the most part the jokes hit their mark with elfin accuracy, and the burlesque numbers (including a lascivious plant, a fiery dragon battle and an alluringly lit spiderweb escape) showcase how comedy and striptease can unite to the betterment of both. A tipping wench is always on hand to collect “tip points” for leveling up, so bring some dollar-dollar bills ya’ll.  (Zach Freeman)

Geek Girl Burlesque at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 North Milwaukee, (773)598-4549. $15. Through August 25.

Jeannette Winterson

Producing company New Leaf Theatre is perhaps as notable for its one-off space as its consistently fiery but meticulous performances that have marked them as easily one of the most exciting storefront theater companies in Chicago. Their long-term residency space at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center is an old auditorium that feels like a ballroom, with wood paneling, a chandelier and an odd location in the park right next to the zoo. In this space they have put on devastating, gorgeous performances in both a proscenium and promenade setting, making a lot out of a little and pushing the limits of what storefront theater can do.

This summer, after landing one of the coveted spots at the city’s DCA Storefront Theater downtown, they’re planning to do even more: in artistic director Jessica Hutchinson’s words, a “big sweeping epic monster show” that uses up all the space and flexibility the DCA space provides. For example, the play they’re doing has a lot of imagery from the ocean and “the feeling of being very small in a very big world,” according to Hutchinson. “So we’re going to work with physical distance and height.” Read the rest of this entry »

Joanne Dubach, Thomas Gebbia and Gail Rastofer/Photo: Jeff Pines

Given its prevalence in film, television and books, it’s somewhat surprising how rare it is to see new plays incorporating science fiction and fantasy. Though special-effects challenges no doubt play a part, I suspect the reason is more a case of topical snobbery, never mind that Shakespeare routinely worked witches, ghosts and other magical creatures into his works. So Marisa Wegrzyn’s Wendy Wasserstein Prize-winning “Hickorydickory,” in its world-premiere production at Chicago Dramatists, works from a rather refreshing premise. Humans, it turns out, unknowingly have a “mortal clock” inside of us—a personally engraved pocket watch—set to the very minute of our inevitable death. For the family of multigenerational suburban Chicago watch smiths who secretly specialize in mortal-clock repairs, this provides ample fodder for family drama and musings about the nature of life and fate. And the processs of removing wayward clocks from the head brings a real splatter of gore to the stage. For most of this three-act, we’re captivated by the story: what horrible fate befell shop owner Jimmy’s parents? What does daughter Dale know about her perhaps-impending death? And how did Cari Lee manage to find eternal youth and, in doing so, turn out so annoyingly 17? Read the rest of this entry »