Chicago Stage Review

ROGERS PARK THEATRES OFFER 2010-2011 $50 SEASON FLEX PASS

PASS INCLUDES FOUR PLAYS AT FOUR THEATRES AND

DINING DISCOUNTS AT LOCAL EATERIES

CHICAGO - Four Rogers Park area theatres, Lifeline Theatre, Raven Theatre, the side project, and Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, join together for the third year to offer a flexible subscription pass to see a variety of Rogers Park productions throughout the season, running from August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011. By offering this discounted pass with up to 35% savings over regular single tickets.

* Rogers Park restaurants near the theatres are partnering to offer dining discounts to pass purchasers for the season through July 31, 2011.

During the Glenwood Ave. Arts Festival, August 21 – 22, Save $5 on Passes

The Rogers Park Flex Pass | 4 Award-Winning Theatres - 1 Amazing Deal

Bethany Pickens Trio - Cool Jazz on a Summer Day

By Venus Zarris

Experiencing someone’s artistic abstraction provides a window into an intimately personal aspect of their psyche, their emotional conscious and subconscious and their intellectual deviations. Perhaps no incarnation of this is more viscerally engaging than with jazz.

The brilliant Bethany Pickens Trio performed Friday, July 9, 2010 in the lovely outdoor courtyard of the Hyde Park Shopping Center. In so doing they transformed the common community gathering space into a living-breathing suspension of ethereal groove and transported the delighted listeners to places both delicate and dynamic. Such are the portholes that jazz creates and the Bethany Pickens Trio are beguiling conductors on the amazing rides of each musical journey they undertake.

Standards from masters such as Charlie Parker, Chick Corea and Thelonious Monk created splendid time traveling impressions but it was Pickens’ original compositions that delivered the most impressive and altered states. Her music bypasses the immediate perception of the moment and gently takes you away to thought-provoking atmospheres and attitudes. Her melodies are compelling. Her rhythms are hypnotic and her musical change-ups are viscerally seductive. Pickens’ music is perfect to share outside on a sunny day with the crowd, but you can just as easily imagine its impact on an intimate evening for two.

The remarkable dexterity of Joshua Ramos on the acoustic bass combined with the perfect syncopation of Verne Allison on the drums created a resplendent foundation for Pickens’ improvisational keyboard compositions. Finding yourself in the company of the world class musical mastery of the Bethany Pickens Trio results in a wonderful epiphany. That is, it is time to start listening to more jazz!

4 STARS

(*Bethany Pickens Trio will be performing next on August 5, 2010 at Millennium Park at 6:30pm.)

For more information, concert dates, to listen to her music and purchase a compact disc, go to …

BETHANY PICKENS - HOME OF WILLIE’S KID MUSIC

Bethany Pickens Trio images by Venus Zarris.

By Venus Zarris

There are no boundaries to the realities that can be created on a stage. They can be familiar realities that mirror recognizable characters and circumstances down to painstaking detail. They can be alien abstractions that depict only faint impressions or hints at something that we might identify. Most often, they are realities that fall somewhere in between the extremes of proverbial and foreign. There is no right or wrong formula. Structure, dialogue, characters, direction, performance, design and story are the frameworks of these realities but they are ultimately irrelevant. There is only theater that successfully connects us to something, be that abstract or tangible, and theater that does not.

Cherrywood: A Modern Comparable is a 90-minute exercise in floundering towards nothing. It is not an exercise that requires little effort, rather it demands much from its creators and even more from its spectators. Its creators struggle to salvage substance from insignificance. Its spectators struggle to suspend their disbelief under the weight of preposterously self-indulgent expectations. It is preposterous to expect the audience to connect with Cherrywood’s ludicrous contrivances. It is preposterous to expect the audience to connect with uninspiring and unbelievable, all be they well acted, characters. It is preposterous to expect the audience to connect with artificial dialogue and nonsensical exposition.

Cherrywood plays like a haphazard piecing together of a privileged, yet wannabe Bohemian, adolescent’s notebook of random thoughts, rants and observations. It opens on three 20-somethings preparing for a party in their dilapidated apartment. One laments over finding the right party music to attract the right type of people while another argues, “Utopia has no anthem.” The third confesses that he sent a preemptive apology to the neighbors disguised as an invitation to the party because he hates face-to-face confrontations, as he is uncomfortable with the holes on someone else’s face lining up with the holes on his face.

Cherrywood wastes little time taxing our ability to care about the characters and believe the actions and motivations. These kids are in their own individual and collective states of emotionally post-apocalyptic aggressive ennui. Even the character that is defined as the arguer of the group can’t seem to sustain more that an occasional outburst of irritation.

Guests start to arrive and the “scene” as well as conversations resemble no party that we’ve ever experienced, be that with 20, 30, or 40-somethings. Not because it is so unusual but rather because it is so uneventful. Why are they there? Why are three people, who don’t seem to be all that into it, having this party to begin with? Why aren’t people leaving in hopes of salvaging their evening? As partygoers, they have that option. Sadly as theatergoers, we don’t.

As the party continues, conversations and monologues are singled out of the mounting crowd. Talk about anxiety over using a toilet at a stranger’s house, talk about the un-flushed shit of strangers in the toilet at the party, talk about bouncing a check to pay for a vet bill and talk about the imagined differences between the look on someone’s face when they cum verses when they shit pepper the party. These are the ponderings and pontifications of profoundly insignificant thinkers.

Mysterious milk is passed around for consumption throughout the party. We learn that it is wolf’s milk and it is said that if you drink it you will change. The word change is used almost as much as it was used in the Obama presidential campaign but there is never any sign of change and the partygoers present more sheep-like than wolf-like. Still we hope. We hope for werewolves that are foreshadowed but never arrive.

Someone is shot in the hand but the police are not called. I’ve been to some wild parties but even at the craziest, if someone was shot the drugs would have been flushed and an ambulance would have been summoned. Instead, everyone is instructed to “Sit Down!” No one has a concrete plan of action other than this sitting idea.

The gun is found in the freezer. It is placed in a box that is taped up and another box is also taped up, with a book in it so no one knows which has the gun. There’s not really an explanation for this. It just seems like a great idea. The idea is so good that everyone leaves the party only to return a few moments later with taped boxes. Where did these boxes come from? It doesn’t matter because followable exposition is luxury that Cherrywood can’t seem to afford.

There is a delightful group dance number and a magic pizza, but to continue explaining the events would be more embarrassing that it was watching them. The conclusion is, there is no conclusion because you can’t conclude what you never started.

Taking risks and trying new ideas are the stuff that some of theater’s most groundbreaking moments are made on. But, just as all of the king’s horses and all of the king’s men couldn’t piece Humpty Dumpty back together, one of Chicago’s most brilliant directors and many of its brightest young actors can’t piece a show out of Cherrywood; which only proves that direction and talent can’t manufacture a play where there is no script.

1/2 STAR

(“Cherrywood: A Modern Comparable” runs through August 8 at Angel Island Theater, 731 W. Sheridan. 773-871-0442)

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. - www.maryarrchie.com

* Visit Theatre In Chicago for more information on this show.  Cherrywood: The Modern Comparable- Play Detail- Theatre In Chicago

My Brother’s Keeper (The Story of the Nicholas Brothers)

Having danced for nine U.S. presidents, headlined shows all over the world, and appeared in every major television show, nightclub, and theater in America, the Nicholas brothers danced their way into the hearts of millions with successful careers spanning sixty years. Appearing at segregated clubs in the 1930s and in music videos in the 1990s, Fayard and Harold Nicholas dismantled racial barriers and became the most famous dance team of the twentieth century. Starring Rueben Echoles and RaShawn Thompson as the famous Nicholas Brothers, “My Brother’s Keeper (The Story of the Nicholas Brothers)” will showcase the power and excitement of these two dazzling men and share a joyous story with the audience.

Previews: Mar 13 - Mar 20, 2010

Regular Run: Mar 21 - May 16, 2010

@ Black Ensemble Theater

4520 N. Beacon Street, Chicago

Show Type: Musical

Box Office: 773-769-4451

blackensembletheater.com

By Venus Zarris

Silk Road Theatre Project takes us on a trip through the double helix of ancestry and identity in their compelling production of The DNA Trail. Artistic Director Jamil Khoury ingeniously conceived this unique ‘From Swab to Stage’ program consisting of the works of seven playwrights, himself included, as they examine the relationship that genealogy has to self-understanding.

Finding Your Inner Zulu, by Elizabeth Wong, starts out with two sisters after and important high school basketball game. Emma, the cheerleader, is psyched about the win. Cricket, the vertically challenged star player, is despondent over being rejected by recruiters because of her height. Playwright Wong then takes the girls on a rapid transit trip through their genetic codes, “Google has an App for everything.”

Finding Your Inner Zulu is a silly start to this production that playfully demonstrates the interconnected universality of our DNA.

Mother Road, by Velina Hasu Houston, dramatically changes the tone. Perpetua seeks her long-lost sister in the desert. Aided by Luna, a Dust Bowl throwback Goddess of sorts, she confronts the bitterness of older sister Eva and her own fear of abandonment by their dying mother. Although acted well, the message of this interesting piece gets muddled in too much melodrama and dramatic cliché.

That Could Be You, by Lina Patel, presents the challenges faced when an adopting couple tries to get valuable genetic information about their future child. A narrator/scientist provides the framework with technical stats and observations while two couples struggle to communicate. Smoothly switching from presentational to representational, That Could Be You entertainingly posses the question, ‘Are you who you think you are or is there a molecule out there that knows better?’

WASP: White Arab Slovak Pole, by Jamil Khoury, hysterically examines misconceptions based on name and skin color. Khoury fearlessly presents an autobiographical look at his climb out of the many pigeonholes that being a White Arab Slovak Pole creates. This finely polished gem is proof positive that the ability to articulate your predicament is a brilliant tool for defusing confusion. It is a witty, personal, confident, self-effacing and delightful detraction of the notion of ‘guilt by pigmentation.’

Bolt from the Blue, by Shishir Kurup, presents the levels of closeness and connection that modern technology instantly affords and the limitations of this connection when faced with a distant crisis. Kurup paints a beautiful portrait of family. His brush strokes are cell phone conversations and e-mails and his canvas is the globe. Continental separation creates the tension in his composition that resonates with warmth and honesty.

A Very DNA Reunion, by Henry Hwang, is a look at how popular DNA testing reshapes a young man’s vision of himself. Basking in the playful joy of imaginary visits from Cleopatra, Genghis Khan and a ninja; Bob’s internalized view of his newfound infamously fantastic family fires him up to battle with his pestering parents. Hwang’s cartoonishly clever and hilariously absurd script plays like a wonderfully witty sketch comedy piece with an unusual twist.

Child is Father to Man, by Philip Kan Gotanda, closes the production with a beautifully melancholy and reflectively evocative farewell from a son to his father. Examining the meanings of childhood and parenthood, expectations and disappointments, emotional detachment and connection; Gotanda creates a lyrically gripping homage to familial bonds.

Such a multifaceted production would be impossible to successfully execute without a gifted cast and this brilliant ensemble brings the stories to life with staggering talent and dedication. Melissa Kong and Jennifer Shin open the show with great charm, humor and presence that they carry through their various roles. Anthony Peeples brings excellent comic timing and insight to his characters. Cora Vander Broek’s performances are fascinating and exhibit remarkable dramatic range. Fawzia Mirza displays uncanny intelligence that stands out as dazzling in every role. Clayton Stamper is confident, compelling and explosively funny and Khurram Mozaffar brings exceptionally evocative depth and subtly to his performances.

This is an acting dream team that travels effortlessly through the conceptual, realistic, presentational, representational, humorous and dramatic aspects of these captivating scripts. Rebecca A. Barrett and Lee Keenan create wonderfully stylized set and lighting design that proves perfect for these diverse plays and Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design is superb.

Funny, poignant, absurd, and thought-provoking; The DNA Trail highlights the work of gifted playwrights and represents a shining example of Silk Road Theatre Project’s dedication to presenting diverse perspectives through the creation of extraordinary theater. Don’t miss this wonderfully entertaining ride through genetic coding, self-examination and human interaction.

3 ½ STARS

(”The DNA Trail” runs through April 4 at the Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington. 312-857-1234 x201.)

Silk Road Theatre Project

The DNA Trail production photos by Michael Brosilow.

By Venus Zarris

Never at a loss for parameter stretching and boundary challenging material, Tap Door Theatre presents a captivating production of Minna. This American Premier of playwright Howard Barker’s existential examination into the realms of atrocity disguises itself at times as a sexual romp but despite the scripts playful erotic absurdity, the core of Barker’s script displays how self-aggrandizing egotism dismisses empathy for human suffering, thereby paving the way for all manner of violence and malevolence.

Barker’s Minna is just the kind of pot that Trap Door stirs with beguiling results and director Nicole Wiesner brilliantly creates this nightmarish reality with both visual lyricism and explosive whimsy in this haunted house of catastrophic madness. Animated corpses, a parade of weeping mourners and a bipolar madman fluff the crowd with pre-show maniacal minutia.

“Madam, you are intangible.” Minna’s brutal love interest declares early in the script and this line proves a metaphor for the play. The characters and circumstances are an erratic amalgam of eccentric interactions that pinpoint specific instances of romantic frivolity, sexual domination and indicting revelations in the midst of a dreamlike hallucination.

In order to realize such an obscure reality, the cast must be completely present in the chaos and Wiesner’s ensemble is as determined to plunge off this cliff as a slice of lemmings. Any hesitation on the part of the performers would create a rip in the alternate dimension but no tears are evident. The madness is complete.

Exceptional incarnations of these bizarre characters are rendered by Sadie Rogers, as Francisca 1, Carl Wisniewski, as Just, and Derek Ryan, as the Landlord. Rogers captures the heart and honesty of Barker’s bleak script. Wisniewski’s frenetic performance delivers Barker’s biting intellect at breakneck speed and Ryan’s comic timing shines through the absurdity of his character’s obsession. Kinga Modjeska, as Francisca 3, also adds a lovely softness to the harsh wonders of this nightmare. Kevin Cox brings underlying complexity to the infamously brutal Tellheim and John Gray is bombastically and diabolically hysterical as the incestuous Count Von Bruchsall.

The entire cast creates a compelling spectacle of dramatic lunacy. Geraldine Dulex is visually commanding as Minna and technically accurate but fails to completely render the depth of this intricate and convoluted character. For the production to reach its full potential we should be more drawn in by her idiosyncratic narcissism but she gets lost in the intentional clutter of the play’s chaos. To be fair, this is an exceptionally demanding and difficult part and Dulex’s efforts are impressive but she is Minna and we should never be allowed to forget what that means, to her and to everyone around her.

The characters are picture perfect thanks to the remarkable costume designs of Beata Pilch and Nevena Todorovic. Ewelina Dobiesz’s set design makes full and fantastic use of the Trap Door space and Richard Norwood’s light design accents this strange world with evocatively dramatic effect.

As always, Trap Door offers something that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else, that is, theater that wormholes its way into other realities. No matter how far off the beaten path they go, they still hold a mirror up to the emotional and psychological struggles of the human condition and this darkly deranged funhouse mirror is well worth a look.

3 STARS

(“Minna” runs through February 13 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland Ave. 773-384-0494.)

Trap Door Theatre | Chicago, IL

Minna production photos by Beata Pilch.

Minna poster image and graphic design by Michal Janicki.

Suddenly Last Summer

Set in New Orleans in 1936, Violet Venable is desperate to preserve the wholesome image of her 40 year old son, Sebastian. Following his tragic and mysterious death in Europe, a poor relation, cousin Catharine, returns to tell the sordid tale of Sebastian’s lifestyle and brutal death. Mrs. Venable will stop at nothing to silence the girl

Thru - May 17, 2009

Fridays & Saturdays: 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm

Village Players Performing Arts Center

1010 Madison, Oak Park 

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 866-764-1010

Village Players Performing Arts Center - Oak Park - 866/764-1010

By Robert Andersen

In an entertainment era, such that we are currently in, where what once was old is new again, Adventure Stage Chicago has met a reversal of opportunity. They endeavor to take a book that became a movie and turn it into a stage play. This is not a question of should it be done but rather has it been done well? Once again I rely on my best source of insight in these matters, my daughter Emma. Although she is a master of the one word answer, it was difficult to stifle her enthusiasm during our post show debriefing.

The story tells of a boy wrongfully convicted of a crime. He blames his bad luck on his cursed good-for-nothing great-great-grandfather. Sent off to camp Green Lake the tables turn on his ideas of fate and destiny.

Emma was very impressed at how well the play stayed close to the movie. The action and dialogue move effortlessly as do the very adaptable scenery. There is only one distraction from this near flawless visage. Why did the characters of Stanley and Zero have one of their most poignant moments at the back of the theatre? I’m old; I fear change, so I asked Emma, “What did you think about the scene at the back of the theatre?”

“It was kind of dumb, the mountain they were climbing was over there (a flat stage left) and it made everyone twist around in their seats. I couldn’t see them really good or hear what they were saying. They should have stayed on the stage.” Is it any wonder why I value her opinion so highly?

The cast is excellent.  Their portrayal of the many ensemble parts of the story is perfect. As with many shows there are some actors who stand out however. Emma and I both agree that Allison Latta, “the Warden”, is our favorite.  Emma enjoyed the little bit of action where she got pulled off stage at the end. I enjoyed her Sigourney Weaver-esque sassiness.

Other members of note are Ty Golde, as “Magnet”, and James Zoccoli, as “Mr. Sir”.  Both men seem to have found the center of their characters and are able to have a lot of fun with them. In the overall picture, the boys all give the impression that they had been “locked up together” for some time, and the rest of the ensemble feeds off their tight sense of kinship.

Let us not forget however that this story is written, both the book and the stage adaptation by Louis Sachar, for young people and brings many truths to bear during its course. To their credit, the Adventure Stage Chicago has made theater their focus for the young and they put forth a strong effort to make going to a play more of an experience in and of itself. There is a brief introduction to the main moral of the story beforehand and immediately following the performance there is a question and answer discussion with the entire cast engaging the audience about the lessons learned.  I found this to be a great benefit to my daughter who sometimes misses the hidden meanings of things.

All in all Adventure Stage Chicago productions of HOLES is a well-done performance on a well-designed set in a beautiful space. It’s not so much an adaptation of a movie or a book, but more so a way for kids to learn life’s important lessons, fall in love with theater and have a great time.

3 ½ STARS

(”HOLES” runs through December 18 at Vittum Theater, 1012 North Noble Street. 773-342-4141.)

Adventure Stage Chicago

HOLES production photos by Johnny Knight.