EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 6!

By Venus Zarris

In a 1 plus 2 equals FANTASTIC equation, Mythology goes to the Circus and erupts with explosively stylized Steampunk storytelling in this positively dazzling remount of Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale. It is one thing to reimagine a story, but Lookingglass Theatre and Silverguy Entertainment take the classic tale of Hephaestus into the realms of the extraordinarily unreal by creating a resplendent visual journey that is nothing short of spellbinding.

“Oh My God!”

“How the hell can they do that?”

“NO WAY!”

And, “I can’t believe it!” can be heard between squeals and gasps from the mesmerized audience.

If you are one of those Cirque du Soleil fans that count the days between tour dates, Hephaestus will more than satisfy your need for world class circus acts driven by staggering conceptual creativity. Unlike the Cirque shows however, whose narratives tend towards the ambiguously obscure, Hephaestus is grounded in the classic tale of a God cast from the heavens and his rise back to divine splendor. Much like Hephaestus’s fall and subsequent rise, this astonishing invention is grounded in myth but then rockets skyward with amazing aerial acrobatic acts.

It starts simply enough, a little girl sits on her bed and reads a story to her teddy bear. Tatiana Ranallo narrates and sings the story with innocent charm. She embodies both darling and melancholy as only a child can, but the austere opening quickly turns mind-boggling. Sky is turned to water with color, light and bubbles as sea nymphs fly above our heads on flowing turquoise strands to create an airborne Weeki Wachee. These marvelous mermaids are just the beginning of sensational sights and sounds.

Dynamically titanic percussion drives this mechanically linier yet organically fluid production. Whimsical fantasy plays out on and above an industrial framework of incomparable design. Tony Hernandez and Heidi Stillman’s brilliant story and direction are realized with world-class talent. Brian Sydney Bembridge (Scenic and Lighting Design), Lijana Wallend-Hernandez (Costume Design and Silk Choreograoher), Ray Nardelli (Sound Design and Co-Composition), Andre Pluess (Co-Composition), Josh Horvath (Co-Composition) and Kevin O’Donnell (Drum Supervisor) make up the powerhouse team that render Hernandez’s fantastical creation to beguiling effect.

But it is the performers that infuse this marvel with its most potent magic. To detail all of the excellence would be to detail every moment of the show. The hand balancing is particularly awe-inspiring and “The Wallenda 7-Person Highwire Pyramid” finale is jaw dropping.

Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale is a MUST SEE manifestation of the timelessness of circus, mythology and creative excellence that carries you off to an enchantingly exciting world of wonder. Do not miss this singularly unique and overwhelmingly entertaining triumph!

4 STARS

(“Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale” EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 6 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn. 312-443-3800)

EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 6!

Goodman Theatre - Tickets & Season : Production : Hephaestus

Lookingglass Circus

Hephaestus production photos by Sean Williams and Tony Hernandez.

Free Street Theater’s

Extended by popular demand through April 18.

By Venus Zarris

For years, I have had ongoing conversations with many people about the possibility of being genuinely terrified while watching a play. Although in so many ways, theater connects on a more immediate and living/breathing level than film, the suspension of disbelief sits on top of the reality that we are watching people playing parts. No matter how well the parts are played you believe that they, and you yourself, are safe because unlike in a film where you can loose yourself in the notion that this is really happening somewhere else, in the theatre you inhabit the same physical location as the actors. There may be an unexpected jump or a wonderfully evocative atmosphere, but at the end you know that there will be a curtain call and everyone will happily go back to the real world.

So what would it take to pull you far enough away from that reality of your actual location? In the case of Martin McDonagh’s award-winning script, it is the storytelling, both theatrical and literal, that sweeps you away to terrifyingly dark possibilities. Theater is storytelling and The Pillowman establishes McDonagh as a grand master of the darkest recesses of imaginary malevolence. He takes us to places that we dare not dream, because if our nightmares resembled anything like these stories we would be living on enough trucker speed to ensure a sleepless existence.

The play opens with Katurian blindfolded, sitting at a table under one hanging light. Tupolski, the first interrogator, enters the room. We are as in the dark as Katurian seems to be about the nature of his arrest, but as the layers are peeled off of this relentless situation the mounting indictments are staggering.

Unlike the popular trend of ‘torture porn’ horror films that highlight acts of atrocity as main events with little to no psychological or emotional dissection or depth, The Pillowman is not spectacle brutality but rather a roller coaster ride that plunges into the core of the unconscionable with only a bit of actual physical displays of violence, much of which is stylized rather than realistic. The implied is almost always more shocking than the displayed and McDonagh’s implications are viscerally overwhelming.

One cannot wax darkly poetic enough about the parameter stretching effects of this brutally beguiling script. It is simply put, a macabre masterpiece of the mind bogglingly morbid and morose. Story after story we are ravaged by a spellbindingly sinister imagination. Still, McDonagh manages to extract dark humor, at times laugh-out-loud funny, that provides brief but generous relief from the crushing bleakness. The circumstances are so diabolically grave that you almost feel compliant while laughing. The welcome humor makes you, in part, party to the madness that you are simultaneously repulsed by.

Director Kimberly Senior takes this huge literary undertaking and scales it into a tiny black box to chilling effect. The interrogation happens quite literally in your lap and the staged stories happen on both sides of the seating area. Thanks to scenic designers Anders Jacobson and Judy Radovsky, the presentational stories and the representational reality of the play are visualized with striking and incredible contrast. Christopher Kriz’s original music and sound design add both authenticity to the representation and sinister atmosphere to the presentation.

But the uneven cast does not completely deliver the full impact of this complicated script. Tom Hickey is subtly remarkable as Tupolski. The sophistication that he brings to his performance allows a natural restraint as the ‘good cop’ that proves disturbingly threatening. Calm, calculated, glib and sparingly harsh, he is in control of an out-of-control situation. Peter Oyloe is charmingly vulnerable as the sweetly simple minded Michal. Our connection to his childlike nature makes the twisted epiphanies of his story all the more devastating.

In contrast, Johnny Garcia’s depiction of Ariel is unconvincingly heavy handed. His handling of the dialogue is at times cumbersome and we are never really frightened by his rage because we never truly believe it. Likewise, Andrew Jessop never makes a strong enough delineation between the story-telling Katurian and the fearing-for-his-life Katurian. This character carries the heaviest weight of the script by being faced with the almost certain loss of all that he holds dear but Jessop’s characterization never fully shows the burden. He conveys a smug narcissism regarding his story writing, but we never believe the peril that he is faced with.

One scene begins as he is tossed into a cell with his brother after a torture session but there is little evidence of the duress of this experience, physically or emotionally. It is hard to imagine that he was manhandled, much less brutalized.

Jessop is a strong storyteller, which the part most certainly calls for, but the depth of his unimaginable circumstances is only technically suggested rather than honestly brought to life.

The rest of the cast handles the peripheral parts well but the overall production, although solid and effective, is far from complete. We should leave the theater ravaged by the experience. Instead we leave stunned by the script.

Kimberly Senior is a remarkable director and restraint often makes the better choice, but her interpretation is a softer incarnation of The Pillowman than the script demands and deserves. Still, this production is strong enough to more than warrant your time and for the sake of experiencing one of the most remarkably challenging and darkly imaginative scripts you will ever see; Redtwist Theatre’s The Pillowman should not be missed.

2 ½ STARS

(”The Pillowman” extended by popular demand through April 18 at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr. 773-728-7529)

Redtwist Theatre, Chicago

The Pillowman production photos by Clarissa Jessop.

Writers’ Theatre announces the extension of

Oh Coward!

due to critical acclaim and sold-out houses

Tickets on sale now through March 28

Glencoe, IL– Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce the extension of the second production of the 2009/10 Season, Oh Coward!, words and music by Noël Coward, devised by Roderick Cook. The production is directed by Jim Corti, with musical direction by Doug Peck. The production runs through March 28, 2010, at Writers’ Theatre, 664 Vernon Avenue in Glencoe.

You’re invited to a marvelous party!  Oh Coward! celebrates one of the theatre’s greatest entertainers—Noël Coward.  Best known for his comic masterpieces Blithe Spirit, Private Lives and Hay Fever, Coward was one of the most prolific songwriters of his day.  Now, acclaimed director Jim Corti brings his effervescent music, satirical quips and witty repartee to life.  With the intimate Books on Vernon venue transformed into a nightclub, Oh Coward! is a must-see evening of the most memorable tunes of the 20th century!

Tickets on sale now through March 28

@ Writers’ Theatre

* Performed at 664 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe

Show Type: Musical

Box Office: 847-242-6000

Writers’ Theatre - Located in the heart of Chicago’s North Shore

By Venus Zarris

Years ago a Chicago director told me that the general rule of thumb in theater is, gay men are funny and lesbians are depressing. Over the years, that notion has fluctuated back and forth. Depending on whom you’re watching, reading or talking to the LGBT community generates the entire range of emotion. This is true partly because we’re human and so our experiences are universal and partly because we’ve gone mainstream and so looking into a window on our lives is less a trip to the zoo for straight America and more a look in the mirror.

With this homo-homogenization has come a watering down of our art. Much of the bite and fight that used to be reflective of our social struggles has been replaced with complacently average expression, tame depictions and safe clichés. That is why when you experience something from LGBT artists that has an edge; it is refreshing and inspiring. That is why GayCo’s The Audacity of Nope or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme is more than just an extremely entertaining sketch comedy show, rather it is a brilliantly subversive reminder that we’re not Ward and June Cleaver, we still have a long way to go and we can still have fun getting there.

But please don’t let the initial social analysis scare you off. The Audacity of Nope is a certified laugh riot! I’ll spare you the details so as not to ruin the scene, but when the phrase ‘tittie mountain avalanche’ was uttered I almost choked on the laughs. This phrase has become my new mantra and might very well end up being the name of the next pet that I acquire. I envision myself calling the dog from across the apartment, “Tittie Mountain Avalanche! Get off the sofa!”

Not shying away from depictions of the less mainstream aspects of the LGBT community, one scene shows an adoring slave reflecting on the love he has for his brutally domineering master. His tone of voice mimics that of a happy housewife in a Lifetime Channel take on the domestic bliss of dominance and submission.

GayCo’s cleverness ranges from political, to personal to irreverently absurd. Climatologists from Brigham Young University blame catastrophic climate change on homosexuality, sighting that in 2005 the success of “Brokeback Mountain” brought about Hurricane Katrina. One groom comforts the second thoughts of his intended husband-to-be by explaining that after the wedding “If you don’t want to be married anymore you can just cross the border into Illinois.” Hungry space aliens abduct a couple and try to force them to have sex in order to procreate more ‘earth meat’ but the lesbian couple they chose informs the aliens that they only have sex on their birthdays.

GayCo started in 1996 when The Second City Outreach Program began its first Gay/Lesbian workshop series. Since that time it has taken The Second City training and forged a body of work that continues delight audiences and take risks. While many of today’s Second City productions play it safe and tone it down for the tourists, GayCo plows full steam ahead into the world of impertinently challenging and insanely hysterical comedy.

“One man’s hate crime is another man’s pep talk.” is not just a hilarious line from one of the show’s funniest sketches, it is also the truth of GayCo’s genius. Without sermonizing or grandstanding, they remind us that we need to continue fighting the good fight and they accomplish this with impressive wit, contagious camp and explosive humor.

Gather your friends and rush to catch this side-splitting treat. Regardless of your sexual orientation, if you like to laugh The Audacity of Nope or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme is not to be missed!

3 ½ STARS

(“The Audacity of Nope or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme” runs Wednesdays at 8pm @ The Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. 773-561-4665)

The Annoyance Theatre & Bar - Audacity of Nope

Welcome to GayCo Productions

By J. Scott Hill

I have been writing for Chicago Stage Review for about seven months now. “Theatre Critic” has become my new badge. As I get introduced to friends of friends at various receptions and block parties, I usually say that I am a theatre critic. Like every other twenty-first-century American adult, I am several things all at once: husband, father, mentor for adult adoptees, slave to the almighty dollar, amateur portfolio manager since the pros at my 401K can’t seem to do it, musician, writer, theatre critic. I think of myself as a theatre reviewer rather than a theatre critic, but critic is the term that seems to conjure up the clearest picture for people. Saying theatre reviewer means subjecting someone newly met to a long-winded explanation of what the difference is and why one better describes what I do than the other does. Just describing that description above took too long.

As a theatre critic, people ask me the same thing over and over:

What’s the best show you’ve seen?

Ever? In my life? Sweeney Todd at the Lyric Opera with Bryn Terfel — but that was long before I was a theatre critic.

Since I have been a theatre critic? Either The Caretaker produced by Curious Theatre Branch, or Bohemian Theatre Ensemble’s Playing with Fire (after Frankenstein) — both shows long closed.

I think that, at its heart, the question being asked is functional:

What’s the best show you’ve seen that is still playing, so I can go see it, too?

My knee-jerk response: History Boys at the TimeLine Theatre.

I pored through my past reviews and still concluded that History Boys was the best show running in Chicago.  Still, it had been several months since I first reviewed History Boys, so I felt I needed to revisit the production before I could commit my knee-jerk reaction to print.

When I arrange to attend a show for the purpose of writing about it, I am usually allowed to bring myself “plus one” — like to a wedding or a cocktail party — someone else with whom to celebrate the theatre.  Sometimes, I like to bring a friendly informant — someone I know fairly well whose specialized training and experience can add to my understanding of the subject matter of the show.  Here are some examples:

When I attended The Second City e.t.c.’s production of Rod Blagojevich Superstar! — a timely and topical satire — my “plus one” was another theatre reviewer, or I should say we were each other’s “plus ones.”  This other critic has a background not only as a reviewer, but as an actor, improviser, and comedian — and grew up in Chicagoland carefully scrutinizing the talent that poured out of Second City.

When I attended Infamous Commonwealth’s production of The Grapes of Wrath — Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel — my “plus one” was my wife.  My wife reads two or three novels per week, is a librarian, and holds a master’s degree in English.

When I attended Tooth and Nail Ensemble and Two Lights Theatre Company’s production of The Conduct of Life — a play about military life and military interrogation tactics, produced using the Japanese dance style Butoh to stage graphic violence — my “plus one” was an army veteran.  This veteran served a hardship tour in Southeast Asia, is now a nurse, and has recently become something of a political science wonk.

When I attended History Boys the first time, I again went as co-”plus ones” with that same theatre reviewer.  We both raved about the show, particularly the set design, the unique staging, the use of video, the use of found music — in sum, the “theatricality” of the show.

My reviewer friend and I are old theatre hams.  We have always adored and supported live theatre, which is a big chunk of why we review theatre in the first place.  But theatre is not made just for old theatre hams, any more than movies are made just for movie actors and cinematographers and key grips.  Like most movies, most theatre is made for general consumption.

History Boys was a popular favorite in London and New York before the TimeLine Theatre produced the show here in Chicago, where it plays sold-out show after sold-out show. This does not fit the mould of a popular favorite. Grease is a popular favorite that looks back to twenty years before it was written, back to high school — with show-stoppers about mooning and scoring with chicks. History Boys likewise looks back twenty years before it was written, back to high school — with open-ended questions about the nature of sexuality, societal mores, status, social caste, the relationship between authority and responsibility, and whether or not a working knowledge of argumentation and rhetoric kills capital-T Truth.  This is not exactly the he-said-she-said of “Summer Nights.”

I needed a friendly informant whose mind works somewhat like mine, shares some of my sensibilities, and is in my age group (at the time History Boys takes place, I was roughly the same age as the students in the play). Most important, my friendly informant must not be enamored of the theatre — a general consumer of the theatre and no more.

When I attended History Boys the second time — needing a fresh set of eyes not easily seduced by theatricality — my “plus one” was a no-BS mom-on-the-go. This active SAHM has a degree in Marketing from DePaul, holds a certificate in fashion and design, is a Plein Air Painter, has been an ArtSmart teacher, is a certified fitness instructor, and is a mom so creatively budget-conscious that her frugality recently made the cover of the Chicago Sun-Times. The twerp is also my little sister, Beck.

Beck and I did not grow up together at all. That is a story for another place and time. Suffice it to say that we are very alike and also very different — like any other siblings. She has the artistic temperament to “get it” about theatre, but she doesn’t. She will catch a musical locally or when she is in New York. She goes to see Second City from time to time. Still, the live presence of the actors that invigorates most theatregoers distracts her. A movie can seem more real to her because it seems more like surveillance — like the events could have been real events captured on film out in the real world.  In live theatre, one sees actors fumble for their marks in the dark, or get up after the curtain falls on their death scene. For her, the immediacy of the performances does not cancel out the more prevalent artifice. She does not see theatre as frivolous or anything so negative; it just is not one of her passions. Theatre is not Beck’s jam.

SCOTT: What did you think of History Boys overall?

BECK:  I liked it.  I am glad I went. Thumbs up.

SCOTT: What was your favorite aspect of the production?

BECK:  The set.  I liked the set layout, with the realistic dorm rooms on one end.  I liked that the actors were sitting in their dorm rooms while we were congregating in the lobby and getting situated in our seats.  The set…and when I went to the bathroom.

[During the show, Beck unfortunately had to make a mad dash for the restroom.  Because of where we were seated and how the TimeLine Theatre is currently configured, she had to cross onstage to get to the restroom, and cross onstage again to get back to her seat.]

SCOTT: What happened when you went to the bathroom?

BECK:  I made it to the bathroom without really causing a scene. I was quick about it and I was apologizing to the ushers and all the people in the lobby.  Some of the actors were waiting out there for their next entrance and I was apologizing to them, too.  They were very nice.  The star helped me.

SCOTT:  The star?  Who helped you do what…get back to your seat?

BECK: Yes.  The star, the teacher, Hector [Donald Brearley].  I felt so bad having to duck out in the middle of the show.  I was apologizing profusely and he told me not to worry, that they would get me back to my seat.  He said he would run defense for me…and he did.  So nice.

SCOTT: Did you have a favorite scene in History Boys?

BECK:  Remember, in class when the students are yukking it up with the teacher Hector?  All the boys seemed really natural, as if it were really happening in real time.  I realize that it must all be meticulously scripted out, but it seemed natural without being too deliberate.

SCOTT: Who was your favorite history boy?

BECK:  The cute one, Dakin [Joel Gross].  He looked just like this guy I knew in high school — Tom Chapman.  Dakin looked like Tom Chapman, but the actor’s headshot in the program did not.  Weird.  I had the biggest crush on Tom Chapman but I never did anything about it and he never did anything about it. I don’t even think he knew.

SCOTT:  Dakin reminded me of a guy at my high school, too. John Carmen.  All the girls thought he was dreamy, and voted him Prettiest Eyes.  Maybe every high school back in the 1980s had a cutie boy who looked like Dakin.  If so, that was a brilliant piece of casting.

BECK:  He struck a chord with me.

SCOTT: Who was your least favorite character?

BECK:  I did not like the character of the young teacher, Irwin [Andrew Carter].  It was like Irwin was supposed to be the voice of reason, but he wasn’t.

SCOTT: If you had to give History Boys a star rating, up to four stars, what would you give it?

BECK:  I would give it four stars based on the set and the actors’ performances, but the story left me out at times.

SCOTT: In what ways did you feel excluded?

BECK:  There was only one woman in the cast.  All of these high school boys were raging balls of hormones and had no girlfriends, except for Dakin who had a girlfriend whom we never got to see. In BBC comedies, they make all these gay jokes about boys at Eton, and then History Boys plays right into that stereotype — as if just being British and going to boarding school turned a boy gay.

SCOTT: So you wanted there to be less gay?

BECK:  With such a large and diverse ensemble, I wanted to have someone to identify with.  As a straight woman, there wasn’t much for me to see myself in.

SCOTT: What sort of star rating do you give History Boys, feeling left out?

BECK:  My initial reaction is two and a half stars, but that seems low considering the amazing set and the great performances.

SCOTT: Really?  Being excluded detracts that much for you?

BECK:  It’s on the cusp for me.  What if I want to encourage people to see History Boys?

SCOTT: I assume that a higher rating would encourage more people to see it.

BECK:  If I give it three stars, will the guy who played Dakin take me out on a date?

SCOTT: He might…

BECK:  And, will he let me call him Tom all night?  I still can’t believe Tom Chapman never asked me out in high school.

SCOTT:  Okay then, three stars from the woman who doesn’t much care for theatre.

As for this old theatre ham, I stand by my four star review of History Boys. This time around, there were two cast changes from the first performance I saw of History Boys, but the show was just as astonishing.

(“History Boys” now extended through October 18 at the TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington, (773) 281-8463.)

*Click here for two 4 STAR ChicagoStageReviews of Timeline Theatre’s HISTORY BOYS:

The History Boys - Chicago Stage Review (reviewed by J. Scott Hill)

THE HISTORY BOYS review link… - Chicago Stage Review (reviewed by Venus Zarris)

TimeLine Theatre Company :: Plays Inspired by History :: Award-winning Chicago theater

*** EXTENDED! ***

The TRAP DOOR THEATRE presents:

The U.S. Premiere of…

A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians  

Written by: Dorota Maslowska

Directed by: Max Truax 

Now Extended Through July 3rd!

Runs: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM. With Added Performances on July 2nd and 3rd.

Admission: $20 (2-for-1 on Thursdays)

Box Office: 773-384-0494

Buy Tickets Online www.trapdoortheatre.com

Trap Door Theatre: 1655 W. Cortland Ave 

—Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) and Second City -

The hit musical Rod Blagojevich Superstar will be extending its run on Navy Pier through August 9th, due to tremendous demand and irresistible new source material provided daily by the former governor. The show plays in a cabaret-style setting in which audience members can enjoy drinks Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare and, following each performance, the cast improvises a 20-minute political comedy set based on audience suggestions. 

Although Patti Blagojevich has left the country for the treacherous Costa Rican jungle on the show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, Rod can’t seem to escape the brutal Illinois political and media jungles as his saga continues to make headlines. As the Blagojevich scandal unfolds, the hit musical will continue to evolve including a completely improvised piece in which audience suggestions prompt the reason for dismissing the former first lady from the jungle. A brand new dance-mix of the federally released Roland Burris/Rob Blagojevich conversation will be featured before the improvisation set.

Rod Blagojevich Superstar follows the rise and fall of Rod Blagojevich with a 70s rock opera-like soundtrack and a story ripped straight from the headlines, and also stars all the key supporting players in the scandal including Roland Burris, Lisa Madigan, Patrick Fitzgerald, Patti Blagojevich and Richard Mell.

Rod Blagojevich Superstar marks Second City’s third production with Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The two companies first worked together in 2001 to create the critically acclaimed production of Hamlet! the Musical, followed by Romeo and Juliet the Musical in 2004. With Rod Blagojevich Superstar, Chicago Shakespeare and Second City continue their long tradition of bringing classic theater together with contemporary satire.

The acclaimed cast of Rod Blagojevich Superstar includes Joey Bland (Rod Blagojevich), Lauren Dowden (Lisa Madigan), Randall Harr (Richard Mell/Pat Fitzgerald), Lori McClain (Patti Blagojevich) and Sam Richardson(Roland Burris).

Written by Ed Furman with Music & Lyrics by T.J. Shanoff, the production team includes Matt Hovde (Director),Boaz Reisman (Musical Director), J. Jackson Smith (Stage Manager) and Lisa McQueen (Chorographer).

Rod Blagojevich Superstar contains adult humor and language and is recommended for mature audiences.

Rod Blagojevich Superstar is now running through August 9, 2009 Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare. Performance dates are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm, 7:00pm and 9:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount. Tickets are $25 ($20 for groups of 10 or more) and may be purchased by visiting Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com or calling the CST Box Office at 312.595.5600.

For more information about Rod Blagojevich Superstar and other Second City Shows visitwww.secondcity.com

Click here Rod Blagojevich Superstar! - Chicago Stage Review to read a review by J. Scott Hill. 

Click here Rod Blagojevich Superstar! Second City to read a review by Venus Zarris. 

DON’T MISS THIS HYSTERICAL CHICAGO ORIGINAL! 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s info on Rod Blagojevich Superstar!

Busman’s Honeymoon - Chicago Stage Review

“Busman’s Honeymoon” Extension:

The MainStage adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers’ mystery novel has added a five-week extension to accommodate demand, now running through July 26, 2009.  “Busman’s Honeymoon” plays Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 4 p.m. (NO SHOWS on Saturday, July 4), at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. in Chicago.  Tickets are $30 for regular single tickets (group, senior, student, rush discounts available), and are available at 773-761-4477 and HotTix.

DON’T MISS THIS DELIGHTFUL PRODUCTION! 

(”Busman’s Honeymoon” runs through JULY 26 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood. 773-761-4477.)

Click here to read a 3 1/2 STAR ChicagoStageReview! … 

Busman’s Honeymoon - Chicago Stage Review

Lifeline Theatre :: Big Stories, Up Close

UNVEILED … EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 7!

by Rohina
Directed by Ann Filmer

Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. Five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil in this compelling one-woman show. Come early to sample tea from Todd & Holland tea Merchants.

HERE’S WHAT CHICAGO STAGE REVIEW READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT UNVEILED: 

“This play was fantastic. Rohina did such an amazing job. She really brings the characters to life and sends a message of solidarity to all Americans in the face of terror. The set, the music, the lighting were all very powerful. A must see show for everyone.” … Matthew Ping

“It was so moving. I am so happy that I went to see this play. I think this play should be on a bigger stage. People really need to see this play and understand that as Americans we should not just take stereotypes as facts. Please see this show if you get a chance.“ … Melissa Strang

Presented by 16th Street Theater

Thru - May 30, 2009

EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE 7!

Thursdays & Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 5:00pm & 8:00pm

@ Berwyn Cultural Center

6420 16th Street, Berwyn

Box Office: 708-795-6704

16th Street Theater