Theater Review: "The Good Soul of Szechuan"

"The Good Soul of Szechuan"
written by Bertolt Brecht
translated by David Harrower
directed by Shade Murray
Strawdog Theatre Company
through May 29th



No good deed goes unpunished.

When I first heard that adage, I thought it was funny, but I didn't really understand it. Then I gave a homeless person in my neighborhood five bucks. The next time I ran into them and I didn't have anything to give them, they were pissed. No good deed goes unpunished.

On a bigger scale, Obama attempted to provide healthcare for all because people are dying and/or going bankrupt. His reward has been death threats, slander and a compromised bill.

"The Good Soul of Szechuan" is a timely tale and a really good time.

First, the history lesson...

Bertolt Brecht was a German playwright and director. While motivated by the political and social unrest similar to the Dada movement, he wasn't out to destroy art but use it as a tool to convey and explore inequalities. His most famous works are "Three Penny Opera" and "Mother Courage." Stylistically, he championed theater as a collective experiment, often ensemble oriented and generated works. He was less interested in his words being presented respectfully and realistically and more interested in engaging and challenging the audience. It is quite common for his actors to announce their stage directions and character's intentions while performing in his quest to strip the story of representing reality.

Brecht's style is often mis-termed "alienation." It is anything but and that is clearly demonstrated in Strawdog's production. The "alienating" techniques of interrupting action with songs, announcing entrances and exits, addressing the audience, no set, harsh lights, actually gels audience and actors. One feels like we're all in this together.

The story begins with three gods in search of a good person. They are having a tough time. In Szechuan, they find Shen Te, a kind prostitute played robustly by Micheala Petro. Shen Te points out to the gods that it's difficult to be good while poor. They agree and reward her with money. She sets out to make a respectable life by using the money to buy a store to sell tobacco while also giving to the community. This overt action and her reputation for being good natured attracts a parade of mooching relatives, neighborhood beggars and insincere lovers. Faced with the likely collapse of her business and own future, she becomes her own cousin, Shui Ta, who kicks everyone out and doesn't take any shit. So, does this mean one has to be bad to be good?

This ensemble is in top form. Carmine Grisola as the gods' mortal guide in Szechuan is an anchor of good conscience while trying to eek out a living selling water. He plays it well and brings a strong empathetic sense of a good guy working hard just trying to make a living. It has to be tough to have any sense of optimism when selling water during the raining season. John Henry Roberts as the pilot without a plane deftly uses emotions as strings to pull to do whatever he can to become a true pilot again. He also has one of the best rock songs in the evening, "Pigs Will Fly."

Under Shade Murray's direction, the Strawdog ensemble invites you into their warehouse party and show you a good time while making you think and feel. For anyone who has ever done a good deed only to feel ripped off and burned, this may not be the tonic you need, but it does make you feel like you're in good company.

SOME PET(TY) PEEVES:

- I loved that the production was a scrappy mix of thrift store props and costumes and improv-style object work. When pantomiming drinking out of a glass, your thumb is NOT the lip of the glass. Everyone I saw drink from an improv glass pressed their lips to their thumb while sipping. Your thumb should be wherever it would be when you hold an actual glass, a good inch or so below the rim.

- I don't care if your playwright is dead, give 'em a bio in the program. Someone in your audience is likely to be new to the writer's work, so give them an opportunity to learn more and give the writer their due. This is the second production in a row I have seen where the playwright was dissed in this manner.

High Fidelity, HIgh Expectations

High Fidelity
Music by Tom Kitt
Lyrics by Amanda Green
Book by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed and Choreographed by Peter Amster
Piper's Alley
230 West North Avenue, 3rd floor
Route 66 Theatre Company

Originally a novel by British author Nick Hornby, but drawing more heavily from the Chicago-planted John Cusack film adaptation from 2000, comes High Fidelity, the musical. It's the story of Rob, the owner of a struggling record store trying to work his way through a trail of failed relationships in hopes to win back his latest ex-girlfriend, Laura.

What works well for the show is the environment. It's the story of a small group of friends connected by their love of music. They work in a record store by day and hang out at band bars at night. Putting it in a cabaret/night club setting is the right move. But I will say, if you're going to emulate a bar atmosphere, get a better selection of beer. No bar these characters would go to would serve a "carb free" beer.

This ambitious Route 66 Theatre Company production has its bright spots, but ultimately can't overcome the inherent issues in the story. First off, if your main character is a 40-something loser with a Hair Club for Men coif who still sleeps on a futon that doubles as his couch and is a douchebag when it comes to women, I'm going to have a hard time rooting for the dude. And when the love of his life is a 40-something lawyer who leaves him to find herself and then hooks up with an even douchier dude, well, she gets what she deserves.

If you have any familiarity with the original story, you may be wondering about my reference to the lead characters being in their 40s. They're not supposed to be. Even this production's website describes them as being in their 30s. One of the issues, is that the lead actors don't look it. They look old enough to know better and to have already worked out this stuff. The character of Rob, as written, is a bit of a jerk, but he's a jerk with charm and natural charisma and he means well and you cheer for him when he succeeds and you feel bad when he falls back. Such is not the case here. Stef Tovar, who seems like a competent actor, is miscast. The part of Laura, played by Tricia Small, is thin and underwritten, so its difficult to lay too much burden on her performance. What is definitely missing when these two are together on stage is chemistry. There's no reason for the audience to want them to get together, except to wrap up the show.



Behind the leads, is an excellent supporting cast full the spark and great singing chops one would expect from a musical about the love of rock and roll. Michael Mahler as "Dick" and Blair Robertson as "Anna" steal the show with the too few moments they have together on stage. Jonathan Wagner, in the thankless role of "Barry" that was a breakthrough for Jack Black in the film, does an admirable job and nearly brings the damn house down with the kick ass finale number "Turn The World Off."

Basically, the story has problems. A lot of telling us how people think and feel without showing us. It surprised me when Dick and Barry, the two record store employees, show up at the funeral of their boss's ex-girlfriend's father in the second act, but then I remembered someone mentioned in the first act that they liked Laura. Um, yep. There's a lot of that going on. These story telling flaws can only be overcome with super dynamic actors in the leads, which, they unfortunately don't have here.

Full Price, Discounted Ticket, Comp or Avoid Altogether?

Comp. If you get a chance to see it for free, go see it. I not, go rent the DVD and enjoy the movie's soundtrack, it's like listening to a freeform FM station from the 70s.

Last Day of Sketchfest

Last night, I saw GayCo, Pangea 3000 and Kerpatty.

While not a full blown critique, here are some of my thoughts.

GAYCO - Talented bunch, under rehearsed. GayCo is smart and funny. Their show last night took the form of an anti-gay marriage rally. It's difficult to sustain an entire show like that and they struggled with it. They probably would have benefited with cutting away to scenes and having the rally thread through the show. As it was, it hit a wall about twenty minutes in and took awhile to recover. Too many scenes didn't have an out and relied on a character flipping out and being dragged off. And for GayCo, there wasn't a lot of subtlety. There are some wonderful laugh out loud moments. A bit where two ex-gay men who are now just two hetero roomies was a blast. They demonstrated how they go out to bars and pick up women with one of them being a flamboyantly dressed and literal wing man. The show needs some editing and polish, but was the best written show of the evening.

PANGEA 3000 - Very funny, poorly written. This is a case of four guys getting by on their charisma and chemistry together. And I'm not knocking that, it works very well. All the scenes, with the exception of The Brain Bustin' Beat Boys, which was a very funny educational rap, would just read horribly on paper. If a student brought them in to one of my classes, we'd have words. But these guys make it work because it's tailored to them and they take it seriously while having fun. And they take risks, which is fun to see. The greater part of one scene was built around a guy eating a sandwich. Not bits, just chewing on a sandwich. A very funny radio parody played during transitions, but it did tend to go on too long, as did the transitions.

KERPATTY - The most entertaining of the three. These guys are ridiculous. They opened with a lip synch of "I Kissed A Girl" filmed on the streets of Chicago. A simple idea, committed to and done well. They also followed that with the best scene of the night. A simple two-person relationship scene between two guys holding their wives shopping bags at a store. The bulk of their show is comprised of bits. Very funny physical, visual schtick. Like Pandea 3000, it works because its those two guys who are doing it.

PICKS FOR TODAY, THE LAST DAY OF SKETCHFEST

2:30PM

Tough Call, looks like at least one strong show in each double bill.

UNRELATED - North Theater - Aaron and Jacob Caponingro, father and tween-year-old son doing a sketch revue. I like Aaron's work and this is an interesting relationship for developing a comedy show. They're on the same bill as We Have An Uncle Dick, one of the best names for a group ever.

EXTRA RIB - South Theater - The estrogen will be flowing in the South Theater. This is an all female gang chock full of funny actors and writers. Very promising. Hot Mess, a female duo, opens, and is likely to have some awesome music.

THE FOREST & THE PUERBAUGH SISTERS - West Theater - More estrogen in smaller doses. Cate Freedman is in one of these two groups and I've always liked her quirky work as an improviser and comic actor.

4PM

HORSE - North Theater - David Devries and Anthony Ellison wrote and head up this revue. These guys wrote a chunk of their material via Robot vs Dinosaur when we did drop-in sessions. Funny? Depends on your tastes. Weird, interesting, something for you to talk about and think about for the next few days? Definitely. They're on the same bill as Off Off Campus, UC long running improv group.

5:30pm

PLANET TERRANCE - North Theater - These guys all work at Second City and spill their frustrations of tending bar while throngs of people laugh at other comedians in the next room into their show. Very talented group of writers and performers. On the same bill as Rub-A-Dub-Dub.

7:00PM

AEMILIA AND ED'S ONE MAN SHOW - South Theater - Looks like they're going for a throwback to the early days of Nichols and May with a show done in the style of comedy typically performed at cabarets and jazz clubs in 1961. Should be tres cool. On the same bill as Team Jamaica.

Saturday at Sketchfest

Here are some picks for tonight...

6PM

SIBLINGS OF DOCTORS - North Theater - featuring Second City instructor and cool cat, Ranjit Souri and two other co-Indians. With Ranjit involved, there's a good chance this will be smart, funny and slightly askew.

7PM

GAYCO - North Theater - Chicago's first and perhaps only gay themed comedy group. AND they're funny. Even to straight people. Humorously funny, not queer funny.

8PM

CUPID PLAYERS - North Theater

APPROXIMATELY THREE PETERS - South Theater

BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP - West Theater

Toss a coin. All good. But if you haven't seen The Cupid Players' all musical revue of original songs, then do that.

9PM

PANGEA 3000 - North Theater

THE IMPONDERABLES - South Theater

PARTY CENTRAL USA - West Theater

I haven't seen any of these, but I would probably go see Pangea 3000, because they're supposed to all be writers for The Onion, and I'm a fan.

10PM

KERPATTY - South Theater

LAST CALL CLEVELAND - West Theater

Kerpatty's number one on my list followed by Last Call Cleveland.

11PM

STIR-FRIDAY NIGHT - South Theater

Asian-oriented, this Chicago group has been around about as long as GayCo, maybe longer. Their shows tend to be hit-or-miss, but if this is a "best of," it should rock.

Theater Review: Steve Allen's The Wake

The Wake
Written by Steve Allen
Directed by Elizabeth Styles
Presented by Chemically Imbalanced Comedy
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5pm
Through February 15th For ticket info, click HERE










Always beware the author's name above the title, I think. Especially when it is in a field for which the author is not well known (To be honest, I don't think it was Steve Allen's idea to bill himself that way, but a marketing move on CIC's part). The danger with plays written by well-known people is that they tend to be of a quality where, if the author didn't have a name, they would probably not be produced very often (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, anyone?) With this play, CIC could be carving out a niche for themselves as the presenters of plays written by celebrities known better in other fields. They previously have produced The Book of Liz by Amy and David Sedaris and God by Woody Allen. There's a play out there written by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook that must be on their radar.

So, Steve Allen is the draw here, but his hey day was quite awhile ago, so you may not know who the heck he is.

What you probably already know about Steve Allen

In 1954, he was the first host of The Tonight Show. He brought comedy into late night television five nights a week back when the show was done live and 90 minutes long! The show is still running, still recreating the format he innovated. David Letterman has often sited him as a major influence. During this time, he also did a Sunday night comedy show that for four years went head-to-head to TV juggernaut, The Ed Sullivan Show. Trace elements of both The Tonight Show and The Steve Allen Show can be seen today in SNL. On The Steve Allen Show, the show was carried by an ensemble of journeymen comedians, such as Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Pat Harrington and Louis Nye.

What you probably don't know about Steve Allen

The fucker never stopped. Up until his death in 2000, he kept churning out material on practically everything. He has published over 54 books on a wide range of topics. For a complete list of his books, click HERE. He has written music for films, stage and television, portrayed Benny Goodman in The Benny Goodman Story, created several other TV shows including one of my favorites, Meeting of the Minds, where he played a talk show panel host negotiating conversation between Ben Franklin, Cleopatra and Galileo.

So, what about The Wake? Well, out of the huge outpouring of Steve Allen's brain, only one play popped out. The Wake is essentially Steve's version of Lost in Yonkers, written twenty years before Neil Simon's play made it to Broadway. In the 1930's, the Scanlon siblings, who have never gotten along, are gathering from far and wide for the wake of their mother, Bridget, "one of the few saints on earth." As she lies in her casket in the cluttered Scanlon living room, family emotions run wild with each new arrival. This is a deeply human and heartfelt portrait of a big brawling family filled with foibles, kindness, old wounds, and passion.

The problem with The Wake, is that there are so many Scanlons and friends, that it's impossible to tell whose story it is. Allen spends many lengthy scenes with tipsy Irish-Catholics going around philosophising and near fisticuffing, that there's no real strong throughline an audience member can hook on to. The first act is so loaded with meeting people that near its end, I was wondering to myself what there was to come back to after the intermission. As if on cue, one of the characters blurts out to another,"What are you going to do about David?" Oh, okay, so that's what this is about...I guess. What is Belle, based on Allen's ever touring actress/comedienne mother, going to do about her little boy. A boy needs her mother, right?

And then the second act chugs along until it resolves that question near the end. Boom, a play, now Steve Allen can go on writing a ton of other things, including a series of hack murder mysteries starring himself. Hey, who hasn't wanted to do that?

The production itself, while uneven and saddled with a lot blocking that screams "the director told me to move here, now," has some strong performances, especially from Eric Bays and Even Absher as brothers at odds because one stayed home and the other writes books and travels. Tremendously enjoyable are Julie Mitre and Patricia Tinsley as the aging and doting McCaffrey sisters. They take two small roles with very few lines and simultaneously bring a level of gravity to the reality of being at a wake while bringing a lot of levity via their comic performances. Quite a trick.

All the while, though, as much a problem with the script as the direction, is there's never a strong emotional sense that "mom is dead." People refer to her as being an anchor for the family, but we don't feel or see the loss of her presence, except in some references to what the character Josephine Scanlon is going through off stage.

Basically, the best thing The Wake has going for it is its curiosity value, if you are wondering what kind of play Steve Allen wrote.

NOTE TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS:

- "vibrate" isn't "silent"
- CIC is BYOB, but that doesn't mean you have to. If you bring wine, do you really need to bring stemware that you keep clanking together?
- if your phone rings during the final moments of the play, just quickly turn it off - don't answer it!
- And to the cute girl sitting next to me who had that ego-filled douchebag hanging all over her, well, he's a douchebag. And his "great" idea for a radio show on stage has been done before. Lifeline did it a few years ago with The Shadow, the same show he wants to do it with.

THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

On Friday, I asked...

"Dr. Richard Batista, a Long Island surgeon, is divorcing his wife and wants her to give back what?"

24% said "His money spent on breast implants"
- Or, let him get custody of them on weekends.

No one said "His shared wisdom" or "His high school varsity jacket"

76% got it right with "His kidney"

According to The Associated Press, Dr. Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center, told reporters at his lawyer's Long Island office Wednesday that he decided to go public with his demand for kidney compensation because he has grown frustrated with the negotiations with his estranged wife. He said he gave his kidney to Dawnell Batista, now 44, in June 2001. She filed for divorce in July 2005, although he claims she began having an extramarital affair 18 months to two years after receiving the kidney transplant, his attorney, Dominick Barbara said.

She's had it for eight years, now, buddy. Maybe just split it down the middle.

Sunday at Sketchfest

It's a Sunday, what the hell am I doing posting? Just doing some quick picks for Sketchfest.

3PM

BEST CHURCH OF GOD - North Theater - The long-running 10:30am Skybox show has come back from eternity to do one more show at an hour when most of us can negotiate our bodies well enough to attend. May be your last chance ever to see this satire, so, see it.

4PM

THE ASSRISTOCRACY - North Theater - Described as "It will be a ripping good time!" and directed by one of my favorite humans, Sir James Honey. On the same bill as Jablonski, which looks like an off-shoot of those "Grandma June's Sewing Circle" guys. Both shows peppered with former students and colleagues of mine.

5:30PM

CELL CAMP - North Theater - Former Writing 5 students and actors have gone renegade under the direction of Chris Othic. Definitely check them out. On the same bill as the intriguingly titled Carpeted Afterhours who has the best self-penned bio ever on the Sketchfest website "...an entirely edge-free, conservative, and compromising sketch show. It’s a most-holds-barred, slow-paced banquet of playacting that takes you tenderly by jowls and into the land of snooze."

7PM

CREEPY HUG - North Theater - Strong cast of comedians backed a strong trio of writers. On the same bill as 4 Days Late.

So, basically, if you plant your butt in the North Theater and stay there all day, you have very good odds of being delightfully entertained.

For ticket info, click HERE.

Saturday Night

Sketchfest Recommendations for Saturday

1Pm

Unintentionally Hilarious - South Theater - Written and performed by 30 junior high school students. How can you miss this?

6PM

I think you have an even selection here. Jason Flowers and Friends (North Theater), ph Productions (South Theater) and OneTwoThree (West Theater). Jason is featuring some folks he has seen in Second City's Skybox space. He's the technical director there and he knows good from bad because, Lord knows, he's seen more bad sketch comedy than anyone on earth. PH has been around and certainly has the chops to put on a strong show. OneTwoThree are also seasoned and you can check out some of their videos on YouTube to see if theya re to your liking.

8PM

Cupid Players - North Theater - All original songs. All hilarious and well done.

9PM

I haven't seen any of the shows on the bill, but, as I mentioned yesterday, I would check out The North Briton Theatre Company, just for the cultural exchange value.

10PM

Ten West - South Theater - If you missed them last night, seem them tonight!

11PM

Another trio I haven't seen. Chris Othic of Robot vs Dinosaur saw Slow Children Playing on Thursday, so, based on his recommendation and the last few scenes he's written, I'd avoid them. Just kidding. He's says they're worth checking out, so do it.

Three Ugly Sweaters

Three ugly sweaters wearing three ugly sweaters.



This is just before the bevvy of Playboy bunnies came over for martinis and massages.


BEARDWATCH



One week, two days. A lot of scratching.


SKETCHFEST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FRIDAY


8PM

FRIED GREEN DURBINS - North Theater - Megan Green and John Durbin. Very funny two-person sketch show. Smart, often silly and dark. Good stuff.

BRI-KO - South theater - All silent. All funny.

9PM

NORTH BRITON THEATRE COMPANY - West Theater - I am not familiar with any of the three 9pm slot shows, but if I were going to take a chance on one, I'd see the North Briton Theatre Company from Manchester England and their show "Not the Footlights" for no other reason than to see what the Brits are up to these days when it comes to sketch comedy.

10PM

ELEPHANT LARRY - North Theater - From New York. I've heard good things. About them. And New York.

TEN WEST - South Theater - The show to see, if you haven't seen these guys. Very fine, well executed silent comedy.

11PM

TEAM SUBMARINE - South Theater - Like Elephant Larry, these guys are becoming Sketchfest staples. Might be worth checking them out to see why.

For ticket info, click HERE.


THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

"McCain campaign mascot Joe the Plumber has a new gig as what?"

40% said "Joe the Wal-Mart Manager"
- "Welcome to Wal-Mart. Meet me in the parking lot and I'll sell you my CD and book out of the trunk of my car."

20% said "Joe the Dancing With The Stars contestant"
- Really not so hard to believe. Look for this by the end of the year.

No one bit on "Joe the Barista"

40% got it right with "Joe the War Correspondent"

According to NBC affiliate WNWO-TV in Toledo, the Ohio man who became a household name during the presidential campaign says he is heading to Israel as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com.

Samuel J. Wurzelbacher (WUR'-zuhl-bah-kur) says he'll spend 10 days covering the fighting.

He tells WNWO-TV in Toledo that he wants to let Israel's "'Average Joes' share their story."

This is a wonderful idea! Look, credible journalism is going down the toilet, so let's load up the bowl and give it a big flush. Other celebrities we should immediately make into war correspondents include: Danny Bonaduce, Richard Simmons, Jay Leno, Tanya Harding, that ShamWow guy, Gary Busey, and any non celebrity you see on any VH-1 show interjecting forced snarky stupid comments about inane things (except Brad).

Sketchfest 2009

The Chicago Sketchfest begins tonight!

From their website...

The Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival is an annual event that celebrates the best in local, national and international sketch comedy. Over two weeks, 100 sketch comedy troupes will perform 125 shows. In addition to the performances, we offer workshops, networking events, and children's programming. The Chicago SketchFest is the world's largest sketch comedy festival, with hundreds of funny people in one convenient location - laughter guaranteed.

What the blurb fails to mention is that it is also madness. The energy in the Theater Building over the next two weeks will be through the roof. The lobby will be crowded shoulder-to-shoulder between shows. Shows won't start on time. Many shows are only performed once. If you hear about a great show someone saw and that you might want to see, it's probably too late. And it's a buttload of fun. And it's a festival, which means you'll see good shows, great shows and some really God awful shows.



Don and I have performed in it the last two years and, sadly, opted not to put a show together this round mainly because of his ill-timed decision to go through a divorce with our director during the months we would need to write and rehearse the show. Bastard. It's always about him.

There are a lot of shows going on and, while it's impossible to have a clear grasp on each group and which one you should make sure you see, I'll throw a few suggestions out over the course of the next two weeks.


THURSDAY - January 8th (Tonight!)

- 8pm -

Tough choices, you really can't lose. Sketchfest is opening strong. There's a good show in each of the three theaters.

North Theater - KERPATTY - A two-person troupe made up of the just plain inherently funny Pat Dwyer and Erin Pallesen. It promises to be a "funplosion." It's also directed by Jen Ellison. So there. Kerpatty has a rare second and longer slot at Sketchfest next Saturday night. If you can see them then, do that, and go see one of these other shows.

South Theater - SOLO DUET - Another two-person show with Jet Eveleth and Lyndsay Hailey, two of the sharpest, funniest ladies in Chicago. It would have been great if they had teamed Solo Duet and Kerpatty up on one bill.

West Theater - DENISE'S BOOK CLUB - is pleased to present a scaled-down version of the group's latest production, "Le Coq Plastique." A great show, sad to see it truncated, but if you missed it before, see it now. You can read my review of that show HERE.

- 9:30pm -

There's only one group playing that I'm familiar with and would go see.

West Theater - Hey You Millionaires is comprised of published humor author, a nationally produced playwright, and a high school English teacher. They create the kind of surprising, dark comedy that makes comedians laugh yet is accessible to everyone. My only cause for concern is that they are partnered with an LA group called Slow Children Playing, which was also the name of my Level 5 show back in '92. I thought it was a dumb name then, still do now. Google the name and you'll see how over used it is as a title. Doesn't mean they don't put on a good show. Could just mean they suck at coming up with names for themselves.

For Sketchfest ticket info, click HERE.


THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

"A six-year-old boy in Wicomico Church, Virginia missed the school bus and tried to get to school over six miles away by doing what?"

7% said "hitch hiking"
- No cause for concern. Stories about hitch hiking always end well.

6% said "scootering"
- Yes, he took that because his propeller beanie was malfunctioning.

No one said "He's six. He did nothing. He stayed home and watched TV." because, well, that wouldn't make the news, now would it?

87% got it right with "taking the family car"

According to The Associated Press, the boy, whose name wasn't released (but his parents' was! - Joe's note), missed the bus, took the keys to his family's 2005 Ford Taurus and drove nearly six miles toward school while his mother was asleep, police said.

He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.

The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games.

Good thing he didn't play Tetris.

Dressed and Served

THEATRE REVIEW

Don't Dress for Dinner
written by Marc Camoletti
adapted by Robin Hawdon
directed by John Tillinger
featuring Jeffrey Donovan, Patricia Kalember, Mark Harelik, Spencer Kayden, Jamie Morgan and Chris Sullivan
produced by Damian Arnold
presented by The British Stage Company
at The Royal George Theatre Center
Through Jan. 11
1641 N. Halsted St.
Tickets: $49.50-$59.50 at 312-988-9000.

When considering all the theater companies in America, including community theaters and academic institutions, there is a massive trade deficit when it comes to farce. While our amateur stages are littered with French and British sex farces so folks can giggle at seeing their dentist Jerry dressed in drag and running about the stage, we seem unable to send very much across the pond.

Not that we're not capable of it. I think because we have seen so much of it done poorly, we tend to relegate it to sitcoms and focus our stage energy towards, ugh, mounting stories that have already proven themselves on film.

Farce is one of the most difficult forms to write well. It is building a house of cards in a hurricane. One false move, one character not behaving in a way that makes sense, and the whole thing tumbles before the first act is over. The story and the script and be exceptional, but the performances can easily derail the proceedings. Wink and nudge too much and all believability and emotional investment is zapped. Under playing it can also keep the laughs from taking off.

Farce done well is a beautiful thing. Don't Dress for Dinner is a beautiful thing. It's not the perfect blend of play and playmakers, but in the few spots where the plot runs thin or the dialogue tries too hard for jokes, the actors excel and keep it together.

I personally was very excited to see this show for a few reasons. I am a huge fan of Burn Notice and think Jeffrey Donovan is brilliant in that show. It is no surprise that he handles farce as deftly as he handles dodging bullets and chasing bad guys. When he, Mark Harelik and Spencer Kayden take the stage, it's a lesson in verbal and physical acrobatics. Mark Harelik is one of my favorite character actors. GEEK ALERT: He played Devore Inspector Kashyk on one of the better episodes of Star Trek:Voyager and played the Russian ballet obsessed Count Kurushu in the classic Angel episode Waiting in the Wings. You might know him best from one of my favorite satirical films, Election, where he plays Matthew Broderick's friend and fellow teacher who has an affair with student Reese Witherspoon.

And as much work that Harelik, Donovan and Kalember do to keep tightly twisting the rubberband-like plot lines, it's Spencer Kayden who steals the show. The last time I saw Spencer on stage was nearly twenty years ago in the early days of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. Spencer seals herself up in the role of the hired french cook who walks away with many extra tips and laughs.

The plot itself starts off very much like any B-level American sitcom. Bernie (Harelik) is trying to rush his departing wife (Kalember) out the door so she doesn't cross paths with his mistress (Morgan). Just before leaving, she discovers that her husband's best friend Robert (Bernie's safety net alibi) is also coming over for the weekend. Unbeknownst to Bernie, his wife and Robert are also having an affair, so she changes her plans to stay.

Although it starts out as a typical imported sex farce, the stakes start to rise quickly and the methodical plot twists start flying. It's head-spinning, but in a good way. My only complaints are a very false note at the very end (post-climax) that I didn't buy happening with Donovan's character and, at times, the fight choreography comes across a bit stilted and calculated.

Nevertheless, good farce is hard to find and I had a great time. Well worth seeing.

THE RETURN OF WHEELCHAIR WEREWOLF!

Wheelchair Werewolf is a movie trailer parody by Joe Avella for which I did the voice-over. At Atom.com, WW is in a showdown. It's a weekly voter-based contest, and the winner gets played on Comedy Central. Voting ends soon, so get on it. Click HERE. Just takes a second to sigh-up to vote. We already contributed a million dollar to Rod Blagojevich to get him to vote for us.


THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

"Le Trung from Canada was having trouble finding a girlfriend, so he did what?"

50% said "dug up one"
- Ew.

34% said "advertised on national TV for one"
- Didn't work until he threw in the ShamWow.

No one said "stole one"

16% said "built one"

According to The Sun, computer ace Le, 33, from Ontario, Canada, has spent two years and £14,000 building his dream girl. He had planned to make an android to care for the elderly.But his project strayed off-course. Le said: “Aiko is what happens when science meets beauty.” Robo-wife Aiko starts the day by reading Le the main newspaper headlines. The couple often go for a drive in the countryside, where Aiko proves a whizz at directions. And they always sit down for dinner together in the evening, although Aiko doesn’t have much of an appetite.

Le says his relationship with Aiko hasn’t strayed into the bedroom, but a few “tweaks” could turn her into a sexual partner.

A few tweaks and he'll be able to have sex with Aiko? Okay, time to turn this project over to the Americans. When it comes to sex and technology, we know our stuff. I know I can get those tweaks done with a mellon baller and a can of lube.

You build a hot looking robot slave and this is how you dress her? This guy really needs some sexy robot schooling.

CUTTING TO THE QUICK

REVIEW: Cut To The Quick

Cut To The Quick: Splayed Verbiage
Written and
Directed by Various Artists
Presented by The Side Project

Through Dec 21st 2008

For ticket information and performance times click HERE

19 Plays. 3 Programs. 1 Theme.


Cut To The Quick is a festival of short works presented by the Rogers Park company The Side Project at their extremely intimate Jarvis theater. Artistic Director Adam Webster states in the program that this series has been a great opportunity to work with many new writers, actors, crew and directors. It's also a fairly quick and easy way to put up a production. That's not a slam. It's brilliant. You'll see more companies doing this. A small team of a writer, director and a few actors can get a ten-minute play together on rather short notice and on their own schedule. The trick is making sure they're all there for performances.

The Side Project has broken down their festival into three programs; Splayed Verbiage, Splinters and Shrapnel and Static/Cling. Each one, apparently, devoted to a theme. I saw Splayed Verbiage. I have no idea what the theme was. I also don't think that's important. What is important is that it is a strong evening of theater.

Splayed starts off with emerging birth-like sounds that erupt in a woman simply dragging herself out of the bed she shares with her husband. 78, by Laurel Haines and directed by Gina LoPiccolo quickly runs the couple, portrayed by Kelley Minneci and the physically deft Daniel Howard through the stages of life. It was a good choice for kicking off the evening. It reminded me that this wasn't an evening of bloated comedy sketches. This is theater. If there's a gimmicky concept, it's there for a purpose and mined for insight rather than laughs.

The rest of the evening chugs up and down through monologues, two-person scenes and a few slightly larger pieces. The styles range from straightforward to downright bizarre. Splayed is most successful in its two-person scenes. The New Lonely, by Andrew Hinderaker and directed by Vance Smith, is driven by Mike Harvey's recount of a one-night stand to a friend that tears through the seams of a tale of conquest to show us the loneliness and hunger underneath. It ends on a joke that undermines the intelligence of Mike's character, but it's forgivable, especially when handled so expertly by Joshua Toups. Black and White, by Mark Young, directed by Anna C. Bahow, pits a young sailor on a Chicago day trip against an art school chick on an El platform. What could have been a Neil Simon-y odd couple cute-meet goes beyond the surface to show us there's more to people than what we initially make of their appearance. Aaron Carter's O'Dark Thirty was one of my favorite pieces. Two buddies meet in a bar the night before one of them is returning to Iraq. It's played very nicely and puts human faces an that unneccessary war over there. Brett Neveu's Ethnic Cleansing Day, subtly delivered by Bob Wilson and Mike Harvey, again, is a disquieting reminder of how skeletons end up neatly packed into family closets.

Two pieces completely lost me, which, for a festival of 12 works is pretty good! Space, by Laura Jacmin and directed by Megan Shuchman, is so mired in its style that I have no idea what it's about story-wise. Fortunately, it hits you over the head with a hammer-encased message at the end. What keeps that piece entertaining is Cheryl Roy's delightful and energetic performance as Alice. Another piece that just seemed to try too hard to pack too much into a small space was Agony in the Garden by Crystal Skillman. There's one good idea about a friend who steals another friend's ashes. Unfortunately, it gets lost in too many other less interesting ideas. It also has a contrived happy ending.

One thing that I thought was sheer brilliance from a production point of view was the first act closer. It was a piece called Not That (But Something Else) by Brian Golden and directed by Chelsa Marcantel. And it features everyone. Even a few people not in any other piece. It's a great way to sneak in a curtain call and allow the actors from the first half a graceful exit from the proceedings and it also introduces us to the actors coming up.

The show is worth seeing. If you have never been to The Side Project, all the more reason to see this show. It's a strong reminder that when it comes to Chicago theater, good things come in small packages.


YEAH, IT'S FUNNY

THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

"To illustrate a loophole in procedures, the NY Daily News stole what?"

54% said "Donald Trump's hair"
- Don't touch the Don's hair. Your fingers will burn.

19% said "The Brooklyn Bridge"

18% said "The Statue of Liberty"
- We're going to give it back to the French. Needs too much upkeep.

9% got it right with "The Empire State Building"

According to The New York Daily News, in one of the biggest heists in American history, the Daily News "stole" the $2 billion Empire State Building.

And it wasn't that hard.

The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up a batch of bogus documents, making a fake notary stamp and filing paperwork with the city to transfer the deed to the property.

The massive ripoff illustrates a gaping loophole in the city's system for recording deeds, mortgages and other transactions.

The loophole: The system - run by the office of the city register - doesn't require clerks to verify the information.

Less than 90 minutes after the bogus documents were submitted on Monday, the agency rubber-stamped the transfer from Empire State Land Associates to Nelots Properties LLC. Nelots is "stolen" spelled backward.

Better return it. Don't want to piss off the previous owner.

REVIEW: A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Tim Supple
A Dash Arts Production
at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Through Dec 7th 2008

For ticket information and performance times click HERE

This impressive production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was two years in the making in India and is currently on a North American tour. I saw it on the day news was breaking about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. While no one was speaking about that, on stage or off, it was certainly in the air. How could it not be? A few of the actor's bios reference Mumbai as their home.

In a way, it made being a part of the show as an audience member particularly special. I know I personally felt more welcoming and wanted them to feel safe. It also made me more appreciative of the cultural gifts they were about to share. The cast should certainly be heralded for performing their show with great glee and gusto in the face of such turmoil. That act alone strikes at the heart of what theater is all about.

This Dash Arts production shows us how Shakespeare can be interpreted when embraced by another culture. Refreshing not to see a spin on Shakespeare that's different just for the sake of being different. If any playwright can bring multiple cultures together, it's the Bard. It is spoken in eight different languages, one of them English!

Sadly, this show is a mixed bag. It's a combination of Bollywood (without the sexual constraints), Cirque Du Soleil and community theater. It's a brilliant experiment weighed down by some just gosh awful acting. Where Shakespeare's story telling is universal, so is wooden one-note acting. The four lovers at the core of Midsummer's tale just don't have the chops to make us care about them. Their acting is so without nuance of emotion, that one really, really needs to be familiar with the story to be able to figure out what is going on.

Counter to them, though, there's some exceptional acting being done by a few others. Nick Bottom, played by Aporup Acharya, is an expert comic portrayal. Physical, concise and full of life and energy. Aporup, by the way, is one of the actors from Mumbai. His performance alone makes the show worth seeing. He and his company of rag-tag actors from the streets of Athens brighten up the stage every time they enter. Each characterization is clear, you get who they are and you know what they want. And they're delightful.

The duke and queen, played by P R Jijoy and Archana Ramaswamy, who double as the king and queen of the fairies, bring a lot of excitement and energy to the play. They are strongly masculine and feminine and provide an emotional anchor for the show. And Puck, as Puck should be, is a riot. Played by Ajay Kumar, he evokes a 1970's Ringo Starr in a red diaper.

And there's the spectacle of it all, fights and acrobatics, that is well done and if you get lost in the foreign language, well, just kick back and enjoy the fireworks.

Like I said, it is a mixed bag, but certainly worth seeing for the cultural aspects and for Bottom. Just bone up on the storyline beforehand.

THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY

Yesterday, I asked...

" 'Hataraku Watashi,' a play that recently opened to positive reviews in Japan, features two actors that are what?"

22% said "terminally ill"
- If that packs them in, don't tell Don Hall.

21% said "CNN-style holograms"
- Ya know, aside from serving no purpose whatsoever, they weren't really holograms.

7% said "lizards"
- Giant mutated lizards?

50% got it right with "robots"

According to The Sun, a play with a difference has opened in Japan – it's cast is half robot, half human.

The theatrical production stars a pair of Mitsubishi's 'Wakamura' robots alongside two human actors.

The robots play two depressed household servants who work for a young couple.

But the robots grow tired of their mundane lifestyle and long to break free and see the world.

The 20-minute piece titled Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) was written by Japanese playwright Oriza Hirata and opened this week at Osaka University.

Robot actors. Great. Let me know when the robots start writing.

No one told this woman the actor's golden rule. Never work with animals, children or robots.