Chicago Theatre Review
Holidazed and Amused is Nice and Naughty at the Second City
The annual Holiday comedy show at the iconic Second City is a light-hearted, musical mash up of all that Second City is known for: sketch and improv, with an emphasis on parody songs.
The cast this year is particularly musical, the opening number was sung in at least a five-part harmony and an improved musical version of a typical Hallmark Christmas movie was also catchier than it had any right to be. My personal favorite musical number had to be the story of a girl who comes from a “Musical Theater” family, which led to a mash up of several Broadway Classics – turning On My Own from Les Miserable into a parent’s joy at a moment of peace, and Chicago’s Cell Block Tango a celebration of Christmas Dinner.
Some of the shorter bits were also dance numbers, and given the season, very cathartic. Like they say, when you have feelings too big to talk about, you sing, and when they are too big for singing you DANCE.
This year’s cast is particularly physically talented, and what’s more, committed to the bit. Riley Woollen carried a Sasquatch role to the bitter end, but with such boyish good humor it was more sweet than bitter. Anna Bortnick plunges into myriad dance numbers with an irresistible ferociousness. Ross Taylor’s Android is at once robotic and so creepy I couldn’t help but wonder if he was, in fact, part machine, and his version of the “Irish Goodbye” may be one I have to adopt myself. Kennedy Baldwin moves with a confidence that carries her easily from creepy Christmas Tree agent to recalcitrant child, to man-eating “Vixen.” Deb Duncan takes a turn as a “pervert ghost” that is both unfortunately and hilariously rhythmic. Rich Alfonso has a collection of expressions, from incredulous, to grumpy to suspicious, that prove the necessity of a straight-man for the really big laughs. The whole cast works together like old friends, and dances together like the understudies for a boy band you never knew you wanted.
The show stays safe, topically speaking, as is appropriate for a holiday table – it’ll only annoy that one uncle a couple of times – and those times will be worth it. The modern holiday season is often a source of stress, this show’s irreverent sendups will provide a great release valve, while keeping things light enough to laugh it all off. The whole cast is having a blast, and they bring the audience along for the ride. It’s great for visiting family and friends, and at 90 minutes, doesn’t have to take over the night. If you’re looking for a few laughs and a break from talking to your family, bring them along, especially that one uncle.
Recommended
Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia
Holidazed and Confused runs November 26 – December 31 at 1616 N. Wells St. Chicago. Tickets start at $35 and show times are available at The Second City Box Office, by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com.
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.
Theater Wit’s Who’s Holiday! takes nostalgia out for some raunchy play.
“Remember little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two? What became of that tot, after that Grinch and what-not?” The answer, in some rhyme, some song, and all rated R fun is… a lot.
Cindy-Lou Who, the adorable tot who helped save Christmas from the Grinch, is all grown up and living in a mobile home at the base of Mount Crumpit. Actress, singer and comedian Veronica Garza returns to reprise her title role for the fifth year in a row, and she brings a party:
Christmas Day is in our grasp.
Why the vodka? Glad you asked!
The tot from The Grinch has grown, you see.
She’s cursing and drinking. She’s super messy.
Her FIVE YEARS at Theater Wit have been nothing but trouble!
And this year, we fear
She’s gonna make it a DOUBLE!
Directed by Christopher Pazdernik and written by Matthew Lombardo, Who’s Holiday! is a smart, sassy and irreverent take on nostalgia in general. After all, in real life, there is never a hazy, joy filled “ever-after” there is just life, with all its inconveniences, hard knocks and unexpected blessings.
Cindy-Lou’s mobile home looks like the 70’s threw up Christmas, thanks to Jeff-Award Winning Angela Weber’s work, and Uriel Gomez’s hilarious, whimsical and delightfully tacky costumes bring it all home. Matthew R. Chase, sound and production manager, makes the sound feel natural and immersive in a small space. The life story of little Cindy-Lou Who is told with a sweet, playful and hilariously raunchy performance by Veronica Garza, who holds court like the queen she is. She speaks in a broad, midwestern accent, adding to the kitsch, because of course they speak in rhyming Midwestern English in Whoville.
First, she tells the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas from Cindy-Lou’s perspective, which grounds the show in a history that we are all familiar with, and adds a more lived-in feel to the events. Then, she continues with the story after the picture book ends, a journey that takes increasingly darker turns. She never goes long without a smile and joke, however, flirting with the audience and even bursting out into several musical numbers, including one rap. Garza’s voice is Broadway quality, and she embraces the music with irresistible enthusiasm.
Despite the silliness, the raunch, and the gloriously tacky décor, Garza still brings the evening home with a reminder of what really matters in life, emphasized with a sing along.
The Wit Theater concessions offers a full bar, several themed drinks and even a boozy hot chocolate. The show runs a breezy 65 minutes too, which leaves plenty of time for dinner and an early bedtime – perfect for all the adults who were once hopefully little tots themselves.
Recommended
Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia
Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.; additional, 9:00pm shows on Fridays and Saturdays Dec. 6,13,19, 20, 26 & 27. Industry Night is Monday, December 1 at 7 p.m. Understudy performance featuring Jenna Schoppe is Saturday, December 6 at 9 p.m. Run time is 65 minutes, no intermission. For mature audiences only.
Tickets: General Admission $39-$65. Tickets for children 12 and under are $500. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org or call the Theater Wit box office (773) 975-8150.
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.
Family, Faith and the Future
Miracle on South Division Street
For generations the Nowak family has called their neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, home. Clara is the matriarch and her three grown children, Ruth, Beverly and Jimmy, are her pride and joy. The old neighborhood has gone through many changes. Businesses have closed, buildings have been shuttered or even torn down. Many of the old residents have moved away, relocating to the suburbs. But despite all of this, one landmark still remains the same. Located outside the Nowak’s home, just steps away from the old barbershop, stands a very large statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Read MoreLet Down Your Hair
Rapornzel
Have you ever heard of a Panto or Pantomime? I’m not talking about a game of charades or a performance by French mime artist Marcel Marceau. A Panto is a very popular English theatrical tradition presented around the holidays. It’s a comedy with music, usually based upon a familiar fairy tale, and the humor is broad and extremely bawdy, especially for the adults. The Panto features cross-dressing: the Panto Dame is typically played by a man in drag and the Principal Boy is portrayed by a young woman in trousers. The show also incorporates plenty of audience participation. We’re often asked to sing along with the cast, and the show features lots of audience participation and call-outs. For example, theatergoers are directed to shout a racy greeting each time a certain characters appear on stage. We’re also instructed to “Boo” the villain whenever he or she shows up. A gay Fairy is greeted with mad cheering and applause and when any of the Good Guys join the story, the audience is commanded to whistle, shout and cheer.
Read MoreMore Befuddled Than Beguiled
Taming of the Shrew
Always reluctant to attend a production of what’s consider William Shakespeare’s most controversial play, I was intrigued to see how the highly respected Court Theatre would treat this comedy. Would I be befuddled or beguiled? TAMING OF THE SHREW is viewed as a problem play, especially since the Me Too Movement, because of its subject matter. For anyone not familiar with the play, Shakespeare’s comedy is about—indeed, seems to celebrate—misogyny. Baptista’s docile younger daughter, Bianca, isn’t allowed to marry until his more outspoken daughter, Katherina, finds a husband. But no one’s interested in Kate because she’s so strong-willed. The Bard focuses on male dominance over females, in is play, and how women need to be beaten down and brought to their knees. At the end of the play, after being “tamed” by Petruchio, Kate, the Shrew, instructs her female companions that a wife must be obedient to her husband. It’s a most irritating and painful monologue, to say the least.
Read MoreBlack Comedy Tonight
Black Comedy
Black Comedy, a farce by Peter Shaffer from 1965 and Theatre Above the Law’s new production, opens on a darkened stage. Brindsley and his fiancee have ‘borrowed’ the fancier furniture of a neighbor to impress an art collector. Just before the party is set to begin, a fuse blows plunging the characters into darkness, but bringing the stage lights up. While the audience can the see the actors, the characters can’t see anything and vice versa. When the characters restore the lights, the theater goes dark again. Add a parade of unexpected and unwelcome guests, and you have the recipe of a first rate farce.
Read MoreBigger and Better Than Ever!
A Christmas Carol
If you can believe it, this is the Goodman Theatre’s unbelievable 48th year presenting their popular, critically acclaimed production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. And the great news is that this year’s production is even bigger and better, than ever! Each year the Theatre surprises audiences with lots of exciting, new surprises that make their production feel fresh and even more extraordinary than the previous year. New cast members grace the stage and familiar actors seen in an unusual role tell the story. Technical tweaks in the scenery, new special effects and additional music and properties add a special freshness to the production. And each year, while Charles Dickens’ story and Tom Creamer’s script are both basically the same, the production is always a little different. And viva la difference!
Read MoreAll the World’s a Stage
As You Like It
Shakespeare’s sweet, pastoral comedy, thought to have been written around 1599, is one of his more frequently performed of his plays and an audience favorite among professional, regional and educational theaters, alike. It boasts a large cast of memorable characters, all of whom spend most of their time roaming through the forest and farming community and pining for love. The story has even been adapted for radio, film and the musical stage.
Read MoreHappy Holidays
White Christmas
We’ve already had an early snowfall in Chicagoland this Winter, but, at Aurora’s breathtaking Paramount Theatre, the snow is falling again on stage, night after night. The award-winning Theatre’s latest offering is a truly magical stage adaptation of the classic 1954 film holiday film. Audiences, both young and old, will be absolutely delighted and emotionally moved by Paramount’s sweet-sounding, visually stunning Christmas confection. This musical production glitters so brightly and sparkles with so much talent that it’s guaranteed to put the audience in the holiday mood.
Read MoreFabulous, Baby!
Sister Act
Dreaming of fame, fortune and phenomenal stardom is the attractive and audacious Deloris Van Cartier. The charismatic protagonist of this musical is a flamboyant Philadelphia nightclub singer. Deloris is hoping, as she auditions her hit, “Take Me to Heaven,” that her smarmy gangster boyfriend and discotheque director, Curtis Jackson, will make that happen. But when Deloris accidentally witnesses Curtis and his posse of thugs offing a guy who squealed on him, suddenly her life is in danger. Led by Deloris’ old high school buddy, the sweet-natured “Sweaty Eddie,” the Philly Police decide that the best place for Lady Fabulous to safely hide is in a convent. And thus this moving story of friendship, sisterhood and becoming “Fabulous, Baby!” begins.
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