Author: Sophia
“Family Drama: Two Norwegian Plays” with Akvavit Theatre
Akvavit Theatre has launched its 2019-20 season with a double bill production. Called FAMILY DRAMA: TWO NORWEGIAN PLAYS, the first half of the evening was The Returning directed by Lee Peters and and the second was Goliath directed by Kirstin Franklin. Both scripts have been translated into English, but unfortunately the different acts tackled the heightened syntax, dark humor, and hidden secrets differently. Merely from listening to the words, one could tell that English wasn’t the original language that it was written in; sometimes it was because of literal translations of sentences that should have been adapted to a phrase that is common to the socioeconomic class of the characters saying it, and other times it was unintended double-entendres. This re-interpretation of the oddly formal language was not handled well in the first act The Returning, but was used in an inventive and successful way in the second act, Goliath.
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“Equivocation” with Idle Muse Theatre Company
Equivocation by Bill Cain has opened Idle Muse Theatre Company’s 2019-20 season. Directed by Evan Jackson, the story transports us to the aftermath of the failed assassination of King James I during the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In this alternate history, Lord Robert Cecil has commissioned William “Shagspeare” to write a true account of the incident, but true to the interpretation of the king. Be forewarned, this script is a mental workout, but the cast and crew are all personal trainers of the highest degree, qualified to guide you and push you through this ever twisting and turning tale.
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“Dana H.” at The Goodman Theatre
Dana H. is a revolutionary new play directed by Les Waters and written by Lucas Hnath. It is the true story of Hnath’s mother, Dana Higginbotham, who was abducted by an ex-convict who she had met and helped counsel in a psych ward. In this one woman play, Deirdre O’Connell lip-syncs to an interview which was conducted by Steve Cosson at the urging of Lucas Hnath. Hnath then took those recordings to weave a script that tells Dana’s story as she would have told it herself, with endearing jokes and chilling recollections. O’Connell sits on stage and lip-syncs to not only the words, but also recreates movements captured by the audio recording. Those with trepidations to that premise can rest assured that this is not merely a gimmick, but an addition of ingenious artistry to repackage the original voice and source material.
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“Love and Information” with Trap Door Theatre
Trap Door Theatre is currently performing Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information as a part of their 26th season. With direction by Kim McKean and an ensemble of nine performers, the production seeks to analyze how the over-saturation of media has enhanced and weakened modern day relationships between humans. The performance succeeds in presenting this theme with an interesting twist that I will elaborate on later; however, the unfinished framing technique as well as an inconsistent ensemble may leave some audience members uninspired.
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“At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen” with The Story Theatre
For their second season, The Story Theatre has opened At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, written by Terry Guest, their current season’s resident playwright. You will be attending Courtney Berringers’ funeral, but with a twist. Before burying and laying her to rest, we must revisit the truths and the lies of Berringers’ life. Instead of a night of somber respect and lowered eyes with hands clasped in laps, it is a celebration of queerness, blackness, and identity told through traditional scenes as well as direct monologues and drag numbers and stagecraft. Directed by Mickael Burke, this fascinating, captivating, and heart-wrenching examination of the concepts organic, inorganic, and the combination of both inspires the audience to evaluate the presence of these concepts in their own lives.
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Lips Chicago
Having first opened in NYC over twenty years ago, Lips Drag Queen Show Place has traveled from New York City to San Diego to Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta and has finally arrived in Chicago. Lips Chicago is a drag dining experience located at 2229 S. Michigan Avenue and will undoubtedly become a mainstay for residents and tourists of Chicago. This particular venue hosts 8 shows starting on Wednesday of every week until Sunday evening, so take your pick! It’s a Russian roulette of top-notch-high-heel entertainment.
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“Out of Love” with Interrobang Theatre Project
Interrobang Theatre Projects has launched its tenth season with the U.S. premiere of Elinor Cook’s Out of Love. The story follows two childhood friends as they grapple with human connections through three decades. Directed by Georgette Verdin, we see Grace and Lorna explore what companionship means in terms of trust, rivalry, and honesty between two women, as well as the dynamic between women and a patriarchal society that seeks to pit them against each other. It is not only one of the most raw depictions of women in society, it is also a study in how to use every tool in a theatre artist’s toolbox to craft a theatrical experience that shows organic expressions of the human existence without appearing too pristine and polite.
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“A Kind of Love Story” at Oil Lamp Theatre
What an apt name for a tale of modern day romance: A Kind of Love Story. The current generation has been lambasted for our non-committal views and our reluctance to label aspects of our lives. So, in turn, we are given a love story that is a saga of missed encounters and opportunities that have fallen through the net. Oil Lamp Theatre’s first show of the season, A Kind of Love Story by Jenelle Riley, is marketed as 500 days of Summer meets Sleepless in Seattle, but it would be more appropriate to purely market it as a conglomeration of Meg Ryan’s rom-com resume of Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and When Harry Met Sally.
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“Beyond Therapy” with Eclipse Theatre Company
Second in the line-up for Eclipse Theatre Company’s Season of Christopher Durang’s work is the farcical comedy Beyond Therapy. Directed by Rachel Lambert, the play is set in the early 1980s of New York City. While the accurate set design and costume design is reminiscent of that time period, don’t let that fool you into thinking that this production is outdated. Au contraire, the absurd hypocrisies and contradictions found in the comedy of this play are still prevalent; they are just found in different groups of the population. As we watch clownish characters fling prejudices at each other as metropolitan 30 and 40 somethings of the 1980s, we can laugh at them as we recognize their logical fallacies (“He’s not gay, he doesn’t lisp!”) as those held by less politically and socially aware today.
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“Strange Heart Beating” with Cloudgate Theatre
Cloudgate Theatre’s sophomore production is the World Premier of “Strange Heart Beating.” This dark, twisting tale is written by Kristin Idaszak, Artistic Director of said company, and is directed by Addie Gorlin. The production takes us into the fantastical realm of rural Midwest America, a place that is supposed to call to mind homegrown charm and eternal good manners. However, by following our heroes’ journeys, we unearth the prejudices and injustices that taint the white picket fences that line our nation. The play seeks to unravel, but instead the fabric of the play frays before our eyes.
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