QUEST THEATRE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF FREE CHICAGO THEATRE

Quest Theatre Ensemble celebrates ten years as “The People's Theatre” with THE PEOPLE’S EXHIBIT – A 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, running November 16th -18th, 2012.  With events planned for everyone in the family, there's plenty of opportunity to

support the company that says, “We don’t care if you’re old, young, rich, poor, tall, small, skinny or fat.  Art belongs to everyone. Theater should be free. Everyone is

welcome!”

Tickets available for purchase at www.questensemble.org

Steppenwolf Keeps the Door Open for Good People

While listening to the recent Democratic National Convention, a quote from Michelle Obama stood out to me: “When you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that door of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.” As I listened, I wondered, if one was to make it out through that door, out of the refuse of a thousand broken projects steps and tainted little Cul-de-sacs, out of a sea of debt and endless arrays of hopelessness, what would become of the community and those that have in part been forgotten? The answer to this question, penned by Pulitzer prize winning playwright David Lindsay Abaire, is currently running at Steppenwolf Theatre

Within David Abaire's superbly written drama, Good People, we get to see first hand the slick maneuvers and rhetoric executed by the poor in South Boston's Dorchester Neck community. Referred to by its inhabitants as Southie, it is reminiscent of more than a few of the low income housing projects scattered throughout Chicago's more neglected districts. At the top of the show we find the heroine of the poorly educated and credit -debt ladened working class, Margaret (played sympathetically by Marrian Mayberry), already at the losing end of a high-stakes version of The Game of Life. Within the first scene of the show, she loses her 9 dollar an hour job at the at the hands of a sniffling boss about 20 years her junior. She is forced into a world where enemies may become saviors and old friends are less than empathic to her cause.

In this vibrant production directed by K. Todd Freeman, Margret's struggle slushes out over the audience by way of Marrian Mayberry's tenaciousness and her solid portrayal of Margret as the every man or woman gone awry. The scars of anguish welled up from years of stress, poverty and the burden of caring for a handicapped daughter exercise themselves during her interactions with her cohort Jean(titillating played by Lusia Strus). Jean's empathy extends from the heart but not the pockets. Margrets' land lord Dottie (played whimsically by Molly Regan) also adds pressure with her humorous yet frighteningly business minded practicality.

With our nation in an economic down turn, with jobs lost and an air of desperation circulating in some communities, those that are poor, and those without voices deserve some saint or martyr. With a bit of fine tuning on the part of the ensemble, Margret could quite possibly step up to the task.

Marian never allows herself to flex Margret's full deck of cards. Margret's status as a victim is trumped far too often. To survive so long, in suc

h horrible conditions, Margaret must be a tactician and a carefully calculating opportunist. This slight advantage was ignored in the production and because of this, Margret often seemed pressed under the weight of her lowly economic status and never becomes the superpower she is designated to be within Abaire's beautifully written script. This is seen more concretely when Margret finds herself in the company of Mike, (Keith Kupferer) an ex street brawler turned high-end doctor who has become far too wealthy, exclusionary, and lace-curtain to be bothered with his old Southie stomping buddies and his wife (played byAlana Arenas), who tries her best to widdle away at the fury of Southie – that Mike attempts bury underneath his class.

This slight issue aside, the play is wonderful and without question one of the best shows in Chicago in recent years. As a fan of Abaire's ever since I first encountered his pulitzer prize winning play Rabbit Hole, I can say without question that the man has and will only get better. Good People raises questions concerning class, the dissemination of our countries wealth, the drawbacks of missed opportunities and our human proclivity to forget the things in our lives that bring us the most pain.

If ever there were a time when you yourself were poor, caught in the clangor of economic oppression, dodging sleuthing land lords and stumbling into one minimum wage job after another, Good People is one of the few plays in the city doing you justice. If you haven't gotten the chance to experience these turmoils first hand, then Steppenwolf's production of Good People will do a little more than bring you up to speed. It will unravel for you the complex inner workings of the isolated, tired, often ignored poor, and the desperate singles mothers that you may often drift by on your daily commutes on the L-Train to work. If you do see them, at least, be sure to keep the door open behind you.

GOOD PEOPLE begins previews September 13 (Opening Night is September 23; Press Performances are September 22 at 3pm and September 25 at 7:30pm) and runs through November 11, 2012 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Tickets ($20 – $86) are on sale now (prices are subject to change).

Shawn L. Price

Price.l.shawn@gmail.com

Highly Recommended 

Beloved Christmas Schooner Sails into Mercury Theatre

THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER returns to the Mercury Theater (3745 N. Southport, Chicago), from November 23 through December 30, 2012. The press opening will be on Wednesday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m. The whole family will enjoy this heart-warming story of the first Christmas tree ship and the family who risked their lives to fill Chicago with the Christmas spirit. This critically acclaimed production features a powerful, moving story, an exquisite score of original music and traditional holiday favorites, and a company of 25 actors and musician

s.  This year’s production commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the historic voyage of the Christmas Tree Ship.

Performances are from November 23 to December 30, 2012.  The schedule is: Wednesdays at 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 1pm.  Tickets range from $29 to $59. Groups of 10 or more receive discounts of up to 50%.  For tickets and information contact the Mercury Theater at 773-325-1700 or www.mercurytheaterchicago.com.

DAVIDs TEA to open stores in Chicago

As the crisp autumn temperatures fill the air, a new “hot spot” will give Chicagoans a delicious new way to warm up. Chicago will soon be home to a contemporary tea shop, with more than 150 varieties, including several never-before-seen flavors. Canadian loose leaf tea retailer DAVIDsTEA offers teas sold loose by the ounce and to-go by the cup (hot or iced), in a friendly environment, by well-informed, passio

nate staff. The company, which last year opened two successful locations in New York City and this month is opening locations in San Francisco, continues its growth with plans to open stores in Chicago this fall. DAVIDsTEA will open stores in Chicago beginning with the inaugural at 1645 North Damen (in Bucktown), followed by openings at 3530 North Southport (in Southport), and 922 West Armitage (in Lincoln Park).

News From Emerald Theatre

Cinderella tickets !

News from CSO

Updated concert information for October 2012 Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Center Presents and Civic Orchestra of Chicago programs is now available.