june #3: second city training performances//waiting for lefty

friday night i had the pleasure of seeing jay sukow's c-level improv class perform at the second city.

what: a training class performance!

where: the second city location in old town, demaat theatre,

accompaniment: dustin!

drinkability: no booze for sale in this SC theatre (but others do!)

show length: 30 minutes

out of four: three/four

my college/work pal aj recently moved to chicago and almost immediately jumped into the improv scene at the second city. its been super exciting for me to see him become an actor...as it was a funny little idea in the back of his mind for so long, then he finally went out for community theatre and was cast. and cast again. and directed, won a local award, and decided to pack up his things and move to chicago and really give it a go. now he's three classes deep at second city and i finally got a chance to see him perform.

the set up is this: at the end of your level c class and above you get to finish your training by performing for others- which is the end goal, really, right? this particular night they lined up all the level c classes (i think i counted 10+?) and give them 30 minute time slots in which to showcase their talents they've learned over the last handful of weeks. this class had 12 people in it and it was determined before the show which improv "games" they'd play, with suggestions from the live audience to move their scenes along. after each group got to play their game they concluded the evening with one group game.

one of the best parts about this quick thirty minutes of fun? the show is only $2! its $1 (or free?) if you're a current SC student. aj luckily nabbed us the last couple of tickets before his particular class sold out...something that seems to have never happened previously (kudos, dudes!).

the thing i really loved about this performance is seeing people genuinely excited to perform. when's the last time you saw a group of people that you can just tell are all so nervous, jittery, yet excited at the same time? the best part is getting to greet the students at the end of the show and see how excited they are to perform the skills they've learned.

i'm not sure how often these performances happen, but if you have pals in the program ask when they're performing! its a quick show, $2, and a bunch of laughs.

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bonus show: saturday night i had the pleasure of seeing oracle theatre's WAITING FOR LEFTY.

i don't want to break my rule of not reviewing the same company's show in the same year (or six months if i absolutely have to) as i already shared my thoughts on their production of THE MOTHER earlier this year, but i just want to applaud oracle and its members for once again putting together thought-provoking creative theatre that had me on the edge of my seat for a quick 55 minutes. byob. free theatre. great talent. go see it.

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upcoming june shows:

friday june  24th, 8pm: prop thtr's slaughter city

join me, will you?

june #2: aloha say the pretty girls

friday night i had the pleasure of seeing the brown paper box company's ALOHA SAY THE PRETTY GIRLS.

what: aloha say the pretty girls by naomi iizuka

where: the boho theatre space in rogers park

accompaniment: ally, emily, & jenna!

drinkability: they gave out free beers with the show! horray!

show length: 2 hours with a 10 minute intermission

out of four: two and a half/four

ALOHA SAY...is the perfect example of why i wanted to start this blog. it was my first exposure to that play/playwright, first exposure to a show by brown paper box co., first exposure to the boho theatre space, AND i got to see a friend perform! and i happened to attend with 3 awesome lady friends...so really, it was just an ideal situation.

brown paper's mission statement states that they "..create thought-provoking and accessible theatrical experiences without the glitz of overproduction." they certainly followed through with this aesthetic with minimal props, essentially no set, and all transitions done by a dim of the lights and sound effects curated by the tongues of the actors. 

this show displays an ensemble of eight actors, two of which are brown paper company members and three of which play multiple characters. the first act takes place in nyc with the second in hawaii, as all these "twentysomethings"are on their journeys in life to generally figure it out. the show covers a wide range of twentysomething experiences- breakups, falling in love, moving, pregnancy, getting mugged in the subway (what, not all 20 something experience that?), mindless sex, drunken beach debauchery, and even a little bit of finding out what you as a human are all about.

natural standouts in this show for me were christopher hart (playing both will & derek) and angela mae davis (playing vivian). both had fantastic vocal quality that drew me in and left me excited to hear what they'd say next- as well as an incredible grasp on reality world acting. they were both charming and broke my heart at the same time.

comedy-wise stephanie rohr (wendy) and luke michael grimes (myrna & richard) kept me laughing and entertained on the lighter side of things. wendy is a character who goes after what she wants and isn't afraid to go for it. and as far as myrna: i mean, a fabulous guy playing a woman is always a hit- isn't it?

i was definitely charmed by ALOHA... and enjoyed watching the character's journeys. there were definite weak spots in the show that left my mind drift. i think if the show focused on act 1 and cut most of act II it would be much stronger (in my opinion: as i preferred the realism in act 1 to a lot of the sudden fantasy in act 2). but i did enjoy my time in the tiny boho theatre space and look forward to seeing more from brown paper!

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upcoming june shows: 

friday june 21st, 8:30pm: second city: jay sukow's training class

*bonus! saturday june 22nd, 8pm: oracle theatre's waiting for lefty

friday june 29th, 8pm: prop thtr's slaughter city

join me, will you?

june #1: the misanthrope

friday night i had the pleasure of seeing court theatre's THE MISANTHROPE.

what: the misanthrope by moliere

where: the court theatre at the university of chicago

accompaniment: dustin!

drinkability: bad! no byo and no drinks for purchase sans soda & water.

show length: two hours with a 15 minute intermission

out of four: three and a half/four

this was my first experience with both the court theatre as well as the misanthrope, so i went into the evening not really sure what exactly was ahead of me. a college classmate of mine, desmond, appears in the misanthrope as one of only two non-equity actors so i was very excited to see him in action as well as finally catch a show at the court. he was kind enough to get us tickets (as court theatre has pricier tickets than most, ranging from $15-$65. pro tip: always check hottix!) so thanks, des!

i knew walking in to the court that this was going to be highly produced and incredibly well acted and i am so happy to say that it lived up to all my expectations and beyond. at one point i mentioned to dustin that as much as i love "diy" theatre and storefront theatre in chicago, its easy to forget WHAT and HOW MUCH can happen when a bunch of money is behind a production.

the misanthrope was one set, on display as you walk into the theatre. beautiful wood work on the floor (you can catch a glimpse in the photo above), gorgeous gold curtains drape from the ceiling, a fainting chair covered in black fabric sits center stage, and the playing area is almost playground-like with center stage dipping down a step, giving the actors a chance to jump or step from the center to the outside platforms as well as making picturesque levels massively convenient for the director. the fabric on the fainting couch is later removed and the gold curtains drop and its an entirely new bedroom. and its done flawlessly.

other tech highlights include the awesome music score. andre pluess & josh horvath work together in sound design to create classical pieces with hip hop beat backgrounds. it makes for awesome transitions as the attitudes, costumes and general disposition of the actors is quite modern while the language is classical. the star of the technical aspects, though was costumes. my goodness. jacqueline firkins: i hope you win all the awards there are out there for this production. a black and gold motif dresses all the characters flawlessly. the designs are beautiful and left me with incredible costume envy. seriously, go see this show for the costumes alone!

but of course you can't have a breathtaking show without some talent to back it up. erik hellman who plays alceste steals the show for me. from his first few lines i was drawn in at his absolute natural and effortless management of the text. he's also all over the place and the stage, but with distinct and calculated movements. rather: he moves around a lot without flailing incessantly. he makes the perfect rich boy pouty lover and i ate up every moment of his performance.

celimene played by the beautiful grace gealey was number two for me. girl is talented and her musical theatre background stood out in her choices. she also had such a fierce handle on the language as well as the ability to flawlessly rant without tripping up on one phrase. bravo, bravo.

the misanthrope at the court is just absolutely a gem. not too long or overwhelming- just as i was starting to lose focus and gaze out at various places on the stage for far too long the show concluded. it was also kind of a twisted joy to see such a downer ending. you don't get many of those these days, do you?

this show closes this weekend. missed it? won't have a chance to get there in time? no worries, they open TARTUFFE in 2 weeks with the same ensemble of actors. fingers crossed i can catch these players in action again.

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upcoming june shows:

friday june 14th, 7:30pm: the brown paper box company's aloha, say the pretty girls

friday june 21st, 8:30pm: second city training class performance

saturday june 29th, 8pm: prop thtr's slaughter city

join me, will you?