Displaying items by tag: Mike Ooi

The Factory Theater Company just opened their latest production, Dating and Dragons, in its adorable space in the heart of Rogers Park. The venue is very intimate but comfortable, nicely lit, colorful and in this summer heat - well air conditioned!

In Dating and Dragons, the lead character Jack and his friends are serious fantasy game players. They are best friends who sincerely enjoy their weekly game like a real family that does not welcome new members easily. With them, game night is not just tradition, it is religion. To mixed responses of his fellow gamers, Jack meets a cute girl at the video store he runs and although his friends try to advise him in the rules of dating, he soon finds that “rules” when it comes to love and sexual attraction just don't apply.

The play written by Mike Ooi is a light fun look at the lives of these young people and their fascination with becoming "actors" when they "act out" the different characters and their corresponding powers, like invisibility and flame throwing. A young Richard Dreyfuss-alike, Nick Freed is perfectly cast as Jack and is quite convincing as the love struck gamer who dances on the edge of reality and fiction.  

Personally, I never really understood the fascination and escape with games like Dungeons and Dragons which has SO many rules, until I saw this solidly written play.  

Paige, played by Savannah Rae, is the sole female member of this game-obsessed group of friends. Rae gets a lot of laughs throughout this funny production, shining brightly with her nerdy, physically comedic performance. 

Diane, the mysterious girl Jack falls for in real life, is played well by Rebecca Wolfe, sending off believable flirtation vibes. Diane soon experiences his gang of game hounds after only a few dates and attempts to join in a newbie (much to the dismay of an impatient staple in the group), slowing down the action while she learns the rules. In this case, meeting a gaming enthusiast group of friends too soon is akin to meeting a guy's parents too soon. It could go very well and cement a newly growing relationship or it could be the awkward end. 

This show is highly enjoyable and an easy watch. The story is cute, the characters interact well and the humorous dialogue rolls evenly, providing some much needed levity during such crazy times. Dating and Dragons is truthful, light and fun just in time for those seeking some pleasurable summer entertainment.  

The real lesson here, is that love is not a "game". D and D also reminds us to put fantasy aside when you find yourself depending too much on your friend’s advice and "dating rules". Don’t resist acting from your own real human gut, or you may have already lost the game due to lack of your own self confidence in the "real world". 

Dating and Dragons is being performed at The Factory Theater through August 13th. The theatre is located at 1623 W Howard Street. For more show info visit www.thefactorytheater.com.