Displaying items by tag: Uptown Chicago

There are no shortage of stories to be told in Chicago. Whether you’re visiting a museum, riding the L, or simply sitting on a lakeshore bench, you can find a story in every person you encounter, every landmark you see, even the very ground holds stories in Chicago. For every singular story there is a theatre, a center, or a space that offers a stage to allow those voices to be heard in nearly every neighborhood from prime downtown real estate to a small garden space. Whatever the stage, voices are given a platform and stories are shared. It is only for us to sit for a moment and listen to the stories, lest they never be told, or forgotten to time. That’s exactly what Jerker, Or The Helping Hand aims to do before it wraps on November 8^th at the Open Space Arts.

L-R: Joshua Bowen, Jason Bowen. Photos by Jeremy Lawson Photography.

Jerker, Or The Helping Hand is a pornographic elegy with redeeming social value and a hymn to the queer men of San Francisco in twenty telephone calls…many of them dirty. Set against the backdrop of San Francisco in the 80s, the intimate and minimalist set puts you right in the middle of a quick and steamy sex call. The two men lay in their respective beds, one hand holding their long landlines, the other holding their long…well, you can imagine. Over the course of the phone calls we learn about the context they find themselves in, their world slowly forming around them with each reference of the character’s flirty banter. Flirtation leads to vulnerability, vulnerability leads to friendship, and something deeper is being connected through the tangled red telephone cords, more than just casual sex. These men can’t truly be who they are, for fear of ridicule and a virus that terrified and decimated a community. They long to be seen, to be cared for and looked after, and most importantly safe from the ignorance and illnesses that plagued their friends and chosen families.

The story unfolds carefully. It is not preachy or presumptuous. It assumes the audience and viewers know enough about the aids epidemic and statistics to linger on the topic for too long. It was also so unknown during the period of time the play is set in. Jerker, Or The Helping Hand focuses instead on two men looking to play, release, and connect on a different level. It gives a voice to those voices lost to a time that is slipping further away; decades whittled down to facts and statistics. We hear from voices that unless we sit and listen risk being lost beneath the weight of something that was more than 40 years ago.

JR Solo: Joshua Bowen

Robert Chesley's Jerker, Or The Helping Hand is one piece of the four-play series ‘Before We Are History" now playing at the Open Space Arts Center. The curated and selected pieces spotlight early queer voices and aids-era works. Together, the plays offer a journey through a history that must never be forgotten. “Our hope is that we leave these performances with a deeper understanding of what the world lost,” says Artistic Director David Zak, “what survived, and what we still have the power to discover, preserve, and create together.” Contrary to what I tell myself, the 80s weren’t 20 years ago. Entire youthful generations haven’t grown up in the shadow of a virus that was once a death sentence. Though they’ll learn of the era it will be like more history books, clinical facts on a page. Though stories have been written there are thousands that have not. Open Space Arts shines a light on those voices in this beautifully curated series. It’s those voices, those stories, that truly make Chicago theatre what is it.

Jerker, Or The Helping Hand is performing a limited run through November 8, at the Open Space Arts theatre in Uptown (1411 W Wilson Ave., Chicago). Tickets are available at https://openspacearts.org/ Be sure to see it before 20 years turns into 40 years and 40 years turns into history.

Timeline Theatre unveils their chic, new Uptown home with its inaugural production–Henrik Ibsen’s ever-relevant “An Enemy of the People”. A streamlined text by acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog cuts right to the bone in this fast-paced version straight from Broadway.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Timeline chose to open their new space with Ibsen’s classic play about a town that prioritizes economics over public health. History continues to repeat itself. Whispers of AI data centers seemed to be on everyone’s lips during the intermission as the modern day parallel is impossible to ignore. Timeline, who is known for their dramaturgical installations by Maren Robinson, doesn't shy away from the ugly reality that our Great Lakes are under attack from the tech billionaire class who aim to guzzle ungodly amounts of our fresh water. 

The play begins on a chipper note, an economically downtrodden town brims with excitement for their new spa and resort that is sure to boost local prospects. That is until plucky Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Will Allan) makes a chilling discovery about the contaminated water source. At first his friends at the local newspaper are behind his decision to inform the townspeople, but as his brother Peter, the mayor (Behzad Dabu), becomes involved support begins to waver. Soon his adult daughter Petra (Campbell Krausen) is his only ally. 

Petra Stockmann (Campbell Krausen, background from left), Hovstad (Grayson Kennedy), and Captain Horster (Charles Andrew Gardner) watch attentively as Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Will Allan, foreground) reviews shocking scientific revelations.

Herzog’s version is more akin to a chamber play than Ibsen’s, perhaps less grand in scale but certainly easier to digest. She also inserts some modern political flourishes that give more depth to the female protagonist Petra. With a slimmer cast and script, individual performances stand out and the intensity is more sustained. And by the second act, the audience becomes part of the cast in a way. This device works especially well because of the brilliant performances of this intimate cast.

“An Enemy of the People” becomes just as frustrating as Miller’s “The Crucible”. That infectious sense of outrage comes down to Will Allan’s devastatingly honest portrayal of a man who loses everything for the pursuit of truth. Allan has a gift for physicality, often interjecting some levity wherever possible. Audience participation becomes hard to contain as he’s continuously silenced by the newspaper staff and his greedy brother. Behzad Dabu opts for a more pragmatic interpretation of the mayor than straight up villain. In fact, there are moments where despite the poisonous water, you might find yourself agreeing with him, therein lies the danger. The emotional anchor of the show is Campbell’s Krausen’s Petra. Much like Allan’s performance, the shift from light to dark is heartbreaking.

Timeline’s glow up from Wellington to North Broadway is something to marvel at. Uptown has gained a Steppenwolf-level theater. Legendary Chicago director Ron OJ Parson brings a certain sophistication well deserving of this sleek 250-seat theater. Everything is just right here. John Culbert’s stylish set and stage magic really fills this gorgeous new performance space. Uptown really is quite lucky to have this wonderful new theater in its backyard. 

Through June 27 at Timeline Theatre. 5035 N Broadway. 773-281-8463 x1

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.