Displaying items by tag: Theater Wit

Douglass is striking from the moment the stage lights go on at Theater Wit. De’Lon Grant commands the stage as the escaped slave, Frederick Douglass – who in his time was a towering intellect among abolitionists, and who remains a powerful influence on public discourse even today.

Playwright Thomas Klingenstein begins the action in 1841, when Douglass, 23, began publicly speaking out against slavery to sympathetic abolitionist audiences around Boston. Anyone who has read even a bit of Frederick Douglass' writing knows the power of his language. Excerpts of his speeches in this production – and there could be more, to my mind - display his strength as a communicator, and inspirational force.

In short order, Frederick Douglass outstripped his patron, publisher William Lloyd Garrison (convincingly portrayed by Mark Ulrich), who comes across here as self-satisfied in his public position as a firebrand abolitionist newspaperman. Differing in anti-slavery strategies, Garrison gets a court to interdict Douglass' printing press. The script plays up Garrison's loss of stature as Douglass' star rises.

Douglass has a different agenda than Garrison. He soon gains his own following and financial means to pursue it. Klingenstein clearly portrays the differences between Douglass’s more gradualist approach to ending slavery, and Garrison’s belief in “Dis-Union,” the belief that because the U.S. Constitution enshrines slavery, the Union must be abolished. Douglass says the slave-related clauses in the Constitution are “scaffolding,” meant to be dismantled once the nation was established.

The script also accomplishes something very difficult: revealing the unconscious racism among liberal whites. Because Douglass disagrees with him, Garrison - a white man who thought his anti-slavery credentials were unimpeachable - decides that blacks are incapable of comprehending the circumstance of, and solution for, their own slavery. Garrison's self-evidently racist position, part of the historical record, is amply presented. Contemporary parallels can be readily drawn - which is one reason Douglass is such a valuable production. It also introduces an important historic figure to a new generation. The production is built and billed as a multi-media performance in part to pull in the younger crowd.

In biographical plays, the dramatic action required for satisfying theater can easily seem forced – lives don’t usually have convenient plot lines. But Douglass draws in enough of the personal side of the character– Douglass’s devotion to his wife, an affair with an admirer, his conflicts with Garrison – to make them people we care about.

Director Christopher McElroen has pulled out all the stops in putting together Douglass for The American Vicarious organization. Great costumes, lighting, set, staging, music –  values that would be at home at the top theaters anywhere are meticulously woven into telling and showing the story of Douglass. The production team deserves mention: William Boles (scenic design), Mieka van der Ploeg (costume design), Becca Jeffords (lighting design), Liviu Pasare (projection design), Jamie Abelson (casting director), Cara Parrish (stage manager) and Will Bishop (production manager).

 Should you see Douglass? It is so well produced, how can you not? It runs through August 14, at Theater Wit.

Mediocrity, is usually the best word most people try and avoid when they aspire to make and or do something great. The idea is that if a person is part of something truly great that idea, performance, or invention will be remembered throughout history. Look at the radio and how it revolutionized how people communicated. This small device was able to bring people from across the country together. It was personified by FDR with his fire side chats in the 1930s. The printing press was able to make it so literature was available to the masses. The iPod changed the way we listened to music. Then there are terrible ideas as well, but we still remember them. The Ford Pinto, the feature length film, The Room (Google it), or the idea that the earth is flat. Then there are those ideas that are just OK. It is that rare space where the work is just decent enough to not be thought of as bad, but is not considered good, and is by no means considered great. This is where Tapped: A Treasonous Musical Comedy joins the ranks of Betamax, the Zune, and HD DVD. All ok in their own right, but outpaced by far superior products on the market. 

Tapped is a musical comedy that tells the story of a NSA analyst Mary (Laureen Siciliano) who has been tasked to spy on an old colleague of hers from college named Steve (Max Hinders) or “Stupid Steve” as he often referenced throughout the production. Steve is a brilliant hacker, but has failed often at exposing government conspiracies. He wishes to see himself as the next Edward Snowden by helping WikiLeaks expose the NSA. In typical fashion Mary gets too close, ends up falling for Steve, like she did back in college, and joins his crusade to bring down the NSA exposing how they have been tapping every mobile device in the country. All of this plays out while 

All of this plays out against the backdrop of what is happening around the country as well as the ideas of what it takes to keep Americans safe. Mary’s boss Patrick (David Dritsas) is the freedom loving, constitutional bending, fear mongering, caricature that we have come to see time and again in productions about the war on terror. The part is so over the top that at one point he has a musical number to where he puts the fear in all of his subordinates, except Mary, about how none of are safe. He sings and dances as if he is an evangelical preacher entertaining his congregation. While an amusing performance it was, it played heavy handed the way the entire production was. Subtly is something that is production clearly lacks.

The true bright spot however belongs to one Larueen Siciliano who offers a sharp comedic timing as well as a bright voice that matches her character of Mary. Every time Ms. Siciliano enters a scene she immediately owns that particular scene, even if it’s not her scene. Her quick wit timing makes every punchline stronger inevitably making the others around her stronger as well as seem funnier. She is able to turn a throw away joke about wine and turn it into a laugh out loud moment. Her physicality and ability out paced everyone else on stage forcing them to keep up, but none were able to. Everyone else seemed to ham it up, but winking at the fact that they were doing it. It played in a light humorous light, but none of it was out right laughter. It seemed like most of the jokes were going for a chuckle rather than a laugh. 

The Theater Wit offers the audience an intimate interaction with the actors and production itself. With the theatre being such a confined space the production team has to get creative in terms of set design, setting the next scene, and the choreography. The first two seemed to work at first, but run into problems when the actors are moving the set pieces and forgetting where to put them, ultimately throwing of the actors blocking. I could have thought that the choreography of the dance numbers would be something to write home about, I was wrong. While all of the dancers are good none of it stands out. It seemed as if most of the dancers in the ensemble had put on tap shoes for the first times in their lives learning to tap dance during rehearsals. The dance numbers were so over the top for being in such space that sitting front row had I stretched my legs out one of them might have tripped over them. 

Other than the poor dance routines and one stand out actress Tapped: A Treasonous Musical does not stand out. It could be something to see if you are bored on a Friday night and want something do, but you might end up walking away feeling bummed about how you spent your Friday night. It’s the type of production that when asked about it you simply say, “It was alright. Seeing it once is enough for me.”

Tapped: A Treasonous Musical Comedy is playing at the Theater Wit through July 3rd. You have until then to make up your mind if you really want to see it. If you don’t end up crossing it off your to-do list, you won’t feel sad you missed it. If you end up seeing it, you won’t walk away thinking it was a must see. If this were a movie you would wait until it arrives on Netflix instead of seeing it in theaters. The production’s final musical number, entitled “Fail Big,” accurately sums up this production. It aspires to be something meaningful, but ultimately falls short. You want it to be great, but at the end of the day all you can do is shrug and simply say, ‘meh.’ 

Based on the 1988 cult film “Heathers” starring Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater, the talented cast of “Heathers: The Musical” bursts onto the stage with enough energy to "bully" the audience right back into the mean late 80's when this particular tale of murder in high school first raised the issues of teen cruelty over twenty-five years ago. Dark and questionable is the subject matter that it be made into a musical, but the show does have its moments. After all, we are talking about a film that may have forewarned us of the tragic school shootings to come in its wake. 

Veronica, the nerdy girl who becomes a "Heather" at the expense of her friendship to the truly kind "fat girl" in her class is well played here by Courtney Mack. Mack shows a full range of emotions as she realizes what has begun as simple teen angst and bullying has turned her new outsider boyfriend, J.D., whom she meets hanging around a 7-11 store all day into a serial murderer. Adding to Mack’s solid performance, Chris Ballou also does a fine job in taking on the role of J.D..  

Haley Jane Schafer, Rochelle Therrien and Jacquelyne Jones, are each fantastic as the “Heathers" - the meanest, prettiest girls in school who rule with an iron lipstick case. Each of the Heathers' has her own unique flavor of comedy and delivery and each are very good dancers as well as vocalists.

That said, the set which was a big colorless lump full of doorways did not make you feel you were in a high school at all and was actually a distraction at times. Also, the costumes the Heathers DID wear were great - very sexy period costumes, but then they never changed clothes until almost the end of the show, leaving some disappointment. As gorgeous, skinny, fickle fashion mongers, this inconsistency made the show feel much to be desired when it came to dressing them as the story progressed with the lack of colorful, sexy clothing and accessory changes as occurs in the movie and would be a big part of their real high school lives. 

The songs may not have been on the most memorable side, but the show did have a few good laughs. There was some terrific physical comedy in the slow motion fight scene between the two jocks who terrorize all the girls in school with jokes about date rape, etc. 

Certainly a challenging task at hand, James Beaudry's direction in this small venue with so much young and energetic talent falls short in that it seemed the play starts at a very high level of energy and volume and continues at that exact same volume even during the ballads. Instead, there needed to be some genuine reflection and time to rest for the characters to be fully formed and also to rest the audience’s ears – simply put, more dynamics. 

All in all, this cast did a great job with the materials they were given and delivered a funny, bitter and scary version of what life in high school was like then and now. See "Heathers" with the expectation of a few decent yuks, a handful of entertaining musical numbers ("Big Fun" comes to mind) and a sometimes pretty accurate nostalgic peek at high school in the late 1980's.   

Kokandy Productions of “Heathers: The Musical” is being performed at Theater Wit through April 24th. For more show information, visit www.theaterwit.org.  

Filled with clever and rapid-fire dialogue exchanges, The New Sincerity is a fast-moving comedy written by Alena Smith, one of the nation’s top young, up and coming women writers. The play’s title is explained well in its press release - "Erudites among us know "New Sincerity" is an actual term used in music, aesthetics, film criticism, poetry and philosophy, generally to describe art or concepts that run against prevailing modes of postmodernist irony or cynicism." And there is plenty of cynicism and irony to be found in the latest comedy/drama at Theater Wit that deals with millennials and the idealism of the Occupy Movement. 

As co-founder of a highly regarded online political journal, Asymptote, Benjamin, a Harvard literature graduate, is always looking for hard-hitting and thought provoking material to maintain status among their peers and competitors. Just less than a block away from their office is the Occupy Movement where protesters converge in the park all throughout the day and night. Benjamin’s newly appointed senior contributor, Rose, has a strong interest in doing a piece on the protest, but he is insistent she stay far removed for fear of taking sides. Disregarding Benjamin’s direct order, Rose not only checks out the movement firsthand but creates a relationship with one of the protesters, Django. As feared, word gets out about an Asymptote staff member being associated with the Occupy Movement and Benjamin not only takes the criticisms from his co-owner and faithful readers, but he fears how this will affect his fiance's upcoming book release since her last book, Death of the Left Wing clearly believed that the modern protest is dead and ineffective. Furious at Rose for screwing up the journal’s branding, she finally convinces Benjamin to visit the movement, which he reluctantly does. 

The story then becomes that of an opportunist and the hypocrisies that come about as Benjamin realizes the potential afoot and does a complete turnaround to where he can’t get enough coverage on the movement, even to the point that he lies about being involved from day one. We also see the hollowness in Benjamin regarding his relationship with women as he states he does not really believe in love and deep connections, much the opposite of Rose. 

Smart and brutally honest, The New Sincerity offers tremendous acting performances by each of its four cast members. Drew Shirley as is energetic and finely projects the qualities to make a convincing Benjamin who is incapable of fully connecting emotionally. At the same time, Maura Kidwell as Rose is perfectly cast as the grounded one who seems to get it in the play while Erin Long as the very funny tell-it-like-it-is intern Natasha and Alex Stein as the protest because there’s a protest protester Django also provide a huge spark.

I really enjoyed the set which was a cozy two-story office with large windows giving us a peek at New York City. As the scenes changed, large computer monitors would tell us what month it was giving us a nice idea of a time frame.

I liked the direction of this play by Jeremy Wechsler, as I felt he outstandingly captured the essence of millennium living, ideals, social media marketing and stereotypes. The often overly politically correct gender pronoun usage was also addressed when a friend of Django’s insisted on being called dragon as she did not identify with male or female. I wasn’t quite sure if Smith was taking a jab at renaming our own gender to whatever we want or embracing the fact that we can.   

The New Sincerity has plenty of very funny dialogue exchanges and provides a story that is paced very well with plenty of memorable moments. I recommend this fiercely funny play, which is being performed at Theater Wit through April 17th. For more show info visit www.TheaterWit.org.            

Hordes of swarming, diving birds are attacking a cabin in Somewhere, America -- and, we later assume due to dead radio noise and a major power blackout, the entire country -- while two strangers seek shelter and safety within its walls. They don't know why the birds are attacking but they've seen enough carnage to know stepping outdoors during the beak- and talon-filled ambushes every six hours at high tide means undoubtedly walking into their own deaths. They pass the hours by talking, learning about each other, reading, writing, and most pressingly, discussing their survival. Food is scarce, they have no working transportation, and there's no electricity.

When a third party enters the scene seeking refuge, the two unhesitatingly take her in. The group dynamic now changed, suspicion and mistrust seep into the threesome's thoughts and behavior like an intravenous disease. The silence and long, drawn-out hours don't give the characters the opportunity to ruminate over their regrets, worries, and doubts so much as shove them into a dark, smothering heap of them.

While most of us are familiar with Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 cinematic horror masterpiece, and maybe less of us with the novellette by Daphne du Maurier, I had never heard of this story being put to the stage. Adapted by acclaimed Irish playwright Conor McPherson, Griffin Theater Company's The Birds is an entirely original story set in the apocalyptic universe created by du Maurier and later expanded upon by Hitchcock. The play is less about the literal horrors caused by insane, vicious birds attacking as much as the metaphorical: What would we do to survive? In what ways would we change if society collapses? Would our values regress if nobody is there to enforce rules and keep score? What are we capable of? As The Birds will show, the monsters outside are no match for the ones lurking inside.

The Birds is playing at Theater Wit Thursdays through Sundays until July 19th. Visit theaterwit.org for tickets.

Griffin Theatre Company has taken on the feat of recreating the Tony Award-winning musical Titanic. Launching this production in a much more intimate space at Theater Wit, the audience gets a real close up feel to the action and is able to capture the bevy of emotions delivered first hand. Scott Weinstein directs Griffin’s Titanic with intensity, giving this production a true feel of tragedy and humankind.

We are all familiar with Titanic’s maiden voyage that where the luxury passenger liner launched from Southampton, UK and sank in the Atlantic on April 15^th 1912 after hitting an iceberg on its way to New York City. In Peter Stone’s Titanic, we join the excitement prior to the ships fateful launch where the ship is boasted as the largest and fastest passenger sea vessel that also comes with the tag “indestructible”. Families, friends and crew members are giddy with enthusiasm and anticipation as projected so well in the show’s magnificent opening number “In Every Age”. After Titanic’s triumphant departure, we are taken to both the luxurious world of the ship as well as that of the lesser class. In its five day voyage, we are taken to ballroom extravaganzas, fine dining and also to the far less glamorous galleys and crew quarters.

All the while the good Captain Edward Smith and First Officer William Murdoch look to steady the course but do so under the pressure of ship owner White Star Line to increase its speed in order to break the speed record to cross the Atlantic. Finally, on a dark and quiet night, lookout Frederick Fleet notified Murdoch of an iceberg due ahead, but it was too late to maneuver, the ship receiving a 300-foot gash in its side, doomed to sink in the frigid waters. In all the panic and commotion we learn that there are only enough lifeboats to save a third of the ship’s passengers. Ultimately only 700 or so of the Titanic’s 2224 passengers would survive, the rest condemned to a watery grave.

In Griffin’s Titanic, we get a real sense of devastation after what is at first denial (after all they are on an indestructible ship). We see the blame game shifted between architect, White Star Line and the Captain. It is an interesting dynamic as we see both unbridled selfishness and unselfishness between the passengers as some are intent on saving themselves while some are more interested in trying to help others.

The set, though simple, converts well from ship deck, to dining hall and living quarters, to ship exterior. The music is strong and heartfelt (also newly reworked). Many numbers are memorable, seizing the essence of the situation so very well such as “I Give You My Hand”, “To Be a Captain”, “I Have Danced” and “God Lift Me Up”. We also get a number of excellent acting performances in the large cast of twenty, making this a very solid production that has everything you would want in a musical tragedy.

Griffin Theatre Company’s Titanic is a high seas adventure you will not soon forget. It’s a big show in a smaller theatre. This warm and stunning production is being performed at Theater Wit (1229 W Belmont) through December 7^th and tickets are priced at a very worthwhile $39. For more information, you can visit www.griffintheatre.com. 

Hell in a Handbag Productions has done it again, bringing yet another hilarious musical to the Chicago theatre scene, this time to Theater Wit. Caged Dames is one bad ass campy ride behind bars at a women’s correctional facility where “shocking” is just another day in the life. Writer and Artistic Director, David Cerda, brilliantly lampoons the old 1950s prison flicks, particularly “Caged” starring Eleanor Parker who lead character “Mary Anderson” is clearly created after.

Caged Dames, first produced in 2006, tells the story of innocent-natured Mary Anderson who, by a series of unfortunate events, winds up in the Calumet City Women’s Penitentiary. While in prison she comes across plenty of tough cookies while contending with a shady and sadistic prison matron and a warden who believes she can reach out to the inmates with psychiatric treatment and other unconventional methods. Matron Emerson and Warden Hope do not see eye to eye.

AJ Wright fantastically directs this Jeff Recommended production while each of the main characters bring something thoroughly entertaining to the table. Ed Jones is amazingly funny (as always) as the hard hitting “Matron Emerson” while Sydney Genco as “Big Lorraine” and Elizabeth Lesinski as “Myrtle Price” get constant laughs throughout along with the rest of this talentedly funny cast including lead Elizabeth Morgan as “Mary Anderson”. The show also comes with a live band and a larger than life set that takes its audience inside Calumet’s murky and dank prison walls.

Caged Dames is a fun take on film noir and then some, literally delivering laugh out loud moments nearly nonstop from beginning to end. We are treated to witty song and dance numbers with bite, Cerda’s delightfully genius humor and a smash performance by a very entertaining acting troupe that is considered among the funniest in Chicago. Cerda’s knack for parodying film classics is unbeatable. He has a keen ability to know when to push forward and when to hold back to perfectly capture, in some cases, the tiny nuances of a character while in other cases letting bold personality exaggerations fly to the extreme without going so far over the top the humor is lost.

Tickets are very reasonably priced at just $18-$37 leaving little reason not to see this greatly amusing production. Caged Dames – now Ken Recommended, as well – is running through July 13^th at Theater Wit located at 1229 W. Belmont. For more information visit www.theaerwit.org or call 773-975-8150.

Engaging and uproariously funny, Caged Dames is also plenty affordable, making it a show to enjoy on more than one occasion.