Displaying items by tag: The Story Theatre

The Y2K era was a wild time to be a girl. Bubblegum pop juxtaposed against futuristic silver-scaled sets, female artists viciously pitted against one another in the media, women and young girls being viewed as simultaneously pure and virginal and corrupt and sexual deviants. All of these themes are perfectly captured in the millennial time capsule of a play The Love Object now playing at Raven Theatre.

On the eve of Ramona's sold-out stadium tour, her best friend and trusted assistant Paula announces she is leaving to pursue her own artistry. Fearing the loss of her closest confidante, Ramona reveals that a sex tape she made is about to be released, tainting her image (and ticket sales) forever. Will Paula stay and clean up Ramona's mess one more time or finally escape the oppressive celebrity machine for good? The Love Object is a contemporary adaptation of Euripides' Hippolytus, examining the hyper-sexualization of women celebrities, the power struggles of interracial friendship, and the tragedies of late-stage capitalism, all through the bubblegum veneer of an early 2000s pop superstar.

Much like its Greek predecessor, The Love Object, the characters within the play all have a bit of blindness that prevents them from understanding the other's perspective; Ramona, played by Emily Holland, failing to understand why Paula would want to leave, Paula, played by Kaylah Marie Crosby,  failing to understand the loneliness of stardom, and Simon, played by William Anthony Sebastian Rose II, failing to understand the complexities of female choices and consequences of his own actions. The undercurrent of purity and sexuality throughout the play is represented not only in the main protagonists but also in the supporting back up dancers, Tish, played by Cat Christmas, Randy, played by Spencer Diaz Tootle, and Kylie, played by Mollyanne Nunn, all of whom have their own squabbles with one another while also viewing Ramona through both lenses of a virgin and a sinner.

Looking back at the bubblegum pop era through the social context of today we have sure come a long way. We as a society were awful to young women, judgemental, critical, and downright vicious. Time allows us to look back on that period with a kinder viewpoint, one that is not so polarized. Being able to view The Love Object through the same lens affords us the ability to equally despise the vain pop star and be sympathetic to her loneliness of lacking in any real or substantive friendships, or to resent the assistant and her actions and also embrace the karmic justice of our f-around and find out world. With a minimalist futuristic set, early 2000s pop culture references, superb acting, and a storyline every millennial woman can relate to, The Love Object is a perfect time capsule for this fall theatre scene and one sure to entertain.

The Love Object, presented by The Story Theatre at Raven Theatre (6157 N Clark St, Chicago), runs through November 3rd. Ramona’s tour is selling out fast so be sure to grab your tickets with backstage access at www.raventheatre.com/season42/. 

Let me begin by saying, this was one helluva 90 minutes in Chicago theatre. We enter the theatre to the sound of a combination of Jazz, trap music and hip-hop. There is a sign reading “This is not history”. On stage, the set, a French street with boarded up storefronts with the name of the play prominently on display. I was not aware of the roller coaster ride I was about to witness.

Terry Guest successfully uses the French Revolution as background for several Black uprisings. A tall order to say the least. The cast enters and opens what appears to be a pandora’s box of costumes. We are off to a thrilling night of theater. This is just the beginning of the time travel and the various people we will meet.

The ensemble consists of Jim Crow (Keith Iliddge), Mammy (Amber Washington), Sapphire (Danyelle Monson), Sambo (Maya Vinice Prentiss), Savage Nathaniel Andrew. They are not history. They’re stereotypes. These ensemble members also play other characters as well such as JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy (complete with bloody pink Chanel suit) Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ida B. Wells, Axel Von Fersen, Toussaint L”Ouverture and Napoleon. Yes, that Napoleon. This is History.

Joining these characters on stage in various times of their lives are Marie Antoinette (Brenna Di Stasio) and Louis LVI (David Stobbe). The goings on at Versailles is commentated by a on scene reporter to hilarious results. This ensemble was wonderful to watch. They assumed the characters and told the story with excitement and verve.  

The play moves at an extremely fast pace. You have stay awake to catch everything, and you do want to catch EVERYTHING! You got to be woke. We may start in 18^th century France, but we travel to the Haitian Revolution, Los Angeles “Rodney King” uprisings, Ferguson Missouri, for Michael Brown, Minneapolis for George Floyd, and other places where there have been uprisings. Through all these metamorphoses the ensemble shifts effortlessly. In a surprising turn the audience becomes the Revolutionary Tribunal convicting Marie Antoinette to death after a vote. This is a fun evening.

The script is wonderfully complex. Terry Guest’s writing reminds me of a young Susan Lori Parks. I’m excited to see what else he has to say. He has directed the cast to work as efficiently as possible to fantastic results. This play is a must see, maybe twice, you’re bound to miss something.

The Story Theatre’s Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes is playing thru July 17^th at Raven Theatre.  

*Extended through July 24th