Items filtered by date: November 2007

There’s good theater and then there’s good attempts at theater. But there are also those rare occasions that a good theater makes a good attempt at a plain bad production; a good example of this is Sex Marks the Spot, a new political comedy by Charles Grippo.

The play attempts to delve into the seedy world of political sex scandals and, based upon an interview with Grippo, illuminate the rarely seen point-of-view of the politician’s wife. Unfortunately for this play, it fails to even cast a flicker of light on either point, and lacks the character development, humor, and plot that would have made the 2 hour play bearable.

Sex Marks the Spot opens up on the incumbent Senator Clooney on the eve of a debate against his challenger, a notorious porn star named Desiree Le Bonque. But to our surprise, or lack thereof, Miss Le Bonque is the Senator’s mistress and threatens to reveal their affair on national television if the Senator does not agree to marry her. The Senator drugs the porn star, a recurring theme throughout the play, and attempts to hide the evidence from his loyal band of idiot supporters. From the nervous, and profusely sweaty campaign manager, to the secretly beautiful yet-disguised-as-frumpy press secretary, these characters are a dime a dozen and lack any real emotional development that would make this play seem realistic.

The play goes downhill from there as the audience is subjected to witless one-liners and commonplace dialogue that a young playwright typically learns to avoid in eighth grade journalism. While the play is supposed to “investigate what goes on ‘behind the scenes’” in the world of political scandals and lascivious affaires, the playwright fails to touch on any of these issues. The characters never come face to face with one another, ironically missing one another by the opening and closing of a door. The characters are horribly stereotyped to the point of boredom; from an overweight hotel security guard eating donuts and lacking any brain power to the nosy journalist trying to get his next big scoop.

And what is severely lacking is Grippo’s so-called focal point of the play, wanting to illuminate the thoughts and feelings of the spouse of the adulterer. The Senator’s wife has approximately ten minutes of stage time in which she rarely expresses any real thought of emotion and is stumbling about it a drug-induced stupor, hardly leaving her any room to develop emotionally.

Sex Marks the Spot was neither funny nor witty, the audience hardly laughed once, making this a far cry from a farce or a comedy. It relied far too heavily on stereotypes and endless run-on jokes and the ham actors did nothing to enhance the enjoyment or the entertainment of this play. Overall, the play lacks the humor and cleverness to be a farce, and the real world familiarity to be a satire.

The Drury Lane’s production of ‘Sugar’ can be easily summed up as the musical version of the legendary gender bender film ‘Some Like It Hot.’ The show is a revival of the 1972 Broadway musical with book by Peter Stone, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill with some variations.  In this version, the show is set on Studio 24 where it quickly becomes clear, thanks to clever direction from Jim Corti, the musical is being presented as if it were a movie in the process of being made.  

The action begins and the audience is instantly dazzled by a musical number from Sweet Sue Syncopation Orchestra. Moments into the number, Sweet Sue (Tammy Mader) informs the audience her all-girl band is about to leave Chicago for a gig in Miami. The audience also becomes aware Sweet Sue is in big trouble because her sax and cello players just left the band and she needs them replaced immediately. Across town, Jerry (Alan Schmuckler) and Joe (Rod Thomas) are down on their luck musicians trying to find work like everyone else during The Great Depression. After not being able to land a gig and with no money in their pockets, they try to make a buck working as delivery men. Their luck takes yet another turn for the worse when they haplessly witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre.  With the mob on their tails, Jerry and Joe need to get out of Chicago as quickly as possible.

As one might guess, in order to hide from the mob, Jerry and Joe end up joining Sweet Sue’s band. They have both the right and wrong instruments for the gig but thanks to drag they were able to transform into Daphne and Josephine respectively without anyone being the wiser. Their plan was to ditch the band as soon as they were out of harms way. However, that game plan swiftly goes awry when both Jerry and Joe become enamored with Sugar Kane (Jennifer Knox), the singer/ ukulele player of the band who has a history of falling for all the wrong guys.

When the “girls” reach the sunny shores of Florida, Joe picks up another persona to try and woo Sugar. This time he is a millionaire named Junior who is the heir to Shell Oil.  Jerry also finds himself being wooed by an old, philandering millionaire (Joe D. Lauck). This love caper comes complete with genuine laughs while still paying homage to Billy Wilder’s original masterpiece.

Perhaps the biggest pitfall of any stage version of an iconic film is that it will never be able to escape the endless comparison to its precursor. In that sense, the actors in ‘Sugar’ will have to grow a thick skin to survive being judged against heavy hitters like Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe. That being said, the only cast member who was able to peek out from behind the shadow of his predecessor was Alan Schmuckler. Schmuckler has remarkable stage presence along with brilliant comedic timing which would have made Jack Lemmon proud of his portrayal of Jerry/Daphne.

My biggest complaint with the casting falls squarely on Sugar herself.  Although Jennifer Knox is quite a talent, she falls short of filling the visual va-va-voom embodied by Marilyn Monroe. Her portrayal of Sugar came off as sweet and vulnerable but was definitely lacking the undeniable sex appeal exuded by Ms. Monroe. I also found she didn’t have enough oomph for her, “The People in My Life,” number which is letdown.

As sweet as this show is, it could benefit from some more heat. Overall, the stage cast did the production justice but were not able to outshine the star power of the film’s original cast.   

Regardless, fans of ‘Some Like it Hot,’ will not leave the Drury Lane feeling like they got the fuzzy end of the lollipop. Frankly it’s a nice throw back to yesteryear which is accompanied by good music. ‘Sugar’ makes for an entertaining evening but in the immortal words of Osgood Fielding III, “… nobody’s perfect.”

The show runs until August 1^st with tickets ranging from $31-45.

For more information, check out the Drury Lane’s website (http://www.drurylaneoakbrook.com/live_theatre/tickets.shtml).  

Saturday night at Harrah’s Casino in Joliet, Illinois can be a very special place to go, but when they have a musical act playing it’s even better. One of the best traveling bands around played a fabulous show for their audience. Creedence Clearwater Revisited took the stage entertaining fans of all ages and everyone had a great time.

Doug “Cosmo” Clifford and Stu Cook revisited their music with some very worthy musicians. The group jammed for the evening playing such hits as; “Born on the Bayou,” “Down on the Corner,” “Fortunate Son,” “Suzie Q,” and everything else including the kitchen sink. If classic rock radio was a part of your life, you knew every single song played by this fantastic band.

The Band:

 Clifford and Cook were the rhythm section canvas for CCR allowing the hired guns to help complete these classic works of art. For over fifty years since these two met they have been entertaining audiences as a super tight group and were very lucky to have been able to reach the success they accomplished.

Tapping away at the drums with the clock like beat was Doug Clifford. His kit may be small, but he didn’t need much else to put on fantastic show with the amount of talent that he has. His experience was apparent throughout the night and he never lost the beat. He was flawless.

Stu Cook provided the bottom end and occasionally went low with his five stringed earth mover. The smooth tones were amplified through an Aguilar amp head and a matching set of SWR four-ten cabinets. He played with precision and was in a synchronized locked with “Cosmo” all night long.

The big man at the front of the stage was John Tristao. His lead vocal capabilities sounded just like the original vinyl pressings. Tristao played some great rhythm guitar and sang Creedence songs with perfection. He acted like a real life cartoon character with his crazy antics on stage and obscure facial expressions. He is a true entertainer and a great front-man for the band.

Guitar virtuoso Tal Morris absolutely screamed on guitar solos through every single song. CCR never sounded so good! Some of the solos stuck pretty close to the studio recordings, but most were embellished on and he added a new and improved twist to the old classics. His tone was sweet music to the ears.

Steve Gunner filled out the group’s sound with vocals, guitar, keyboards, and some small percussion instruments. Although he was in the role of a utility man, everything he added was very well done. This “Jack of all trades” hit some high notes as a backing vocalist, played some tight rhythm guitar, and keyboard accents that were very rich. The songs may not have sounded complete without his musical presence.  

The main set ended with a few of the most popular songs being played back to back, including “Bad Moon Rising” and “Proud Mary.” The group took their break from the stage and received their applause for a job well done. They returned to the stage for the encore busting out some more ditties for the fired up crowd. Amongst the CCR hits played during their commanded return was also the Little Richard song “Good Golly Miss Molly.” The show came and went so fast, delighting your ears with their hits, and then they were gone.

The new CCR was absolutely awesome to see and a tremendous way to spend a Saturday night. The group revisited every single hit including “Midnight Special.” The crowd had a lot of energy and a lot of fun dancing in the aisles. The traveling band was having their fun dancing and playing on stage. Creedence Clearwater Revisited is the real McCoy. These genuine rock music icons were a delight to see live and would be suggested to anyone. Their show is a must see!!

The parking lot at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre has turned into a performance space with a crowd growing too big for even the Metro to hold. Q101’s Jamboree is an aide memoire of the magical second stage; the kind of stage that broadcasts newer music to the masses and is able to rock the crowd harder than any main stage act. The crowd is eager. People are hungry for music that will give them the bragging rights to say they saw a band before they became HUGE, and trust me when I say that the Crash Kings will be huge!


Crash Kings have an amazing product that you will hold on to. Brothers Tony (piano and vocals) and Mike Beliveau (bass) have orchestrated a new breed of rock. A classic piano, bass and drum-style trio that consists of one major thing that bands like Keane lack: balls. Mike, along with drummer Jason Morris, provides a rhythmic driving force reminiscent of a 1970s Pontiac GTO — full of force that keeps your pedal to the metal.


Tony approaches his keys with a fire like Jerry Lee Lewis or Jimi Hendrix. He embraces it and plays harder and faster. He uses a regular instrument that is played with effects that no synthesizer could even touch. You can easily tell that Tony has taken the time to adjust every knob and button to his liking. He is able to create sounds from a piano that will never be matched by Pro-Tools or any computerized-processed instrument. Tony brings a voice that matches his intensity of piano playing perfectly. His intuition and musicality matches the tour de force that follows the name of the band perfectly.


Crash Kings’ music explodes like a crash of sound that will astonish your senses. As producer Dave Sardy said, “Crash Kings are the missing link between Queen and Rage Against the Machine.” So hop in and enjoy the pure ecstasy of a rockin’ life-changing experience.

The Court Theatre’s revival of Athol Fugard’s classic Apartheid-era polemic Sizwe Banzi is Dead is the culmination of the collaborative Chicago Fugard Festival (other works were performed by the Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and TimeLine Theatre). The play is a stark look at the impact of South African Apartheid policies on the lives of individuals, told in an unconventional narrative by very different lead characters. 

Banzi’s narrative weaves the story of its titular character, an unemployed South African forced to leave his wife and children in search of work in a larger city, together with those of two men who impact his life. The piece opens with an extended monologue by Styles (played with gusto by Chiké Johnson), the proprietor of a small photography studio specializing in personalized postcards. Styles tells a sprawling tale of his journey from the factory lines at a local Ford automobile plant to self-made business owner, and in the process gives the audience an introduction to the social climate of Apartheid-era South Africa. Johnson’s over-the-top performance serves the role well, from his mimicry of the uptight white factory foreman Baas Bradley in his clumsy interactions with the African workers to the re-enactment of a long Old West-inspired shootout with petulant cockroaches at Styles’ newly acquired storefront. Just as Styles is seemingly established as the story’s protagonist, he receives a visit from a bewildered stranger who introduces himself as Robert Zwelinzima and asks to have a photo taken for a postcard to send to his wife. After an amusing  portrait session, Styles fades abruptly into the background and the focus shifts to his mysterious customer.

The customer, as it turns out, is Sizwe Banzi himself (Allen Gilmore). A work-seeking migrant to the South African township of New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Banzi has been discovered as an unregistered worker under Apartheid laws and marked by white government officials for expulsion from the city. Banzi reveals in a note to his wife that “[he] is dead, in a matter of speaking,” and the story flashes back to his attempts to hide and then shed his identity with the goal of remaining in New Brighton to find work and earn money to support his family. Banzi finds shelter in the home of Buntu (also played by Johnson), a family man with an anti-authoritarian streak and a desire to help Banzi find his way. After a night of drinking, the two men stumble upon the body of a dead, presumably murdered African man, and Buntu hatches a plan for Banzi to assume the identity of the dead man (Robert Zwelinzima) and continue living in New Brighton. Banzi’s struggle to retain his identity while facing the loss of his name (or worse) becomes the heart of the piece, and ties his story with those of Styles and Buntu to the larger theme of black Africans’ fight for equality and self-actualization in the white-dominated South Africa of the 1970s.

At its core, Sizwe Banzi is Dead is about the performances of the leads and their interaction with the audience, and director Ron OJ Parson takes a mostly hands-off approach. The performance-friendly direction allows the actors, Johnson in particular, to fully inhabit their characters and create a sense that the lives we see on stage have real physical and cultural histories. There are times when Parson could rein in the action on stage – while Banzi was conceived as an interactive piece dependent upon the connection between the characters and the spectators, one digressive sequence in particular sees the leads lingering a little too long in drunken conversation with what seems like every member of the audience. Scenic designer Jack Magaw utilizes a spare, effective stage setup consisting of little more than a camera and tables and chairs, and the actors are game for miming parts of the environment that Magaw leaves to the audience’s imagination. The backdrop consists of photos of South African citizens with their government –issued passbooks. While the decision to incorporate famous images (notably Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu) with those of anonymous South Africans is occasionally distracting, it adds a touch of familiarity for the audience and is a reminder of the far reach of Apartheid-era policies.

The performances are excellent. Johnson’s versatility is a wonder – the almost Vaudevillian antics and exaggerated facial expressions of Styles satirize the cultural climate of Apartheid so heavily that the performance toes the line of parody. In a stark contrast, his Buntu is a picture of quiet determination and fierce intelligence, a physically and emotionally solid presence in a play full of movement and uncertainty. Gilmore’s Banzi alternates between sheepishness, defiance, and desperation with relative fluidity. Gilmore is particularly effective in portraying the conflict in Banzi’s impossible decision to leave his family, and the resultant fear that the character feels in spite of his physical strength is played out in a particularly heartbreaking moment.

They might have become men over the past several years, but we still know them as New Kids on the Block, or more recently, NKOTB. Call them what you want, but they are back and, yielding to cliché, better than ever. Currently on their Casi-NO Tour the one-time mega popular boy band recently returned to Chicago where they played three sold out dates at The Venue, located in the Horseshoe Casino, in Hammond, Indiana. Though the actual venue is plenty large enough to accommodate big-name acts – and does with regularity – I half expected the New Kids’ set to be scaled down with minimal props and lighting. However, that was not the case at all. A large riser took center stage while a wall of lights that would constantly change per beat stood as the backdrop. The show was big, and the band was jammin’, thanks to a Chicago-based drummer and a guitarist who looked like he’d fit in better with Slayer.  

Jordan Knight, Donny Wahlberg and Joey McIntyre took turns singing the leads just as they have always done, only this time with more mature and seasoned vocals. They would later take turns performing their own solo numbers in which Joey sang a steamy rendition of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”. Danny Wood and Jonathan Knight contributed with perfectly tuned harmonies and backing vocals to round out the New Kids’ sound, while also busting some very impressive moves.

NKOTB did not disappoint the crowd that was mostly comprised of 25 to 35-year-old women, playing a set that included “The Right Stuff”, “Step By Step”, “Full Service”, “Favorite Girl” and their ever so popular ballad, “I’ll Be Loving You”. The dancing was well choreographed and even better – youthful and fun. The boys also played an acoustic set with Danny taking on the guitar in which “Please Don’t Go Girl” set the mood along with the soft, light-filled curtain that fell behind them.

One concert highlight was when all five New Kids’ walked through the crowd, still singing and waving their arms through the air. Once in the swarm of fans, the five separated, making themselves accessible to most of the main level while Donny took it up a notch and headed closer to the rear of the venue where he balanced on a seat with the help of a few eager helpers.

The night finally came to a close, but not before NKOTB performed one of their top hits, “Hangin’ Tough”, ending the show on a high note and sending the fans home asking when the tour would hit Chicago again.          

They say opposites attract. So what do you get when a recently divorced sportswriter and eternal bachelor acquires an uptight, compulsive hypochondriac as a roommate? You get a polarized reaction that is pure comedic gold.

Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple comes to life at the Raven Theater with a witty and irreverent cast. The play brings together best friends Oscar Madison, played by Eric Roach, and Felix Ungar, played by Jon Steinhagen, in a simple tale of tragic circumstances and true friendship. When Felix is thrown out of the house by his wife he stumbles his way to his best friends’ bachelor pad where Oscar, having recently been divorced himself and concerned for his neurotic best friend, takes Felix in. The easy-going and carefree lifestyle of Oscar is turned upside down when Felix’s compulsive tidiness and penny pinching thriftiness threaten to destroy his sanity and their friendship. Can this odd couple learn to live together? Can they get it together before they drive each other insane?

The Odd Couple first premiered on Broadway in 1965 followed by a film and a very successful television series. What makes this play timeless is the relate-ability of Simon’s work. Rumors have it that the play was first dreamt up when Simon witnessed the odd pairing of his brother rooming with a playwright But whether the play was created out of actual events or completely fictionalized, it’s the exposure of human weaknesses and the a portrayal of characteristics that define the American Experience theater that make this play worth seeing. It’s not prophetic, does not have some great moral conclusion, it merely reveals the frailties and familiarity of the human spirit, something that the Raven Theater grasps so accurately with this Odd Couple Cast.

With set designs that completely immerse you in a 1950s/60s bachelor pad, stale pizza and beer included, and the wonderful stage direction and character choreography of Michael Menendian, The Raven Theater captures the Odd Couple as spot-on as when it first premiered in 1965. Everyone has an Oscar and a Felix in their life, so take that special person to the Raven Theater, located at 6157 North Clark Street, for an experience that will leave you thankful that you can afford that one-bedroom studio all on your own.

Has your partner stuck your heart in a little plastic baggie, seasoned it, shook it up, put it in the oven and forgot it was in there? So, now, have you been burned and shrunk to the degree you qualify for a room with a single bed at the infamous Heartbreak Hotel?

You may have dashed off to vent to a shrink, who you caught checking his or her watch in an OCD-mirrored-manner, because he or she couldn't wait another second until your session was to be over and you'd shut the "f" up! If such a catastrophe of humanity has happened to you, the good thing is, there are musicians in existence whose shows can sew and mend a broken discontented soul. Are Cheyenne Mize and Bonnie "Prince" Billy (A.K.A. Saredren Wells) amongst the healers?

It's atypical to not have a feeling of satisfaction during hearing artists singing, well, lyrics of exactly how you are feeling at the present moment or have previously. That was the incredible gift I received from Cheyenne Mize and Saredren Well's performance the other night at Chicago's pleasingly mellowing lit "Uncommon Ground" restaurant and lounge. The first song they played was Cheyenne's "Waiting," with a line "Waiting for you to keep me, but not completely." If those aren't words everyone with a ticker can say "I can relate" while listening to them, I don't know what are. Plus, the song "Why Didn't Someone Tell Me?" that was written by Saredren carries the same weight, along with the majority of their others.

Furthermore, the performance of songs were from Cheyenne and Saredren's individual CDs, with the premise being love and relationships mostly. It was also coupled with them playing acoustic guitars together, but Cheyenne switched frequently during their playtime to use the fiddle. Cheyenne's voice was not always pretty, as a result, she showed she has the range to execute rawness and believable anger. Saredren's vocals were well projected while they both threw easy-to-decipher-lyrics up onto the laps of the audience.

Cheyenne and Saredren's material did not fall into the category of implementing only 3 chords, normally heard in songs. They have the versatility to also play upbeat songs, which they did so later in their set, and it made their performance not sound like just a pity-pot-party.Besides, Saredren's comment he made between songs that he named all of his 8 cats "Old Lady" resumes to make me chuckle! The fact the venue they played is called "Uncommon Ground" is an entertaining thought, as well. I'll tell you this: My logic leads me to conclude it is not "uncommon" for people to have difficulties walking on the unusual unlevel "ground" of the place, or tripping over unexpectedly planted steps, and coming so embarrassingly close to falling flat on one's face. While one lady walked the same pathway twice, she had to catch her footing, stealing the limelight from Cheyenne and Saredren for a few minutes!

In summary of Cheyenne and Saredren's performance, true love of old-time music is the key ingredient to the musical delights and helpings they serve to their audience. Cheyenne Mize and Saredren Wells play on the vinyl "Among the Gold," which has gotten critical acclaim, and is "a collection of parlor songs from 1915 to earlier (http://thinkindie.com 2010.") Cheyenne's own CD is "Before Lately," and worthy of its' small chunk-of-change price, and so is sweet Saredren Well's "Memories Are Hunting Horns." Saredren's CD is significantly darker and avant-garde than Cheyenne's in all aspects, and each song includes various string and horn sections. Nonetheless, getting each CD should be a "feel good purchase," not just for Cheyenne and Saredren's therapeutic spell-binding lyrics and harmonies, but since a fan passed around a can at Cheyenne and Saredren's gig for people to give them spare change. Lets get these appreciative-acting and starving devoted-to-their-craft-artists away from a daily diet of shrimp-flavored ramen noodles, to at the very least, a platter of Jumbo shrimp at Red Lobster!

Sources:

http://thinkindie.com

“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” was hands down the most exciting, sensual, life affirming theater piece I have seen in years!

 From the moment you enter the theater, Fuerza Bruta, which means “Look Up”, takes the "fourth wall" and literally breaks it over the audience's head - explosive! When I got home I found confetti in my undergarments. It was awesome!

I knew this was going to be a different kind of show when I walked into the normally staid Auditorium Theatre lobby and found a full fledged bar and disco party going on. I love the feeling of disorientation that occurred as we were ushered into the theater and away from the seats right onto the stage. I had no idea we were about to stand for the entire hour and fifteen minute show. As we got onto the stage, which also had club music pumping, the crowd looked expectantly around at each other, some dancing, and most wondering where the set actually was. Suddenly out of the darkness, a spot lit, beautiful man in a white business suit appears walking purposely on a treadmill. Soon he is running at full speed and, with the help of a harness, is eventually jumping through solid brick walls, which explode into bits onto the audience and without any words really gives the feeling of the obstacles we face in modern life. 

The dances grow more and more intense including two dancers flying/fighting/dancing up a twenty foot, undulating wall of color and silver fabric. During intervals a DJ sprays the crowd with a fine mist of water while music pumps and a fog horn blows, almost as a cue for the crowd to start jumping up and down, turning the entire stage into a bouncing rave.

Without giving away all the spectacles, one of the most remarkable is a transparent latex sheet like a gigantic kiddy pool that holds five female dancers, clad only in childlike cotton shorts and tops slipping and sliding like playful dolphins over the audiences heads. The occasional breast innocently and sensually pops out as the latex swimming pool is lowered right down onto the audience’s heads.

I can’t say enough about how refreshing it is to have the fourth wall of the theater broken down so completely, actively involving the audience directly in every action that occurs onstage. It really gives the feeling of great sex with plenty of passionate “throw down” as the crowd is moved, seemingly effortlessly, in the dark through one set change after another. As you are moved from one spot to another and another, a dynamic stage full of dancers rises out of the darkness giving you that wonderful feeling of awe and wonder about what will happen next in the play and how in the world did I get in this position?

I loved the attitude of the dancers, they seemed to have a gusto for life and a saucy, get up off your asses energy that radiated through the audience, making us dance and respond where we would all normally be sitting quietly in our theater seats hoping not to be singled out into participating.

One of the most beautiful and surprisingly “wet” moments of the show comes at the end where a rain shower opens up right in the center of the audience, pouring down large warm round drops of water onto whoever is willing to jump in and dance. After a brief hesitation that my blouse might be turned into a transparent wet t-shirt like the dancers in the pool, I just jumped in and danced and was happily drenched by the heated rain shower in just a few seconds. I really felt transported to a party somewhere on a beach in Rio, everyone’s arms upraised, jumping and dancing with friends and strangers, free and unfettered by the any of the usual protocol of theater decorum or life in the city.

I can’t recommend seeing this show highly enough. My suggestion to really get the full experience is to go with some good friends, have a drink or whatever loosens you up before this show and wear comfortable shoes.  If you see Fuerza Bruta prepare to have your mind blown by some incredible dancing and acrobatics and be willing to get really WET!

“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” is playing at the Auditorium Theatre through July 25^th. For more information on this amazing show, visit www.auditoriumtheatre.org.