Displaying items by tag: Edgewater

Jackalope Theatre Company is proud to present the world premiere of Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play, written and directed by Terry Guest, May 28 - July 6,at the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway St. The total running time, including two intermissions, is two hours and 30 minutes. Preview performances are Thursday, May 28, Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 31 at 2 p.m. The performance schedule is Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with no Friday or Saturday evening performances on July 3 and July 4. Tickets are $15 - $45 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. Subscription and single tickets are now available at JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play is set in New York City where Andy Warhol (no, not that Andy Warhol) is stuck. He hasn’t finished a painting in years and has no new ideas. When a mysterious actress named Marilyn Monroe (no, not that Marilyn Monroe) stumbles into his life, she sends him down an epic path of madness, murder, betrayal and the desperate pursuit of fame, sex and beauty. Andy Warhol presents: The Cocaine Play is a 100% fake story about 100% real people that spans three decades and asks how far one is willing to go for the chance at superstardom. 

The cast of Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play includes William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (he/him, Andy Warhol); David Michael Dowd (he/him, Michael Brown); Alexis Ward (she/her, Marilyn Monroe) and Jasmine “Jazzy” Cheri Rush (she/her, Edie Sedgwick).  

The creative team for Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play includes Terry Guest (he/him, playwright and director); Ayanna Bria Bakari (she/her, associate director and wigs designer); Sydney Lynne Thomas (she/her, scenic designer); Madeleine Shows (costume designer); Spencer Diaz Tootle (she/her, props designer); Levi Wilkins (he/him, lighting designer); Ethan Korvne (he/him, composer and sound designer); E Tylkowski (they/them, technical director); Stephanie Mattos (she/her, fight and firearms coordinator); Kirsten Baity (they/them, intimacy coordinator); Corey Bradberry (he/him, production manager); Sam Burkett (she/they, stage manager); AJ Links, CSA (she/her, casting director); Monét Felton (they/theirs, artistic producer); Hudson Therriault (any/all, accessibility manager); Amira Danan (she/her, development director), Karina Patel (she/her, new works manager) and Kaiser Ahmed (he/him, artistic director).

ABOUT TERRY GUEST, PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR

Terry Guest is a three-time Jeff Award-winning playwright, actor, director and teaching artist. Works include: At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, OAK, The Magnolia Ballet (Jeff Awards for Production and Performance in a short run), A Ghost in Satin (Williamstown Theater Festival), Marie Antionette and the Magical Negroes (Three Jeff Awards including New Work, Director and Ensemble), Nightbirds, The Madness of Mary Todd (Goodman Playwrights Unit commission) and Milo Imagines the World. As an actor Guest has worked at regional theaters including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Alliance Theatre, About Face Theatre and Actors Express.

ABOUT JACKALOPE THEATRE

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Jackalope Theatre Company is proud to present the world premiere of Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play, written and directed by Terry Guest, May 28 - July 6,at the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway St. The total running time, including two intermissions, is two hours and 30 minutes. Preview performances are Thursday, May 28, Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 31 at 2 p.m. with the press opening Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with no Friday or Saturday evening performances on July 3 and July 4. Tickets are $15 - $45 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. Subscription and single tickets are now available at JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

Having been wanting to check it out for quite a while, I was excited to go see Nice Girl at the Raven Theatre, the theatre’s latest offering, this one by Melissa Ross and directed by Lauren Shouse. Upon entering the Edgewater located venue, I walked into the warmth and was greeted by two friendly gentlemen. It is an unassuming, no thrills theatre, and unfortunately was missing a bar. As I went to find a seat, I noticed the sense of community at Raven Theatre. It was clear the staff was close-knit and well-connected in the theatre community.

I was immediately transported to Massachusetts as they play started. Both Josephine, played by Lucy Carapetyan, and her mother Francine, who is played by Lynne Baker, show fantastic chemistry from the get go and the banter between the two is strong, to say the least. In fact, their repartee is so realistic at times as they both pushed each other's buttons it made me uncomfortable.

The premise of the play is that Josephine is 37, single, and living with her mother. She befriends a coworker named Sherri (Stella Martin) who happens to be the saving grace of this play. She brings a much-needed energy to the sad life that Carapetyan so convincingly brought to her character. As the play progresses we are introduced to Donnie (Benjamin Sprunger) who is an old classmate of Josephine and they start to build a budding romance. But the characters prove to be bland.

There is a twist in the second half of the play in which I missed completely, most likely due to the lack of interest in the play’s characters. I truly struggled with the play and what it offers to its audience. It is sad and without much hope until the end of the show. What I yearned for was the steady, noticeable growth of Josephine throughout the challenges of her relationship with her mother but again, some changes occurred at the end.

Nice Girl is a bit hard to watch but it does have some humor breaks here and there, albeit on the more minor side – not enough to salvage the play. I struggled with feeling much hope for the main character. If seeing the play, be prepared to be sad and have a lot of hurt in your heart. However, when walking out of the Theatre many patrons commented that they enjoyed Nice Girl, obviously appealing to the taste of several theatre goers. Who’s to say who will enjoy what so, as always, check it out and make your own opinion.
Nice Girl is being performed at Raven Theatre where it is running until March 11th. Tickets available at www.raventheatre.com.

The historic Gunder Mansion in Edgewater opens its doors for a unique theatre experience: a fifty-minute event consisting of five distinct plays, each unfolding in a separate room of the mansion and designed for an audience of one. The entire audience consists of only ten members; there are two tracks to choose from: “Personal” and “Up Close”, and there are two shows per night (7:30 PM and 8:30 PM).

The ten members of the audience are divided into two groups; each member will then follow a journey (either “Personal” or “Up Close”). Upon entering each room, a ten-minute play unfolds where the audience member becomes an active participant. So, what’s in the room?

It could be a fun TV show (“Iconic”, created and directed by Julian Stroop), a gothic fortune teller parlor (“The Guest”, written by Kaitlin Gilgenbach, directed by Molly Donahue), or just an ordinary room with an extra-ordinary person in it. Prepare to be surprised and amused, and throw caution out the door: this interactive play, as the show’s Experience Director Janet Howe put it, is the opposite of watching Netflix at home. It’s kind of like an amusement park where some rides are more fun than others, but, overall, the entire experience is highly enjoyable. You’ll even go home with a souvenir [of your own making].

The creative team behind “For One” (experience director Janet Howe, production manager Claire Chrzan) designed each play to revolve around the audience, so each room feels like a special customizable adventure. Dream-like, each play has no beginning and no end; once you’re in the room, you’re immediately drawn into the midst of action, so you might as well assume your designated role. The outcome is somewhat unpredictable, since actors play off the audience member’s words and actions. At the end, you’re often admired for your wonderful qualities and talents, and then politely kicked out. What a great chance to feel like a star, or at least like the most important person in the room. Lucky you.

About the venue: Gunder Mansion was built in 1910 for pharmaceutical company executive Samuel Gunder. It later was used by the Viatorian religious order. After many years of residing there, they sold the property in 1981 to the Chicago Park District for half the market value hoping to see it restored and used for the community. The Mansion was acquired by Edgewater Community Council; it was subsequently rehabbed and transformed into Cultural Center.

“For One”, the latest production by (re)discover theatre company is being performed through September 30th. For more show information visit http://www.rediscovertheatre.com/for-one/.

Cor Theatre this time brings its latest production, “Love and Human Remains”, to the intimate Rivendell Theatre in Edgewater. A psychological thriller that made waves in the 1990s for its daring and gutty material, “Love and Human Remains” is a story that revolves around a handful of Chicago couples amidst a serial killer on the loose.

It takes a good part of the first act before we get a good feel of who’s who in this play. Beginning with a dominatrix who tales the tale many of us have heard at some point about Cuba Road where a young man is murdered in the woods while trying to get help after car trouble strands he and his girlfriend, we are soon introduced to roommates David and Candy to which are the main focus in the story. David is gay and is quick to use biting sarcasm every chance he gets. A former child actor now turned waiter, he is unattached and willing and able to find quick sex anywhere he can. Candy is looking for love and though attractive and seemingly kind-hearted, she doesn’t seem to have much luck. As the story progresses David’s tall and good looking friend Bernie is introduced, he often appears drunk and bloody, chalking it up to bar room fights due to his propensity to hit on unavailable women. Meanwhile the bodies are adding up.

Written by Brad Fraser and directed by Ernie Nolan, this is a play with much crotch grabbing and excessive nudity as the lesser known worlds of S&M and underground gay hook ups are also explored. It is a story of instant gratification, obsessions, guilt and consequence. It is also a story of hopefulness and finding companionship.

Andrew Goetten as David and Kate Black-Spence really steal the show with their electrifying performances. Goetten delivers Jeff Goldblum-like musings and over-analyzed histrionics, hitting perfectly called for tone inflection and sentiment on cue to project his feelings ever so effortlessly. At the same time, Black-Spence is able to channel her emotions in just the right way so that we can really feel for her character’s sadness, guilt, loneliness and hope.

The first act moves a bit slowly and we kind of wonder if the ever present ensemble chants and comments in the background are necessary or detracting from the play’s story. By the second act it becomes apparent the play would probably be better if acted out as a traditional presentation piece rather than being an ensemble piece whereas surrounding characters in the background are constantly chiming in along or around the main scenes. Still, the play does come together enough in the second act to where its intrigue becomes the focal point and we crave to see the outcome for each character.   

It’s dark, sexual and is funny in more places than one would expect. In time, it even becomes rather absorbing as a thriller.

“Love and Human Remains” is being performed at Rivendell Theatre in Edgewater through July 11^th. For tickets and/or more information visit ww.CorTheatre.org.  

What a thrill to see a costume piece with moderately contemporary dialog. Charles Hampton's adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" premiered during the height of theatrical decedance in the 1980s. Razor sharp wit borrowed from Laclos' 18th century epistolary novel about sexual conquest among bored aristocrats make this an extremely titillating and provocative piece. Just reading the text is tickling enough. The play garnered critical praise on Broadway, and was followed by an even more successful film starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich.

AshtonRep bites off a bit more than they can chew with their current production at the Raven Theatre in Edgewater. The problem with this production is casting. The role of the conniving Marquise de Merteuil is played with cool dignity by Sarah Pavlak McGuire, her composed cruelty is fascinating to watch. Unbalanced co-star and AshtonRep founder Robert Tobin takes up the role of Valmont. It's imperative that Valmont be a suave casanova, one who ebbs sex appeal. Tobin is neither. He also tends to misplace the dialog. He often delivers his lines with a confusing modern inflection on purposefully crafted antiquated phrasing.

Director Charlie Marie McGrath makes an interesting choice by changing the time period from pre-revolutionary France to pre-revolutionary Russia. Though, for what reason? Hampton's script leaves the audience with a powerful image conjured by projecting the silhouette of a guillotine on the background. It feels like a missed opportunity not to give this play the full depth it needs. The staging is well-conceived, running with the idea of a chamber drama, having the curtains drawn to accent scenes like storybook chapters.

All in all, AshtonRep presents a faithful production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." It's an ambitious play for an emerging theatre company to take on, but there is a great deal of chemistry between the female ensemble here. Hampton's script is sturdy and holds up well in an era in which most people are more familiar with the teenage re-telling "Cruel Intentions."

Through June 21st. The West Stage at Raven Theatre Complex. 6157 N Clark St. 773-828-9129