OPENING: NEIL TOBIN, NECROMANCER: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE RETURNS OCTOBER 7 – NOVEMBER 4, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

INTERACTIVE THEATER, DEAD-SERIOUS FUN RETURNS FOR HALLOWEEN TO ROSEHILL CEMETERY IN 

NEIL TOBIN, NECROMANCER: 

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, 

OCTOBER 7 – NOVEMBER 4 

Interactive, Magical Theatre about Life and Death in a Once-in-a-Lifetime Setting

In the original run, audiences and critics were spellbound by the performance. 

ChiIL Live Shows says, “Tobin raises very thought-provoking observations ... While the subject matter and the locale may suggest morbidity, Tobin's message is life-affirming." 

PicturethisPost.com said, “Near Death Experience is perfect for adults who love interactive and site-specific theatre that makes you think.” 

 Tobin's Award-Winning Exploration of Mortality and Mystery will Make You 

Laugh, Ponder and Wonder

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we caught the original run of this show. If you didn't, you have another chance to catch this return engagement. Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience is back, at the lovely Rosehill Cemetery through November 4th. Check out our full review here. 

After a successful run at Rosehill Cemetery this spring, Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience returns to the historic Chicago site with more thought-provoking theatre just in time for the Halloween season. Chicago-area writer/producer/ performer Neil Tobin performs nine interactive, magical, site-specific solo shows about mortality at the rarely open to the public May Chapel on the grounds of Rosehill Cemetery, 5800 N. Ravenswood Ave. Performances are 60 minutes and begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 7; Saturday, October 13; Sunday, October 14; Saturday, October 20; Sunday, October 21; Saturday, October 27; Sunday, October 28; Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4. Tickets are $25 - $30 and available at neardeathx.com. 



Winner of IndyFringe Theatre Festival's Audience Choice Award, this show is no horror show or cheap, spooky thrill. Tobin maintains a sophisticated tone, deftly fusing mortality and mystery into a life-affirming experience that's smart, darkly humorous, never scary and completely entertaining. According to Tobin, “this show is ultimately about the good that comes from improving our relationship with mortality.” So, though it does contain magical performance elements, this is no children's show. This is dead serious fun.  

Underscoring this exploration of life and death is the exceptional location: one of the most history-rich cemeteries in the nation. Rosehill Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places; and its Gothic and Romanesque designed May Chapel — built in 1899 and rarely open to the public — provides a fitting setting for the proceedings.



Chicago-area writer/producer/performer Neil Tobin has a long track record of employing interactive magical and psychic performance skills to involve audiences in larger narratives and serious subjects (hence the “necromancer” title). Previous shows include Palace of the Occult (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre/Prop Thtr), which immersed guests in the world of a Jewish psychic entertainer trying to survive during the rise of the Nazis in 30s Berlin, and Supernatural Chicago, another site-specific piece which ran weekly for 10 years at Chicago's reputedly haunted Excalibur nightclub.

As magic advisor for the Mercury Theater, Tobin was on the creative team for the Jeff Award-winning The Addams Family and the Jeff Award-nominated Barnum. He's also the recipient of two Presidential Citations from the Society of American Magicians, and has served on the board of directors for the Psychic Entertainers Association.

After a successful run at Rosehill Cemetery this spring, Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience will return to this historic Chicago site with more thought-provoking theatre. Chicago-area writer/producer/ performer Neil Tobin performs nine interactive, magical, site-specific solo shows about mortality at the rarely open to the public May Chapel on the grounds of Rosehill Cemetery, 5800 N. Ravenswood Ave. Performances are 60 minutes and begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, October 7; Saturday, October 13; Sunday, October 14; Saturday, October 20; Sunday, October 21; Saturday, October 27; Sunday, October 28; Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4. Tickets are $25 - $30 and available at neardeathx.com.

REVIEW: Near Death Experience starring Neil Tobin, Necromancer Select Dates Through May 6, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Review:

Near Death Experience starring Neil Tobin, Necromancer

By Catherine Hellmann, guest writer 

Photos by Jonathan Cohon, Prism Studios, unless otherwise noted

“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.”

As Neil Tobin opens his fascinating one-man show with this line, he poses the question, ”You were expecting light, escapist entertainment? Did you read the program?” Immediately, the audience expects a theater-going experience unlike any other.

The location for this limited-run show certainly sets the stage, literally. Held at the beautiful Rosehill Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Chicago at 350 acres, many prominent Chicagoans are laid to rest here. (My friend and I also saw six deer among the tombstones on our walk prior to the show.)

Performances are presented at Rosehill Cemetery in historic May Chapel, built by noted architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee in 1899 and rarely open to the public. (Photo: Jonathan Cohon)



While this may sound morbid, well, okay, it kind of is, Tobin’s point is to celebrate the life we have and make the most of our time here on earth. By having his performance truly “close to death,” the audience is reminded that we can be whisked away from this world at any time; we must appreciate this life and make a resolution to live it fully.

The unusual locale for this unique show is a treat. The May Chapel
is exquisite and rarely opened to the public. Built in 1899, the mosaic floors, carved oak-beam ceilings, and glorious sun streaming through the lovely stained-glass windows remind us that there are so many undiscovered places to explore in our beloved city. Go just to see the Chapel and the “bonus time” is a show. (Tobin has a curious routine that encourages us to make the most of our “bonus time” in this world.)

Just what the heck is a “necromancer”? According to Merriam-Webster,
it is the “conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.” Don’t worry---it is not a creepy seance you will be witnessing. No Ouija Boards are involved in the making of this show, either.

Tobin has routines on every day cultural references to death, like the kids’ game “Hangman,” horror movies, ghost-hunter stories on television, and the ubiquitous fortune cookies at Chinese restaurants which can predict our futures. (Tobin addresses the fortunes in cookies with gravitas, but we know how silly they can be. For instance, my favorite was my teen daughter recently had the hilarious fortune: “Keep your expectations reasonable.” While I told her this
is true, she felt ripped off by her lame future.) 



Tobin raises very thought-provoking observations on society, and our denial of death. In Victorian times, cemeteries were treated like parks, with families having picnics while honoring their ancestors. (Imagine telling your kids today that instead of Montrose Beach, you are taking them to Graceland…there is so much great Chicago history just north of Wrigley Field.) People began to fear death instead of accepting it; hence, the striking change in grave markers from monuments to flat headstones. Tobin also asked how many audience members have a will. There was a small scattering of hands, and he said that was typical of most Americans to not be prepared about the inevitable.

Being a magician, Tobin does have some tricks up his sleeve. (ba dum ching!) It doesn’t seem fair to reveal all of his material and ruin the surprises. While the subject matter and locale may suggest morbidity, Tobin’s message is to be life-affirming. 

Near Death Experience starring Neil Tobin, Necromancer is recommended.

Neil Tobin’s Near Death Experience has a limited run (as do all of us!) at May Chapel: Sunday March 11, Saturday April 14, Sunday April 15, Saturday May 5, and Sunday May 6. All shows begin at 3:00 and last an hour. Tickets are $25-$30 and are available at neardeathx.com.

Carpe Diem! 

(“This message brought to you by Latin, the official language of death.”--Neil Tobin.) 

"RECOMMENDED ... Neil Tobin weaves magic into the show as he guides us on a journey to understanding our views on death and what could come from reshaping them. Most of the magic will leave even the most skeptical among us pondering what they just experienced ... Near Death Experience is perfect for adults who love interactive and site-specific theatre that makes you think. " — Picture This Post

"Tobin doesn't give us The Answers, but perhaps better questions ... meanwhile, we get to marvel at sleight of hand and sleight of mind, delivered with appropriately dark humor. Recommended ... your bravery will be rewarded." — Plays With John And Wendy

OPENING: NEIL TOBIN, NECROMANCER: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE AT CHICAGO'S ROSEHILL CEMETERY 3/10-5/6/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

INTERACTIVE THEATER, DEAD-SERIOUS FUN COMES TO ROSEHILL CEMETERY IN 

NEIL TOBIN, NECROMANCER: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, 

MARCH 10 – MAY 6 

Interactive, Magical Theatre about Life and Death in a Once-in-a-Lifetime Setting

Tobin's Award-Winning Exploration of Mortality and Mystery will Make You Laugh, Ponder and Wonder

Photo Credit: Daniel Axler

Direct from winning the IndyFringe Theatre Festival's Audience Choice Award, Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience is bringing thought-provoking theatre to Chicago's historic Rosehill Cemetery. Chicago-area writer/producer/ performer Neil Tobin performs six interactive, magical, site-specific solo shows about mortality at the rarely open to the public May Chapel on the grounds of Rosehill Cemetery, 5800 N. Ravenswood Ave. Performances are 60 minutes and begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 10; Sunday, March 11; Saturday, April 14; Sunday, April 15; Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6.  Tickets are $25 - $30 and available at neardeathx.com.



This is no horror show or cheap, spooky thrill. Tobin maintains a sophisticated tone, deftly fusing mortality and mystery into a life-affirming experience that's smart, darkly humorous, never scary and completely entertaining. According to Tobin, “this show is ultimately about the good that comes from improving our relationship with mortality.” So, though it does contain magical performance elements, this is no children's show.

Underscoring this exploration of life and death is the exceptional location: one of the most history-rich cemeteries in the nation. Rosehill Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places; and its Gothic and Romanesque designed May Chapel — built in 1899 and rarely open to the public — provides a fitting setting for the proceedings.

Photo Credit: David Linsell

Chicago-area writer/producer/performer Neil Tobin has a long track record of employing interactive magical and psychic performance skills to involve audiences in larger narratives and serious subjects (hence the “necromancer” title). Previous shows include Palace of the Occult (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre/Prop Thtr), which immersed guests in the world of a Jewish psychic entertainer trying to survive during the rise of the Nazis in 30s Berlin, and Supernatural Chicago, another site-specific piece which ran weekly for 10 years at Chicago's reputedly haunted Excalibur nightclub.

As magic advisor for the Mercury Theater, Tobin was on the creative team for the Jeff Award-winning The Addams Family and the Jeff Award-nominated Barnum. He's also the recipient of two Presidential Citations from the Society of American Magicians, and has served on the board of directors for the Psychic Entertainers Association.