LAST CALL: Wonderful Town at Goodman Heads Into Final Extension Dates

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:  

  Wonderful Town

MARY ZIMMERMAN’S MAJOR REVIVAL OF LEONARD BERNSTEIN’S CLASSIC MUSICAL, EXTENDED THROUGH OCTOBER 23 AT GOODMAN THEATRE

All good things must come to an end, and that includes Mary Zimmerman’s extended and highly recommended revival of Wonderful Town. Here at ChiIL Mama we adored this retro gem. I remember my mother singing me the songs from the production as a child, but I'd never seen it on stage. It held special meaning for her, since she saw it in New York, back in the early 60's! Before I was born, my parents relocated to New York from Cincinnati for a stint in their early 20's, when my father had a short term cross training there. The stellar acting, costumes, hilarious stylized set, and crazy catchy score brought those days back in glorious detail under the brilliant hands of director, Mary Zimmerman. 

I'm still laughing about and loving the standing Taxi cabs whizzing across the stage, as I'm humming bars of tunes from the show. Goodman's Wonderful Town is playful, energetic, enthusiastic and all around fun. This sister act is a must see! Highly recommended.

Wonderful Town, a musical by Leonard Bernstein, librettists Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Directed by Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman at Goodman Theatre

Don't miss this. Wonderful Town is now entering it's final extension, so don't delay if you haven't caught it yet, or go again, while you still can. This production was laugh out loud funny and had the audience grinning and toe tapping to the catchy numbers and empathizing with the still too timely story lines of struggling creatives trying to make it in the big city. 

“It’s Love!” Goodman Theatre adds eight performances of Mary Zimmerman’s revival of Wonderful Town, extending the show through October 23. Featuring a company of over 40 actors and musicians, the Goodman production of Leonard Bernstein ’s whimsical love letter to Manhattan marks the first major revival in more than 10 years. The musical is based upon the hit Broadway play My Sister Eileen by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and the autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney. Fields and Chodorov later collaborated with lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green to create Wonderful Town—the musical adaptation of the play, which features 20 Bernstein songs—including “Ohio,” One Hundred Easy Ways,” and “A Little Bit in Love.” 

For Wonderful Town tickets (starting at $25), call 312.443.3800, visit GoodmanTheatre.org/WonderfulTown or the box office (170 North Dearborn). Group savings are available for parties of 8 or more; call 312.443.3820 or email Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org. 

Extension Week Performance Schedule:

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30pm

Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30pm

Thursday, October 20 at 7:30pm

Friday, October 21 at 8pm

Saturday, October 22 at 2pm and 8pm

Sunday, October 23 at 2pm and 7:30pm

Wonderful Town follows the adventure of sisters Eileen and Ruth, who leave Columbus, Ohio, in search of success in the Big Apple. Lauren Molina, who appeared as Cunegonde in Zimmerman’s acclaimed production of Candide (2010), portrays Eileen, a beautiful actress and hopeful romantic; and breakout Chicago star Bri Sudia (Far From Heaven, Porchlight Music Theater) makes her Goodman debut as Ruth, an aspiring, romantically-challenged journalist. Joining Molina and Sudia in the 26-member cast are Karl Hamilton as Robert Baker, the isolated editor of the Manhatter newspaper; Wade Elkins as Frank Lippencott and Steven Strafford as Chick Clark—two of Eileen’s love prospects and residents of the bohemian 1950s town; and Jordan Brown (Wreck), Amy J. Carle (Mrs. Wade), Matt DeCaro (Appopolous), Christina Hall (Violet), James Earl Jones II (Speedy Valenti), Kristin Villanueva (Helen) and George Andrew Wolff (Lonigan). Ensemble members include Nathaniel Braga, Ariana Cappuccitti, Sherriese Hamilton, Aaron Holland, Mark David Kaplan, Tiffany Krause, Kent M. Lewis, Russell Mernagh, Jeff Parker, Jody Reynard, Todd Rhoades, Lainie Sakakura, Ian Saunders and Erica Stephan.

Music director Doug Peck and associate music director/conductor Ben Johnson lead the 18-member orchestra. Chicago native and choreographer Alex Sanchez, whose work has been described as “spectacular–wildly ingenious and playful from start to finish” (Chicago Sun-Times), makes his Goodman debut. The creative team also includes Todd Rosenthal (sets), Ana Kuzmanic (costumes), T.J. Gerckens (lights) and Ray Nardelli (sound).  

About Goodman Theatre

Called America’s “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine, Goodman Theatre has won international recognition for its artists, productions and programs, and is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago. Founded in 1925 by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth (an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s) and represented today by descendant Albert Ivar Goodman, Goodman Theatre has garnered hundreds of awards for artistic achievement and community engagement, including: two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards (including “Outstanding Regional Theatre” in 1992), nearly 160 Joseph Jefferson Awards and more. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the Goodman’s artistic priorities include new plays (more than 150 world or American premieres in the past 30 years), reimagined classics (including Falls’ nationally and internationally celebrated productions of Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, King Lear and The Iceman Cometh, many in collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy), culturally specific work, musical theater (26 major productions in 20 years, including 10 world premieres) and international collaborations. Diversity and inclusion have been primary cornerstones of the Goodman’s mission for 30 years; over the past decade, 68% of the Goodman’s 35 world premieres were authored by women and/or playwrights of color, and the Goodman was the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Each year, the Goodman’s education and engagement programs serve thousands of students, teachers and life-long learners. In addition, for nearly four decades A Christmas Carol has led to the creation of a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago.

Goodman Theatre’s leadership includes the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Joan Clifford is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Cynthia Klem Scholl is Women’s Board President, and Justin A. Kulovsek is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

Visit the Goodman virtually at GoodmanTheatre.org, and on Twitter (@GoodmanTheatre), Facebook and Instagram.

CHEERS LIVE ON STAGE TO PLAY FINAL PERFORMANCE THIS SUNDAY

The Producers of CHEERS LIVE ON STAGE just announced that the critically acclaimed show will be concluding its run, early, in Chicago on Sunday, October 9. The Producers expect to make an announcement about additional touring partners and a route for a 2017/18 national tour in the coming weeks.

Patrons who have tickets for performances after October 9 will receive a refund by contacting their point of purchase. For any questions, please call Broadway In Chicago at 312-977-1702, Monday through Friday, 10 am – 5 pm 

Under license by CBS Consumer Products and produced by Stageworks Media and TROIKA Entertainment, CHEERS LIVE ON STAGE is a two-act comedy based on the best and most memorable moments from the Emmy® Award-winning classic hit TV series.

 ™ & © 2016 A CBS Company. CHEERS and related marks and logos are trademarks of A CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.

REVIEW: American Blues Theater's Dutchman/TRANSit Delivers Through 9/25

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Dutchman 
by Amiri Baraka 

TRANSit 
by Darren Canady  

                    Now running through September 25, 2016

Keep your arms and legs inside the train at all times. You're in for a ride! These transit tales are full of bullying, hate crimes, race, gender, and social issues. Here at ChiIL Live Shows we loved this perfect pairing. Highly recommended.

The acting in both shows is superb and the sets are incredibly clever. In a swift transfer during intermission, the audience is effectively transported forward 50 years to present day New York City, for a world premiere commissioned work that meshes well with the thought provoking intensity and energy of the still too timely Dutchman. We truly adored TRANSit, too, from the clever play on words in the title, through the cringeworthy climax. 

I shared an apartment with a transgender woman back in the mid 90's, and this portrayal was spot on. Before I got to know her well, I'd had many gay friends who had experienced violence and bullying from peers and society, but most found a safe haven in the gay community and their partner choices. As a pre op "Third World Girl", she had been attacked numerous times, even severely enough to be hospitalized. Yet she was not attracted to gay men and most drawn to just the type of young, straight, homophobic thugs most likely to bring her bodily harm, just like the characters in TRANSit. I called them her "Neanderthals". Every time she got close enough to a guy to get intimate, it had the potential of turning into a violent betrayal when they discovered her physical truths didn't match her facade. This is an incredibly intense set of plays, especially presented in tandem. Kudos to American Blues for giving a voice and space to the darker side of our culture, with two stellar shows, and opening some eyes and minds. 

Joseph Jefferson Award recommended “PROFOUND IN CONCEPTION. Daring! High-stakes pairing. Timeless complexities.” – Chicago Tribune “TRANSit is the PERFECT JUXTAPOSITION to Dutchman. These train rides are filled with the RAW, UNCUT issues of our society.” – Newcity “BEST BETS for fall theater - a double bill of PROVOCATION!” – Chicago Reader “RIVETING, EXPLOSIVE, & TRUTHFUL!!” – Chicago Critic “THRILLING THEATER.” – Windy City Times “MUCH-VITAL STAGING with thoroughly MODERN TWIST!” – Chicago Theatre Review Dutchman / TRANSit All photos to the credit of Michael Brosilow AUGUST 26 — SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 DUTCHMAN/TRANSit 2 PLAYS. 1 RIDE. Dutchman by: Amiri Baraka Dutchman Directed by: Chuck Smith TRANSit by: Darren Canady TRANSit Directed by: Lisa Portes Experience two powerful plays in one event. See Dutchman—one of the most important plays in 20th-century culture to take on race relations. Then inspired by Baraka’s pivotal work, watch the world-premiere commission TRANSit, about an encounter between two strangers that reveals more than planned when an explosive mix of identity, sex, and betrayal is unleashed. Featuring Ensemble member Manny Buckley. To learn more about Dutchman / TRANSit, read our Backstage Guide. PERFORMANCE INFO This production must close September 25, 2016. (773) 404-7336 box office Thursday: 7:30pm Friday: 7:30pm Saturday: 3:00pm & 7:30pm Sunday: 2:30pm There's an additional performance on  9/12 @ 7:30pm  Duration: Runs 2 hours with one intermission. Location: Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Ticket Price: $19-$49 Recommended for ages 14 yrs +; Adult language & themes, and violence. Town Halls: We offer free post-show events on Sundays and other events. Learn more. ARTISTS CAST (in order of appearance): Michael Pogue (“Clay” in Dutchman), Amanda Drinkall (“Lula” in Dutchman), Manny Buckley* (“Veronica” in TRANSit), Jake Szczepaniak(“Luke” in TRANSit), and Edgar Miguel Sanchez (“Lalo” in TRANSit). ENSEMBLE (in alphabetical order): Grant Carriker, Sawyer Krause, Warren Levon, Kirstin McGinnis,and Nicola Rinow. PRODUCTION TEAM: Amiri Baraka (playwright of Dutchman), Chuck Smith (director of Dutchman), Darren Canady* (playwright of TRANSit), Lisa Portes (director ofTRANSit), Sarah E. Ross* (scenic), Sarah Hughey* (lights), Christopher J. Neville* (costumes), Thomas Dixon (sound), Alec Long (properties), Ricardo Garcia (dance choreographer), Vincent Teninty (fight director), and Kevin Gregory Dwyer (production stage manager). Schedule:  Thursday: 7:30 p.m. Friday: 7:30 p.m. Saturday:  3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday: 2:30 p.m. Location: Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago Ticket prices: $19 - $49 Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.404.7336.

CLOSING: 2 For 1 Tickets for Seedfolks at Chicago Children's Theatre Closing This Sunday

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Don't miss this! Highly recommended for ages 7+. This show is part of Chicago Children's Theatre's Later Stages shows for older children. I went with my whole family for Mother's Day and my 13 & 15 year olds loved it as much as the adults. Sonja Parks is a consummate story teller and a true joy to see in action. We adore this story of a literal garden and the perfect metaphor it provides of growing community, growing friendships and growing hope. 

http://chicagochildrenstheatre.org/shows/seedfolks/

One woman plays 14 characters to tell the story of the founding and first year of a community garden in a gritty, immigrant neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. Each character is from a different ethnic group, and describes the transformation of the empty lot into a vibrant garden. While doing so, each one of those characters experiences his or her own transformation.

“14 characters, 1 amazing actress” – 

TwinCities.com

WATCH TRAILER

**If you have special seating accommodations, please inform the Box Office 72 hours before the performance.

*Run time 60 min. including Q&A session.

*Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office one hour prior to performances with no additional fees.

*Children under 2 years of age will be admitted without a ticket provided they sit on another guest’s lap and do not occupy a seat. Any child 2 years of age and older will require a ticket to enter.

REVIEW: Last Chance to See Acclaimed Drama Mosque Alert Extended Through May 15

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we caught the opening of Mosque Alert and were amazed by the complexity of the characters and issues presented. Mosque Alert goes well beyond taking sides on a zoning issue and manages to offer an enlightening and thought provoking production that touches on racism, fear, friendship, politics, greed, religion, sexism and so much more. Mosque Alert is beyond timely and broaches the issues of our day in a compelling way that isn't heavy handed. Highly recommended. “The issues of ‘Mosque Alert’ are large, real and occurring here and now, so attention must be paid.” - Windy City Times SILK ROAD RISING ANNOUNCES EXTENDED RUN OF  BOLD, HARD-HITTING DRAMA  MOSQUE ALERT Silk Road Rising’s timely world premiere of Jamil Khoury’s Mosque Alert has been playing to enthusiastic houses since opening. By popular demand, performances of Mosque Alert have been extended through May 15th.  This extension adds eight new opportunities to see what Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times calls “precisely the right recipe for a solid argument play." Inspired by the "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy in New York City, Mosque Alert opens a window into the world of three fictional families living in Naperville, Illinois, whose lives are interrupted by a proposed Islamic Center on the site of a beloved local landmark. Mosque Alert is extended through May 15, 2016, and performs in Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St, Lower Level, in Chicago.  Learn more about the play by visiting www.mosquealert.org. PERFORMANCES & TICKETS The production runs through Sunday, May 15th. Curtain times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $35.00. Tickets can be purchased at www.mosquealert.org or by phone: 312.857.1234 x201. PRAISE FOR MOSQUE ALERT “Khoury shows a Kushneresque knack for complicating already complicated realities.” - Chicago Reader “Searing writing...[Mosque Alert] captures the temper of our time.” - Chicago Sun-Times “Articulates the issues with passion and...eloquence. ‘Mosque Alert’ ultimately is a plea for understanding and compassion that takes aim at the anti-Muslim forces.” - Chicago Tribune “It is the dexterous cast of this professional world premiere who make his play... believable and compelling—performances that make a show of standard running time pass in a blink. ‘Mosque Alert’ exhibits a thoroughgoing treatment of issues that strike the bone.” - Huffington Post “Mosque Alert, an explosive world premiere, is seen—and felt—from all sides. Khoury’s kickass script and vital play remains exemplary in its civic-minded bridge-building.” - Stage and Cinema “Mosque Alert is significant for its insistence that discussion of Islam’s place in America be reasoned, honest, well-informed, and treat humans as unique individuals instead of abstractions or targets of collective blame.  - ChicagoCritic.com “But what makes Mosque Alert so compelling are the nuances within each family...revealing the weaknesses in all of its characters and in doing so, pointing out the humanity in all of them as well.” - Third Coast Review “The ambitious Mosque Alert is a commendable piece of theater. Khoury writes eloquently and with conviction. He expresses viewpoints (even the most odious), boldly and comprehensively.” - Daily Herald Silk Road Rising’s new work by Jamil Khoury understands the destructive power of hate...the territory is rife with drama and pertinent questions about the modernity of Islam and the nature of bigotry.” - Newcity Stage “There is an unquestionable urgency to sharing stories like Mosque Alert with the world. The production’s timing is undeniably pertinent.” - PerformInk “Mosque Alert tackles a range of contemporary subjects, from fear of Islam, to the crooked politics of zoning laws, to national and individual responses to acts of terror. Strong performances anchor this spirited debate with no easy answers.” -Theatre1234 PRODUCTION TEAM Mosque Alert is written by Jamil Khoury and directed by Edward Torres. The cast of Mosque Alert includes: Rengin Altay*, Rom Barkhordar*, Amy J. Carle*, Mark Ulrich*, Sahar Dika, Nina Ganet, Rula Gardenier, Riley McIlveen, Andrew L. Saenz, Frank Sawa, and Steve Silver. The design team includes: Caitlin Roper* (Stage Manager), Dan Stratton (Set Designer), Elsa Hiltner (Costume Designer), Lindsey Lyddan (Lighting Designer), Thomas Dixon (Sound Designer & Composer of Original Music), Michael Stanfill** (Video Designer), Alec Long (Props Designer), and Annaliese McSweeney (Dramaturg). * Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.  ** Denotes member of United Scenic Artists, the union of professional designers, artists, and craftspeople. PRODUCTION SPONSORS The World Premiere production of Mosque Alert is proudly sponsored by: The Bass Fund, ComEd, Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, and The Left Tilt Fund. ABOUT SILK ROAD RISING Silk Road Rising creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. In representing communities that intersect and overlap, we advance a polycultural worldview.

LAST CALL: The Bachelors at Cole Theatre

COLE THEATRE PRESENTS NEW PLAY

 THE BACHELORS 

AS ITS SOPHOMORE PRODUCTION

Erica Weiss directs a pitch-black comedy on the madness of modern masculinity

March 17-April 10 at the Greenhouse Theater Center

ADULT NIGHT OUT: This one's definitely NOT for the kids, but this world premiere is a fascinating piece where some of the most reprehensible, juvenile examples of MANkind are breathed into being and directed by women (Playwright, Caroline V. McGraw & Director Erica Weiss)! This is a quirky gem of a production which flays our ideas of glorified bachelorhood and what it means to be a young, adult male. Kevlar, Henry, and Laurie are energetically and capably played by Nicholas Bailey, Boyd Harris, and Shane Kenyon so these men still come off with sympathetic qualities, despite their deeply flawed and even criminal relationships to the women they encounter. Catch this thought provoking show while you still can! Definitely recommended.

After launching in 2014 with Mike Leigh’s English comedy Ecstasy, Cole Theatre is proud to announce its second production will be the Midwest premiere of The Bachelors, a new dark comedy with an all-male cast by Caroline V. McGraw.  Erica Weiss (A Twist of Water, The Downpour) directs a dangerously fast one-act that cunningly explores three stunted young men’s behaviors toward women, and the wreckage caused to both in the wake of a long-lived patriarchy. The Bachelor runs March 17-April 10, 2016 at The Greenhouse Upstairs Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. 

The Bachelors

A new play by Caroline V. McGraw
Directed by Erica Weiss

March 17-April 10 at Greenhouse Upstairs Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets, $25 at www.coletheatre.org

Inside a house on a fraternity row live three roommates far past their college days. It’s Friday evening, and Laurie (Shane Kenyon) has just returned from a business trip, buddy Kevlar (Nicholas Bailey) is already wasted and cellular biologist Henry (Boyd Harris) is just getting started to party. A thousand girlfriends come and gone, a thousand drinks downed, a thousand parties crashed – every night the same, until now. There’s a party tonight, but it is not the blaring music that makes sleep impossible. Tonight, these bachelors will understand what their choices have really gotten them.

“The Bachelors is a sharply funny and disturbingly thrilling portrait of seemingly privileged guys, each differently stunted, who detonate in hilarious, haunting and tragic ways," says Harris, Cole Theatre’s founder and artistic director.

"It really surprised me," reveals director Erica Weiss. "I would not have thought that my next passion project would be a play about three men – and then Caroline's creation hit me with razor sharp wit and empathetic insight into the perils and pitfalls of contemporary masculinity. Not only is it incredibly entertaining, this play is incredibly relevant to my interest in featuring the voices of female perspectives and challenging preconceived notions about what topics women can take on. It makes me laugh, it makes me gasp, and it makes me grapple with my capacity for empathy. Caroline V. McGraw is a playwright Chicago needs to know, and I am beyond thrilled to make this introduction."

“I wanted it to be gross and funny and really milk the boys-will-be-boys tropes, but have an unabashedly feminist perspective always lurking under the surface,” says McGraw of her one-act play. “I wanted this to be a night at the theater that's enjoyable in a lot of ways, but where the characters' damaged relationships with women cause the play world to open up in unexpected ways."

The production will feature work by Bethany Arrington (assistant director), Eric Backus (sound design),  Matthew Bonaccorso (assistant stage manager), Alarie Hammock (costume design), Cori James (stage manager), Dillon Kelleher (actor cover), Richard Latshaw (prop design),  Rachel K. Levy (lighting design), Grant Sabin (scenic design), Martha Templeton (master electrician), and David Woolley (fight choreography).

About the Playwright:

Caroline V. McGraw’s plays include Believeland, Ultimate Beauty Bible, Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys, The Vaults, Debut Track One Chord One Verse One (or, The Shed), The King is Dead and Baby No More Times (a pop musical co-written with Mary Birnbaum and Melissa Lusk). Her work has been produced and developed at theaters around the country, including the Cherry Lane Theatre by Young Playwrights Inc., New Georges, Washington Ensemble Theatre, The Yale Cabaret, AracaWorks, Naked Angels, Washington National Opera/The Kennedy Center, Second Stage, Studio 42, Page 73, IAMA Theater Company, and Ars Nova ANT Fest. She has been in residence at Portland Center Stage’s JAW Festival, Wordbridge Playwrights’ Lab, and SPACE on Ryder Farm.  She is an alum of the New George’s Jam, Interstate 73 and the Civilians R&D Group, and a member of the Primary Stages Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group. She is working on a new play commission from Yale Rep. Caroline was the 2013 Page 73 Playwriting Fellow.  She is a graduate of the Playwriting MFA program at the Yale School of Drama, where she studied under Paula Vogel.

About the Director:

Erica Weiss is a Chicago-based theatre and film director and an ensemble member with The Gift Theatre Company. She has a background in new play development and dramaturgy, and has been privileged to work with fantastic companies of all sizes in the Chicago Theatre community, including Victory Gardens Theatre, Steep Theatre Company, Bailiwick Chicago, and Route 66 Theatre Company, where she was the Associate Artistic Director from 2011-2015. She made her off-Broadway directing debut in 2012 at 59E59, and was the 2013-2014 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at The Goodman Theatre. She is a nominee for the 2014-15 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Director and Best Production. She and creative partner Caitlin Parrish are the founders of Teleporter Productions, and recently completed their first feature film, The View From Tall.

About Cole Theatre

Cole Theatre Company, established in 2013, works with thrilling, under-sung artists to make theatre illuminating joy, horror, humor, sadness, triviality and injustice. For more information about Cole Theatre’s productions and programs, visit www.coletheatre.org, call  (773) 747- 6821, or email boyd@coletheatre.org

REVIEW: Christina, The Girl King

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar

Last Call: Christina, The Girl King 

Must Close April 9th

**Note: Christina, The Girl King is for adult audiences only. Contains sex, full nudity (both female and male), violence and blood.**

Move over Game of Thrones! Cor Theatre's Christina, The Girl King has it all... smart, powerful women, plotting men, a lesbian love affair, torture, abdication, and more, live on stage, in an intimate little venue! They even have some sweet, local microbrews from Temperance Beer Company in Evanston you can take to your seat and enjoy during the show. Each purchase directly benefits the theatre! 

From the moment we entered Jackalope Theatre's territory, The Frontier Theater, to see the actors stretching and doing vocal warm ups right on stage, as the audience filtered in, we were hooked! Cor Theatre's production choice meshed so well with this quirky space and is a boon for both companies. Cor Theatre was chosen for a residence as part of Jackalope Theatre's Pioneer Series. These up and comers did their hosts proud with a daring, edgy piece of historical theatre, based on the true life of Queen Christina of Sweden, professionally and passionately enacted by Toya Turner. The entire ensemble was excellent at bringing this timely tale back to life.

Even the title "The Girl KING" speaks volumes of a gender bending, norm shattering woman, ahead of her time. This production touched on the terrible price she had to pay to be true to herself, from the bawdy barroom songs and taunts of her subjects to the torture of those she loved most. 

The writing is also superb, with plenty of thought provoking turns of phrase and situations that are still all too familiar in our current political and social climate. Christina, The Girl King is highly recommended. Don't miss this!

Chicago's Cor Theatre is the first U.S. theater to present Linda Gaboriau's new translation of French playwright Michel Marc Bouchard's 2012 play Christine, la reine-garcon, which premiered in an applauded, extended run at the 2014 Stratford Festival. 

Cor Theatre, in residence with Jackalope Theatre's Pioneer Series at The Frontier, 1106 W. Thorndale in Edgewater, presents Christina, The Girl King through April 9, 2016.

Remaining show times through April 9 are Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Tickets are $25; $10 students and industry. For tickets and information, visit CorTheatre.com or call (866) 811-4111. 

After 30 years of war, Christina, the Girl King of Sweden, armed by the power of her crown and whip-smart intellect, is pushing her people to become a forward thinking nation. But when an unspeakable passion begins to burn underneath her androgynous visage, the Girl King's power is put to the test. Should she meet the demands of her country and birth its next heir? Should she fight the established patriarchy to rule as her own woman? Will she change? Or will she change the world around her? One thing is certain: the choice she makes will change her identity forever, and could mean certain death for the woman that she loves.

Cor Theatre, hailed for "Most Promising Debut" last season by Time Out Chicago, plans to surprise and amaze Chicago theater fans with its U.S. debut of Christina, The Girl King next month. 

Christina, The Girl King is a daring, sensitive reintroduction to the enigmatic 17th century European monarch, flamboyant intellectual and feminist before her time.

Cor Theatre Artistic Director Tosha Fowler directs the play's U.S. debut. The cast features Toya Turner as Christina, with Laura Resinger as Ebba, Adam Gutkin as Karl Gustav, Will Von Vogt as Johan, Tony Bozzuto as Axel, Meg Elliott as Maria Elenora, Danny Taylor as Descartes, Bridget Schreiber as Erika and Scott Shimizu as Chanut. 

Designers are Elyse Balogh (set and props), Alarie Hammock (costumes), Eric Vigo (lights), Jeffrey Levine (sound), Adam Gutkin (technical director), Elyse Cowles (dramaturg), Janelle Bourdreau (stage manager) and Stefin Seberl (production stage manager).

Tosha Fowler (director) is co-founder and artistic director of Cor Theatre, where she directed last season's A Map of Virtue and acted in Love and Human Remains. As a result, Fowler debuted on New City's "Player's 2016 The Fifty People who really perform for Chicago" list as "the fearless leader of Chicago's most dangerously sexy new company." Fowler also produced and starred in Cor's acclaimed Skin Tight in 2012, under the direction of Victoria Delorio, and co-produced, wrote and performed in her original solo show, Mami, Where'd my O go?  She has produced theatre for almost ten years for companies including Mary-Arrchie Theatre, The Chicago Fringe Festival, Academy Theatre in Atlanta, and her founding company, Fowl Brick in Savannah, Georgia. Other directing credits include A Doctor's Stories, Poof! and Bash and Bully Breakdown in HD. As an actress, Fowler has performed in Chicago with Lifeline Theatre, Emerald City, MPAACT, Cock & Bull and Circle Theatre. She has worked as a playwright with American Theatre Company's "Chicago Chronicle Project," the DePaul University Diversity Initiative and the Academy Theater. She is an adjunct professor in Theatre at DePaul University, and holds an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul.

Sweden's Queen Christina has already been the subject of theatrical and cinematic speculation. Greta Garbo portrayed her in the 1933 film Queen Christina. So did Liv Ullman in 1974 in The Abdication.  History remembers her best for helping end the 30 Years War and for making Stockholm a major European capital. 

Toward the end of her reign, Queen Christina summoned René Descartes to share his new ideas about science and philosophy at the time. His radical ideas about free will and reason appealed to Christina, who was struggling to reconcile tensions between her rational self and emotions she dared not name. 

Rather than conform, the 26-year-old queen chose to abdicate her throne and convert to Catholicism, rendering her ineligible to rule. Was it an act of madness? Or a bold gesture of autonomy by a modern woman born ahead of her time? 

Christina, The Girl King underscores Cor Theatre's mission to explore the inner truth of the human experience through storytelling that defies convention, and to engage audiences by telling stories that take courage to tell.

Cor is also proud to have been selected by Jackalope Theatre Company to receive a prime time, four-week, rent-free run of Christina, The Girl King in The Frontier through The Pioneer Series, Jackalope's continuous initiative to cultivate bold new theatre in Chicago.

SAVE THE DATES:

Up Next: The Good Person of Szechwan, August 11-September 11 at 

A Red Orchid Theatre

Cor's second production in 2016 will be The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Tony Kushner. Ernie Nolan will direct, and ensemble member Will Von Vogt will defy traditional casting in the title role of Brecht's parable of good and evil. Performances are August 11 through September 11 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

About Cor Theatre

Cor Theatre (cortheatre.org) debuted in September 2012 with a vision to create theatrical experiences that are rarely presented in Chicago by artists who seek to defy expectation. 

The company's first production, Skin Tight by Gary Henderson, produced by Tosha Fowler and Victoria Delorio, was rewarded with enthusiastic audiences, critical acclaim and made just enough money to establish a not-for-profit corporation. The company named itself Cor Theatre, deriving its name from the Latin root of courage - meaning heart.

In 2015, Cor expanded to a two-show season launched by an acclaimed production of Erin Courtney's A Map of Virtue, named Most Promising Debut by Time Out Chicago, and nominated for several Time Out Chicago Theatre Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Scottie Caldwell) and Best Design (Tierra G. Novy, set; Stefin Steberl, costumes and props; Eric Vigo, lights; and Jeffrey Levin, sound.) 

Cor's second 2015 production, Love and Human Remains, the first professional staging of Brad Frasier's controversial play in Chicago in 20 years, played to numerous sold-out houses and was listed as one of the top plays to see by Windy City Times and New City.

Today, Cor is one of Chicago's newest and most ambitious Chicago professional theatre companies with a growing board and strong experience behind it. Cor Theatre company members are Chris Brickhouse, Elyse Cowles, Tosha Fowler, Adam Gutkin, Claire Meyers, Ernie Nolan, Stefin Steberl and Will Von Vogt.

For more information, visit cortheatre.org, like Cor Theatre on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter, @CorTheatre, or call (866) 811-4111.

REVIEW: The New Sincerity at Theater Wit Must Close April 17th

Last Call

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: 

The New Sincerity at Theater Wit

★★★ Genuinely funny! Feels authentically connected to Americans currently in their mid-20s, and it deals with a question I find to be exceptionally germane to the moment. A VERY SMART PIECE! - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune Brutally honest and fiercely funny! – Buzz Chicago The cast is darn near close to perfect! — Splash Chicago

**FINAL SPECIAL OFFER!**

 Reserve your tickets for any performance 

with offer code "NSTREET" for $5 off EACH ticket!

(offer expires 4/5)

The New Sincerity by Alena Smith from Theater Wit on Vimeo.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we adore this production and highly recommend it. We had a number of friends involved in the Occupy Chicago movement and when I initially read the premise of this show I couldn't see how Theater Wit could convincingly pull this off on stage. I should never have doubted. They came through in spades!

Theater Wit's stage has been beautifully and convincingly transformed into a New York worthy live/work loft space, while the protests were effectively portrayed by screens streaming news from Occupy New York, and by a steady stream of fascinating characters entering and exiting from the Occupy "battlefields.

Yes, this show is laugh out loud funny, but it's also complex and multilayered enough to leave you thinking about snatches of dialogue days later. Rose (Maura Kidwell) is well cast as the naive geek girl, smart, driven and eager to prove herself. Sadly, in her inexperience, she confuses power in one crush and a zen like aimlessness with sexiness, instead of finding someone to truly treat her decently and appreciate her gifts. Natasha (Erin Long) is also brilliant as the eternal unpaid intern whom everyone writes off. She comes across as an almost ditzy and cliche millennial, but as the play unfolds, it's apparent that under her flakey persona, she's actually quite bright, insightful and more than competent.

Nobody is quite who they seem in this show. The wild eyed, perennially  unemployed Occupy idealist just may turn out to be a trust fund baby, taking a break from the Bentleys to play rebel with a cause in a tent city full of free love and fun times. Maybe some violent acts are deserved. Maybe some "activists" are not arrested for their heartfelt ideals, but for a byline and a power grab at fame. History is constantly rewritten, movements are coopted, and you can't always believe what you read or see, even if you were there. Whether the press is mainstream or under the radar, reporting is subjective and often filtered through dogma, opinions, and ulterior motives, consciously or subconsciously.

It's eerily appropriate that Benjamin (Drew Shirley) ends the show by donning a Guy Fawks mask for his black tie, big donor dinner for the Occupy movement. The iconic face has been appropriated by Anonymous, the on line hacktivist group, and pop culture in general. The mask has come to stand as an easily recognizable symbol for protest, yet the element of disguise, secrets, and lies is still present too. Don't miss this!

GET OCCUPIED WITH THEATER WIT'S 

MIDWEST PREMIERE OF THE NEW SINCERITY

ALENA SMITH'S NEW COMEDY ABOUT LOVE, SEX AND PROTEST, THROUGH APRIL 17

Directed by Jeremy Wechsler

Featuring Maura Kidwell, Erin Long, 

Drew Shirley and Alex Stein

Arguably the play of our current political moment, 

Wit's Midwest premiere of Alena Smith's new play about love, sex and protest is perhaps the first drama to deal with the idealism of the Occupy Movement, and explores the personal motivations for why people pursue dissent.

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. 

Theater Wit is excited to introduce Chicago to one of the nation's top young women playwrights with The New Sincerity, a comedy by rising dramatist Alena Smith (Tween Hobo, The Newsroom, The Affair) about love, sex and protest, and perhaps the first drama to deal with the idealism of the Occupy Movement.

Performances run through April 17. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at  2 p.m. Tickets are $12-$36. Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont, in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.To purchase single tickets, a Theater Wit Membership or Flex Pass, visit TheaterWit.org or call 773.975.8150.

In The New Sincerity, Smith investigates the fine line between sincerity and self-promotion through the story of Rose, a young journalist who has to untangle a sticky quagmire of politics, ambition and love. The year is 2011, and an Occupy-style movement has sprung up near the offices of the literary journal where Rose works. She gets swept up in the movement, but can she behave honestly in a context that may only be an unending performance? Her attempt to navigate her personal life in the midst of political, social and romantic upheaval is a poignant and comic drama for a rising generation.

Wit's cast for The New Sincerity includes Maura Kidwell as Rose, Erin Long as Natasha, Drew Shirley as Benjamin and Alex Stein as Django. Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler directs. The production team includes Adam Veness (set), Izumi Inaba (costumes), Sarah Hughey (lights), Sarah Putts (sound), Vivian Knouse (props), Majel Cuza (production manager) and Katie Klemme (stage manager).

                                                                           

Alena Smith (playwright) is one of Variety's 10 TV Writers to Watch in 2014. She lives in Los Angeles, where she writes for Showtime's The Affair and previously wrote for HBO's The Newsroom.  She created the Twitter character Tween Hobo (featured in Paste, The Believer, A.V. Club and elsewhere), which begat the novel Tween Hobo: Off The Rails published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster. 

Her playThe New Sincerity premiered in 2015 at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York. The New York Times called it "a splendid new play...this is comedy with a poignant edge." Her plays have been produced internationally, including The Bad Guys, which was made into an independent film. She received her MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama, and studied philosophy at Haverford College and Oxford. Her essays about writing for theater, TV, and the internet have been published in Grantland and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Jeremy Wechsler (director) most recently staged Theater Wit's The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Madeline George's Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, and that show's summer remount at Art Square Theatre in Las Vegas. Wechsler also staged Wit's acclaimed Completeness and The Four of Us (Itamar Moses), Tigers Be Still (Kim Rosenstock), This (Melissa James Gibson), Spin (Penny Penniston), Feydeau-Si-Deau (Georges Feydeau), Men of Steel (Qui Nguyen), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Will Eno), Two for the Show (James Fitzpatrick and Will Clinger) and The Santaland Diaries. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work. 

About Theater Wit

Theater Wit - "a thrilling addition to Chicago's roster of theaters" (Chicago Tribune) and "a terrific place to see a show" (New City) - is now in its fifth season in its home at 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. In 2014, Theater Wit was awarded the National Theatre Award by the American Theatre Wing for strengthening the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater.

Founded in 2004, Theater Wit's mission is to explore contemporary issues with wit and wisdom through new works and Chicago premieres. As a production company, Theater Wit is Chicago's premier smart art theater, producing humorous, challenging and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. Recent critical and box office hits include Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George, Completeness and The Four of Us by Itamar Moses, and perennial holiday favorite The Santaland Diaries.

As an institution, Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. Theater Wit brings together Chicago's best storefront companies, including 2015-16 resident companies Stage Left, About Face, Shattered Globe and Kokandy Productions.

For more information, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

Smart and well acted. Captures the spirit of an age. RECOMMENDED! — New City ★★★1/2 A beautifully written, terrifically staged play. “The New Sincerity” is the work of an important new voice in the American theater. A continual delight. - CTR Recommended! A great cast with screwball sensibility throughout. — Chicago Reader                   Don't miss this!

ChiIL Tips:

Parking Green box street parking is fairly cheap and plentiful if you leave a bit of extra time. If you're running late, love convenience, dread parallel parking, or money's no option, there is a reasonably priced valet service right in front. Bar This is not your typical lackluster theatre bar with minimal choices or a chug in the lobby policy. Theater Wit has some seriously tasty local micro brews. I'm partial to IPAs and have tried a variety of great ones here. They also have a full cocktail and wine bar, and non alcoholic choices if you're not a fan of the hop heavy. They feature handmade chocolates and baked goods by local artisans (even a Theater Wit chocolate bar!) and a variety of top-shelf liquors. All drinks may be taken into the performance. "Netflix" for Theatre (Just put some pants ON please!) Here at ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows we think this is an awesome idea! Theatre has the reputation of being expensive and it's easy to stay home on the couch. We're here to tell you to GET UP AND OUT THE DOOR. It's so worth it, and with Wit's Netflix-like "all the theater you can eat" membership deal, it's waaaaay affordable. Members can "binge watch" as many plays at they want at any of Theater Wit's three, 99-seat spaces for one low monthly fee of $36/$22 for students, along with many exclusive member perks!  The best way to secure seats at Theater Wit is by signing up for a Theater Wit Membership. Wit also offers a 10-play Flex Pass for $215 to anything presented in the building, a savings of up to 40%. Single tickets for Wit's 2015-16 productions start at $12, and will go on sale approximately two months before the first preview of each production. Do it. You know you want to! I'm going to close with a recent e-mail from the production's director, Jeremy Wechsler, who is also Theater Wit's Artistic Director, and a frequent fixture at performances. This speaks to the invaluable talk backs and conversations that multilayered productions invoke and Theater Wit is happy to foster. It's one of my favorite elements of live theatre. There's something compelling in the dynamic nature of a show and the idea that audience energy and attitudes influence each show in the moment, and vice versa. Jeremy's letter moved me and I think he is on to something. "It's been fascinating to hear the audience and critical response to The New Sincerity. In our history, this show has been unique in it's response. While the praise for the production, script and performances has been near unanimous, people's takeaway from the evening has been surprisingly varied. Is the play a call to action? Dismissive of the impact of protest? Full of caricature or completely honest characterization? We've had some of our best post-show conversations ever. Sitting around drinks, our audience has argued with each other about these questions. I've rarely seen a play amplify individual perspectives this strongly. Nor have I had the pleasure of seeing so many people, cross-generational and politically divided, really reach out to each other for understanding and compassion. A lot of this has to do with the complexity of Alena Smith's writing. The work is no way polemic, choosing instead to treat the politics of the moment through very messy human lenses.  I suspect that your Facebook feed is as awash in political posts as mine right now. In the midst of all the didactic absolutism that substitutes for public discourse in our presidential elections, The New Sincerity offers a refreshing space to embrace the complex, multi-faceted and harmoniously conflicted beauty of our individual desire for change and growth. I want to invite you to catch Theater Wit's latest work before it closes on April 17th. We could all use its compassion and empathetic perspective in the eight months ahead." Jeremy Wechsler, Artistic Director Theater Wit