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Monday, October 1, 2012

ACT OUT: Gorilla Tango Burlesque Round Up & Donna Madonna

Now that it's October, Halloween is in the air.   We'll be doing a Gorilla Tango late night double feature October 6th and we'll have a review up for you shortly.   We'll be checking out both Fellowship of the Boobs & Boobs of the Dead.

For now here's a mini GT round up:





Photos courtesy of John Paul Karliak

Donna Madonna
finding acceptance, told through stories, songs 
DONNA/MADONNA WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK

*SET FOR ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY OCTOBER 16 AT 
GORILLA TANGO THEATRE IN BUCKTOWN 



Rizzo 39 Productions has announced a one night only 
engagement of DONNA/MADONNA at the Gorilla Tango 
Theatre Bucktown (1919 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, 
IL 60647) on October 16 at 7:30pm. Written and 
performed by John Paul Karliak, DONNA/MADONNA is 
directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Tickets 
are $20 and available at www.gorillatango.com or 
773-598-4549. 
 

In this hilarious and poignant autobiographical 
one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants 
desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted 
mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, 
PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local 
boy, he seeks answers from a very different 
source: his fashion journalist, 
married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. 

Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul's unforgettable mothers. 
 

Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man 
Show Award (2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in 
New York), Best of Fringe Award (2011 New York 
International Fringe Festival), Overall Excellence 
in Solo Performance Award (2011 San Francisco 
Fringe Festival), and Best Solo Performance (2011 
StageSceneLA.com
 Awards). Last year, the show 
enjoyed a successful run at Hollywood’s Lounge 
Theatre. 
John Paul Karliak’s LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays which have been produced in various locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production. 

Tickets for Donna/Madonna at the Gorilla Tango 
Theatre are available now, online at 
 www.gorillatango.com or by calling (773) 598-4549. 
All seats are $20. Gorilla Tango is located at 
1919 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, 60647. For 
more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com






GT Burlesque


BOOBS OF THE DEAD: A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE
Hottest. Apocalypse. Ever.




"The Cast of BOOBS OF THE DEAD: A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE."
L-R: Paly Flames as the CDC Official, Helena Handbasket as Best Friend, Slightly Spitfire as Southern Guy, Honey Cha-Cha as Burlesque Zombie Beta, Alexis Rex as the Sheriff, Duchess Daffnie as a Burlesque Zombie Alpha, Devyn DeViante as Wife Lady, and Roxi La Rue as Old Dude  All photos by K Leo (www.mirthandbeauty.com)

Soft, eerie moans. The relentless approach of shuffling footsteps. And glitter. So. Much. Glitter. 

Just in time for Halloween, Gorilla Tango Burlesque presents BOOBS OF THE DEAD: A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE, the latest in a long line of unique and immensely popular scripted burlesque parodies. On stage in October ONLY, this silly, sexy Zombie-filled romp comes to life Fridays at 9pm and Saturdays at 11:59pm, October 5-27, 2012, with a special final performance on Wednesday, October 31st at 9pm (1919 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago IL 60647). Tickets are $20; *18 and over only. Advance purchase highly recommended (tickets are already selling strong!) at www.gorillatango.com/zombies or by phone at 773-598-4549.

You may have encountered their viral (pun intended) marketing in the form of Facebook updates from the fictional Chicago CDC which have been charting the spread of “virus B1Z3” since early August with warnings that “virus-carriers have been observed performing elaborate dance routines while removing sequined corsetry before committing heinous assaults on confused onlookers,” and, “One of the greatest dangers is that the infected show no visible signs of boas, pasties or high heels for the first 6 hours of infection... while they appear perfectly normal and super sexy they remain dangerous, and citizens should watch for these subtle signs and remain at a safe distance.”

Featuring such familiar zombie-genre archetypes as Sheriff, Wife Lady, Old Dude, Best Friend and Southern Guy, this slyly satirical exhibition of reanimated flesh will appeal to any audience seeking some glittery gore for the spooky season. One doesn’t have to be a fan of the television series to recognize the sexual tension between Wife Lady and Best Friend or enjoy Sheriff’s encounter with an attractively anthropomorphic horse.

Written and directed by internationally renowned fine art photographer K Leo, and with choreography by Erica Gerdes (the creative force behind burlesque numbers performed by some of Chicago’s most well known “classic” troupes such as Kiss Kiss Cabaret and the Belmont Burlesque Revue) this show promises to be one of the hottest tickets of Chicago’s October offerings—so take our advice and get them now (before they get you!)

Written and Directed by K Leo
Choreographed by Erica ReidCostumes by Rafaela Valderrama 
Featuring: Paly Flames as the CDC Official, Alexis Rex as the Sheriff, Slightly Spitfire as Southern Guy, Roxi La Rue as Old Dude, Devyn DeViante as Wife Lady, Helena Handbasket as Best Friend, Duchess Daffnie as a Burlesque Zombie Alpha and Honey Cha-Cha as Burlesque Zombie Beta.

BOOBS OF THE DEAD: The apocalypse has never been hotter. 





FELLOWSHIP OF THE BOOBS: A LOTR, D&D, WoW, RPG BURLESQUE ADVENTURE returns to the GT Stage for limited Engagement: Saturdays at 10:30pm, September 22 - October 27, 2012 ONLY


Click here to check out our prior feature on Fellowship of the Boobs


MORE ABOUT GORILLA TANGO BURLESQUE
Over the past almost three years (!!!), Gorilla Tango Burlesque has gone from the debut of the surprise hit “Boobs & Goombas: A Super Mario Burlesque” in October 2010 to a local burlesque/comedy powerhouse with literally thousands of audience members through the door to see unique burlesque parodies of everything from Star Wars to Indiana Jones, from superheroes to 1990s pop-culture phenomena -- and that's just a small selection of what they have available for-- as their slogan states-- "the Discerning Nerd." 

GTB will debut its first Halloween-themed show, BOOBS OF THE DEAD: A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE which runs in October only, and look for THE EMPIRE BRINGS SEXY BACK: A STAR WARS SEQUEL this November!

Gorilla Tango Theatre (GTT) provides year-round theatrical venues where audiences of all ages can consistently go to see a wide variety of talented artists. GTT exists to provide artists with an opportunity to produce their work in professional environment. GTT was created by Dan Abbate and boasts two venues: an 80-seat performance space in Bucktown and a 150-seat performance space in Skokie. GTT Bucktown is conveniently located at the intersection of Western and Milwaukee in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. Easily accessible by public transportation, GTT is steps away from the Western Blue Line stop and the #49 Western, #73 Armitage and #56 Milwaukee buses. Street parking is readily available.  Gorilla Tango’s Skokie Theatre is located in the heart of Downtown Skokie; street and lot parking available. With shows for all ages, all GTT performances are on a rating system, similar to the one used in movie theatres. GTT offers a variety of affordable beer and wine for purchase. Consult the website for show details, rating information, tickets, and more.

www.gorillatango.com – 773.598.4549
1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
7924 Lincoln Ave. Skokie, IL 60077




Saturday, September 29, 2012

Kinky Boots--Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein Creatives & Cast Members #BroadwayinChicago #worldpremier



ChiIL Live Shows shots--Chicago Press Conference 9/28 for World Premier of Musical Kinky Boots (Oriental Theater)

Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein, creatives and cast members....and some seriously kinky boots and sweet shoes, too!


ChiIL Live Shows was stoked to be invited to a press conference with the masterminds behind Kinky Boots.  We dug hearing Cyndi Lauper, Harvey Fierstein, creatives and cast members at a press conference earlier in the day.   They all raved about how much they dig Chicago and we're universally enthusiastic about the show and the original indie film that sparked the idea for the adaptation.   Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often, as we'll have loads of original video clips from the conference up soon.

I was slated to volunteer at Facets Multimedia last night--home of one of the largest video rental sources for indie and multicultural film in the nation.   I've volunteered there for 22 years, this month.   I was elated that they not only carry the original Kinky Boots movie, but it wasn't rented out!  After my volunteer shift I went home and promptly watched it.  The movie was as endearing and edgy as the production staff said.  The message of acceptance, cooperation and understanding is timely and right on in all the right ways.   

After the kiddos are in bed, we highly recommend checking out the film, with it's unlikely bond between England's drag queen scene and a struggling, old school, mens' dress shoe maker.    The sociology, psychology, human nature, and good old fashioned great story telling make this culture clash and ultimate blending, completely compelling.

We'll be reviewing the pre-Broadway world premier here after the show runs in previews for a few weeks.   We'll be checking it out on October 17th.    Want in on cheaper preview tixs?    The show starts the 2nd.



ACT OUT: Transformative Theatre--Metamorphoses Returns to Lookingglass




LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE OPENS


ITS 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH
METAMORPHOSES
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER MARY ZIMMERMAN

on the ten year anniversary of its Tony Award-Winning Broadway Opening

September 19 – November 18, 2012

Written and Directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman
Featuring Usman Ally, Anjali Bhimani, Anne Fogarty, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Chris Kipiniak, Lauren Orkus and Ensemble Members
with Artistic Associate Louise Lamson
Original composition by Willy Schwarz and Design work by TJ Gerckens, Maria DeFabo and company members



Winner! Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play

Winner! Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Play, Director, Lighting Design & Music

Winner! Drama League Awards for Outstanding New Broadway Play

Winner! Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Director of a Play

Winner! Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play



"Shows that theater can provide not just escape but sometimes a glimpse of the divine."
- Time Magazine


"Entrancing… an evening of almost magical changes, wrought through the unique imagery of theater"
- Chicago Tribune


“Zimmerman at her most cheerfully ingenious.”
- New York Times




In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents Metamorphoses, based on the myths of Ovid from a translation by David Slavitt, written and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman. The revival production, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway production, runs September 19 – November 18, 2012 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. 

In 1998, Lookingglass debuted Metamorphoses, a play of such grace and power that the memory of it still lingers in the minds of audiences today. The critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Chicago engagement led to a Broadway production that garnered Mary Zimmerman the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director and catapulted Lookingglass onto the national stage.

From a simple, rippling pool of water, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman conjured the force of Ovid’s ancient myths into gorgeous imagery and breathtaking storytelling.  Metamorphoses’ long-anticipated Chicago revival will feature a number of Lookingglass Ensemble Members and original cast members.

Metamorphoses is one of those rare productions that truly has it all: beauty, mystery, humor, pathos.  The brilliance of Mary’s work is that these ancient myths feel at once very contemporary and totally timeless, simultaneously rooted in the very specific individuals onstage and completely universal,” says Artistic Director Andy White. “These are some of the reasons it was our longest-running hit in Chicago, then toured the country, and finally ran for a year on Broadway.  This show had a profound impact on all of us – Lookingglass, Chicago, and even the country – when we first produced it, and we’ve had an ache to revisit it for a long time. We are so proud to bring it back to Chicago now, and to have it kick off our 25th Anniversary Season.”

In February 2013, Lookingglass Theatre’s production of Metamorphoses, will transfer to The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.  Last season, The Arena Stage brought Lookingglass’ hit production of The Arabian Nights to its stage.

Metamorphoses will feature members of the original Lookingglass Chicago cast, Anjali Bhimani (Myrrha and Others), Lawrence E. DiStasi (Hermes and Others), Marilyn Dodds Frank (Therapist and Others), Raymond Fox (Midas and Others), Douglas Hara (Phaeton and Others), Chris Kipiniak (Erysichthon and Others), Louise Lamson (Alcyone and Others). The cast also includes returning cast member Anne Fogarty (Aphrodite and Others) and new cast members Usman Ally (Orpheus and Others) and Lauren Orkus (Eurydice and Others).


About Metamorphoses artists

Mary Zimmerman has worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company for more than twenty years. She adapted and directed The Odyssey, The Secret in the Wings, Arabian Nights, S/M, Metamorphoses, the Lookingglass/About Face collaboration of Eleven Rooms of Proust and Argonautika. Zimmerman is also part of the Goodman Theatre artistic team where she adapted and directed The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (with several members of the Lookingglass ensemble), Silk, Journey to the West, Mirror of the Invisible World and a re-creation of The Odyssey. She has twice directed for the New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park. Her work has won awards in Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Berkeley and New York including the 2002 Tony Award for her direction of Metamorphoses on Broadway. In the world of opera, she directed and wrote the libretto Galileo Galilei (Philip Glass, composer) which was produced at the Goodman Theatre and the Barbican Theatre in London. Additionally, she has directed three operas at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City: Lucia Di Lammermoor, La Sonnambula, and Rossini’s Armida.  In 1998, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She lives in Evanston and is a professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University.

Usman Ally (Ceyx and Others) was last seen at Lookingglass Theater in The Last Act of Lilka Kadison and Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights. Recent credits include include the Jeff Award winning, Pulitzer and Lucille Lortel Nominated The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Victory Gardens World Premiere and Second Stage Off-Broadway), The Four of Us (Theater Wit), Celebrity Row and the world premiere of Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced (ATC) and many more. Television credits: The Chicago Code and a recurring role on Season 4 of Damages with Glenn Close. 2010 Fox Foundation/TCG Grant Recipient. ATC Ensemble Member. Ally was born in Swaziland and spent the first 18 years of his life in Botswana, Kenya, Pakistan and Tanzania. He received his BA in Theatre and Cultural Anthropology from Lewis and Clark College, and an MFA Magna Cum Laude from the University of Florida. As a SLAM Poet, Usman has been a featured poet on several occasions at the historic Green Mill in Chicago. He has also written hip hop theatre productions American Ethnic and Public Enemy (Remy Bumppo) and founded the One Nation Hip Hop Theater Organization. In Chicago, Usman is best known for originating the role of VP in the World Premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, which he reprised Off-Broadway at Second Stage, and then again in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse. Usman can be seen as a recurring character on season 4 of Damages, and on The Chicago Code. Film Credits include “Just Like a Woman” and “Contagion”.

Anjali Bhimani (Myrrha and Others) was part of the Original Lookingglass Chicago cast of Metamorphoses, as well as the Broadway, Second Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Berkeley Rep, and Seattle Rep productions. Other credits include Bombay Dreams (Broadway), The American Pilot (MTC), A Widow of No Importance (East West Players), The Existents (Open Fist), As You Like It (Shakespeare Theatre D.C.), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Kirk Douglas), Mirror of the Invisible World (Goodman), Comedy on the Bridge and Brundibar (Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep, New Victory), The Odyssey (McCarter, Seattle Rep, Goodman),  Arabian Nights (Lookingglass, BAM, Steppenwolf), and Pentecost (Berkeley Rep). Television credits include “Necessary Roughness,” “Modern Family,” “Common Law,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and “The Sopranos.”  

Lawrence E. DiStasi (Hermes and Others) was part of the Original Lookingglass Chicago cast of Metamorphoses and has also appeared at Lookingglass in over 30 Lookingglass productions, most recently Eastland: a New Musical and Icarus. DiStasi is a founding Ensemble Member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, as well as The Actors Gymnasium Circus and Performing Arts School. He’s appeared in the Flying Griffin Circus, T.V.’s "Early Edition," a film called Since You’ve Been Gone, and the opera Galileo Galilei. He recently directed Lost and Found: A Recycled Circus at The Actors Gymnasium.

Marilyn Dodds Frank (Therapist and Others) appeared in the original Chicago cast of Metamorphoses at Lookingglass, as well as Hard Times, The Idiot, George, and The Last Act of Lilka Kadison. Broadway credits include Superior Donuts; Lincoln Center Theater: The Clean House. Other Chicago credits include productions with Steppenwolf, Goodman, Victory Gardens, Shaw Chicago, A Red Orchid, Court, Latino Chicago, Teatro Vista, Remains, Next, New Criminals, Piven. New York: En Garde Arts, La Mama. Los Angeles: Actor’s Gang, Padua Playwrights Ensemble. Premieres of four plays written and directed by Maria Irene Fornes. Movies with Judd Apatow, Robert Altman, Stephen Frears, Michael Apted, and Joel Schumacher, among others.

Anne Fogarty (Aphrodite and Others) returns for her sixth production of Metamorphoses. She previously appeared as Aphrodite in the original Lookingglass production and as Eurydice at Hartford Stage, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Other appearances at Lookingglass include Tessa in Summertime and Alexandra in The Idiot. Her regional credits include Mary Zimmerman’s The Secret in the Wings at Berkeley Rep, McCarter Theatre, and Seattle Rep; Terry in Side Man, Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Anne Lindbergh in Hauptmann at Madison Repertory Theatre; and The Governess in Turn of the Screw at Illusion Theatre in Minneapolis. Some of her favorite Chicago roles include Charlotte in The Real Thing, Julia in Holiday, and Ann in Man and Superman (Remy Bumppo Theatre); Esther in The Glamour House (Victory Gardens Theatre); and Carol in Oleanna. She and her husband, actor Raymond Fox, live in Chicago with their daughter, Nora.

Raymond Fox (Midas and Others) was part of the Original Chicago, Off Broadway and Broadway casts (Lookingglass, Second Stage and Circle in the Square), as well as regional productions (Berkeley Rep., Seattle Rep., Mark Taper Forum, Kansas City Rep. and Hartford Stage). recently appeared in Trust at Lookingglass. Broadway/Off Broadway: Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square and Second Stage). Chicago credits include Lookingglass; Remy Bumppo; Goodman; Court; Next. Regional credits include Seattle Rep.; Berkeley Rep.; Kansas City Rep.; Indiana Rep.; Meadow Brook; Hartford Stage; McCarter; Mark Taper Forum; Arden; About Face/Tectonic; American Repertory Theatre and Canada’s Stratford Festival. He studied at Northwestern University and A.R.T. Institute at Harvard University.

Douglas Hara (Phaeton and Others) was part of the Original Chicago, Off Broadway and Broadway casts (Lookingglass, Second Stage and Circle in the Square) of Metamorphoses, as well as regional productions at Berkeley Rep., Seattle Rep. and Mark Taper Forum.
Hara is an Ensemble Member of Lookingglass Theatre Company where he has participated in 16 productions since 1991 including West, Arabian Nights, Up Against It, The Master and Margarita, Lookingglass Hamlet, Lookingglass Alice, and The Brothers Karamazov. Goodman Theatre Productions include Journey to the West and The Odyssey. Arden Theatre productions include A Prayer for Owen Meany, Something Intangible, Threepenny Opera, and Cyrano. Two River Theater productions include Our Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Charlotte’s Web, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and HONK! Broadway credits: The Boys of Winter and Metamorphoses. Off-Broadway: The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, and Lookingglass Alice. Doug has performed at many regional theatres including, About Face Theatre, Jellyeye Drum Opera, Huntington Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, The Alliance Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Joyce Theatre.

Chris Kipiniak (Erysichthon and Others) Broadway: Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square). Off-broadway: Kit Marlowe (Public Theater), Nora (Marvell Repertory), Charles Winn Speaks... (Living Image Arts). London: How To Act Around Cops (Soho Theatre, also New York and Edinburgh International Fringe Festivals). Chicago: The Odyssey and Wit (Goodman Theatre). Film/TV: "Delocated," "Law & Order," "The Good Wife," the feature “The Poker Club,” the short “Trying” (also writer, director). Playwriting: Stalled (Horse Trade Theater Group and Hangar Theatre Lab), Save the World (Roundtable Ensemble), Change the Be and IIIINSAAAAAAAANE!!!! (Horse Trade Theater Group). Other writing: Nightcrawler, Amazing Fantasy and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.

Louise Lamson (Alcyone and Others) appeared in an early version of Metamorphoses entitled Six Myths, while still a student at Northwestern in 1996, and was also part of the Original Chicago, Off Broadway and Broadway casts, as well as regional productions at the Berkeley Rep., Seattle Rep. and Mark Taper Forum. Lamson is an Artistic Associate at Lookingglass and her credits include The Idiot, Hard Times, The Secret in the Wings, Manuscript Found in Saragossa, The Wooden Breeks, Icarus (at the Getty Villa, L.A.), The Brothers Karamazov, Our Town, and The Arabian Nights. Some Chicago credits include About Face Theatre’s Bash (After Dark award and Jeff nomination), The Odyssey (Goodman), and The Adventures of Herculina (Next Theatre). New York credits include The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (Second Stage).

Lauren Orkus (Eurydice and Others) NY credits include: My Sweet Charlie (June Havoc Theatre), Hollow (Dixon Place), End’s Eve (NY Fringe Festival), Ivanov (Gene Frankel). Regional: The Snow Queen (Portland Stage Company), The Comedy of Errors, Two Noble Kinsmen (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), The Diary of Anne Frank (St. Louis Rep.), Doubt (Weston Playhouse), Night of the Iguana (Berkshire Theatre Festival), The House in Hydesville (Geva Theatre), Arms and the Man (Orlando Shakespeare Theater), A Christmas Carol (Am. Drama Group Europe- German Tour), The Crucible, The Diary of Anne Frank (Asolo Theatre Co.). Lauren is also a Teaching Artist with the New York non-profit Opening Act. MFA in Acting from the FSU/Asolo Theatre Conservatory.

Lookingglass Theatre is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Discounted parking is available for Lookingglass patrons at both the nearby John Hancock Center and Olympia Centre Self Park (161 E. Chicago Ave.).

Production Sponsors for Metamorphoses include United Airlines, the official and exclusive airline of Lookingglass Theatre Company, and The Pauls Foundation.


About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Inventive.  Collaborative.  Transformative.  Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. 2012-2013 marks the company’s 25th anniversary season. Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged 58 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 52 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations.

Work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis.  Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States.

The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003.  In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Andrew White, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 22-member artistic ensemble, 15 artistic associates, 11 production affiliates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman Richard Ditton of Incredible Technologies and President Joe Brady of Jones Lang LaSalle. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.


Regular run: September 30, 2012

Times:              
Tuesdays: 7:30 p.m. (10/09, 10/23, 11/06 only)
Wednesdays:         7:30 p.m.
                        
Thursdays:    3:00 p.m. (10/18, 11/01, 11/15 only); 7:30 p.m.
                        
Fridays:   7:30 p.m.
                                    
Saturdays:   3:00 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.
      
Sundays:   3:00 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.

Location: Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic
Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.

Prices: Previews are $28 - $38
Regular Run is $36 - $70

Target Saturday Matinees offer a limited number of buy one, get one free tickets which are available to all 3:00 p.m. Saturday matinees. 

This program is made possible with the generous support of Target, working with Lookingglass to make the arts accessible to all.

A limited number of student tickets are available the day of the show for $20 with valid student ID.
Groups of 10 or more patrons save up to 20%. Call the box office for details.

Box Office: Buy online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org
or by phone at (312) 337-0665
The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works,
821 N. Michigan Ave.


Friday, September 28, 2012

CHI, IL LIVE METRO SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Rescheduled Emilie Autumn, Rescheduled Sleigh Bells, & JD McPherson #liveshowphotos



ChiIL Live Shows-Emilie Autumn LIVE at Chicago House of Blues 2/25/12

Emilie Autumn


WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 31
An Evening With...



Postponed to Friday, February 15 due to illness // All Tickets for 10/31 Will Be Honored





World-class violinist. Fashion icon. Famously bipolar. The list goes on, but one thing is certain: We're talking about Emilie Autumn. With world tours, glossy magazine covers, and guest spots on the albums of such artists as Courtney Love (with whom she performed on Leno and Letterman), Otep, Billy Corgan, and TV's 'Metalocalypse' under her corset strings, Emilie Autumn's devilishly dark lyrics, metal-shredding violin solos, pink-glittered pasties, and industrial-strength voice reinvent "gothic" for the masses, and goths have never had so much fun.



More akin to a Broadway musical than a standard rock performance, the Los Angeles-born starlet's highly theatrical stage show is a sexy circus of glam-rock burlesque, backed by a scantily-clad girl band known to EA's devoted fans as the Bloody Crumpets. Featuring EA's signature electric violin pyrotechnics, heartbreakingly lush orchestrations, hard-core beats, and menacing lyrics growled with enough intensity to make your hair stand on end, the resulting noise is a harpsichord-heavy romp through Victorian asylums where screaming is allowed and girls always get revenge.


Click here for ChiIL Live Shows full Emilie Autumn feature from her excellent 2/25/12 Chicago House of Blues Show.

Check out her new album, Fight Like a Girl





Tonight's Sleigh Bells' Chicago show is now rescheduled for November 4th at Metro.   Save the date and check these guys out!    Click here for their main site including their new album, Reign of Terror, streaming.



FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28

Rescheduled to Sunday, Nov 4 // All Tickets for 9/28 Will Be Honored
**Due to a recent injury, Sleigh Bells have had to reschedule dates of their Fall 2012 tour.**

The Brooklyn duo known as Sleigh Bells emerged in the Fall of 2009 with rhythmic pop songs that combine overdriven guitar riffs and sugary female vocal melodies. Guitarist/producer Derek Miller teamed up with singer Alexis Krauss after he happened to serve her and her mother at a Brazilian restaurant in Brooklyn. As proof of their winning formula, Sleigh Bells quickly earned the adoration of critics at the New Yorker, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and more. Their debut album, Treats, released on Mom + Pop Music in May 2010, ended up on over 150 Best-Of lists for that year. Their newest, Reign of Terror, produced by Miller, is one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2012. 





November 4, 2012 9:00 PM
**THIS SHOW HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2012 TO NOVEMBER 4TH, 2012. ALL TICKETS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 28TH SHOW WILL BE HONORED.** 

18 & Over. Valid State/Federal ID required for entry. 
Doors open at 8:00 PM. 
Also Appearing: TBA.







JD McPherson 

FRIDAY OCTOBER 12
93XRT Welcomes
LUCIUS

It’s no surprise that a tawny pocket of the American south called Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, spat out pompadour-sporting bluegrass sensation JD McPherson. Always a color-within-the-lines type of guy, painter-turned-musician McPherson approaches his brass-coated blue-eyed soul with laser-beam focus. 

McPherson’s debut album Signs & Signifiers was released this past April to overwhelming acclaim and was praised for its wide span of influences ranging from Fats Domino to Led Zeppelin to Wu-Tang Clan. Smooth-as-bourbon upright bass and rockabilly piano trills add theatricality to McPherson’s rootsy compositions depicting Cadillac convertibles, ramshackle farmhands, and pin-curled beauties. 

The juxtaposition between McPherson’s suave croons and primal vocal rips lends a jagged edge to his live performances and laces his fully loaded bombastic rockabilly arrangements with intrigue. McPherson’s appearance at Metro on October 12 is part of a worldwide tour supporting Signs & Signifiers. 


Thursday, September 27, 2012

ACT OUT: 3 Must See Shows Opening at Chicago Shakespeare Theater



 One of our family favs--Chi-town treasure, 
Chicago Shakespeare Theater


Opening:




Tonight and October 3rd we'll be at one of our favorite local spaces, the award winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater.   Check out their website for advanced tickets for their prolific, professional and profound offerings.


We'll be at the opening tonight 9/27 and will have a full review up shortly.    I've got a soft spot for all things Scottish, with a husband and kids who are all a bit Scottish in heritage, and a Scottish name, Bonnie.  Of course I also dig Faust, the supernatural, devilish doings, Scottish tunes, and a good tale.   So, I'm particularly intrigued about the show.   Here's a little teaser:



written by David Greig
directed by Wils Wilson
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
September 26–October 28, 2012



Take the strangest supernatural storytelling you've ever heard, add some Scottish border ballads, then mix in a few devilish encounters—and you have got National Theatre of Scotland's inventive, rollicking tale of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. Uptight academic Prudencia's dream-like journey of self-discovery is a Faustian tale, that unfolds among and around the audience in this music-filled romp of rhyming couplets and wild karaoke, which The Herald's five-star review raved is "rambunctiously life-affirming and touchingly beautiful."
Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes intermission)

International programming at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
is supported, in part, by the Julius Frankel Foundation.

Speaking of all things Scottish...



We're also pretty stoked to see the highly acclaimed production of Black Watch, also by National Theatre of Scotland.   Click the link for video clips, behind the scenes, reviews and more.   We missed it the last time around and are eagerly awaiting it's return October 10th.   It's playing at The Broadway Armory through Oct. 21st.


by Gregory Burke

directed by John Tiffany
at the Broadway Armory,

5917 N. Broadway, Chicago

October 10–21, 2012


**Recommended for audiences 13 years and older. The production contains very strong language, loud explosions and strobe lighting.**

Back by popular demand! CST brings the National Theatre of Scotland's world-renowned Black Watch to Chicago audiences for a return engagement at the Chicago Park District's Broadway Armory. This impassioned, urgent telling of a heroic Scottish regiment's tour in Iraq deftly interweaves events both past and present. Battles leap to heartrending life, glorious bagpipes resound, and the intimate moments of soldiers' lives are revealed as they discover what it means to make the journey home again.
Approximate Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes (no intermission)

There are very few good theater pieces about the military. But as anyone who has served in combat will surely sense here (this is a show both veterans and those with even a drop of Scottish blood in their veins should not miss), "Black Watch" is such a piece...a clear-eyed, even-handed look at the realities of war through the eyes of the expectant sons of Dundee, Perth or Fife...And for all its careful avoidance of spectacle, it also manages to achieve an eye-popping amount of bravura theatricality, replete with song, rich movement and, in one gut-wrenching moment, an air-bound re-creation of the most awful moment of combat. The size of the Broadway Armory, the only such apt space on the show's current North American tour, allows the actors to re-create the rush of battle, in a feast of rich and finely detailed work from such young British actors.”  



Finally:







music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

book by James Lapine | directed by Gary Griffin
Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine

Originally Produced on Broadway by The Shubert Organization and Emanuel Azenberg

By arrangement with Playwrights Horizon, Inc. New York City which produced the original production of "Sunday in The Park With George" in 1983.
in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater

September 26–November 4, 2012

Chicago's award-winning theatrical powerhouse that brought you last season’s Follies—rated the "#1 Show of 2011" by the Chicago Tribune—kicks off the fall theater season with Sondheim and Lapine's soaring musical about a painter's struggle between creating art and living life. The dynamic setting of CST's Courtyard Theater will transform into a life-size masterpiece, bringing audience members closer than ever to this remarkable work inspired by The Art Institute of Chicago's celebrated Seurat painting. Book your tickets to this limited engagement today, and enjoy a spectacular night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes intermission)
Support of the acting company of Sunday in the Park with George is provided by Merle Reskin.
Music support generously provided by Gayle and Glenn Tilles.
Music Director Brad Haak is the recipient of the Bob Tilles Music Chair, supported by the Gayle and Glenn R. Tilles Music Fund.

Sunday in the Park with George is presented in the Jentes Family Auditorium.

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