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Saturday, October 13, 2012

ACT OUT: ChiIL Live Shows Highly Recommended List #reviews

Highly Recommended Theatre Now Playing:



Iron Stag King Part 1 at The House Theatre (review)-closing October 21!


all production photos from The House Theatre
credit Michael Brosilow

A myth is born!   The kids (9 & 11) and I caught opening night and thoroughly enjoyed The House Theatre's Iron Stag King Part 1.   They've created a truly magical, engrossing mythology which is at the same time archetypal and entirely new.   Highly recommended.   This is one show you do NOT want to miss this season!   


This is not a children's show as there is stage violence and a complex multilayered plot, but the show is fine for savvy tweens, teens and up, especially those familiar with Norse Mythology, The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter and fantasy role playing games.   My 4th and 6th graders were entranced with the writing and captivated by the whole production, puppetry and drama.


One of our favorite things about House Theatre is their rampant creativity that runs through their original writing, set design, costumes and even their play bills.   They've outdone themselves this time with vintage postcards for tickets and a full blown, fold out map of the realm as a play bill!   Love it


After a bit of a slow start, the 2nd act is teeming with stage combat, magic,  chess worthy strategy and hallucinogenic mind games.   The youngest cast member and her father carried off the eeriest, most disturbing scene of all.   The only thing that makes me happier than seeing The Iron Stag King come to fruition is knowing it's just part one of a trilogy!    





Iron Stag King Part 1 

A myth of crowns and country


Now Playing through October 21


Featuring Company Members Cliff Chamberlain and Joey Steakley


“An EPICHIGHLY ENTERTAINING affair! …an EXPANSIVE and ARRESTING new production …an AMBITIOUS and EBULLIENT piece of original theater” 
Chicago Tribune

FOUR STARS “Performed with PLAYFULNESS and POLISH, it whets our appetite for the next installment.”
Time Out Chicago

RECOMMENDED "The action sequences are THRILLING and IMMEDIATE. The costumes, lighting and puppetry are CAPTIVATING and often EYE-POPPING! " 
– NewCity Stage 

From the writer/director of ‘Death and Harry Houdini’ comes a new epic journey filled with heated battles and life-size puppets.

Our unsuspecting hero, Casper Kent, is the son of a poor farmer. When an old storyteller reveals that Casper is the rightful heir to the throne, his life is threatened from all sides. Young Casper must escape the crownless, choose compatriots and question what is good and right for the land. Join him on his quest to lift the magical hammer that will unite or destroy them all.




Join us on Twitter or Facebook for updates. And follow the production process onTumblr





SEASON 11


THE IRON STAG KING

Part One
a myth of crowns and country

THE MAGNIFICENTS
a magician’s legacy is passed on

PLOUGHED UNDER: AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK
a concert of folk tales

Also

THE NUTCRACKER
our fantastical expansion of a holiday classic returns

THE MAGIC PARLOUR
at The Palmer House Hilton Hotel
Click here for our past coverage and show details including our video interview with Dennis Watkins, star of The House Theatre's ongoing Friday night Magic Parlour show now in an open run at Palmer House.



Metamorphoses at Lookingglass Theatre-now extended through Dec. 16th-Highly recommended!

Do NOT miss this truly transformative theatre.   This show will change you and leave ripples for years to come.  The deepest archtypal characters emerge from the subconscious of Lookingglass Theatre's reflecting pool and morph into flowers, trees, gold, and melt back into water again.

With the true skill of an alchemist, Mary Zimmerman brings forth the myths of Ovid and transforms them into storyteller's gold. 

Click here for our review and show details. 


I Love Lucy LIVE at The Broadway Playhouse through Nov 11th (review)-


ChiIL Live Shows had a chance to check out opening night and this musical adaptation is a hoot!  It's tame enough for the kids and a time travel trip for the elder generations.  There are in jokes, plenty of show references, and even a game show segment where members of the audience compete on I Love Lucy trivia.   However, the show also stands alone as a funny, fun piece, even if you've never see an original I Love Lucy episode.

Even though I wasn't born when the episodes initially aired, I do remember seeing most, if not all of them in daytime TV reruns, as a child in the 70's.   Just about the only time we were allowed to watch endless TV was when we were out of school sick.   So I Love Lucy is like comfort food to me.   I equate the amusing black and white episodes, Lucy's over the top facial expressions and quirky conundrums, and Ricky's Cubanglish and bongos with chicken soup, feather comforters, a big box of tissues, and a Lazy Boy recliner.

Broadway's version does a great job of recreating the naive plots, physical comedy and hilarity of the original, and even the technology of the times--with 1950's mics, cameras, and ads.   The studio singers who belt out all the sponsor jingles to soft shoe routines are homage and fodder simultaneously.

The intimate Broadway Playhouse space is perfect to simulate a studio audience situation, and this nostalgic nugget is a welcome respite from the complicated chaos of this century.  




The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart by National Theatre of Scotland at Chicago Shakespeare-*Check out our photo filled review and show details here.

PLAY LOCALLY: Our Top Weekend Picks for 18+ & Family Friendly Events

Keller Williams Interview With ChiIL Mama from ChiIL Mama on Vimeo.



ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama chat with Keller Williams about How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create


TODAY (Saturday)


American Girl Place



Meet the Author: Kathleen Ernst 1-3pm--free and open to the public.

Meet Kathleen Ernst, the award-winning author of Caroline Abbott’s six-book series! This informal session is your girl’s opportunity to meet Ms. Ernst in person and have her favorite books signed. Free and open to the public. For girls ages 8 and up.
Event details by store



Keller Williams at Park West (18+)8:30pm GA/ doors 7:30


ChiIL Live Shows will be there...will YOU?!   Highly recommended.   We've had the great pleasure of interviewing Keller Williams and shooting stills at his adult and kindie shows for years.  Check out our live show shots from Summer Camp Music Festival, Kidzapalooza, and Chicago's own Park West last year.   


This multitalented musician goes beyond the jam band genre with a plethora of great releases for adults, a kindie (kids' indie) album, and a kids' book/CD combo!!   We've given away loads of his CDs, and even the book/CD to our lucky readers.











This time through he's just playing for the big kids (AKA adults and kids 18+). 





It was great to meet Keller, his wife, Emily, and the kids, Ella and Cabell last year at Park West in Chicago.   Click HERE for our show stills and sneek peek.



Since ChiIL Live Shows & ChiIL Mama have a national following in the jam band and kindie communities check out Keller's upcoming tour dates beyond Chi-Town on his web site and keep up to date on Twitter, FB and social media sites. 



Check out some of our past Keller coverage on ChiIL Mama here and ChiIL Live Shows here.


Tickets are still available.   Click here for tonight's show details.



Sunday





Brunch With Gymnast, Gabby Douglas 


It's going to be a week of meeting heros and girls who rock.   My gymnast daughter is elated to meet two members of the US Olympic girls team.   Sunday we'll have brunch with Gabby Douglas and Monday we'll meet Aly Raisman at American Girl Place, Chicago.   Who are your heros?   


Olympic Champion Gabrielle Douglas will visit Chicago with her mother, Natalie Hawkins, to highlight a special event exclusive to mothers and daughters. 

What: Douglas will speak to hundreds of mothers, daughters and supporters at the “Pink Pearls & Pretty Dresses: Girls’ Empowerment Brunch.” The event is a fundraiser for Inspire Girls to Lead Our World (iGlow)—a Chicago mentorship program for young girls.

When: Sunday, October 14, 2012; 12pm-4pm

Where: Donald E. Stevens Convention Center; 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018

Why: The event will be a day of inspiration and empowerment for young girls and their mothers. It will also help raise funds for iGlow so that it can continue delivering resources and guidance for young women in the Chicago-land area.  In short, iGlow provides platforms for young girls to get answers to their questions about life and their struggles.
  

Aly Raisman Monday


Come to American Girl Chicago on Monday, October 15, for a chance to meet gymnastics two-time gold-medalist Aly Raisman! The first 300 girls in line at the Michigan Avenue entrance will receive a ticket to meet Aly, who will sign autographs and appear in photos from 5 – 7 p.m. Remember to bring your camera! Learn more about our Chicago store: http://bit.ly/Vi4LEn



All Weekend


Logan Center For The Arts Opening



Logan Launch Festival, October 12-14

The new Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts will officially open to the public with a free three-day Logan Launch Festival on October 12-14, 2012. The Logan Launch Festival will include ongoing activities throughout the building–and outside on the courtyard stage–featuring over 50 events organized for the occasion. The weekend highlights art of all sorts, with an architecture lecture by the Logan Center architects, plays written by alumni, film screenings and sound installations, the launch of family programming, Greek tragedy adaptations, and student talent. View the full schedule of events at loganlaunch.uchicago.edu.





Harvest Fest at North Park Nature Center   

Friday, October 12, 2012

ACT OUT: Theatre Opening, Closing, Postponed, Extended #reviews



Cyndi Lauper & Harvey Fierstein press conference for Kinky Boots currently in previews. Opening night October 17th.


Here's our round up of Chi, IL Live Theatre Shows Opening, Closing, Postponed & Extended(also check out our highly recommended list):


Opening:




Black Watch by National Theatre of Scotland at Broadway Armory -ChiIL Live Shows caught opening night and we were shocked and awed.  This action packed war drama is raw, real and disturbing without glamorizing combat.  In a brilliant way, the seduction of honor, history, and the warrior way stand in stark contrast to the soul killing, psychologically damaging, desert warfare of today.  Black Watch is political without being heavy handed and loud, bright and intense enough to get the message heard.   Highly recommended!



Get your tickets today--short two week run.  



Click here for our past coverage and show details here.


Half price tickets available here. 




Stephen Sondheim's Assassins at Viaduct Theater-ChiIL Live Shows will be there for the opening tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.



Harold and the Purple Crayon at Chicago Children's Theatre (family friendly-ages 3+)-Check out our photo filled feature on the early creative process behind the costumes and set design and show details here.


Here's more of our past Harold coverage including full show details.






Broken Glass at Red Twist-
Red Twist is one of our favorite black box storefront theatres and they consistently impress with high quality, Jeff recommended offerings.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.











Kinky Boots at Bank of America Theatre with Broadway in Chicago-check out our original video footage with Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein and photos from the press conference here.   The show is currently in previews and we'll be there for opening night October 17th.   Can't wait!   


Check back with ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We have loads more original video clips and photo filled features coming!


Closing:


Equivocation at Victory Gardens (review)


If you haven't seen this show yet, go already.  Equivocation unequivocally rocks!   Bard nerds will find this show a laugh riot with plenty of Shakespearian references and in jokes.   Yet Equivocation is something utterly unique and new, with biting political commentary, compelling characters, and multilayered meaning.   Highly recommended.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.   


Postponed:

Due to major funding that did not come through, the production of “Unspeakable,” which was scheduled to start performances at the Royal George Theatre Oct. 16, has been postponed until the spring.  More details to come.  Refunds available at point of purchase.




Extended:


After at Profiles Theater (review)


There are plenty of prison dramas, but what happens after?  This slice of life exploration of the aftermath of wrongful conviction is a thought provoking social commentary.  What price can you put on a life unjustly snatched away in a miscarriage of justice.  How does jail time inextricably alter a man?   The characters go well beyond stereotypes and are a unique blend of traits and surprises.   Check it out.   




Three weeks added: now playing through November 4, 2012

Profiles Theatre will extend the Midwest premiere of After by Chad Beckim, directed by guest artist Matt Hawkins.  The production, which opened September 5, will extend for an additional three weeks through November 4, 2012. All original cast members continue in their roles including guest artists Alice da Cunha, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, J. Salome Martinez, Stephenie Park, Gabriel Ruiz and Foster Williams, Jr.  Performances are held at Profiles original venue, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway.

When a wrongfully imprisoned man is exonerated by DNA evidence after seventeen years in prison, he is forced to re-assimilate into a cold, foreign world of toothbrush shopping, doggy day care, and a friendship with an anxious young woman with secrets of her own. After is a compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed.

After, written by Chad Beckim, received its World premiere production in September 2011 by Partial Comfort Productions in New York where he is co-Founder and co-Artistic DirectorHis playwriting credits include …a matter of choice`nami and Lights Rise on Grace which won Outstanding Play at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival and finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award. Chad holds an MFA in Playwriting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program and in July 2007, he was named one of 50 Playwrights to Watch by the Dramatists Guild.

After is the second production of Profiles Theatre’s 24th season. The 20th Anniversary production of Hellcab by Will Kern opens at Profiles’ The Main Stage on November 15, 2012.  

  
Click here for our past coverage and show details.



Thursday, October 11, 2012

ACT OUT (Family Friendly): Harold and the Purple Crayon at Chicago Children's Theatre


Harold and the Purple Crayon

October 11 - November 4, 2012 
Ideal for Ages 3+
The Ruth Page Center for Arts 1016 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago Premiere Based on the books by Crockett Johnson Text by Don Darryl Rivera, Lyrics by Rob Burgess, Music by Auston James, Directed by Sean Graney, Choreography by Tommy Rapley, Music Direction by Nick Davio



ChiIL Mama was thrilled to meet with Jacqueline Russell, Frank Maugeri and other key production staff for the upcoming season at Chicago Children's Theatre.


Harold and the Purple Crayon challenge--"Design a set entirely made of giant purple crayons!!   Oh yeah.....and they have to be durable, not melt under stage lights, and be light weight."    





Chicago Children's Theatre rose to the challenge.   Come see the stunningly playful and fun result.   Harold and the Purple Crayon is on now through Nov 4 in Chicago, with brief runs in Beverly and Skokie.    Don't delay.   Get your tickets today!!

Harold and the Purple Crayon

October 11 - November 4, 2012 Ideal for Ages 3+
The Ruth Page Center for Arts 1016 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago Premiere Based on the books by Crockett Johnson Text by Don Darryl Rivera, Lyrics by Rob Burgess, Music by Auston James, Directed by Sean Graney, Choreography by Tommy Rapley, Music Direction by Nick Davio

  • BEVERLY ARTS CENTER
    2401 W. 111th St. Chicago, IL: November 7 -11
  • NORTH SHORE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
    9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL: November 14-18

Doin' it old school....   In these days of computer design programs, it was refreshing to also see the creative masterminds behind the costumes and set design for Harold and the Purple Crayon getting old school with the poster board collage brainstorming.

We geek out on the process behind the stage magic and think it's so much fun for kids...and adults to see a seed of an idea begin and then to see what it grows into in full bloom.


Check out some of the inspiration for Harold and the Purple Crayon below and see the creative process of how a simple, minimalist kids' classic morphs into a colorful, music filled stage production!!



Click here to buy your tickets

ChiIL Mama's been a huge fan of Chicago Children's Theatre since their inaugural year.   On the production end, their play bills read like a whose who of the best and brightest in Chicago's theatre community.   And the talent behind the scenes shows.   Their high caliber shows raise the bar for all children's theatre.   These shows are so intricately crafted and well done that they're as enjoyable for adults as they are for the littles.    We're also happy to see collaborations with other local favorites of ours.   

We adore Building Blocks Toy Stores and ChiIL Mama sponsored their big anniversary bash last year.   We're also fans of the cool arts and crafts at Wishcraft and the excellent resource for parents that is Neighborhood Parents Network. Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We'll have loads more photos, our Harold and the Purple Crayon review and more.

Harold and the Purple Crayon teaches young audiences that anything is possible with a crayon and a big imagination. Meet Harold, a curious four year old boy who, armed with his trusty purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. This imaginative musical uses breathtaking animation, inventive puppetry, and original music to bring Harold’s purple-hued world to life; it is perfect for introducing young children to theatre while simultaneously captivating their older companions.

Harold and the Purple Crayon will be helmed by CCT Artistic Associate Sean Graney, who directed the company’s productions of The Hundred Dresses, Honus and Me, and Hana’s Suitcase. Graney, Founding Artistic Director of The Hypocrites, is the recipient of a Career Development for Directors Program award from the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group, the winner of two non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards, and was named Chicago’s Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago Magazine and 2004’s Chicagoan of the Year: Theater by the Chicago Tribune. 

Don’t miss Thursday night Piece Pizza Parties at Harold and the Purple Crayon: enjoy delicious Piece Pizza and IZZE Juice before the show. Only $20 a ticket (includes pizza party and performance!) 

Join us for Friday night Pajama Parties with Wishcraft at Harold and the Purple Crayon: After the show use your imagination to create something amazing, just like Harold does in the show! Only $25 a ticket (includes craft party and performance!) 

 

Building Blocks Toys is back this year to join us for Harold and the Purple Crayon with a post-show party: October 14, 11:00am. Free fun for the whole family: facepainting, glitter tattoos, yummy treats, activities & giveaways!   




Neighborhood Parent’s Network is back again, hosting a post-show party: October 21, 11:00am. Don’t miss coloring, refreshments, photography & more! 



The Luck of Eden Hall--Original Video Interview With Curvey & Daughter, Seda



ChiIL Live Shows Interview With The Luck of Eden Hall frontman, Curvey, and his 7 year old daughter, Seda


The Luck of Eden Hall, Chi-town's on psychedelic/pop/psych rock band is playing TONIGHT 10/11/12 at The Burlington in Logan Square.   Check out their new release, Alligators Eat Gumdrops.    We'll have stills from the show tonight along with a full album review up soon.   For now, check out Curvey and Seda on creativity, parenting, The Luck of Eden Hall, and how kids have influenced their lyrics and even their album names!

Check out our prior coverage including tonight's show specifics right here.

The Luck of Eden Hall at The Burlington

only $5 suggested donation
Rocket Miner | The Foreign Resort (Copenhagen, Denmark) | The Luck of Eden Hall
doors 9pm

Click here for The Burlington's main site
The Burlington is at Fullerton and Kimball in Logan Square






A music video by The Luck of Eden Hall from their 2011 album "Butterfly Revolutions Vol 1". Featuring the Children of Eden Hall. Shot and edited by Lofgren.

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