what: the deer by brooke allen
where: the collaboraction theatre space in the flat iron building in wicker park
accompaniment: dustin <3
drinkability: not a BYO space & they don't sell any refreshments unfortunately
show length: 70 minutes, no intermission
out of four: two/four
i was excited this afternoon to see my first ruckus play, and equally excited to see a previous castmate (julie cowden) in a lead role in the show. but, alas, the curse of an understudy promise fell upon me and it wasn't until i arrived at the theatre that i discovered that two of the roles were being played by understudies- julie's included. either way- i got to momentarily sulk around the art-filled walls of the flat iron building and even meet an artist in residence who shared a brief look into his homelife and we got to meet both of his three legged chihuahuas. so, i walked into the theatre after the doors opened with a better pep in my step.
when you enter into the dark and moderate sized room, we watch the deer (mike tepeli) sleeping on a bench, with two workers (echaka agba & cheryl snodgrass) taking buckets of 'snow' from a pile on one side of the room and spreading it from the path of the bench to the back wall. once this was complete, the show began. the tale of THE DEER is the 2nd in a planned triptych called "the lost sibling trilogy" - the first being 2008's RUBY WILDER. while the plays aren't connected by characters and story, they all "deal with issues of guilt, love, grief and ability (or inability) to rebuild" according to the playwright/director note in the play.
THE DEER focuses on the story of clara and her brother russ - siblings with a relationship like that of orphans (though their parents are mentioned in one brief scene). the script is non-linear, jumping back and forth in time and space with little set change and little knowledge given to the audience beyond a car accident involving a deer, and the new and old relationships unfolding before us.
the set was bathed in fog- a nice effect with the eerie lighting plot designed by john kelly. i'm not sure if this was intentional on the ruckus' part or not but for a good part of the seventy minute show cold air was blasting in through the air ducts (on a day when it hit the low 50s outside). this creates a simultaneously uncomfortable experience for the casual theatre goer, yet also made the wisconsin-based snow-covered set before us feel a little more real.
both understudies performed without blips and fumbles and the show clipped along smoothly. while i was fond of both clara's(carmen molina) and russ' (bryan bosque) performances- i wish the script gave us more of an opportunity to grow and love the relationship between them. for a brother and sister who call each other for every small detail they encounter and share a deep-rooted love for pie- we don't get to see them directly interact save from a scene and a half throughout the play. i found myself wanting to feel more for them, wanting to long for them to be reconnected, wanting to shed a tear when it was my time to, but i simply didn't.
the hidden gem of this production in my opinion were the various characters (the only one penned in the program is 'winnie') by cheryl snodgrass. she's a quiet delight for most of the show until she gets to shine in almost back-to-back scenes, first playing a bag lady at a bus stop in the southwest, then as a cackling crematorium worker opposite echaka agba's chracter nan. her ease at which she explodes into laughter is contagious- and snodgrass should be considered a tour de force- and most impressively via her program bio, she's been absent from the stage for a whopping eight years. welcome back, cheryl.
i hope this script continues to grow in depth and length- i think a hearty story is there, and i truly do believe i could shed that tear i so badly wanted to.
THE DEER runs through may 11th, running thursdays through sundays. tickets are $20-$25, with some discounts over at hottix.
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bonus april show #1: whirled news tonight
what: whirled news tonight - improv
where: improv olympics in dreaded wrigleyville
accompaniment: dustin - who surprised me with tickets to the show!
drinkability: a+ - full bar and an intermission in which you can get a fill up on your drink!
show length: around 60 minutes, 10 minute intermission
out of four: three/four
last saturday night my husband surprised me with tickets to whirled news as part of our date night. i had never heard of the show and iO always proves to be a good time- and I was not disappointed. the concept is awesome: a pile of newspapers sits on tables on the stage as you enter. you are welcome to cut and pin up stories, ads, advice columns, anything to the cork boards hanging on the walls. the first half of the evening include the improv team before us performing off the selections from the wall. after intermission the topics are opened up to the audience- anyone who wants to give a prompt based off of advice that they need is encouraged to raise their hand and ask a question. hilarity ensues. as with all improv teams we experienced both highs and lows, but a majority of the night was incredibly funny. if you need a night of laughs, do not miss whirled news.
whirled news performs every saturday night at 8pm, tickets are $14 through the iO website.
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bonus april show #2: the unbelievable truth
what: the unbelievable truth game show
where: the lincoln loft - lincoln park
accompaniment: angela, joy, and dustin
drinkability: perfection- mostly full bar with $3 suggested donation
show length: just over an hour, no intermission
out of four: three/four
there's very little i love more than getting to see friends perform, so when emily announced she'd be on the next panel for the unbelievable truth, we had to get out to see her. this is a show that currently sporadically performs at the loft- and hopefully will be a staple in the near future. the concept mirrors a popular british tv show- each panelist gets a topic before the evening to write an essay on. they are given 5 truths which they have to bury in an essay full of lies. the goal is to sneak the truths past your opponents, while they try to buzz in on true facts as you read your assignment. complete with a hilarious music round as an intermission, this was a delight to watch on a saturday night.
all loft performances are donation-based. keep an eye on their social media and website for future unbelievable truth performances!
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upcoming may shows:
thursday may 8th, 8pm: babes with blades' l'imbecile
saturday may 17th, 8pm: astonrep's wit
tbd - interrobang theatre project's ibsen is dead
tbd
join me, will you?