|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
ALFRED HITCHCOCK RESENTS
Created by: Adrienne Smith
by Rick Reed 2001-07-18
|
|
This article shared 1891 times since Wed Jul 18, 2001
|
|
What a wonderful idea. How ripe for spoofing are the films ( and, to a lesser extent, the teleplays ) of that great director, Alfred Hitchcock. Filled with breathy blondes, suave leading men, quirky villains, and ubiquitous Bernard Herrmann music, how could an improv company go wrong mining such comedic riches? Throw in the assorted neuroses, psychoses, and phobias that are part and parcel of Hitchcock's oeuvre, and you can't go wrong.
Or at least so it would seem.
The Free Associates have gained a reputation around town for their energetic, inspired spoofs of popular culture. Their modus operandi is simple: take audience suggestions and then create a piece based on them, improvising, mugging, and generally good naturedly hustling for laughs, however base those laughs may be. In the past, they've parodied the Brontes, Dark Shadows, and ER.
And now, they've turned to Hitchcock, the master film director, who knew that the most frightening aspects of life often lurked beneath the most mundane. The show could have been funny, but instead the Free Associates here offer only the most tepid humor, never really capitalizing on Hitchcock's suitcase full of tricks. Relying on silly accents, hysteria, and juvenile hijinks ( such as compulsive fainting and silly smoking ) the Free Associates never approach the wit or over-the-top zaniness such subject matter might have inspired. The company never takes things far enough, to make them over the top enough, to really inspire attention and real laughter. Granted, the performances here are good: Susan Gaspar, in the lead on the night I saw the show, was particularly on target: playing the 1950s Hitchcock heroine style with perfection.
It doesn't help that the Royal George cabaret space in which this spoof is performed is nothing short of tortuous ( thank God the show was only a little over an hour! ) . The seats are designed to create back pain and the long narrow space has horrible sight lines. Unless you're at the very front, expect most of the stage to be blocked. The physical space alone makes the $20 one might shell out for this show a rip-off.
But it's not just the space that makes Alfred Hitchcock Resents not worth seeing...it's the show itself, which just ain't funny. The Free Associates need to work on sharpening their humor beyond lowest common denominator pap. Lord knows Alfred Hitchcock has given them enough to work with. I mean, my God, didn't they even think to have a silly cameo of the director moving through the proceedings? |
|
|
|
This article shared 1891 times since Wed Jul 18, 2001
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items 2024-03-29 - Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...
|
| | City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26 - City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 seasonwhich will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...
|
| | The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26 --From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21 - Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...
|
| | THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21 - Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...
|
| | Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18 - Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...
|
| | Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05 - Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...
|
| | THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05 - Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...
|
| | Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03 - On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...
|
| | THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01 - Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...
|
| | Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19 - Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...
|
| | 'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19 - In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...
|
| | Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16 - In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...
|
| | Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12 - Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...
| |
|
|
|
|