|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
Inglourious Bitches
THEATER REVIEW
by Mary Shen Barnidge 2014-01-08
|
|
This article shared 4959 times since Wed Jan 8, 2014
|
|
Playwright: adapted by Glenese Hand from the screenplay by Quentin Tarantino. At: Bare Knuckle Productions at the Ravenswood Studios, 4001 N. Ravenswood Ave. Tickets: 773-998-2671; www.bareknuckleproductions.org; $10-$20. Runs through: Jan. 25
The so-called "fair sex" are no less prone to violence than the bold, nor are they incapable of pack-mentality slaughter ( consider Greek tragedies like The Bacchae ), but even today, playwrights stubbornly refuse to write the kind of two-fisted, free-fire, no-prisonersyou know, funroles for women that they do for men. When your protagonist is a guuurrrl, prevailing wisdom dictates that aggression must invariably be 1 ) initiated within the domestic sphere, 2 ) reliant upon sexual manipulation and 3 ) fueled by an obsession as petty as it is pathological.
So what are the increasing number of theatrical combat-trained young women to do? In the 1990s, the now-disbanded Footsteps Theatre Company, followed by the Babes With Blades, turned to all-female productions of Shakespeare and fan-fiction tales to strut their belle sabreur swagger. The artists of Bare Knuckles Productions carry this solution a step further, casting across gender and color lines in pursuit of spectacle combining badass broads, blood and bullets.
The 2007 Quentin Tarantino action flick Inglourious Basterdsitself a remake of a 1978 Italian potboileris the perfect vehicle for the Bare Knuckles aesthetic, as the World War II fantasy scenario revolves around two separate plans to assassinate the indisputably evil leaders of the Third Reich. One stratagem involves the owner of a movie theater hosting a premiere with Nazi VIPs in attendance; the other, a covert mission undertaken by a cheerfully amoral squad of all-American rowdies.
Veteran Chicago trouper Maggie Speer directs an unapologetically diverse ensemble led by Glenese Hand as a suave S.S. Commander and Sarah Nutt as his redneck Yankee nemesis, with Melinda Ryba and Lindsay Ashcroft playing femmes fatales ( whose wardrobes, replicated by Eli Borrowman, echo those of their cinematic counterparts ). There's no denying the DIY atmosphere invoked by an uncredited set design employing muslin curtains and manual scene-shifts, albeit enhanced by Jeremy Fodor and Keith Hand's incendiary aural and visual effectsbut the low-budget ambience is quickly dispelled by the conviction that the array of Chicago newcomers invest in Tarantino's comic-book yarn. Whether you've never seen the movie ( like me ) or can sing along with every word, there's always an added thrill to the good kicking the butts of the bad when it's right in the room with you. |
|
|
|
This article shared 4959 times since Wed Jan 8, 2014
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Hubbard Street Dance Chicago announces programs for May 17-19 season finale 2024-04-17 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced program selections for Spring Series: Of Joy, the final installment of Season 46, Abundance. The engagement will include four unique works, once ...
|
| | LGBTQ+ film fest Queer Expression to feature Alexandra Billings in 'Queen Tut' 2024-04-12 --From a press release - CHICAGO — Pride Film Fest celebrates its second decade with a new name—QUEER EXPRESSION—and has announced its slate of LGBTQ+-themed feature, mid-length and short films for in-person and virtual events in April and May. QUEER EXPRESSI ...
|
| | Open Space Arts's COCK offers a complex but compelling take on relationships 2024-04-08 By Brian Kirst - Premiering in 2009, Mike Bartlett's COCK was a comic revelation, exploring notions about fluidity and sexual labelling long before they became commonplace discussions. Granted, conversations about these issues will always ...
|
| | Jeff Awards launches submission period for Impact Awards 2024-04-06 - The Jeff Awards announced the opening period for applications submissions for its 2024 honors to help inspire early career artists of color in the Greater Chicagoland area. Two recipients will be selected for awards of $10,000 ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | 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 ...
| |
|
|
|
|
| NATIONAL Trans woman killed, Tenn. law, S. Carolina coach, Evan Low, Idaho schools | | Through a queer lens: Photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya discusses Chicago exhibition | | WORLD Ugandan law, Japan, Cass report, Tegan and Sara, Varadkar done | | Q FORCE launches 2024 election efforts in Chicago | | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo | |
|
|
|
|