Probably one of the best things about Pride Month is something that I hope will become an annual event for many years to come: the alliance of About Face Theatre Company and Horizons Community Services to workshop and produce a work of theater that speaks for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning youth. Last year, the result of that collaboration was First Breath. First Breath was the debut of this innovative idea and it was a true work of art. I came to that particular show ready to temper my more caustic critical impulses and give the kids a break. It turned out such temperance was unnecessary: the show stood on its own as an inspired and brilliant piece of theater, with every detail just right: from the writing, to the direction, to the performances, to costumes and set.
This year's production, Raising Voices continues the tradition of excellence. Whereas last year's show dealt with how our youth understood itself in the context of the world today, this year's piece incorporates gay and lesbian history and demonstrates how today's youth finds its place within the forces that have shaped our very diverse community.
In a series of inspired vignettes ( some achingly touching, some gasping-for-air funny, all thought- provoking and evocative ) , the energetic cast of 20 takes us on a tour de force of what it means to "different" in the 20th century. If you're looking for a theatrical outlet to reflect your pride, you won't find any show better in Chicago than Raising Voices. Never mind that it's performed by a group of people whose oldest members have barely seen their 20th birthday: Raising Voices is what good theater should be. It's honest, universal and has enough grit to keep you thinking for hours after you leave the theater.
I have to give credit to Stephanie Nelson, who designed one of the most versatile and inspired sets I've seen this season. Utilizing a backdrop of newspaper and magazine clippings that cover almost the entire stage and disembodied figures from various decades, the set is versatile enough to allow examination of culture from every decade in the last century, yet still connect to today and beyond. Beyond Nelson, though, there are so many people to credit in this compelling work that it would take me far more words than I'm allowed here.
So here's my idea on how you can make your own discovery of all the talent that went into this production: go see it yourself. Not only will you laugh, cry, think and be astounded at the talent behind every minute of this show, you'll walk away with a program that lists every name—names I'm certain you'll hear of again.
Runs through July 23. Phone 773-549-3290.
Endless Night, Sweet Delight
by rick reed
Yet another world premiere emerged from the productions making up this year's Pride Series at the Bailiwick Theatre: playwright Howard Casner's Endless Night, Sweet Delight. The title, taken from a poem by William Blake, describes the two extremes that humanity is born to. In Casner's version, those extremes are not fixed: and with the help of a gay ghost that's been hanging around the woods for some 80 years, one can manage to move from endless night to sweet delight.
Billed as a "romantic drama" the show concerns a young man from Chicago, Oran ( Carmen Aiello ) , who seeks sanctuary at the rural home of his friends, a gay couple: Bill ( Cory Kresbach ) and Coop ( Dane Groves ) after the AIDS-related death of his lover, Yuri. Oran, a songwriter and performer, needs time alone to try and understand why his lover was taken when it was he who "deserved" to die. Suicidal and inconsolable, Oran begins making forays into the surrounding forest, where he meets Shad ( Tomaso Bufano ) , a gay ghost who has his own story of tragedy and lost love. How the two repair each other's souls and come to find a renewed interest and love and salvation is what makes up the bulk of the play.
Casner's drama, while engrossing, feels more like a work in progress rather than a finished play. Part of that may be due to the direction of Dan Foss, who fails to bring out the mysticism and magical wonder of the play. Everything here feels kind of on the same level, whether it's reading the newspaper, watching a meteor shower or coming under the spell of a ghost. Even the nudity and implied sexuality are passionless. But I wonder if Casner couldn't have also developed his script a bit more and given us a little more suspense and conflict that isn't so pat and predictably resolved. There's very little left to think about when one leaves the theater.
Other than Cory Kresbach's excellent, nuanced performance, as the queeny Bill, the performances here are pretty wooden. Opening night felt awkward: Dane Groves and Tomaso Bufano were especially lacking in emotional force and seemed stiff and unnatural. Stephanie Repin, as the big city agent, Stacy, was similarly wooden. I didn't believe her for a minute, especially in her scene where she was supposed to cry.
With a little work on the script, more capable actors and a staging that allowed for some of the wonder and magic this play contains, Endless Night, Sweet Delight could be a hit, something to truly be "proud" of. As it stands, it's a miss.
Runs through July 22. Phone 773-883-1090.
Stick Knife Here
by rick reed
Shakespeare put it best: "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." The bard might have been referring to Stick Knife Here, an "exploration of clown theatre" now running at the Viaduct. The show, described as a piece "developed by an ensemble of nine through a process following [ director Blake ] Montgomery's Lecoq and Dell'Arte training, this original piece is set in a mysterious world of unseen forces and unforgotten grievances. Like a story by Agatha Christie on LSD, dreams and desires create a playful nightmare where murder is commonplace, death is rare, and violence teeters on the knife edge between hilarity and horror." If only the show itself had been as good as its description! But alas, this mishmash of comedy, slapstick, horror and improvisation never quite fulfills its promise of teetering between hilarity and horror.
It's difficult to describe the show, which features nine clowns in various settings ( a funeral for a general, a wedding, a spoof of cinematic westerns and more ) ; the piece never really seems to fully develop its scenarios or characters enough to create anything even approaching entertainment, let alone art. Sure, there are moments when the audience chuckles, supplied mostly by the hilarious abilities of Kelley Ogden and Cullen Sprague, as a newlywed clown couple. These two actors are the only ones, aside from a big-busted redhead, who managed to create characters that truly stood out.
The show is obviously the result of improvisation ( in accordance with Lecoq's training ) and much of it has the giddy feel of play. But like children playing, Stick Knife Here never really seems to venture too far from inspired silliness, which isn't quite enough. I had expected something that would have its eerie moments as well as its comic ones, but no such luck. In spite of a threatening butcher knife being employed in some scenes, the show was never able to capture some of the darkness I suspect it was striving for.
I can't really recommend the show because it's not developed enough to transport us beyond the realms of our everyday lives. In patches, it's inspired and funny, but there are also long patches where it's just senseless and boring. The cast works hard, yes, but ultimately their work is not on target enough to be something worthy of our time or imagination.
Runs through July 23. Phone 312-409-6621.
