A friend of mine who isn't an avid theatergoer always bemoans the fact that by the time he finally gets around to seeking out tickets for a much-buzzed-about local Chicago show, it's typically closed.
But this summer, casual theater fans have fewer tardy excuses to cling onto since so many acclaimed productions from previous seasons have transferred, extended or are about to be revived again.
Here's a rundown on acclaimed shows that have risen up like the phoenix, or shows that have stuck around longer than the usual sell-by-date. But hurry fast, since some of the shows mentioned will be closing soon. (Or might actually be closed by the time you read this.)
Transfers aplenty
One problem that many theaters face with a set subscription season of plays is that when one show proves to be a runaway hit, it will have to close to make way for the next production. Sometime the hit shows can extend a week or two to meet some of the audience demand. But more often than not in live theater, once they're gone, they're gone.
This is why Chicago theater fans should consider themselves lucky that so many producers took the leap of faith this summer to transfer successful productions into stand-alone theater runs in other venues.
One notable success story is Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company's take on Tennessee Williams' classic memory play The Glass Menagerie. Director Hans Fleishmann re-imagined the pivotal role of Tom as a homeless tramp, which made the character's regrets for the past even more poignant.
Mary-Arrchie's take on The Glass Menagerie was a sold-out sensation at the company's usual home at Angel Island, so the production's transfer (complete with the original cast) to Theater Wit was a blessing for those who couldn't get in. The production just announced its final extension through Sunday, Aug. 25. Visit www.theaterwit.org for more information.
Another transfer of note is Albany Park Theater Project's Home/Land, which is playing though Sunday, July 28, in the plush digs of the Goodman Theatre's Owen Theatre space as part of its biennial Latino Theatre Festival. Home/Land was a collaborative effort of text, movement and music to explore the effects of America's immigration laws on people, and it was a sold out success when it was launched in January 2012. Visit www.goodmantheatre.org for more information.
I was going to mention Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's hit transfer of the 1995 Broadway revue Smokey Joe's Café as another transfer example, since the Roger's Park-originated production was extended through Sunday, Aug. 4, at the Royal George Theatre Cabaret. Alas, the extension was cut short and the show's closing was pushed up to Sunday, July 21.
Of course, one long-standing way to catch acclaimed shows you may have previously missed is by getting tickets to the Chicago Park District's Theater on the Lake, now in its 61st season. Lately, this venue's summer season is slotted specifically to bring back last season's shows from Chicago's thriving storefront theater scene. Three shows remain: The Den Theatre's production of Jane Anderson's Red State vs. Blue State drama The Quality of Life (July 24-28), Jackalope Theatre's production of Zayd Dohrn's immigration drama Long Way Go Down (July 31-Aug. 4) and Chicago Physical Theater's The Chi-Town Revue featuring Honeybuns (a comedy-filled show running Aug. 7-11). Visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com for more information.
Rainbow resurrection
Three upcoming revivals are sure to be of interest to LGBTQ audiences in one way or another, due to the out authorship, the campy tone or serious subject matter.
First out of the docket is another revival of The Birds by Hell in a Handbag Productions. This spoof of the iconic 1960s Alfred Hitchcock film will now literally play next to Lake Michigan at Berger Park and Cultural Center in Edgewater from Aug. 8 to Sept. 15. But what makes this revival so exciting is that original film star Tippi Hedren is slated to make a cameo appearance in the production on Saturday, Sept. 7. Hell in a Handbag is even auctioning off a chance to appear alongside Ms. Hedren as a fundraiser for her animal charity, The ROAR Foundation/Shambala Preserve. Go to www.handbagproductions.org for details.
Another production making a return is Alex Paul Young's dance- and poetry-filled drama Pink Milk, which is inspired by the tragic life and scientific foresight of gay British mathematician and World War II codebreaker Alan Turing. Pink Milk previously played at Fringe Festivals in New York and Chicago, but now it's receiving a full-fledged production running Aug. 10 through Sept. 7 courtesy of Oracle Productions and the newly formed company White Elephant. Visit www.publicaccesstheatre.org for more details.
Perhaps one of the biggest and most anticipated return engagement is William Brown and Doug Frew's hit 2010 play To Master the Art, which is about the early married life of late celebrity chef Julia Child. Tickets are already on sale for this return engagement of the TimeLine Theatre sold-out hit play, now under the auspices of Chicago Commercial Collective and Broadway in Chicago at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. The limited engagement begins Sept. 10. Visit www.broadwayinchicago.com for more information.
Extensions (but not for very much longer)
There's still also time to catch two shows in Chicago that previously received plenty of acclaim in the U.K.
The time-switching drama about gay life in 1958 and 2008 called The Pride is Bonnie Metzgar's final production as outgoing About Face Theatre artistic director, The Pride runs through Sunday, July 28, upstairs in Victory Gardens Biograph Theater. Visit www.aboutfacetheatre.com for more information.
The Q Brothers' Othello: the Remix is a hip-hop remix of Shakespeare's great tragedy, and it has the distinction of being the only American production in the 2012 Globe to Globe festival that featured all of Shakespeare's plays performed in different languages by international companies at the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. Othello: The Remix continues through Aug. 4 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Visit www.chicagoshakes.com for more information.
