Slavish devotees of this column who hang on Jonny's every word—which is, to say, regular readers—know that Jonny's favorite charity is Season of Concern. Jonny favors Season of Concern ( SOC ) because it's an all-Chicago effort, it's of and by the Chicago theater community, it provides humanitarian assistance ( food, rent, utilities, clothing, compassionate travel ) for those living with HIV/AIDS and because way-cute guys always are involved with SOC.
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Pictured: The GayCo cast of Whitney Houston, We Have a Problem.
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SOC raises money in various ways, almost all of it in small donations of a few dollars or the occasional twenty. But the organization has a not-to-be-missed event coming up with a suggested donation of $30—and is worth every cent. SOC and People's Theater of Chicago will offer a two-night concert reading of Harvey Fierstein's Tony Award-winning play Torch Song Trilogy at 7 p.m. Mon.-Tues., May 5-6. But it gets better, dear friends. Those who know Torch Song Trilogy as intimately as Jonny will recall that Act I is subtitled 'International Stud' and is set in a leather bar. So it's altogether fitting that these special performances will take place at the Leather Archives and Museum, 6418 N. Greenview.
But wait, there's more! The actors performing the show aren't mere nobodies. They are among the cream of Chicago theatrical society, with Madrid St. Angelo, Stephen Rader and Renee Matthews as the stars under the direction of Joe Stead. Mr. St. Angelo is the artistic director of People's Theater of Chicago, Mr. Rader is the executive director of Season of Concern and Ms. Matthews is—well—a great diva and a favorite of LGBT audiences.
For reservations call Season of Concern at 312-332-0518 or People's Theater at 773-371-1868. You might consider an early dinner, or a late bite and drink at the nearby Grupo di Amici restaurant ( on Jarvis ) , a very LGBT-friendly establishment. Their octopus salad is one of Jonny's favorites. All those arms, you know.
Those who've read Alice Walker's The Color Purple ( or have seen the movie or the Broadway musical ) know that the bisexual blues singers Shug Avery is modeled in part after the real-life Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey ( 1886-1939 ) . She had a husband for a short time as well as a long string of male and female lovers, with the relationships with women seeming to be the friendships that lasted longest. Her Prove It On Me Blues, recorded in the late 1920s, was a lesbian watershed: 'Went out last night with a crowd of my friends/They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men.' Born in poverty in Columbus, Ga., she died there in wealth in a house she built for her mother and then lived in herself. Now fully restored, the Gertrude Rainey house has opened as a museum complete with photos, memorabilia and recordings from her career.
GayCo Productions is remounting the show with the truly fabulous title that started it all for them over a decade ago, Whitney Houston, We Have a Problem. Since that first show in 1997 as part of The Second City's outreach program, GayCo has gone on to stage 14 original sketch comedy revues, all of which have had fabulous titles. Now if only every sketch was as fabulous as the title ... oh, well, that's art. Whitney Houston, We Have a Problem—which Jonny assumes will be appropriately updated for the new millennium—plays Fri.-Sun., April 18-May 25, at the Center on Halsted's Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N. Halsted; 1-800-838-3006; $20. Performances are at 8 p.m. and the show runs just 60 minutes, so you'll be out in plenty of time to enjoy the pleasures of Halsted Street. Jonny knows nothing about you, but for Jonny there's nothing more delightful than Boystown after a Cubs night game, with all those beer-drunk straight boys thinking they're gonna get laid.
The Comedy at Kate's series continues the first Saturday of each month at Kate the Great's Book Emporium, 5550 N. Broadway. The line-up of funny women for May 3 includes Sarah Clark, Jennifer Ann Coffeen, Kelsie Huff, Kendra Stevens and Amy Sumpter. Show is at 7 p.m.; 773-561-1932; $10 suggested donation. There are also book deals and free coffee.
A few of the same funny women, plus women musical, poetic, terpsichoric and/or dramatic, are featured in the spring edition of Beast Women, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through May 10 at Prop Theatre, 3502 N. Elston. Beast Women offers a variety revue of comedy, dance, song, story-telling and who-knows-what by a rotating line-up of three female performers, all curated by Jillian Erickson and hosted by Michelle Power. 773-278-1212: $15.
Jonny closes this week with get-well wishes to our friend and colleague, Lawrence Bommer, Jonny's counterpart ( if not quite Jonny's equal ) at the Chicago Free Press. Larry was in the hospital recently for heart surgery but, as he is a theater critic, they couldn't find his heart. So they fixed up his torn Achilles tendon instead. Now Larry is hobbling about in a cast and asking young men to help him with his sponge baths. And so Jonny closes his column as he began it—with a charity case.
