Two Chicago shows with gay connections are headed for the New York International Fringe Festival this summer: GayCo Productions will take their sketch comedy show that won't die, Weddings of Mass Destruction, and Bailiwick will bring their world premiere play, Marlowe, by Chicago author Harlan Didrickson. One of the most prestigious of all arts orgies, FringeNYC runs Aug. 12-28 and is expected to draw more than 60,000 people to 1,300 performances by some 200 troupes. Before heading for FringeNYC, Marlowe will run at Bailiwick June 12-July 17. It's about Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe, frequently presumed to have been gay. Meanwhile, there's no word yet from GayCo about long-simmering plans for an autumn tour, produced by The Second City.
You read it here first: monologist, comedienne, actor and Substantial Woman Paula Killen will return to Chicago in July for an exclusive late-night engagement at the Prop Thtr on Elston Avenue at Addison. Exact times and dates TBA. Killen will perform her new show, Since I've Been Gone: briefs from behind the front.
Also in July, community fave David Kodeski will return to Live Bait Theatre as part of the 10th annual Fillet of Solo Festival. Kodeski's latest installment of true-life tales is called And Some Can Remember Something of Some Such Thing. Jonny imagines one will need to see the show to understand the title. The following month, Kodeski will partner with Susan McLaughlin-Karp, Edward Thomas-Herrera and Stephanie Shaw in a return of BoyGirlBoyGirl, in which the four solo artists present their original takes on a single subject. They first teamed up in 2004, and the experiment was deemed a success.
If there are seats available, you still have time to purchase tickets for one of the most outrageous benefits of the year, Dance Divas, June 10 at the Moulin Rouge of the Fairmont Hotel. This annual event presents men from Chicago's leading dance troupes—Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Joffrey Ballet Chicago—donning lipstick, powder and paint to pay tribute to legendary ladies of stage, screen and pop music. Among the icons expected to 'appear' are Madonna, Dolly Parton, Beyonce, Paula Abdul, Tina Turner and Dorothy Dandridge. Proceeds benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Test Positive Aware Network, Better Existence with HIV, South Side Help Center and The Dance for Life Fund. There are shows at 8 and 10. Tickets $25-$150; ( 312 ) 922-2322; or see the Web site at www.aidschicago.org/events/dance_divas.php. Credit card reservations only.
Season of Concern also has an annual event this weekend, the 13th Bowl-O-Rama, at the Diversey River Bowl ( new location ) , June 12, 7-9 p.m. Teams of four, or individuals, can compete in the benefit tournament which also has a costume theme, Rock and Roll. The entry fee is $50/team. That sexy songster Stephen Rader has all the details. Call him: ( 312 ) 332-0518. Jonny would like to see him in a classic 1970s rock and roll costume featuring very tight trousers.
The Women's Theatre Alliance—a useful professional networking group that's been rebuilding over the last year or so—invites women and men to its June Salon next Tuesday ( June 14—Flag Day ) at Theatre Building Chicago. The event features a reception ( starting at 7:20 p.m. ) and the reading of a new, dark comedy, Vox Pandora, by Bilal Dardai. WTA events are free for members; a $5 donation is requested from others. If you are looking to meet or network with female directors, authors, designers, etc., this is the salon for you.
Tis the season for music under the stars with Grant Park and the Ravinia Festival the most notable examples. However, the Museum of Contemporary Art ( MCA ) has gotten into the al fresco music biz, too, offering free jazz performances every Tuesday night through Sept. 27 in the Museum's outdoor sculpture garden. Tuesdays on the Terrace, as the series is called, also offers gourmet outdoor dining catered by Wolfgang Puck. Those who are hungry can sit at terrace tables and order from the Puck's Cafe menu, or pick up a gourmet picnic box and sit on the lawn. Or, you simply can listen to music from 5:30-8 p.m. The featured group next week ( June 14 ) is Crosswind.
The Bad Seed—The Musical has been extended through June 24 at the Cornservatory ( 4210 N. Lincoln ) . All the critics—including our own Rick Reed—have declared this show a laff riot. The June 16 performance will benefit the National AIDS Marathon, with half the box office receipts going to the cause.
