|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
THE TERRIBLE GIRLS
Written by: Kyle Hall
by Rick Reed 2001-04-25
|
|
This article shared 1273 times since Wed Apr 25, 2001
|
|
Kyle Hall, who directed and adapted Rebecca Brown's episodic novel The Terrible Girls, takes Brown's writing, which is intricate, lyrical, and intimate, and creates something wholly different, although he manages to keep intact Brown's riffs on love, loss, exploitation and sacrifice. Hall's mighty ambition is displayed in what is essentially a performance piece: a percussive jumble of sight, sound, and stimulation. The music ( by the omnipresent team of Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman ) is riveting, jolting, syncopatic, and gives an almost primal feel to the proceedings. Peter Sciscioli's choreography is a perfect match for the music. The dance in The Terrible Girls is hard-edged, sexy, physical, and, at times, almost brutal. If The Terrible Girls had been strictly a performance piece, utilizing its revved-up, yet paradoxically, haunting meshing of movement and sound, it might have been a triumph.
But The Terrible Girls attempts to do a lot more than just enthrall us and set our hearts to racing; it tries to be more than a jumper cable to our eyes and ears. The Terrible Girls also wants to tell us something. In nine spare scenes, director and adapter Kyle Hall also wants to immerse us in Rebecca Brown's big message, which really, when one considers it closely, isn't really all that big. Each piece is a mediation, really, on the things we do for love ... the sacrifices we make, how we exploit others and let them exploit us, and the losses we encounter in our search for connection. Although that message is told with variety and sometimes wit ( the Frankenstein sequence is notable for its goofy, over-the-top Gothic daring ) , it is the same message, over and over again, for 90 or so minutes. Although scenes like Junk Mail, with Lesley Bevan's peerless comic delivery a major plus, make us laugh, the stuff between the lines gets stale rather quickly. Writer/poet/drunk Charles Bukowksi once said, "An artist says a difficult thing in a simple way; an intellectual says a simple thing in a difficult way." About Face, with this effort, veers far toward the intellectual side, in spite of the creativity that's obvious in almost every minute of this piece.
And that's a shame, because in addition to the behind the scene talents assembled for this production, director Hall has drawn together one of the most talented group of women you may ever encounter on a stage. Their sensuality, timing, energy, and abilities are amazing: one wonders where one could currently find a superior ensemble cast. Tracee Westmoreland, Elizabeth Laidlaw, De Anna N.J. Brooks, and Julia Neary lead the cast in near-perfect performances—whether they're dancing, singing, or making us laugh, each of these women demonstrates a talent that is, quite simply, enormous.
About Face gets an A for effort and an A for execution with its Terrible Girls. But, as an artistic achievement, the production rates far lower. In the end, The Terrible Girls has an abundance of style, but a paucity of substance.
|
|
|
|
This article shared 1273 times since Wed Apr 25, 2001
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Gay actor Nick Trengove discusses upcoming turn in new 'Native Son' production 2024-05-06 - Gay actor, director and voiceover artist Nick Trengove performs in Chicagoan Nambia E. Kelley's adaptation of Richard Wright's novel Native Son at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., starting Friday, May 10. Native Son takes place ...
|
| | Vera Drew paints a queer portrait of Gotham City with 'The People's Joker' 2024-05-06 - The People's Joker is a cinematic treat for the senses where writer, director and star Vera Drew (an Illinois native) tells a trans woman's story through the lens of comic book characters. The Joker is a ...
|
| | Shining a spotlight on girl in red 2024-04-30 - Bathed in a crimson-gelled spotlight, girl in red entered the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on the night of April 27. She was accompanied by a backing band and wore a striped suit jacket. For those that ...
|
| | THEATER 'Mamma Mia!' returns to Chicago with 'Daddyhunt' star Jim Newman 2024-04-24 - "Who's your daddy?" That's the key plot question driving the global hit Mamma Mia! The global smash jukebox musical famously features the song hits of Swedish pop group ABBA, and it returns for a three-week run ...
|
| | Local queer opera composer premiering her first show, a coming-of-age tale with LGBTQ+ themes 2024-04-23 - A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes. Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 - Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 - I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | THEATER Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' offers feminist, trans take on a troubling Jacobean tragedy 2024-04-18 - "Problematic" is a great go-to adjective to describe Women Beware Women. This 1621 Jacobean tragedy is by English playwright Thomas Middleton, who is probably best remembered as a collaborator with William Shakespeare on their pessimistic tragedy ...
|
| | 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 ...
| |
|
|
|
|