|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
THEATER REVIEW Depraved New World
by Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City Times 2014-04-02
|
|
This article shared 4101 times since Wed Apr 2, 2014
|
|
Playwright: The cast At: The Second City, 1616 N. Wells St. Tickets: 1-312-337-3992; www.SecondCity.com; from $23 Runs through: open run
For 55 years The Second City has been a reliable good night out. Smart critics long ago stopped judging its revues on their political content or university wit, hallmarks of the troupe's early years with which ever-fewer folks are familiar ( although I am among them ). It's better to ask if the players are sharp as ever and if the new revue is in step with the times, and Depraved New World answers with a formidable "YES!"
Politics and wit aren't completely off the table, of course. This revue offers a wry commentary on debates over Obamacare, a knowing wink to openly gay players emerging in professional sports and a pair of funny, pointed commentaries on race, built around light-skinned actor Tawny Newsome. As for wit, there's a quote from a Langston Hughes poem ( a well-done nod to the old days ) but it's more likely to manifest itself in knowing the musical style of Phish rather than Villa- Lobos.
With insouciant but dedicated Mick Napier as director, one counts on two things: long-form improv techniques a la Del Close, and a touch of the surreal. Napier and his merry pranksters do not disappoint. While not a fully formed "Harold" ( as long-form improvisation is dubbed ), the show takes off from a central premisethe voices in our heads we can't turn off, often defeatist or devilishand features several repeating characters and scenes. The first act is intellectually-sharp although not filled with big laughs, but Act II is bloody brilliant as a combination of audience-interactive improv and surreal moments take Depraved New World to the moon. On an audience suggestion, Newsome improvised a riff on avocados and guacamole equal to the legendary improvs of Severn Darden, followed minutes later by a full-cast improvised song on the suggestion of an umbrella. Even if the basic song structure is worked out in advance, it's a high-risk form of group improv which the cast of six handles to beat the band.
Speaking of the band, Jesse Case triples as musical director, composer and sound designer and Depraved New World offers the most complex use to date at The Second City of music, sound and sampling. Case truly is a seventh cast member, or Napier's co-director. Bob Knuth's set design also shines, an elegant Deco-inspired cream-and-silver facade. The cast of three men and three women freely essay cross-gender roles and polyamorous matings. At least two scenes are specifically gay: a blind date from hell and the song of a "Poor Little Rent Boy" in love with a Senator. Both feature dynamic John Hartman, who animates devil or twink with laserlike focus. Chelsea Devantez, Mike Kosinski, Emily Walker and Steve Waltien complete the excellent cast of this brave new revue. |
|
|
|
This article shared 4101 times since Wed Apr 2, 2014
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | 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 ...
|
| | WORLD Israel court, conversion therapy, death sentences, Georgia bill, fashion items 2024-03-29 - Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Population Authority must register female couples as mothers on the birth certificates of their children they have together, The Washington Blade reported. The decision was made following a petition ...
|
| | City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor talks theater, comics, queerness 2024-03-26 - City Lit Theater has announced its programming for the 2024-25 seasonwhich will be the company's 44th. It will also be the first season to be programmed under the leadership of Brian Pastor (they/them), who will assume ...
|
| | The Jeff Awards announces the 50th anniversary awards for non-equity theater 2024-03-26 --From a press release - A complete list of recipients can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org. (March 25, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the ...
| |
|
|
|
|
| New Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students...to a point | | NATIONAL Ohio law blocked, Trevor Project, Rev. Troy Perry, ICE suit, Elon Musk | | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' | | LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project set to hold its second annual exhibition | | WORLD Nigeria arrest, Chilean murderer, trans ban, Olivier Awards, marriage items | |
|
|
|
|