Oh, Coward! at Writers' Theatre

Wow. Wow. Wow. A really, really wonderful production at the very tiny space at Writers' Theatre. Lovely. It was a marvelous party, with Nounou and Nada and Nell...

House Opening Benefit: Girls v. Boys

Oh, House, we love you, but we wanted to love this one more. Still, the group we brought thought it was fabulous, and we were up two more season tickets.

American Ballet Theatre: American Program

A pre-birthday treat. Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, and Jerome Robbins program by ABT. Lose a shoe during Company B? Not a problem if you are a stellar ABT dancer. Really great.

A Springy Party

A crowded house at our friends Ms. A and Mr. E. The theme was "spring" so we brought a slinky.

The Illusion at Court & Magic Show!

Solid Court production. Adaptation by Tony Kushner.
And, a totally great surprise of a magic show by Dennis Watkins after the show. (He'd helped with the magic in the show.)




















Timothy Kane was hilarious.

Trust at Lookingglass

Man, I'm really glad we don't have a teenager.

















Co-directed and written by David Schwimmer. Philip R. Smith was absolutely amazing in the role of the father.

Uncle Vanya at Chicago Shakespeare

It was in Russian. It ran over three hours. Still, you got to love a Godot meets Monty Python kind of vibe.

Ms. S at the Goodman: The Long Red Road

Ms. S went with a workmate to see this production at the Goodman.

Wayne McGregor at Columbia Dance

Hyper technique, hyper flexible, and a pretty fun evening.

Book Club: Things Fall Apart

Private Lives at Chicago Shakespeare

Always fun to see this Coward chestnut, and clever staging by Gary Griffin, but didn't quite...sizzle for us.

Troika Ranch at Columbia Dance

One of the better of the tech & dance ilk.

"Complex, layered, and visually striking, Troika Ranch is known for hybrid works combining dance, theater and digital media. Recognized world wide as leaders in the exploration of dance and new technology, co-founders, Mark Coniglio and Dawn Stoppiello recently completed a two-year development process to create their newest work, loopdiver. Using motion capture and Coniglio's Isadora software (a programming environment that provides interactive control and real-time manipulation of digital media), loopdiver is the result of a processes of creating movement and multimedia elements from intricately interwoven loops of prerecorded movement, text and digital materials (video, sound and light)."

Skin of Our Teeth

We went to see Skin of our Teeth for nostalgia sake (right, Mrs. Antrobus?) but this was kind of an all-over-the map production. Fortune teller had nothing on Ms. J's performance from high school.

Jump Rhythm Jazz at Columbia Dance

Kind of a mixed bag, but the husband and wife leaders of this group performed with real love of the art.

Wilson Wants it All at the House Theatre

Thought this show was a promising new direction for the House.

From Chris Jones's review: "It's 2040. America is, naturally, divided. But there are now seven political parties. Federalists. New Republicans. Greens. Libertarians. Progressives. Territorialists. The Coalition. Each obstructs the other, since political gain has trumped good policymaking, once and for all. That's hardly a stretch from current reality, but now there is also talk of the end of the union. Enter a young woman named Hope, who might be the last chance to unify a nation. The child of a late, great, JFK-esque senator killed by an assassin's bullet, 30-year-old Hope has spent a sheltered youth but is on the verge of stepping up to the political plate. But does she want it? Or would she rather just run away from Wilson, her political handler, and also her destiny?

...

All in all, this is a gutsy, risky piece that's also a fun night out. And for those who think House is trapped in the thrall of whimsy, it demonstrates a newly political bent that adds depth to this intensely creative company's work.