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Theater
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 20:34 |
 By K.D. Hopkins
Okay, not quite a century but close enough since 1926 when Mae West wrote, produced, and starred in “Sex” on Broadway. She was a woman ahead of the curve and the Prologue Theatre Company’s production is a compelling tribute.
I have been privileged to view another of director Margo Gray’s productions, “The Wonder-A Woman Keeps A Secret,” earlier this year at the Heartland Studio. I recall her agility with the small set and the remarkable cast.
This staging of “Sex” takes place at the North Lakeside Cultural Center (6219 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago) and it is in my opinion a great setting. The Center is a mansion that was occupied at the same time in which the play is set.
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Theater
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 20:18 |
 By K.D. Hopkins
There is an adage that drama is easy and comedy is hard. I laughed pretty hard at GayCo Productions “The Audacity of Nope or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme.”
I grew up watching improvisational theater at places like Second City and Improv Olympics. This kind of comedy calls for some ripped from the headlines subject matter and GayCo hits the nail on the head.
A few days before the premiere, Maine had shot down a gay marriage law and this troop added that into the mix in a hilarious mélange of skits. The premise is that this comedy is gay-themed but they go beyond that.
There are no sacred cows here. In fact, there are some assassin livestock in a riff on H1N1. It comes on the heels of skydiving lesbians trying to land in Iowa. I about fell off of my seat with the denouement of that skit.
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Theater
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 05:29 |
 By K.D. Hopkins
The subject of Black women has been in the news more than usual lately. I guess it is a by-product of African Americans in the White House. Now people feel safer broaching the subject of our hair, gender roles in Black culture, and yes our sexuality is also brought to the forefront as well.
Erica Watson is a native South Sider who is bringing her one woman show “Fat Bitch” to town at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts November 19 through 28. I had the pleasure of a conversation with Ms. Watson. She is on the frontline of confronting stereotypes about race and size. She is hysterically funny to boot.
I asked her about the genesis and evolution of the show.
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Theater
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 20:03 |
By K.D. Hopkins
On Saturday, November 14, two of my friends and I took a visit to the past. We settled into the theatre at North Park University to see a luminous production of Anne V. McGravie’s “WRENS.” The title is an acronym for Women’s Royal Navy Service that is the U.K. version of the WACS or WAVES.
This is the story of women being pressed into service and yet being detained by the mores and restraints of the society that awaits them when WWII ends.
This was a stunning production on many levels beginning with the cast.
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Theater
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 05:27 |
By K.D. Hopkins
“Ambrose Bierce: Tales and Times” is the forbear of such wonderful shows as “The Twilight Zone” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” Bierce was an immensely gifted writer from the Civil War era who shocked Upton Sinclair with his sarcasm. He was a man who loved words and his writing sent me to the dictionary on more than one occasion.
The Lincoln Square Theatre production is was an all-encompassing endeavor. The theatre is in a Methodist Church basement and that environment gives “Ambrose Bierce: Tales and Times” an onomatopoeia feel.
The audience enters in the waiting area, which is an old fashioned church parlor. Radiators on the walls, oddly upholstered chairs and floral tablecloths made me feel as if Bierce would walk in any moment.
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