Mini-reviews and a few words about the future...

Wow!  Over 10,150 hits in six months and still counting.  It’s gone viral!  Ok, maybe not viral.  It’s a mild rash!  More likely, it’s nothing more than a pimple on the butt of Chicagoland theatre.  I’m guessing that the majority of the hits are readers checking in to see if there is a new post.  And who can blame them - I’m so gosh-darn entertaining.  Oh yeah, there is the fact that I said I would post some new ones, but never said when.  And even if I do commit to a date, I ultimately miss it.  Despite my lovable cantankerous nature, I am the eternal optimist when gauging what I think I can do.  I take aim, thinking the target is easy to hit and ofttimes forget about gravity and other forces working against successful completion.  It happens, and it’s self-defeating in some ways, since you disappoint yourself and those who have vested some interest in you, or, at the very least, you feel they have.

September/October is usually the start of a new season for many theatres, and it’s a busy time for a reviewer who does it as a vocation.  It’s absolutely harried if you’re doing it as an avocation.  Working a full-time job, and then trying to see all the shows and finding time to get the reviews written and posted is tiring.  Other things in life get in the way and keep sneaking to the top of the priority list.  Try as I may, I have not learned the secret to adding hours to the day.  I think it requires an hour-glass necklace that you twist, or something like that.  I know; it’s not your problem, so I should just shut up about it.  I enjoy doing this blog.  I just wish I could do this as I envisioned.  Reality stinks sometimes, and time is not always your friend.

I’ve received flack (and, to be honest, rightfully so) about the lateness of my posts.  I have learned to avoid 2-week runs.  Now, given how little time I have for writing, it seems that shows with 3-week runs are almost impossible to review in a timely fashion.  If I see a show on opening weekend, I really should have a review posted before the start of the next weekend.  But that is getting harder and harder to do, given some of the pressures from work and my addiction to Iron Chef America and Dancing With The Stars.  I have come to realize it is a disservice to those who actually use the reviews for information (what the hell are you thinking?) rather than just entertainment.  Despite what the conspiracy theorists think, there is no hidden agenda or ulterior motives to when I post.  You have given me too much credit, assuming I know what I’m doing and can actually think.  How silly.

As you can guess, I will not be writing full reviews for the last three shows I saw.  By the time I get around to writing a full review for any, the show will have closed.  I screwed that up once before, and felt a tiny smidgeon of remorse about it.  I’m mean, I didn’t lose sleep over it or anything, but I think a shout-out act of contrition is appropriate: To DL...I thought your approach sucked, but I admit that the timing of my review was bad form.

Here are capsule reviews of the shows that close this weekend:

The Desk Set - Albright Theatre, Batavia, IL (click for show times, tickets, etc.)

This is a romantic comedy (called rom-com in the biz) that I thought lacked two important elements: rom and com.  For more info on the story, try Google.  While the individual performances were OK, the chemistry between the romantic leads was missing.  The comedy is dated, and the attempts to spruce it up failed, especially the holiday office party scenes.  Finally, this is the second show I’ve seen at this theatre, and both times, I found the lighting distracting.  Normally I won’t say much about tech, unless it’s bothersome.  They need to find a way to back-light the action to give it some visual depth.  When the lights came up, everyone looked two-dimensional, which didn’t help with some one-dimensional acting.  Trust me: in this case, two plus one do not make three, dimensionally speaking.

Into The Woods - Theatre Nebula at Cutting Hall, Palatine, IL (click for show times, tickets, etc.)

I’m not a lover of all things Sondheim.  But I do appreciate this show (for story info, try Bing) and I ended up liking this production because I decided I would not let a pair of nimrods (a word now officially recognized in the New Oxford American Dictionary) ruin it.  There are very strong voices throughout.  Great harmonies, a wonderful wall of sound and good storytelling.  Wonderful orchestra.  Everything is first rate...except for the Baker and the Witch.  Julie Bayer is great as Cinderella, Walter Bezt and Deric Gochen held my attention as the two princes and Linda Andrew’s Little Red Riding Hood was very good.  The others did a nice job.  The direction by Frank Roberts was not heavy-handed and moved things along at a good pace, especially for a long show (2 hours, 53 minutes with intermission).  But the husband and wife team of Ken and Morra Priess, playing the Baker and the Witch ruined what could have been a superb show.  Her style of singing is screeching, his is weak and they both have very limited acting skills.  They do, however, own LZP Productions, a theatre company, and Frank is a director in residence.  You do the math as to why they were cast.  The show ends tomorrow night.  Just edit them out and enjoy the rest.

The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It - Geneva Underground Playhouse, Geneva, IL (click for show times, tickets, etc.)

Basically, the story is a group of bad actors trying to do a stripped-down version of As You Like It, with a cast of six plus the Curate, all playing the 30 characters in Shakespeare’s show.  There’s a running gag about never being able to get through the famous “All the world’s a stage...” speech and when it is finally given correctly, it’s done by the “actor” you would least suspect.  And done really, really well.  As for the show, it’s not the greatest thing ever written, and treads familiar ground about a band of actors gathering to do the impossible in front of an invisible audience and the growth of both the characters and actors in the process.  In that sense, the curate is more a keeper of spirits on some ethereal plane.  It reminded me of A Company Of Wayward Saints in some measure.  And, it’s a formulaic show within a show, with people dropping in and out of the characters, as wel as having to maintain the persona of the actor.  Yes, you have to concentrate with this show since there is no scorecard.  But it’s worth the effort.  There is solid acting by people I’ve never seen before but will keep on my radar, because I want to see more.  Specifically, all the women were brilliant.  Susan O’Byrne does a nice turn with her various characters, Christina Ferrari is delightful to watch as the Rosalind that never plays Rosalind due to a mental block, so she plays the stage directions and songs.  The one who knocked my socks off was Cheryl Newman.  I wasn’t sure about her in the beginning, but once she took off, she was great.  As for the guys, Ed McDow put in a nice performance, George McArdle was adequate, but Ryan Ruffatti never hit his stride and slowed down the scenes he was in.  Mike Manolakes was the least successful in connecting with us invisible audience members.  Everything he did seemed tentative, from the Curate to his various characters.  And, he struggled with lines.  All in all, though, I liked it.  If you get the chance to see it, please do so.

Those are the shows.  And there are more out there.  Like The Drowsy Chaperone at Wheaton Drama.  I saw it opening night.  I will not post a review.  Two of the many Spelling Bee productions we have being foisted upon us are opening this weekend at Big Noise Theater in Des Plaines and Metropolis Centre in Arlington Heights.  Hey, there’s a production of Drood that starts in November in Woodstock and Redtwist is in previews of A Delicate Balance, which opens tomorrow night.  I actually bought a ticket for last night’s preview and was so exhausted from work that I didn’t go.  It gets that way sometimes.

My plate is clear for now.  But I think it’s time to put this baby up on blocks in the garage and give it a tune up, oil change and tire rotation.  Maybe hammer out a few dings and dents, and a fresh coat of paint.  I think my mind/soul could use the same thing this winter.  Oh, I may take it out for a spin every once in a while if I feel there’s something to say, or miss the sensation of being behind the wheel.  But I won’t commit to a date.  So, if you want to receive an e-mail alert (instead of inflating the hit counter) to a new posting, send your e-mail address to wjbarryjr@gmail.com


Regular reviews (whatever that means) will resume in March, 2011.

Review: "Where's My Money?" Riverfront Playhouse, Aurora, IL ends 9/18/10

A two items of business

1. I want to thank everyone who commented about my reviewing The Drowsy Chaperone.  Not that it was a contest, but the best and most accurate response was from Harmony, my daughter.  She nailed it.  I review everything I see.  Don't you?  I assume you make value judgments all day long about what you're seeing, reading, tasting, touching, listening to or experiencing in life.  If you're not, next time you go to a theatre, ask for the "zombie" discount.  The question really should have been, "Dare I post a review of a show that has family members in the cast?"  No need to send your thoughts.  I have answered that for myself.
2. During my research for this blog site, I discovered a valuable source of information:  greenroomonline.org.  The site divides Chicagoland into regions (North, Northwest, West, and I'm sure that South will be in there eventually if you ask nicely), and provides a list of theatres in those areas in an easy-to-navigate matrix.  You get the name, address, phone number, URL and various contact information for each theatre.  I've been involved in suburban theatre for a long time, and there are companies listed that I've never heard of, and I discovered there actually is theatre north of Irving Park Road!!!  Some of the listings include the theatres' current season or current show, with dates and times.  Some of the performance information has expired, but I think that's just a matter of the web mistress having the time to update, as well as having the information to work with and the interest from the public to drive the need.  The publicity people of theatre groups should keep this site on their radar and forward the most up-to-date information available.  The site is run by Jen Piory (you may know her on the NICOTH site as JenLCB (yes, her name is green, so she's either an administrator of NICOTH or eco-friendly...or both).  What I find most admirable is that she's financing this endeavor on her own from the proceeds she's made from selling Mary Kay cosmetics.  In an e-mail exchange she and I had after I told her how I was using the web site, she responded, "It's always gratifying to know that all the work I do is actually being used!! Kind of no point in doing it, otherwise. :) THANK YOU THANK YOU for letting me know!!! I am a Mary Kay consultant who loves theatre.  I never used to love wearing makeup onstage because it made my face break out, and now that I've found something that doesn't do that, I want to share it with the world!"  Bookmark her site.  I think you'll find it a great resource. Let her know if you find it useful.  And if you're having similar issues with make up, I'm sure she'd love to take the time to tell you of her discovery.

OK, time for the review...

I apologize to you, my faithful readers, and 12 devoted followers.  I saw this show 9/3.  Fourteen days ago.  And I have remained silent about it.  I have done you a disservice and ask for your forgiveness, because I should have warned you earlier.  However, the guy who does the "live" pre-show announcement said, “If you like the show, tell others.  And if you don’t like it, keep your mouth shut.”  I believe he looked at me specifically when he said the latter part, giving me the stink eye, and I have said nothing since, paralyzed by the fear of a cursed life and the uneasy feeling of emasculation.

OK, maybe not, but he actually did say it, but in jest, I think.  And do you actually think I would follow his instructions?  Really?  The truth is I didn't have anything to say except that the show is awful.  I mean bad awful.  However, this past weekend I saw three new productions, and found one among them that I think would be a great alternative to Riverfront's painful presentation.  More on that later in this posting.

Let’s start with the story of Where's My Money?  It was written by John Patrick Shanley.  He gave us the award winning movie Moonstruck and the award-winning play, Doubt.  He’s no hack.  But this play is all over the map trying to be perceptive, ingenious and witty about marriage specifically, and relationships in general.  What we actually get is a passel of what seems like his own personal vitriol that makes the characters unsympathetic, bitter, predictable and downright unlikable.  No new ground is explored, except for the occasional appearance of ghosts (representing emotional baggage that keeps returning no matter how much you want the airlines to lose it).  Shanley tries so hard to be acrid and clever with his dialog that his hollow characters become nothing more than mannequins upon which he can hang his weak comic couture.  The characters have no arc, and there's nothing compelling to watch.  The best line in the show is the one that is often quoted:  “Monogamy is like a 40 Watt bulb.  It works, but it’s not enough.”  Not bad, but now that you've read it, you've experienced the highlight of the play.  Save your money.

I know that a weak script is hard to direct.  It’s an arduous task trying to find ways of making crap seem interesting.  So I asked myself why they chose it in the first place.  I didn't see or feel any directorial effort put forth.  And the show had two directors.  Maybe they negated each other to a zero effect, like off-setting penalties in sports.



The show is made up of five two-person scenes, with a character from one scene going onto the next, except for the last scene, where the show becomes a big tangled mess of stupid.  It has the feel of a poor man's La Ronde, except for the ghostly apparitions bringing scenes to a close.  If there was movement, it was circular and repetitive and not motivated by what was being said.  If the directors were going for the visual effect of individuals circling their prey before verbally abusing them with humiliation and hatred...they failed.  Although that would have made for some interesting stage tableaus and given it some depth.

As for the actors, it was obvious they had no confidence in their lines or the script, and were given little direction.  For example, one of the directors should have told the young lady in the first scene that the limp she chose was so big, she could have been a member of the Ministry of Silly Walks.  Honestly, she circled the stage like a giraffe with hip dysplasia.  It went beyond funny or meaningful in the situation and edged into the land of buffoonery.  Her partner in the scene kept crossing and uncrossing her legs...and I don’t think it was conscious.  Deliver a line,  cross your legs.  Deliver a line, uncross your legs.  Deliver a line, then cross, then line, then uncross, ad infinitum.  She forced the bitter sarcasm, acoustically putting it in finger quote marks so that we, the audience, “got it”.  It made me shudder.  Oh, then the zombie/ghost/emotional baggage apparition arrived and the scene ended.  He nailed his titular line.

The next scene was Sharon Stone from scene one and her husband.  He was the closest to being a real character and showng some acting chops.  But it was a long scene headed to nowhere.  They circled each other physically and verbally and heaped incendiary insults upon each other and acted generally morose.  Then they made up, or stopped shouting, and then zombie boy showed up again to close out the scene.  There is a spooky sound effect when he appears.  Oooooo!

Then there's an unneeded intermission (the show itself runs 87 minutes...it’s a one act stretched out because...what, we have small bladders?)  Then scene three is hubby from scene two and his boss and both are divorce lawyers.  Boss has a disturbingly bleak outlook on life and marriage and relationships and rambles on and on about it to the point where you want to shoot him or yourself to put you out of his misery.  Now that I reread my last sentence, the end of that scene takes on a better meaning.

That’s enough.  Really.  Why go on.  The acting was bad to average, the script stinks and there’s nothing likable to even care about the show.  But that’s just my opinion.

If you're interested in seeing it (it ends tomorrow), go here and get the information.   But what you really should do is get a ticket to see The Curate Shakespeare - As You Like It at Geneva Underground Playhouse.  I saw it last weekend and I liked it.  The review is on it’s way, but I thought I’d give you a heads up.  I also saw Into The Woods by Theatre Nebula at Cutting Hall in Palatine (see...north of Irving) and The Desk Set at Albright Theatre in Batavia.  The former is pretty good if you’re willing to suffer through a husband and wife team who were inexplicably given the lead roles.  The supporting cast is wonderful.  The Albright production was a tad weak, but is certainly a better offering than Where’s My Money?.  How's this for symmetry:  you could go to Jen Piory's Green Room Online web site and find the links to those theatres for more information.  My suggestion: spend your cash on the Geneva production.  Better show, better comedy, better acting and nice direction.

So, was the Riverfront Playhouse production worth the price of admission?  Not at all.

Paid: $15

Run time: 1 hour, 49 minutes with an unnecessary 15-minute intermission...unless you have a small bladder or a small attention...look, a squirrel!!!