| Blackbird Jul 3 - Aug 9, 2009 |
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Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph |
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| British vernacular for jailbird, Blackbird is a real-time account of the awkward reunion of Ray and Una, 15 years after a passionate affair when he was 40 and she was a minor. Ray is confronted with his past when Una arrives unannounced at his workplace. Guilt, rage and raw emotions run high as they recollect their forbidden relationship. |
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| The Day On Which A Man Dies Jul 3 - Aug 1, 2009 |
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773-327-7077 at
National Pastime Theater |
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| Paintings are created onstage in The Day On Which A Man Dies first with airbrushes to wet the surface of paper tacked to the floor, and then the lead character crawls naked onto the fresh red paint of the paper: turning his entire body into the instrument of art. When the artist/actor rises smeared with red paint he has himself become a work of art and counterpart to the image on the flat surface. |
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| Charlotte's Web Jul 4 - Aug 30, 2009 |
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Theatre-Hikes at
Morton Arboretum |
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| Determined to save Wilbur, Charlotte begins her campaign with the "miracle" of her web in which she writes, "Some pig." It's the beginning of a victorious campaign which ultimately ends with the now-safe Wilbur doing what is most important to Charlotte. This is a beautiful, knowing play about the value of friendship. |
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| Wanted Jul 6 - Jul 27, 2009 |
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GTT Experimental Series at
Gorilla Tango Theatre |
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| President Obama is creating new jobs to help the economic crisis, but how many of them are for clowns? What will the world do with the all unemployed clowns? Join Pochinko clown performers Zea Barker, Noel Williams, and Barnaby King as they roll up their sleeves and tackle such important questions as "Why are clowns needed?" "What is their place in society, if any?" "When is it snack time?" in this brand new controversial and provocative clown show. |
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| Consume: A Grotesque Burlesque Review Jul 7 - Jul 28, 2009 |
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GTT Experimental Series at
Gorilla Tango Theatre |
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| "Consume" is a Grotesque Burlesque review interrogating our desire for the all mighty trinity, FoodSexMoney. A gluttonous freak-show of performance art, adaptations, and original work all questioning our carnal desires. Created by Chicago burlesque performers, "Consume" is sure to tickle your fancy. Come and spend a night with us consuming the titillating, tasty, and terrifying. |
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| What We May Be Jul 7 - Jul 28, 2009 |
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GTT Experimental Series at
Gorilla Tango Theatre |
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| A Shakespearean Remix. It’s high school graduation day for Shakespeare’s best loved characters, and Prince Hal is throwing the after party. Love will cool, friendships will fall off, frenemies divide… No one will forget this, the first night of the rest of their lives. |
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| Macbeth Jul 8 - Aug 9, 2009 |
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First Folio Theatre |
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| Shakespeare's tale of passion and power, and the darkness that rises from within and without. A story of a warrior on the edge of civilization, morality, and reality, living in a land and time where fair is foul and foul is fair and nothing is what it seems. |
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| Jacques Brel's Lonesome Loser of the Night Jul 8 - Jul 12, 2009 |
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Theo Ubique Theatre Company at
Theater On The Lake |
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| Theo Ubique Theatre Company presented the world premiere of this music revue to popular acclaim and played to sold out audiences for five months. Through the magical lyricism of Jacques Brel, this story of love, loss, and hope follows the trials of two sailors at port in a bar in Amsterdam and reveals how relationships bloom and wilt. The Chicago Sun-Times called it “sensational ... a genuine hit." |
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| Cinderella Jul 8 - Aug 29, 2009 |
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Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire |
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| Orphaned and lonely, Cinderella spends her days as a housemaid for her wicked step-mother, Blanche, and lazy step-sisters, Giggeletta and Soberella. When the Prince invites every lady in the land to a grand ball at his palace, Blanche decides Cinderella cannot go unless she finishes an impossibly long list of chores. Left behind, a heartbroken Cinderella is visited by an enchanted Fairy Godmother. With the help of her Fairy Godmother and some audience magic, Cinderella’s rags are transformed into an elegant gown and she is transported to the palace in a magical coach. At the ball, the handsome Prince is captivated by Cinderella’s beauty and kindness. Knowing that the spell will end at the stroke of midnight, Cinderella races home before the Prince can learn her name. With only Cinderella’s lost glass slipper to guide him, the Prince sets out to find his true love. Through whimsical music and audience participation, children of all ages are invited to join in the fun as Cinderella learns that dreams really do come true. |
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| Picked Off: Second City's Sports Revue Jul 9 - Aug 1, 2009 |
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Metropolis Performing Arts Centre |
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| It might be. It could be. It is...The Second City bringing you hilarious shenanigans about football, baseball, hockey, basketball, shuffleboard...wait, is that a sport? It's a madcap night of sports scores and synchronized swims. Not recommended for children or young teens. |
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| Footloose Jul 9 - Aug 16, 2009 |
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Theatre At The Center |
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| Hailed as a show that “makes you want to dance in the street!” Footloose tells the story of a boy from Chicago who finds himself having to move to a small, rural town where dancing and rock 'n roll are forbidden. The teenager creates a sensation when he plans a high school dance, but ultimately reinvigorates the conservative community by even convincing the town’s minister to cut footloose. With music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, this high-energy production by a 20-plus ensemble features some great dance tunes including “Holding out for a Hero,” "Let's Hear It for the Boy,” and Kenny Loggin’s "Footloose.” |
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| Bent Jul 9 - Aug 15, 2009 |
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Hubris Productions at
The Greenhouse Theater Center |
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| n 1934 Berlin on the eve of the Nazi incursion, Max, a grifter and his lover Rudy are recovering from a night of debauchery with a SA trooper. Two soldiers burst into the apartment and slit their guest's throat, beginning a nightmare odyssey through Nazi Germany. Ranked lower on the human scale than Jews, the men, as avowed homosexuals, flee. Desperate and on the run, Max asks his own "discreetly" homosexual Uncle Freddie for help as the older man offers little more than suggestions on how to live, as he does, practicing homosexuality on the side. Attempting their escape, Rudy is beaten to death as Horst, another homosexual prisoner, warns Max to deny his lover. Taken to a death camp at Dachau, Max and Horst branded with the "pink triangle", hope to survive with each other for comfort and courage. |
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| The Last Barbeque Jul 9 - Aug 8, 2009 |
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16th Street Theater at
Berwyn Cultural Center |
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| The return of the acclaimed audacious and dark comedy by Brett Neveu about a ten-year reunion of a son's high school graduation that coincides with the one-year anniversary of the next-door neighbor's death. Nancy Friedrich joins The Aardvark's original cast at 16th Street Theater. |
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| Shotgun Shakespeare: What the Weird Sisters Saw Jul 9 - Aug 9, 2009 |
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Idle Muse Theatre Company at
Side Project |
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| Adapted by Idle Muse’s own Literary Director, Tristan Brandon, and Artistic Director, Evan Jackson, What the Weird Sisters Saw re-cuts and refocuses the original text to tell the story of three women we will eventually come to know as the “secret, black, and midnight hags.” Viewed through the lens of Weird Sisters’ confused visions, the classic tale of ambition and murder unfolds, taking a look at the events that might have led up to the fateful prophecy on the blasted heath if the story began in a different place. Drawn entirely from the Bard’s own words, What the Weird Sisters Saw is a sharp and magical examination of fate, will, and the desire to know. |
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| The Conduct Of Life Jul 9 - Jul 26, 2009 |
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Tooth and Nail Ensemble & Two Lights Theatre Ensemble at
The Viaduct |
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| The Conduct of Life shows us a military family, forced to reconcile the increasingly vicious lifestyle of their patriarch. Tooth and Nail will be incorporating elements of the Japanese dance form Butoh into the performance, which will also feature live music. |
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| Storybox Jul 10 - Aug 2, 2009 |
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Piven Theatre |
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| The Performance Lab of Piven collaborates with Chicago Improv
Festival Productions and the Storybox Ensemble, directed by Jonathan Pitts, to present Storybox. An unscripted story erupts from a single audience suggestion and an ensemble of improvisational storytellers using only wooden sticks and colored pieces of cloth. The highly talented ensemble of theatre artists create a story from multiple narrations and sub-stories. |
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| The Cousins Grimm Jul 10 - Aug 23, 2009 |
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Bailiwick Repertory |
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| The Cousins Grimm is an original new musical that reworks the timeless Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm into contemporary urban fables filled with lesbian and gay characters. These stories of love and death, friendship and betrayal, and families of all kinds are beautifully interwoven with edgy humor and memorable songs. |
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