If you know Chicago comedy, you know the brilliant sketch group Hey You Millionaires (twice named the “Best Sketch Comedy Group in Chicago” by the Reader). In which case you’re likely a fan of Jim Fath, the tallest member of that trio and one of Chicago’s sharpest comedic minds. Well, sadly for Chicago, Jim and the guys are relocating to LA later this year, but fortunately they’re going out with a bang. Case in point, Jim’s debuting his first solo show at iO in July and its going be a treat.
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Arguing with a Quadriplegic is on a rockstar triple bill called Jim Paul Jet Paul and it touches on being thankful for those shameful moments in life that end up strangely helping you later on.
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“The title Arguing with a Quadriplegic was inspired by a TV audition where I actually had to debate politics with another auditionee,” explains Mr. Fath, “a quadriplegic man arguing for the second amendment. It was absolutely awful and I felt like a real jerk but it actually prepared me well for auditioning later on in my career.”
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Besides Hey You Millionaires, Jim’s made a name for himself in Chicago as a memorable contestant and now co-host in the comedy talent competition Impress These Apes. He’s also performed and written shows with iO, The Annoyance, The Noble Fool, and many others. Before moving to Chicago, he worked with Second City Cleveland where he also taught improvisation and comedy writing. In 2006, his writing was featured in the book Look at my Striped Shirt: Confessions of the People you Love to Hate (Broadway Books).
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Of his new work, Jim says, “I’ve strived to bring both personal material and relevant social comedy together so that it’s never too much of either. You get to see a little bit of me and a little bit of what I see.”
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Jim Paul Jet Paul
One time slot, three amazing shows. Alongside Jim Fath’s Arguing with a Quadriplegic, audiences are also treated to Comedogenic starring Paul Thomas, the man nytheater.com called “Gut-bustingly hilarious,” and Ted and Melanie starring Jet Eveleth (The Reckoning) and Paul Brittain (Topaz, Mike Helicopter) in a scripted show inspired by scenes from their longform improvisation. The Chicago Reader calls Brittain one of the “straight-up funniest guys in town,” and praises Eveleth: “You really have to hang on to every word—but that’s easy to do with Eveleth, whose shape-shifting face is rich with emotion and humor.”
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Thursdays @ 8pm, July 8 – August 12, 2010.
iO Chicago, the Del Close Theater, 3541 N Clark St (Addison & Clark).
Tickets are $12 and are available at 773.880.0199 and Chicago.iOImprov.com.
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Take heed, friends! I think you’ll agree that this town doesn’t have enough “Civil War comedy.” Well hold on to your kepi, because this extremely funny period piece, directed by Jeff Award-winning Second City star Amanda Blake Davis, is going to change all that.
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Full of comedy, tragedy and everything in between, Shoot Faster, Dear Brother, I’m Dying! takes a hilarious look at the lives of two brothers at the end of the American Civil War, told through the letters they wrote one another. As Chauncy Binjimmons ends his service for the Confederacy and heads west, his brother Adam navigates the pressures of family life at their childhood home in Virginia. But who are these brothers? It is in the letters, the glorious letters, that the true excitement is found. For it is in these letters that a small boy grows up to lead a savage nation. It is in these letters that the mysterious comings and goings of Adam and Chauncy’s father are finally exposed. And it is in these letters where the brothers’ raucous adventure, sleazy love, and nearly accidental triumph are finally revealed.
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Shoot Faster… was initially born out of an email exchange between comedians Joe Anderson and Demian Krentz, who quickly recognized the potential for their Civil War era letters to be dramatized.
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“It started with a weird email from Demian,” explained Anderson. “Out of the blue I got an email talking about how ‘The congregation prays for your safe return.’ and ‘Write with news about the war.’ So I just decided to write back, following his lead stylistically, and this correspondence continued for about six months. Finally after receiving a particularly funny letter from Demian, I called him, somewhat panicked and asked, ‘Have you been saving your emails?! I think we might have a show here…or a book…or both!’ He had been thinking the same thing and fortunately saved all of his emails as well.”
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Over the next decade, between projects, Anderson and Krentz continually returned to the letters, fine-tuning the story and characters. Finally, the two believed their unique conversation was ready to be brought to life.
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“We were pretty sure it was really funny,” Krentz recalled, “but we weren’t positive. There’s not exactly a lot of Civil War comedies to compare it to. So, we scheduled a one-night preview performance at a theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the response to the play was overwhelming. Joe and I went backstage at intermission and just looked at each other and started smiling and laughing. It was a wonderful relief to know our comedic senses had been tingling for a reason.”
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A friend of Krentz’ got the script to Amanda Blake Davis, a Jeff Award-winning actress and accomplished writer and director in Chicago. Davis read the play, loved it and told Demian that if he ever wanted to stage it in Chicago, she’d like to direct.
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Now the Apollo Theater Studio is the lucky recipient of this historically inaccurate play’s world premiere, in which mustaches, hand-written letters, and old-timeyness abound. Chicago theatergoers who have long clamored for an epistolary comedy about the Civil War, featuring a live fiddle player and photos of old things will finally be able to check that item off of their collective bucket lists.
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Reflecting on the play’s creative journey, Anderson mused, “That first email, word for word, with the exception of perhaps a phrase here or there, is the first scene in the play.”
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Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm,
July 8 – July 31, 2010.
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The Apollo Theater Studio,
2540 N Lincoln Ave (2 blocks north of Fullerton), Chicago, IL 60614.
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Tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for students & seniors, and will be available at 773.935.6100 or ApolloChicago.com.
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For more information, visit ShootFaster.com.
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Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.
- Children’s Nursery Rhyme
On August 4, 1892, the town of Fall River, Massachusetts was scandalized by the brutal double homicide of two of their most prominent citizens. Their daughter, the infamous Lizzie Borden, was arrested for the crime. Just the sort of thing to sing and dance about! 40 Whacks is a macabre musical comedy in two acts, examining the lives of the Borden Family before the tragedy and the controversial murder trial that followed. Take a trip into the dysfunctional Borden home and experience the intensely homicidal perspective of daughter Lizzie, who, after a failed poisoning attempt, sings that the question is now “axe or hatchet?” 40 Whacks features an all-star cast, plus sophisticated original music composed by the outstanding Lisa McQueen. This dark and thoughtful production explores the public’s fascination with death and violence, and questions whether Lizzie Borden found freedom in parricide (the murder of one’s parents).
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Starring Jennifer Estlin, Ellen Stoneking, Noah Gregoropolous, Mike Maltz, Sherman Edwards, Chelsea Farmer and Cristin McAlister. Written by Aggie Hewitt. Directed by Irene Marquette, with musical direction by Lisa Mcqueen.
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Fridays @ 8PM through August 6, 2010.
The Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 4830 N Broadway (just north of Lawrence Ave), Chicago.
$15 tickets are available at 773.561.4665 or online at TheAnnoyance.com.
This Tuesday: Barrel of Monkeys’ Hilarious, Heartwarming Annual Tribute to their Child Authors
Barrel of Monkeys presents Celebration of Authors 2010
Photo by Dean Ponce
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“This group is funnier than anything at Second City, more genuinely creative than anything at Lookingglass, and does more good than all the other nonprofit theaters in town put together. ” – Time Out Chicago
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Hence their gigantic annual Celebration of Authors! The Monkeys invite these amazing student authors, their families and their classmates to see their work performed on a public stage for the first time. This 75 minute show consists of ALL NEW student-authored, adult-performed stories selected from each school. More than 35 Barrel of Monkeys ensemble members will bring them to exhilarating, hilarious life. Audience members have the rare opportunity to meet the authors, the teachers and the principals from the schools Barrel of Monkeys members have worked with in this school year. This one special night brings together both the educational and theater communities that Barrel of Monkeys serves all year and it is a chance to witness some of the most hilarious, entertaining and poignant pieces written by their talented students..
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And what about That’s Weird, Grandma?
Photo by Erich Nerger
You can see it every Monday night! (Except this Monday due to Celebration of Authors!)
Adored by audiences of all ages and praised by critics, Barrel of Monkeys’ long-running hit is a hilarious, bizarre and high-energy presentation of songs and sketches written by kids. The show changes each week based on audience votes and has now produced over 1,000 stories and musical numbers.
The Chicago Tribune says That’s Weird, Grandma is “so respectful of how kids think, it sidesteps ‘Kids-Say-the-Darndest-Things’ syndrome, veering into lunacy, social criticism, even poignancy.”
Time Out Chicago says, “if you don’t have a good time, there’s something wrong with you.”
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That’s Weird, Grandma
Mondays @ 8pm.
The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N Ashland Ave (Foster & Ashland).
$10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
Tickets can be purchased at 312.409.1954 or BarrelofMonkeys.org.
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Final 2 Performances of Kristen Studard’s “Small Victories: An Unflattering Vanity Project”
- Photo by Elizabeth McQuern
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“Wacky, often hilarious…Studard’s wit and excellent timing shine through…Recommended!” – Chicago Reader
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- Photo by Elizabeth McQuern
My friends, TONIGHT is the 2nd to last performance of Small Victories, the first solo show by the terrific Kristen Studard! That means you must get to the Annoyance by 9:30pm or make plans for next Sunday to catch this great show before it’s gone!
But, I’m please to say that you’ll have a bonus opportunity because Kristen’s performance has already earned her a place in the upcoming Just For Laughs Chicago comedy festival! Catch her in Alone: Chicago’s Best Solo Acts, a showcase of individual performers being held at The Playground Theater.
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Small Victories: An Unflattering Vanity Project
Photo by Erin Nekervis
With a penchant for self-disclosure and an eye for the absurd, Kristen Studard’s solo show sheds a hilarious and often harsh light on the lies we tell ourselves to get through the day. The versatile Studard, winner of the 2007 comedy talent competition Impress These Apes, takes the spotlight once again with unique characters that share secrets, fears and sexual confessions. Everyday household objects cry out their inner thoughts, a Hungry Hungry Hippo contemplates the loss of his appetite, and a girl scout invokes eugenics in a dog adoption debate. The show’s memorable climax, featuring a lustful bee wooing a lonely house-flower, will give you a new respect for pollination.
Written and performed by Kristen Studard. Directed by Kate Duffy.
Sundays @ 9:30pm through June 13.
The Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 4830 N Broadway (just north of Lawrence Ave).
$10 tickets are available at 773.561.4665 or online at TheAnnoyance.com.
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AND TWO SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AT JUST FOR LAUGHS CHICAGO…
Small Victories featured in
Alone: Chicago’s Best Solo Acts
For the second year running, Alone unites the city’s best solo artists and puts them up in one place. Their rich character work and silly sensibilities unite for one hilarious evening, a run-down of the great solo work happening all over the Windy City.
Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 @ 10:00pm.
The Playground Theater, 3209 N Halsted St (Halsted & Belmont).
Tickets and more information available at JustForLaughsChicago.com.
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Don’t miss her!
Photo by Erin Nekervis
Small Victories – Kristen Studard’s Smart & Funny Solo Show
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The critics have called comedian Kristen Studard…
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I call her one funny lady. And I’m very happy to be working with her to promote her brand new one woman show!
You might know Kristen as the winner of the 2nd season of Impress These Apes, the comedy talent competition judged by hyper-intelligent apes from the future. If you missed it, enjoy this video of her hilarious final performance:
I can’t get that damn song out of my head. (And in an interesting bit of synchronicity, at last weekend’s Chicago Improv Fest shows at Laugh Out Loud, I heard it played as house music right before we took the stage. Is my working for Kristen DESTINY?)
All of Kristen’s Apes performances are extremely funny and I encourage you to check them out if you have some time to kill. I loved her puppetry act and her American Beauty reenactment especially.
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After proving herself in the creative meat grinder of the Apes‘ weekly challenges, Kristen wanted to push herself again. So she’s tackled the ultimate challenge for a performer, writing her own solo show. And this time the hyper-intelligent apes are people!
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In Small Victories, Kristen reclaims the spotlight to explore the little joys we find in life. The show is playful but sharp and sheds a hilarious and often harsh light on the lies we tell ourselves to get through each day. Kristen’s characters take us to silly and absurd places while giving voice to irrational fears, secret shames and sexual confessions. We meet a Hungry Hungry Hippo who might actually be full, hear what our household objects really think about their lives, and might even witness a bee’s steamy encounter with a lonely house-flower.
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Kristen’s the real deal. Go see her show. You will like it.
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Small Victories
Written and performed by Kristen Studard. Directed by Kate Duffy.
Sundays @ 9:30pm, May 9 – June 13, 2010.
The Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 4830 N Broadway (just north of Lawrence Ave), Chicago.
$10 tickets are available at 773.561.4665 or online at TheAnnoyance.com.
This Saturday: a Unique Musical Happening featuring The SDS Trio and Group Mind Films
The SDS Trio will perform a one night only concert featuring music and memorabilia from the feature film, American Legacy. Hits on the set list will include: “After Hours at a Brazilian Beach Volleyball Tournament,” “Primates in Diapers,” and their interpretation of the iconic Queen number “Another One Bites the Dust.” Their music combines elements of jazz, rock, and classical music, but has proven difficult for them to categorize, and they welcome any suggestions.
Ticket to the Event Include:
- A copy of the new album “This is the SDS Trio”
- A copy of the film American Legacy
- A coupon for one free drink
- A great live show: The SDS Trio will play sets at 8pm and 9:30pm.
- An evening of fantastic conversation with quick-witted. intelligent people from the independent film community in Chicago and beyond.
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The SDS Trio members met while scoring American Legacy and within ten minutes of their first jam session had created two songs used in the film. Excited and energized by their shared musical sensibilities, they decided to formalize their partnership, which resulted in their first CD, “This is The SDS Trio.” Listen to samples of their music at SDS-Trio.com.
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The critically-acclaimed comedy American Legacy is the first feature from Group Mind Films, a Chicago-based independent production company dedicated to creating ensemble-based, honest comedies which showcase the complexities of relationships and emotions. Managing Partners John Berka and Jay Sukow met while improvising in Chicago and instead of producing a live theatrical show, they decided to focus their energies on feature films. American Legacy was shot entirely in Chicago and stars some of the best improvisers in the country. The film is a peek into the lives of a Chicago family as they finally reap what they’ve sown. Appliance store owner Don Harris finds himself squeezed between personal and professional crises when his estranged wife unexpectedly dies on the same day that he learns his business is almost bankrupt. Forced to tell his children the truth about their mother’s mental illness, Don risks alienating the very family members who could help save his livelihood. American Legacy owes both its drama and its hilarity to a scripted storyline enhanced with improvised dialogue, and is a testament to Berka and Sukow’s belief that nothing is more truthful or funny than family.
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The cast of "American Legacy" by Group Mind Films
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The SDS Trio and Group Mind Films present An Evening of Music and Film
Saturday, April 17. Doors open @ 7pm. The 1st set begins @ 8pm. The 2nd set begins @ 9:30pm.
The Edgewater Beach Cafe in the historic Edgewater Beach Apartments, 5545 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago. (The big pink building on Lake Shore Drive.)
Tickets are $30.00 for individuals and just $40.00 for couples. They may be purchased in advance at AmericanLegacy-TheMovie.com or by calling 773.407.7552, and will also be available at the event.
Guests of any age may attend the show. Indoor attached parking is available for only $3.00!
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The SDS Trio’s January performance at the Edgewater Beach Cafe was a striking sold out success and they expect a similar crowd this Saturday so get your tickets now!
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Good Times at the Lakeshore Theater Must End
Courtesy of Chicago Tribune | Abel Uribe
Some very sad news broke on April Fool’s Day and it turned out to be no joke. One of Chicago’s top comedy venues will host its final show this Saturday night before closing its doors for good.
The Lakeshore Theater has been home to a fantastic assortment of comedy acts big and small and it’s painful to see it go. Definitely a blow to the alternative/underground stand-up scene most of all.
Why is this successful, popular venue shutting down? Well, it hasn’t been successful enough, or successful fast enough, to outrun the debt incurred to launch the business in the first place. My friends at A.V. Club Chicago have the best coverage I’ve seen with this interview of Lakeshore Owner Chris Ritter.
The final act to play the Lakeshore will be offensive Aussie stand-up Jim Jefferies on Friday & Saturday, but I’m more interested in Thursday night’s “Closing Sets.” The best of the local comedy scene will perform as a farewell to the venue they loved. As Mr. Ritter said in a recent newsletter, “This will be a very special show. Probably going to be as many tears as laughs.”
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My strongest memories of the Lakeshore center around the 5th Anniversary Birthday Bash of pH Productions back in 2007, when I was still its gung-ho Marketing Director. Always supportive of up-and-comers in the comedy community, Mr. Ritter generously sponsored the event and let pH have the theater for the night. He was also patient and kind in the face of my eager wheelings & dealings to land additional sponsors, which finally included Centerstage Chicago, Gapers Block, Yelp, and even the Beachwood Reporter. (Honorable mention to A.V. Club Chicago, who sent me a tiny bag of Onion merchandise.) As with most things pH, the Bash was a glorious fiasco. We had a wonderful turnout, we performed snippets of our shows with some fun guest stars, we gave an award to Jonathan Pitts, and the company leaders took turns saying a few too many words about pH. There was also no intermission for this 2 hour marathon, during which a small army of homeless people snuck into the lobby and took away all of the free food supplied by our restaurant sponsors. Then there was the mislabeled “trip to Disneyworld” auction prize, and the less said about that, the better. When I look back, I clearly see that night at the Lakeshore as my pH high water mark. And it was a night full of what the Lakeshore was all about: comedy, music and good times.
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After the Bash, I only made it out a handful of times to enjoy some of the great things regularly happening at the Lakeshore, and of course I’ll always kick myself for not catching more shows. But you know what they say about regrets: they’re the iron chains that bind us to our failures. (Isn’t that what they say? I don’t know.)
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Sayonara, Lakeshore. You’ll be missed.
Ladies and gentlemen, do you enjoy adventure? The unpredictable? VARIETY?
If so, then you’ll enjoy this bit of insanity to be enjoyed at the Playground Theater. The improv troupe CakeWalk has been producing a late night variety show every Friday since November, and it’s proven itself worthy of the title…
CakeWalk Midnight Extravaganza!
Party into the night with CakeWalk’s wild, hilarious variety show featuring a different live band each week along with a rotating cast of outrageous comedians and entertainers. See some of Chicago’s best sketch, improv and stand-up, as well as tap and burlesque dancers, magicians, jugglers, fire twirlers, and more!
It’s a different lineup every Friday night, and with a ticket price of only $5, it’s the best bang for your buck in the city!
After the show, you and the other deviants (and I mean that in the best way) are encouraged to stay and party with the performers!
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CakeWalk Midnight Extravaganza!
Fridays @ Midnight through May 28.
The Playground Theatre (Halsted & Belmont).
$5 tickets are available at the door.
More information is available at 773.871.3793 or The-Playground.com.
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WICKEPEDIA LIVES!!
Arise, my creation! Arise!
Unfortunately, I’ve badly neglected my Wickepedia over the last several months. (Can someone, anyone tell me how people have the TIME to blog?)
Much has happened, but a few highlights are…
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GayCo’s Audacity of Nope
I had the honor of working with GayCo Productions to promote the premiere of their latest revue, The Audacity of Nope or How I Fell for a Pansy Scheme at the Strawdog Theatre. I succeeded in wrangling 8 reviewers to attend this hilarious and subversive show, resulting in descriptions such as “extremely entertaining…brilliantly subversive…impressive wit, contagious camp and explosive humor,” (Chicago Stage Review) “surprisingly fresh and funny…an endearing evening of comedy,” (Centerstage Chicago) and “the music is fun, the comedy is fresh and the writing doesn’t pander…it’s like a gay SNL. Except that it’s actually funny, really funny.“ (Chicagoist). It was a pleasure to work with this talented group and help their 15th original revue make an impact.
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Instant Musical @ LOL
Back in October, I announced Laugh Out Loud Theater‘s debut of Instant Musical, the latest addition to their popular new Thursday night lineup. The cast of some of the top improvisers in Chicago, with live piano accompaniment, creates songs on the spot based on audience suggestions, ranging from love ballads to blues numbers and rap. Then, they unite in the second half of the show to create a completely improvised Broadway-style musical. This show has done so well that it’s still running every Thursday! LOL is blowing suburbanites’ minds with fully-improvised musical hilarity!
This terrific production has earned some great reviews on Goldstar Events, where members can snag some discount tickets. Here’s one I thought was notable:
“A hilarious retreat into absurdity, talent, and audience fun. We had a blast.
If you [don't live] very close to Chicago’s Second City, this is your next best bet, and in many regards this comedy troupe is superior.” – Jake Lawrence, Goldstar Member
There you have it. Laugh Out Loud is superior to Second City, or in some ways a very close runner-up. Not too shabby.
Experience this night of improv set to music for yourself!
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Chicago SketchFest 2010
Then of course, the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival completely took over my life. This January’s 9th annual SketchFest was a huge success and brought some incredible talent in massive quantities to Theatre Building Chicago for 2 whirlwind weekends of performances and fun.
I loved Chicago’s own Aemilia & Ed in their latest revue, Common Problems and Recurrent Foibles, a comedy time machine to 1961. My kind of stuff. Damn smart and damn funny..
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the tim&micah project: CONTINUE
Following SketchFest, I took a nap for 3 weeks. Afterward, I was thrilled to once again work with my friends the tim&micah project as they returned to Donny’s Skybox for their third revue (which had just debuted at SketchFest). Far beyond a typical sketch comedy show, the tim&micah project: CONTINUE took you on a roller coaster of emotions and immersed you in a mind-bending non-stop theatrical experience. Writer/performer duo Tim Soszko and Micah Philbrook once again demonstrated their “unbridled comic genius” (Centerstage Chicago) with an intelligent, original and meticulously-planned revue full of silliness, physical feats of wonder, and surprisingly real moments. Doing away with the structural conventions of sketch comedy, their scenes morph into each other through dance and performance art transitions, weaving “a web of scenes straight out of a David Lynch fantasy” (Time Out Chicago). You never quite know what’s real, or what to expect as the tim&micah project continues to defy convention and push the boundaries of sketch comedy.
“It’s a nice change of pace when sketch comedians actually treat their audience members like smart human beings.”
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Hey You Millionaires in Hollywood
Most recently, I had the pleasure of working with critcially-acclaimed sketch trio Hey You Millionaires as they gathered in LA for a couple shows. Comprised of a nationally-produced playwright (James Asmus), a published humor author (Jim Fath), and a high school English teacher (John Bohan), HYM has been voted “Best Sketch Group in Chicago” in the Chicago Reader for two consecutive years and have taken their cerebral black humor all over the country. This time they were in Hollywood to compete in the 2010 International Sketch Comedy Championship (hosted by Carlos Alazraqui!), and do a rare performance at iO West. And HYM won the Championship! Then didn’t! After being crowned the winner, and as the host was saying goodnight, the producer jumped on stage to admit he had added wrong and then awkwardly announced a different winner! I still think they were robbed and I have my lawyers looking into it..
Comedy trivia: The name Hey You Millionaires was taken from the first sketch of the first episode of the HBO show “Kids in the Hall.” A couple of years ago, HYM actually got to meet and hang out with the cast of Kids in the Hall, thanks to the brilliance of journalist Steve Heisler. They played Whirlyball. Steve’s Time Out Chicago article about the encounter can be read here. One of my favorite Chicago comedy stories.
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More writing in my web log to come soon…
