Sarah Best

Epic Theater for Penny-Pinchers
Mother Courage makes a fortune selling shoes, blankets and assorted geegaws during the Thirty Years War, but loses her children and her heart in the process. Vitalist Theatre's production of Brecht's meditation on war and capitalism seems timely, and is surprisingly entertaining. The show has been extended until Sunday, November 5. Tickets will set you back $20, but Hot Tix has discounted seats.
Monday October 30 2006Theatre/Dance 

More on Stage
If you do like Robert Fall's King Lear, then you might also like TUTA's Tracks, a series of violent vingettes about kids growing up during the Balkan war, which are tied together with eerily vacant American pop songs. The show runs through October 29th at the Viaduct Theater.
Wednesday October 18 2006Theatre/Dance 

Surveillance Theater
A businessman crossing international borders is stopped by a customs agent; as he faces the agent's inquiries his virtual "data-body" becomes visible to the theater-goer: his fingerprint and personal data are projected on a monumental scale. See SUPER VISION tonight through Saturday at the MCA.
Thursday October 12 2006Theatre/Dance 

This Be Madness, Yet There is Method In't
Dov Weinstein performs the Bard's most famous play at breakneck speed with the help of a hundred plastic ninjas, a robot, and other assorted dime-store figurines. Weinstein's ingenious staging is hilarious, if not exactly enlightening. Catch Tiny Ninja Hamlet through October 18th at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Tuesday October 10 2006Theatre/Dance 

It's a Crazy Dance Week in Chicago
You'd be a darn fool not to check out one of world-class dance performances in Chicago this weekend: Liz Lerman Dance Exchange presents the Chicago premiere of Ferocious Beauty: Genome, a multimedia docu-dance about genetics; UK-based choreographer Sue Davies collaborated with a linguist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, a landscape designer, and an architect on a new performance In Plain Clothes at the Dance Center; finally, catch Hubbard Street before they head off on tour: don't miss their fall season Global Tapestry at the Harris. See Slowdown for details on all three of these shows.
Wednesday September 27 2006Theatre/Dance 

I Can Smell You Acting
The Side Project describes their 43-seat theater in Rogers Park as "hyper intimate;" when I went to see The Cure at Troy there last Friday I was literally inches away from the actors. It was exhilarating. The play, an adaptation of Sophocles' Philoctetes by Seamus "I made Beowulf fun again" Heaney is about a guy with a smelly, gangrenous foot who gets duped out of his magic bow by Neoptolemus, son of Achilles. After realizing that he'd have to be a giant asshole to trick a crippled warrior out of a bow used to hunt food, Neoptolemus starts to feel really bummed out. But he takes it anyway. See Slowdown for details.
Wednesday September 27 2006Theatre/Dance 

It's First Friday, With Even Less Clothing
Put away those stiletto boots and that too-hot-for-August ultrasuede miniskirt: the MCA presents a water-themed First Friday. Featuring a bathing suit fashion show and "skinny dip" martinis, the event was inspired by WaterShed, an interactive sculpture designed by students at the Art Institute that flashes and emits ambient sounds when you ask it for some agua. See Slowdown for details.
Friday August 4 2006City Life/Cultural 

Just Don't Stick 'Em in Your Bike Spokes
For all of you folk fanatics and alt country fans, new at Quimby's this week is Pioneers of Country Music, a set of 40 trading cards illustrated by R. Crumb. Brief bios on the back of each card give the histories of Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers, Uncle Dan Macon and His Fruit-Jar Drinkers, Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters and other whimsically named bands. Two earlier series, Early Jazz Greats and Heroes of the Blues, also feature art by R. Crumb.
Friday July 7 2006Music/Clubs 

While You're in Hyde Park...
Since you're heading to the Hyde Park Art Center to check out all of their cool exhibits, why not make a day of it? After taking in Africa Speaks, an exhibit of African art and artifacts at the DuSable Museum, cross the quads and grab a latte at the Smart Museum's sleek cafe. If you like contemporary art, a side trip to the Renaissance Society might be nice. Otherwise, a stop at 57th Street Books for some leisurely browsing, and lunch at neighboring Medici, will refresh you in between museum visits.
Thursday June 29 2006City Life/Cultural 

Beckett on the Lake
If you missed seeing the short works of Beckett performed in various nooks and crannies of the MCA last January, or Curious Theater Branch's continued celebration of Beckett this spring, you've got one more chance to catch Eh Joe, Play, Text for Nothing and other short plays when they are remounted this week at Theater on the Lake. See Slowdown for more details.
Wednesday June 28 2006Theatre/Dance 

Physical, Funny, and Slightly Dangerous
Chicago supports a dynamic community of theater companies who specialize in physical theater. What's that? Well, have a look for yourself: click here to see a clip of Plasticene's Palmer Raids, and here to see an exceprt from sprung theatre's capsize. If you like what you see, check out 500 Clown, The Building Stage, Kapoot, Lucky Plush, and Local Infinities, or sign up for a class at the Actor's Gymnasium.
Sunday June 25 2006Theatre/Dance 

MCA 2006-07 Performance Season
The MCA recently announced their 2006-07 performance season. Highlights include Martha Graham Dance Company, in a rare Chicago appearance, and Blast Theory: Can You See Me Now?, an interactive chase game. Blast Theory runners on Chicago streets use GPS and cell phone technology to track players down.
Tuesday June 20 2006Theatre/Dance 

Channeling Proust at Steppenwolf
About Face Theater announced today that their production of Mary Zimmerman's M. Proust will extend through July 16. The play is told from the privileged perspective of Celeste Albaret, Proust's housekeeper, sick nurse, and surrogate mother (creepy!). For more information, visit the website or read my full review.
Sunday June 18 2006Theatre/Dance 

Goat Island's Final Performance
The performance group Goat Island announced today that the show that they are currently creating will be their last. Members of the internationally renowned theater company, which has been creating work locally for 20 years, made the announcement at a work in progress showing of their yet to be named performance, which takes as its inspiration the Hagia Sophia, and other buildings which have served both secular and religious purposes over the course of their histories.
Monday June 5 2006Theatre/Dance 

Chamberpot Theater
TUTA (Serbian for "chamberpot") is a theater company that has built a reputation locally for its visually stunning productions. TUTA now presents the American premiere of Huddersfield by Ugljesa Sajtiac, as part of a series of plays by a young generation of writers who grew up in the Balkans during the bloody 1990s. (In the fall, TUTA will produce Milena Markovic's Tracks). See Slowdown for details on the play and a related panel discussion.
Saturday May 27 2006Theatre/Dance 

Bloody Brilliant
The Duchess of Malfi may have been written by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, but it's got a lot in common with The Sopranos. In an RSC production I saw a few years back, the Duchess found her husband and her children strung up on hooks in an industrial meat locker. No matter how Writers' Theatre chooses to present the play's thickly twisted plot, there's sure to be a lot of blood. Their new production opens tonight; see Slowdown for details.
Tuesday May 23 2006Theatre/Dance 

Improve Your Chances
If you're busing tables and saving your pennies while waiting for a call back from an audition, here's a chance to have a cheap night out. The first Sunday of every month, get tickets to the 7pm performance of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blindfor $5 with proof of industry (such as a headshot or resume). The Neofuturists' signature show is in its eighteenth year. All other tickets are $7 plus the roll of a six-sided die.
Thursday May 4 2006Theatre/Dance 

So You're Staying Up for HPAC's 36-Hour Opening
After sampling scenes from Caffeine Theatre's repertory, free coffee gets you through Stage Left's late night symposium on political theater. By midnight, you've switched to booze and hit the dance floor, taking a break at 2am to try ceramics with a less-than-steady hand. The next morning, Industry of the Ordinary serves up pancakes, helping you get over your hangover. Are you imagining things or is your breakfast telling you that it loves you? At the 34-hour mark, the pancake cooks mount an expedition to climb the chimney. They hoist a flag and you cheer, shortly before passing out. See Slowdown for details on Hyde Park Art Center's opening event.
Friday April 28 2006Theatre/Dance 

Performance in the Passing Lane
Get stuck in the Gold Coast during rush hour tonight, and you might just see performance artist Bill Shannon fly by on a skateboard, propelling himself forward with steel crutches. Shannon has been skating in traffic for 15 years, and now shares that experience with audiences at the MCA who will trail him in a CTA bus tricked out with video screens and a DJ. When asked how Chicago traffic compares to other cities, he noted that Windy City drivers tend to pass in the far right lane and drive really quickly due to the length of Chicago blocks and good visibility. See Slowdown for more details.
Wednesday April 26 2006Theatre/Dance 

Have it Any Way You Like
Art Chicago may have moved out of the park, but with the Nova Art Fair opening and the Version festival ongoing this weekend, there's no shortage of cool work to check out. This weekend you can see art raw in a converted warehouse in Bridgeport, or at Belmont on the train. You can see it in a bar, or in the suites of a hotel. You can even see it all night long.
Tuesday April 25 2006Arts/Architecture 

A B.A. in Bouffant
DePaul University recently announced the creation of Wigs and Hair Chicago, a certificate program for those who'd like to learn how to make moustaches, side burns, and fancy hairdos for the stage.
Saturday April 8 2006Schools/Education 

The Golden Truffle Opens in Previews Tonight
If I had $45, I'm not sure that I would spend it on a ticket to The Golden Truffle, Redmoon's first "musical spectacle". But you might; previews start tonight. The steep price of admission includes a four-course truffle tasting menu from Lincoln Park based Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Goldstar Events and Hot Tix were both offering discounted tickets earlier this week.
Friday April 7 2006Theatre/Dance 

15 Minutes = My Attention Span
Andy Warhol shot films that capture everyday activities like sleeping, eating, and looking pretty. Are the results slow paced and boring or titilating and arty? You be the judge. See them tonight at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Thursday April 6 2006Film 

Ain't I a Critic?
The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, the first of three plays by Rebecca Gilman that Eclipse Theater stages this season, is not in fact about baseball, but about a visual artist who has a few choice things to say to her critics and art dealers when her work is panned. Needless to say, critical response to the play has been a bit prickly.
Tuesday April 4 2006Theatre/Dance 

Experimental Plays, On Demand
Experimental theater group Lucky Pierre has posted a working script of Rock & Roll: Impatience, a new performance about metal band AC/DC, on their website. The show previews later this month.
Tuesday April 4 2006Theatre/Dance