52 Week Theater Challenge

All the world's a stage.  And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts............William Shakespeare

[monicalanum2014-blog]

And so I’ve made it to the final week of the challenge.   I’m still working that out in my head. 

This week included everything I’ve loved most about the year…..finding cheap tickets to a play I’d never heard of, at a venue I’d never been to, and just going with the flow and checking it out.  Our group packed a quick picnic, grabbed a blanket, and headed to Oak Park to watch the final play on a lovely summer Saturday evening. 

The African Company Presents Richard III - yes, all of that is the title - was unexpected and really, really good.  I had guessed beforehand that it would be a creative adaptation of Shakespeare……but wow! It wasn’t that at all.  It was about an African American theater company that dared to stage a performance of Shakespeare in New York before the Civil War, when slavery was still commonplace in half of the country and civil rights were not even part of the discussion.  It was about racial prejudice and white supremacy - themes that should be long dead and forgotten by now.  And it was about freedom of expression - the freedom to say the words you want to say, when and where and how and to whom you want to say them, and the right to share the thoughts and feelings of your own heart and soul.  It was about the freedom to stand tall as yourself without needing permission from anyone else. 

Earlier today I found an online review of the play from 2001, several years after it debuted, that described these struggles as difficult to imagine in more enlightened times.  Thinking back to 2001, in what I can see now may have been more enlightened times, it probably did seem the play’s themes were merely interesting as history.   In today’s times, however, they seem frantically and horribly relevant all over again.  They shouldn’t be.  We should still be more enlightened.  But sadly, they are.  And we aren’t. 

All of which - combined with my reflective mood this week - has brought me to a renewed appreciation of how vital theater and creative expression and dialogue must be.  Always.  We must think and consider different perspectives and debate and argue and push one another to new understandings, constantly and continuously.  Without that kind of engagement and vigilance, enlightenment can be lost - much more quickly than it was gained in the first place.   And as we’re learning in today’s reality, the way back is long and cruel and frustratingly slow. 

———————————————————– 

And now I suppose I really have to wrap up this final entry and put my funny little theater project to bed.   I have enjoyed it, and I can feel myself dragging this out…..but it’s time, and I’m mostly okay with it.  Today feels like the end of a perfect vacation - it’s best to leave a little sooner than you’re completely ready to go. 

I’ve been so fortunate to have the support and resources needed to work on a project like this.  I’ve had the time and funds to go to the plays, and I live in what may be the most amazing theater city in the world.  Chicago has something like 150 or 200 different theater companies.  I’ve thrown my theater geekiness into high gear for awhile, but only scratched the surface.  I’ve also loved remembering that even after living here for 20 years, I’ve only experienced a sampling of all the great neighborhood and restaurants and people that are just around the corner, everywhere.  The challenge has brought me back to many of the reasons I moved here. 

My friends and I laughingly came up with the idea for the challenge on a whim during the intermission of Moby Dick - our first play - when we saw it last September.  I’m grateful to have such fun and creative friends, who not only don’t think ideas like that are too weird, but actually go along with them.  And other friends who do think you’re weird, but support you anyway.  And then read your weird blog about the weird idea.  It’s truly a gift to have an urban family who has your back like that. 

So…..okay.   I guess I’m finished.  Wow!  This was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.   

Onward to celebratory drinks.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

So....Tennessee Williams.  Whoa. 

WHOA. 

I went to this performance with a couple of friends who haven't been in our challenge group this year but wanted to help me along as I approached the finish line.  (Did I mention my friends are the best?)  I certainly loved the idea of going to the theater with them, but I also agreed because it seemed like a Tennessee Williams play was something I should see this year.   I mean, what is a theater challenge without one of the great American plays? 

Which led to me a realization.....I haven't seen a lot of great American plays this year.  Only this one by Tennessee Williams.  No Arthur Miller.  No Eugene O'Neill.   In fact, this was the only classic American drama that I remember from my research this year.  And I have been literally trolling through all kinds of websites and mailers and ads looking for interesting plays to see.  And Chicago is a huge theater market. Why is that?  Why so much Shakespeare everywhere, and so few American classics?  (Seriously.  I'm asking.) 

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is, of course, incredible.  It captures perfectly the inbred drama of crazy southern towns and families.  (I spent my childhood navigating a big family and surviving military moves to small-minded towns.  The script nailed all of it.)  I had never seen or read a Tennessee Williams play before, and I learned it takes about 10 seconds into the first act for his genius to permeate the room.  His ability to drive a suspenseful plot and simultaneously enmesh the audience in a dysfunctional web of very flawed and real and vibrant characters is astounding.  The story that unfolds is not comfortable, and I'm not sure it can be called enjoyable - but wow.  It is absorbing and unforgettable. 

After having seen several new plays and plays in development this year, it also struck me how much Tennessee Williams' work has defined and continues to influence American theater.  The complexity and tone and immersion of his work is exactly what the new productions I've seen have been striving for.  This week has given me a new lens to use while watching them. 

Apparently I'm not slacking off the deep thoughts as I head into the final stretch!   One more week to go.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 50:  Beehive - The 60's Musical at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre

Beehive: The 60's Musical July 12 - August 26 Created by Larry Gallagher Supporting Sponsors Costume Sponsor Lynn & Doug Steffen

I purchased my tickets for the last three performances of the theater challenge all at the same time, and lined up the dates on my calendar - check! check! check! - to make sure I made the deadline.  (We started the challenge last September 1st, so with the calendar turning to mid-August it was time to get serious.)   The minute I saw the confirmations for those final tickets, it all started to seem like this might happening too fast.  Uh oh. 

Beehive was just what the doctor ordered to dispel those gloomy thoughts.  It was pure fun!  The cast featured six women - amazing voices ! - who sang a collection of songs from the 1960s, starting with girl groups early in the decade and progressing all the way to Janis Joplin. The audience tapped our toes and clapped our hands and sang along.  (Gosh!  What an incredible period of music!) The costumes also reflected the changing fashions of the times.  They were wonderfully retro-cool and highlighted how fashion was an important part of self-expression as this generation of women grew up and began to claim their own voice. 

As an aside, I happened to see Beehive the weekend after Aretha Franklin passed away.  The part of the show that featured her music was especially poignant and beautifully done.  What an incredible talent and creative force.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as her songs were sung.  I certainly needed more than one tissue. 

Although it was a revue rather than a play with a scripted narrative, Beehive still managed to impress me with powerful themes.  Together, the progression of the music and styles revealed the extraordinary evolution of women and the women's rights movement over an incredibly short time period - from women singing as groups, largely reflecting the expectations of history and conservative society, to women as independent soloists, making their own styles and rules, singing anthems that were raw and real. 

I was born in the mid-1960s and remember only a child's impressions of the feminist movement - my mother went back to work after my sister was born, Mary Tyler Moore was my favorite TV show, and we learned about the Equal Rights Amendment in social studies class.  That's about it.  Watching and singing along to Beehive, enjoying what appeared to be a fun confection of a musical, I found myself thinking about women's issues today and realizing we haven't made nearly enough progress in the 50 years since.  The women of the 1960s forged an impressive trail in a period of 10 years, and we haven't fought hard enough to push farther. 

It's time for me to spend a lot more time thinking about that.  And deciding exactly what I plan to do about it from my corner.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 49:  Neverwhere at Lifeline Theatre

Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric, directed by Ilesa Duncan.

This week was another experiment for me.  I'm not familiar with the Neverwhere fantasy series on BBC or Neil Gaiman's novel - in fact, I hadn't heard of either one until a friend wanted to see the play.  I did a little Google research ahead of time but mostly went into it having no idea what to expect. 

It was a lot of fun!  I was absorbed into the world of London Below, the plot twists and turns, all the adventures and wonderfully weird characters along the way.  The set was imaginatively staged, and the costumes were beautifully done. I also loved the play's conclusion that it's possible to start over in life - leave an unsatisfying job or relationship, wipe the slate clean of past mistakes, stop being stuck in day-to-day monotony - and throw yourself into new experiences and environments, reinvent yourself, build a new community with people who challenge you in new directions. 

I'm not planning anything that drastic in my own life anytime soon, but it's an interesting idea to broaden your personal world now and then.  In many ways, I feel this theater project has led me do that a bit over the past year.  I've visited new theaters, seen new companies, visited new parts of town, enjoyed new restaurants, even seen several plays I'd never even heard of.  It's been a time of going with the flow, being open to whatever comes along, and allowing myself to think about things quite a bit differently. 

I've been writing a lot this weekend to catch up on my blog entries.  I'd let myself get weeks behind; and as I've caught up, it's started to sink in just how close to the end of the challenge I'm getting.   I have only three more plays left to see - only three more blog entries to write.  I'm not at all sure how I feel about that.  I'm excited to be almost done, and a bit of a break sounds nice......but mostly I think I'm going to miss it. 

See you next week.  

[monicalanum2014-blog]

I love Chicago's Shakespeare in the Parks program.   The opportunity to gather my urban tribe, pack a picnic, enjoy our beautiful summer weather, and watch theater is pretty much my idea of a perfect way to spend an evening. 

That being said, this year stumped me a little because I don't really like A Midsummer Night's Dream.  I've always felt that Shakespeare went off the rails with this one - fairies, kind of mean uses of magic, a weird donkey in the middle of it, and the actors taking on multiple roles just seemed like a jumbled and possibly chemically-altered mess.   So, as I told my friends before the show, I went this year to mostly hang out and honor our summer tradition, with fairly low expectations. 

And I have to retract that whole paragraph and state right here, right now, that I was absolutely WRONG.  Ohmigosh! THIS was my favorite play I've seen all year.  Hands down. 

The production was so imaginative on every level - staging, costumes, music, interactions with the audience.  And RAPPING.  Yes!   The fairies rapped iambic pentameter - somewhat simplified but awfully darn close to the original - and had the audience eating out of their hands.   (Me too!)   I ended up sitting next to a group of middle schoolers - possibly a youth theater group based on their t-shirts - and had the wonderful opportunity to watch them experience Shakespeare for the first time.  (They had raised their hands when the audience was asked before the show who had never seen Shakespeare before.)  They were so absorbed in the story and performances, and I could see pure delight on their faces.  I couldn't help but smile, thinking that a storyteller born centuries ago had just captured the imagination of a new generation. 

This was another brilliant example of taking a classic, honoring it, yet adapting it to modern culture to build bridges across the human experience.  I'm thrilled to live in a city that uses public funds for that purpose and that supports the arts so intentionally. Shakespeare in the Parks is free and travels to many different areas of Chicago throughout the summer.   There is still time to see Midsummer Night's Dream this year, so GO GO GO if you can!

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Ignition is an amazing treasure in Chicago theater.  It's a three-day festival - Friday night through Sunday - of readings of new plays at Victory Gardens.  I learned about it last year and was only able to make it to the second-to-last reading on Sunday.  It was wonderful, and I was so disappointed that I had missed the rest of the weekend.   The 2018 festival dates immediately went onto my calendar.

After a whole year waiting for the do-over, I was determined to do this thing right.   I attended the whole weekend, and it more than met my huge expectations.  OHMIGOSH!  I had so, so, so , SO much fun.

The weekend included readings of six plays that were still in development - one on Friday evening, three on Saturday, and two on Sunday.   In more than one instance, we learned the playwrights had walked in that very morning with new pages or edits for the actors to learn on the spot.   The facilitator used this to highlight for the audience how fluid the creative writing process is, explaining how we might be the only audience to experience this particular version of the play.  Talk about exciting!   It was also impressive to see the actors just roll with that process, get down to business, learn the new pages and edits, and focus on the beauty of the play's evolution rather than being intimidated by the idea of flux or change.  We spend so much time finding obstacles and reasons not to embrace change - it was inspiring to watch a community embrace it as growth and positive energy.

It was also amazing - I keep using big words like that, I know, but I can't seem to find any others - to witness and feel the way the actors created a story and a world with just ordinary chairs, reading stands, and notebooks with paper scripts.  No special lighting or sets or costumes or music - just the power of storytelling and words and facial expressions and human connection.  The plays did tell fascinating stories and addressed timely social issues and themes, but it was that sense of connection running through all of them that impressed me the most - the experience of sitting in a room with other people, sharing words and ideas and emotions, finding common ground, the simplicity of just being together.  Those experiences are rare in our tech-overloaded world, and the weekend reminded me what a treasure they are.

The highlight of the weekend for me was the final play, which ran an incredible FOUR hours (with two intermissions), never losing intensity and almost bullying me through every possible emotion, high to low, laughter to sloppy tears.  I lost complete track of time and still can't quite fathom how the writer and actors did it.  (Seriously, how in the world was that a DRAFT?  It reflected genius I can only marvel at.)

I should also mention the festival is FREE - you only have to RSVP online in advance.  (They also feed you bagels and appetizers and ice cream, and have a cash bar. What?!?!? Yes!)  The first weekend in August 2019 is already blocked out on my calendar!

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 46:  20,000 Leagues Under the Seas at Lookingglass Theatre

Professor Aronnax and crew set out to investigate a terrifying sea creature, but are quickly captured by the mysterious Captain Nemo.

For this production, I did advance homework.  Our theater group is a subset of a book club I've been part of for over 15 years; and we decided to read the Jules Verne classic as soon as we heard Lookingglass Theatre would be staging it.   It turns out the novel is scientifically dense - fascinating in its accuracy and detail, but somewhat slow going.  I had managed about half of it by the time we went to the play, but I also remembered the basic premise from seeing the classic Disney film growing up (and mostly from the ride at DisneyWorld, if I'm being completely honest). 

I'm glad I had these frames of reference going in because Lookingglass took Vernes' source material in a new, unexpected direction that made a familiar work really fascinating to watch.   The characters of Monsieur Arronax and Conseil were re-imagined as women - adding a feminist perspective - and a much richer backstory was provided for Captain Nemo - suggesting he was a political refugee engaged in privately-funded terrorism, steeping an already dark character in even darker motives.   With those two strokes, the story was thrown into the thick of issues that are top-of-mind for the modern audience. 

I love it when a production forges connections like that between a classic work and our current circumstances centuries later.   It shows exactly why the work is classic, how the essentials of human life and emotions and relationships are universal, not only across cultures and geography, but also across time. 

It should also be noted that Lookingglass incorporated their trademark acrobatic and visual elements in the production.  The actors used the entire space available, sometimes moving into the aisles; and the lighting and music were immersive, hinting at the claustrophobic prison of the Nautilus.  The play was as stunning and fun as it was thoughtful - definitely worth the homework!

[monicalanum2014-blog]

I've been stuck on writing about this play for weeks now.  It was powerful and brilliant and all the adjectives that can be used to describe the incredible work at Steppenwolf.  It was provocative and complex and exactly what theater should be.  But it struck a raw, very scary nerve in me; and I haven't been able to process it beyond wanting to just assign it to a closed-off dark corner of my brain and leave it there.

I was so overwhelmed I'm not even sure I really grasped what the playwright meant to convey.  Based on the post-play discussion, it seemed it was supposed to be about the human need to create beauty and the tragic loss of that ability.  For me, though, it portrayed a terrifying loss of independence and personal dignity.  And betrayal and abandonment by those closest to you - being left alone at your lowest, most vulnerable point by the very people you trusted to have your back.

I can't examine the play any more closely than that without spiraling into a horrible bubbling panic. It haunted me for days afterward and resurfaced painful memories of hurt and loss not even related to the actual plot.  It triggered a lot of stuff I had packed away a long time ago.  I finally managed to push it all back into the dark corner.  And it needs to stay there.

Moving on to next week.......

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 44:  The Color Purple at Auditorium Theatre

THE COLOR PURPLE is the 2016 Tony Award® winner for Best Musical Revival! Hailed as “a direct hit to the heart” (The Hollywood Reporter), this joyous American classic has conquered Broadway in an all-new “ravishingly reconceived production that is a glory to behold” (The New York Times), directed by Tony winner John Doyle. With a soul-raising score of jazz, gospel, ragtime, and blues, THE COLOR PURPLE gives an exhilarating new spirit to this Pulitzer Prize-winning story. Don’t miss this stunning re-imagining of an epic story about a young woman’s journey to love and triumph in the American South. It’s the musical sensation that New York Magazine calls “one of the greatest revivals ever.” Experience the exhilarating power of this Tony-winning triumph! Groups of 10+ now on sale: 312.341.2300 Please note: Artists, programs, and dates are subject to change. Ticket prices may change due to demand.

I was invited to this performance by a couple of friends who subscribe to the Broadway in Chicago series.  I don't see big venue musicals in the Loop often, and I've been trying to keep the cost of my tickets for the challenge as low as possible - but in this case I couldn't resist.  I had seen the film with Oprah Winfrey back in college - which was amazing - and had heard this stage production had won a Tony award.  I decided it was time for a night on the town and splurged on really good seats. 

I'm so glad I did.  WOW!   The show delivered on every possible level - it was beautifully staged and treated the tragic parts of the story with sensitivity.  It was also funny at times, though, and those scenes were also allowed to shine so that audience experienced the full range of emotions woven into the source novel - no small feat for a stage adaptation.  And the musical performances were absolutely wonderful, with beautiful melodies and vocals.  The cast was amazing from beginning to end. 

8 weeks left to go!   It's really starting to feel like we're going to do this!

[monicalanum2014-blog]

This was the second comedic play Steppenwolf staged this season, which was quite a treat.  As I've said before on this blog, they don't stray toward the lighter side of things often; and when they do, it should not be missed. 

The Roommate started out quietly - not slowly exactly, but I wasn't quite sure whether it was going anywhere.  After I settled into it, though, I realized how much it had built, subtly, and how many wonderful new details were all around.  And then the surprises started - holy cow!  Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, others were poignant and a little sad, still others were dark and unsettling; but it was never predictable or what I thought it was going to be.  It managed a lovely balance of being entertaining on a summer Sunday afternoon and giving me a lot to think about on the ride home. 

One of my favorite ride-home reflections was about how we bloom as we age - and how I think I've started doing just that over the past few years.  I'm much more accepting of myself and others, much more willing to try new things, live and let live, and absorb experiences without having to be completely comfortable with them.  I'm pretty sure the younger me would shake her head and say I've drifted off track - my apartment is often a jumbly cozy mess, I leave half-read books all over the place, I can never find my glasses, I don't work out enough, I eat too much cheese, I sometimes cut my own hair, and I go out in yoga pants and without make-up all the time.  I've taken weird dance classes and stared confusedly at modern art and done vision boarding and rambly meditation I sort of made up myself.   But those things make me smile - and it is so much more important to me to be happy and spend time with people I care about, doing things I enjoy, than to care if I'm turning into a weird old lady.  Heck, that actually sounds like a lot of fun! 

I don't know if those changes reflect something that was always inside of me - or if they've been cultivated by people and experiences along the way.  I don't know if they're all good for me.  But I do know I'm happier and more content - and have more friends and go out and have fun a lot more.   And I worry so much less. 

I'm not sure if that's what the play was about - I tend to take things in more simply and am not always good at teasing out deep themes.  But that's what I took from it, so I'm rolling with it.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 42:  Romeo and Juliet Presented by Odd's Bodkins at the Cornservatory

This renaissance style production emphasizes a traditional production of Elizabethan drama, using a collaborative rehearsal and directorial process, modern-anachronistic costuming, and a shorter rehearsal process. The end result is a production that is lively, fun, and more spontaneous than traditional productions.

I think I've seen Romeo and Juliet - and its related works - at least a hundred times.   I've seen the obligatory school productions, Leo and Clare in the weird Hollywood blockbuster, the opera by Charles Gounod at Lyric Opera, a punked-up modern staging at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, an abbreviated picnic-friendly version at Shakespeare in the Park, West Side Story in community little theater, and West Side Story again on the big screen in Grant Park. 

(Wow.  Now that I list all of that, the hundred times comment no longer feels like creative-writing-exaggeration.  Me = Nerd.) 

When I heard that Odd's Bodkins was staging it at the end of their season this summer, I wasn't expecting to see much that was new.  I've enjoyed their productions this year and thought it would make for a fun afternoon - which it did - and including Romeo and Juliet in a theater challenge made a lot of sense. 

I was definitely not expecting an epiphany or deep insights into how I've somehow morphed into a grown-up. 

As the performance got underway, I realized I was thinking about the story itself in a whole new light.  In past productions, I'd been swept up in the heartbreaking tragedy of the young lovers - how unfair their family situations were, how trapped they were in circumstance, how they were victims of manipulation and miscommunication gone terribly wrong, how their youth and faith and love were betrayed  and ruthlessly crushed.  It had always felt like the ultimate romantic tear-jerker. 

This time around, it occurred to me that Romeo and Juliet just might-maybe-perhaps be out-of-control teenagers - confusing lust with love, propelled by hormones, lacking maturity, making rash decisions, jumping into the relationship deep end while still knowing next to nothing about each other.  Juliet's lamenting on the balcony reminded me an awful lot of me crying to my mother about leaving my high school boyfriend when I went away to college.  Romeo's showing up at her house in the middle of the night seemed like a silly frat-boy thing to do.   And the other characters - the adults - made a lot more sense this time.  Perhaps they might-maybe-perhaps be parents driven crazy by worry, pulling out their hair, trying to talk some sense into their children, and understanding that rebellious teenage love is not the kind that lasts. 

I had never thought about the play from the adults' perspective, and now I keep wondering about Shakespeare's original intent. Which of those sides are we meant to identify and sympathize with?  Are we meant to consider both?   Does the perspective change as we age and experience more of life?   

Did I understand the play before?  Or do I finally understand it now?

[monicalanum2014-blog]

With all the typical busy-ness of a Chicago summer, I've fallen behind in my blog entries - but not to worry, our theater group is going strong!  A couple of our members (i.e., Theater Overachievers) have already finished up their 52 plays for this year.  I'm still working on my list, right on pace.  And we're in the final quarter! 

Wild Women of Planet Wongo was by far the silliest show we've seen this year - which is not to say that was a bad thing.   We arrived a bit early for it, and I was surprised to learn the Chopin Theatre had a bar and performance space in the basement!  It was a little like finding a secret passage leading to a secret clubhouse that had been hiding right under your nose.  The whole place was done up in 1960s sci-fi kitsch that was just too much fun.  Then we ordered Wongo-tinis at the bar - which were a perfect glowing neon space-age green and packed quite a punch.  After that, we were all pretty much up for anything. 

And holy cow!  Space Women in clingy sexy costumes and beehive hair.  Spontaneous musical numbers.   Game shows and prizes.  More Wongo-tinis.  Cannibals.   And I seem to remember a luau in there somewhere.   What?!?!? 

In all seriousness, Wild Women paid clever tribute to the retro sci-fi genre and did a nice role-reversing twist on the sexist and exploitive roles they featured for women.  But that may be a little too heavy after the Wongo-tinis.  Yeah.  I'm pretty sure I'm the only nerd who was thinking along those lines.... 

You know what?  Forget the analysis and deep thoughts this time around.   At the heart of it, the show was loads of fun and invited the audience to join in, talk to each other, be silly, laugh - and forget about day-to-day grown-up stuff for a few hours.  It was unapologetically entertaining and it really, really worked.   It was just what the doctor ordered in these stressful times.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

So……more true confessions.  I hadn’t really heard of Waiting for Godot until one of the friends in our theater group insisted we go.  And then I realized I was pretty much the only one in the group who hadn’t heard of it because everyone else was so excited.  And then I started reading up on it and realized I was pretty much the only theater fan in the world who hadn’t heard of it, and I pretty much needed to keep that bit of information to myself.

It’s been a couple of weeks now since we saw it, and I’m still kind of stuck about how to describe it.  I’m not at all sure what I thought of it.  Parts of it were funny, parts were sad, and then other parts had me zoning out in near-boredom (although I may have been the only one in the audience who felt that way because everyone else seemed riveted).  I can’t say I actually liked it.  I appreciated it and recognized it as art, but that’s as far as I got.

Like true art, though, Godot has sunk into my head; and I find myself twirling it around at random moments, over and over, trying to sort it out.  I think I’ve decoded some parts – at least in terms of how they spoke to me – but other parts remain a deep, dark fog of mystery.  I’ve realized how someone could see it many, many times and still find it a puzzle to glean new insights from.  In that sense, it is brilliant.   But wow, is it weird.

One of the key ideas I’ve decoded is that so much of life is a pattern, over and over, with variations that we convince ourselves are new or dramatic but are just distractions.  We also convince ourselves we’re making progress or something will change or we need to wait for something big to happen, when all we’re doing is marking time and possibly talking ourselves into a rut.  Progress and change can happen, but we have to focus and work toward them, not passively wait for them to show up.  And – here’s my super big thought – nothing is keeping us locked in that pattern or rut except our own mindset.  We convince ourselves it’s better to stay put.  No immovable external force is actually forcing us to stay there.

That’s it.  Where we are right now will end up being the sum total of our lives if we allow it.  Or not.  We can also decide to stop waiting and move onto something new.

I’m sure 100 other people could find 100 other interpretations of Godot and all be correct.  I’m also sure my interpretation says a lot about what I’m coming to realize may be a stuck-in-mid-life crisis.   This play has kept me thinking – and asking myself why I’m not charting new directions, jumping up and down in excitement, grabbing on to life.   What I think I’m waiting for.  Why everything feels ho-hum and beige.  And whether I’m okay with that.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 39:  Don Quixote Presented by Ballet Nacional de Cuba at Auditorium Theatre

With Live Accompaniment by the Chicago Philharmonic! Ballet Nacional de Cuba returns to Chicago for the first time in 15 years with company director Alicia Alonso’s Don Quixote. The company puts a distinctly Cuban spin on the classic ballet, elevated by Ludwig Minkus’ acclaimed score, performed by the Chicago Philharmonic. Loosely based on the story by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote has been heralded as an “unforgettable” production (The Los Angeles Times) that will make you “fall in love with ballet all over again” (The Washington Post). Phone: [phone] | Box Office: 50 E Congress Pkwy Groups of 10+ are available now. | Subscription Info Please note: Artists, programs, and dates are subject to change. Ticket prices may change due to demand.

More true confessions.......I know next to nothing about ballet.  I've seen The Nutcracker a couple of times, and an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet back when I was in grad school, and the ballet sequences during An American in Paris earlier this year......and that's about it.  So this week was another big experiment for me. 

Suffice it to say, I learned a lot.  I learned the plot was straightforward enough to follow through the dance, without the need for dialogue, so the audience could relax and just take in the beauty of the performance.  Similar to an opera, the program had a summary of the storyline, just in case you wanted to learn more beforehand (or in my case, during intermission).  The performance was very user-friendly in that regard, welcoming me and any other newbies who were a little nervous about whether we were ballet people. 

And I learned I may actually be a ballet person!  It was immersive and lovely and almost overwhelming in sight and sound.  Ballet Nacional de Cuba was just.....superb.  The dance was as gorgeous as anyone could hope; and the sets and costumes were, too.  I was swept up in the experience from beginning to end. 

Don Quixote differed significantly from most of the theater we've seen this year in that it entertained and absorbed rather than raising societal issues or provoking debate.  But it seemed all the more relevant to these dysfunctional times because of its pure aesthetic.  We desperately need to remember there is beauty and hope in the world, even - or especially - during dark times; and this performance did that for me.  It lifted my outlook and reminded me to stop and look for happiness and joy.  It's probably within arm's reach more than I realize.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

One of the greatest stories ever told comes to life in the groundbreaking, iconic rock opera that reinvented musical theater for the modern age. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar is a must-see Broadway hit of the new season!

Jesus Christ Superstar has always been one of my favorite musicals.  I've seen a few productions of it over the years, from small community theater to Broadway in Chicago, and I love how it always surprises me.  The first act is so hippy weird, bouncing all over the place from one musical number to the next, with harsh steel guitar and rhythms and Jesus sandals and then love ballads and then back to steel guitar.  It's often difficult to actually make out the lyrics, so it's a good thing you mostly already know the plot.  The second act starts out much the same, but somewhere along the way it seamlessly and subtly begins to change course; and it leaves you in an unbelievably reverent place.  I ride that ride every time I see it.  I'm always transported back to the guitar masses at the weird hippy Catholic church of my childhood in Austin.  I just love it. 

I also love imagining what it must have been like when it first came out in the early 1970s.  It must have literally rocked the world right out of its comfort zone.  Especially when it was billed as a rock opera.  It's such a beautiful thought that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice had the vision to understand rock could make an opera. 

This production was my favorite by far.  The sets and costumes were a wonderful blend of reminiscent-hippie-era and post-apocalyptic-modern. The choreography was amazing and just weird enough. The cast was multiracial, Mary Magdalene was androgynous sporting a mohawk, Jesus had an impressive man-bun.  The vocals were perfect.  And there was a surprising amount of glitter at the tensest moments in the plot, which somehow worked. 

The whole thing just worked, and worked incredibly well.  I'm so glad I was able to see it!  I had been lusting after tickets for weeks but somehow could not get a plan together to see it, and then a friend came through with perfect discount seats in the fifth row at the last minute.  Sitting in the theater watching it, I felt so lucky. 

As of next week, we'll officially be 75% through our year of theater.  I'm already starting to realize how much I'm going to miss it. On to Week 39.  :-)

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Week 37:  Memphis Presented by Porchlight Music Theatre at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts

From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes the Tony Award winning Best Musical that bursts off the ...

Our tickets to Memphis were a gift from a friend who wanted to support us in our challenge.  It was such a lovely gesture, and it made this week really special.  I was doubly excited because I had had my eye on Porchlight for awhile but hadn't yet worked it into our calendar.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to see one of their shows literally fall into my lap! 

Memphis did not disappoint - it was terrific from beginning to end.  The score was a combination of R&B and rock-n-roll; and as soon as my toes started tapping, the vocal performances took it to a whole new level.  The entire cast was amazing.......although that's really not even an adequate word to describe their work.  Every time I thought I'd heard the best singer in the show, the next one was just as good, or better.  And then the dancing!  I still can't decide whether the dancing was better than the singing, or the singing was better than the dancing. 

And the costumes.  It may seem like a minor detail, but the costumes in this production were some of the most beautiful I've seen all year.  One gorgeous outfit after another. 

The storyline addressed the issues of integration and social change of the 1950s and 1960s, and there were times when it took a very serious tone.  But those moments then balanced out with a little comedy, and the characters were engaging enough to keep it all in sync with the fun of the musical numbers.  The storyline was primarily intended to entertain, and it did that very well. 

I took a peek at the line-up for Porchlight's season next year.  It looks terrific, and I'll be excited to see more of their shows.

[monicalanum2014-blog]

Gilbert and Sullivan operas are always delightful, and The Pirates of Penzance is one of my favorites. This week I learned it's even better when staged on a university campus, in a post-Captain-Jack-Sparrow world. It's impossible not to smile and laugh and fall in love with it. 

The students at Roosevelt did a wonderful job!  The vocals were really impressive; and the choreography was fun, especially the sword fighting and pirate skirmishes.  The acting hit just the right melodramatic note, campy and a little over the top. The sets were gorgeous...........and the costumes!  Ohmigosh.  They were the best part of all.  Over a dozen dancing pirates wearing gold and silver lame, sequins, flashy earrings, and eye make-up.   I can't imagine how to beat that. 

With 36 weeks down and only 16 to go, we're more than two-thirds done with the challenge.  Heading into the final stretch!