Chopin Theatre Mainstage (Chicago, IL)
Written by rock journalist Mark Guarino and featuring the music and artwork of Bloodshot Records recording artist Jon Langford, this phantasmic journey into the mind of a fictional country music legend is what an episode of Howdy Doody might look like if it were directed by David Lynch.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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I'm really glad I went to see this show. It was like watching someone's dream sequence and picking out what the symbolism represented in that person's life in order to comprehend their story and what it reveals about them and the consequences of their actions. The lighting and set were masterfully designed and as much a character in the show as any of the actors. There was a very Brechtian approach to the whole thing, with pieces of the set exposed and an occasional set person walking between scenery in the background, which was interesting and gave the audience a completely other experience than if they were watching a straightforward story behind a proscenium arch. The exposed elements really helped me remove myself from the very storyline and think about how it was applicable to life outside the play as I was watching it.
Also, the music was great. I wish our crowd had been a little livelier. All the Fame dealt with weighty topics, and I'm not sure everyone knew when to clap and yell, and when to be silent and take in the solemnity of the moment.
But if you come ready to see something truly unique, outside of the normal realm of theatre, you won't be disappointed.
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Wicker Park's beautiful white terra-cotta Chopin Theatre was built in 1918, and served as an anchor of Chicago's Polish community for years. Now owned by Zygmunt Dyrkacz, the off-Loop venue hosts a whopping 500 presentations per year on the main stage which seats up to 226 and the intimate black box studio which has room for 100.
Arrive early and enjoy what the Chicago Tribune calls the Most Ch
Sadly reflective and yet hilariously surreal, the show mixes rock biography, live music and stunning visual effects to tell a tripped out tale of the demise of America's last living cowboy.
The House is an ensemble of multi-talented artists who work together to create new works of popular theatre. In The House, theatre, music, dance, magic, and spectacle combine to inspire imagination, breaking down the bariers between actors and audience, uniting the two in the joy of storytelling.