Theater & Performance Search
80 Foots per Minute
Thu., May 23, 7:30 p.m.Theater & Performance
A little literary playfulness goes a long way for vocalist-musicians Emmy Bean, T-Roy Martin, and Chris Schoen, who, in their rapid-fire program of folksy musical arrangements, take on roles ranging from the pathetic oysters in Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" to Carl Sandburg reading his poem "Loam." Some songs indulge kitsch—like one that sets to music a Thomas Campion poem in which a single word ("love") has been replaced each time it appears by another ("Batman"). And though I'm generally inclined to dismiss offhand anything based on writings of the great poet Craigslist, "Past Saturday Night, Northerly Island," which adapts a missed connection into rondo form, struck me as weirdly hypnotic and catchy. The afternoon's shining ditty was "Riled Geese," inspired by Mary Oliver's poem of the same name, in which Bean does an absolutely bewitching scat-singing impression of a goose (a style susceptible to the very amusing coinage "goose scat"). —Jena Cutie
comfortstationprojects@gmail.comGrimmFest
Through 6/1: Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PMTheater & Performance
The first annual GrimmFest features eight original pieces inspired by classic stories from the Brothers Grimm. $10-15
Vaudeville Roars!
Through 6/12: Wed 7:30 PMTheater & Performance
Nobody roared convincingly when I saw this variety show—a once-a-month collaboration between Striding Lion Performance Group and Voice of the City. But the cheesy MC did boom as he guided us through nine acts offered in five different seating configurations. We learned quickly that when he said, "But wait!" at the end of each performance, the obligatory and absolutely true response was, "There's more!" Expect the good, the bad, and the ugly here. The February edition included a stunning rendition of Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills," Plucky Rosenthal's ukulele-fueled stand-up, and a sad clown playing Elvis songs squeakily on her violin. The setting is reason enough to risk a few theatrical misfires, though. Hairpin Arts Center's expansive second-floor loft space allows for ever-shifting performances and offers what Rosenthal called "a great view of the city: Foot Locker and Gap." —Hannah Gold $5-$10
2800 N. Milwaukee Ave., second floor
Logan Square Info@hairpinartscenter.org
