Performing Arts Next 30 Days
Ploughed Under: An American Songbook
Through 6/9: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 7 PMTheater & Performance
Kevin O'Donnell's folk-ballad song cycle spans 600 years of American history, but musically it hardly budges an inch. Whether telling the story of star-crossed 15th-century Cree lovers, unheralded female soldiers of the American Revolution, or folk icons like John Henry and Casey Jones, O'Donnell funnels somber melodies through numbingly similar tempos; after 20 minutes of this nearly two-hour premiere for House Theatre, you've heard most everything you're going to hear, twice. Six vocalists sing mostly in full-voiced unison, letting enthusiasm stand in for musicianship, and the four-piece band's arrangements are largely built around indistinct strumming. Most problematically, O'Donnell's lyrics reduce the ethical muck of Americana to easy moral lessons; listeners always know exactly where their sympathies should lie. —Justin Hayford $10-$25
773-769-3832Ivywild: The True Tall Tales of Bathhouse John
Through 6/16: Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, Mon 7:30 PMTheater & Performance
"Bathhouse John" Coughlin and Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna, turn-of-the-20th-century coaldermen of Chicago's vice-heavy 1st Ward, made fortunes squeezing payoffs from gamblers and pimps. Coughlin dressed extravagantly, fancied himself a poet, wrote one hit song, and built an amusement park that burned to the ground six years after it opened. Kenna dressed conservatively. That's about all playwright and performer Jay Torrence's 90-minute script has to say about its central figures—and does it so disjointedly that it's difficult to glean even these basic facts. Director Halena Kays's shadowy, carnivalesque Hypocrites production features winning design and engaging performances (Torrence's impish Coughlin is a marvel). But there's no meaningful context to give the onslaught of fragmentary images any significance. —Justin Hayford $28
Cafe Cabaret
Every third FridayImprov/Sketch
This variety show hosted at Cafe Ballou has a new cast every month..
Elizabeth's Crazy Little Thing
Open run: the second Wed of each monthSpoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes
An open mike for poetry, music, comedy, performance, and whatever else.
The Shit Show Open Mic
Last Friday of every month, 8 p.m.Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes
An open mike in a variety of formats.
