Theater Wit | 2007 Season

Feydeau-Si-Deau critically acclaimed

Georges Feydeau's sexiest and most groundbreaking farce opens in its Chicago premiere -- only 104 years late!

Don't miss the inspired lunacy that Time Magazine extolled as raising the sex farce to the level of "dramatic genius." Chanal's wife Francine is the sweetest, most faithful spouse imaginable.

Well, the sweetest anyway.

In her search for excitement she gets her lover's clothes thrown through windows, incites a duel, cures stuttering and turns marriages upside down. It's Theater Wit's most madcap effort yet, by a master of the genre at the peak of his career. Starring some of Chicago's best comic performers, including Colin Blackard, Matt Engle, Jennifer Grace, Maggie Graham, Ron Keaton, Jordon Keller, Ian Knox, Robert McLean, Melissa Nedell, Ed Rutherford, Helen Sadler, John Stovkis, Kevin Theis, and Bret Tuomi. Directed by Theater Wit artistic director, Jeremy Wechsler.

Feydeau-Si-Deau is rife with sexual situations and comic nudity and may not be appropriate for younger viewers.

Don't Miss it! Extended to 4/29!

THOM PAIN
(BASED ON NOTHING)
NOW PLAYING
THE VIADUCT THEATRE,
3111 N Western
Thu - Sat @ 8pm
Sun @ 7pm
For tickets call:
773-506-8150

A Winning Ticket! Beautiful, clever and blackly comic! Baker is ideal!

-- Sun Times

CRITIC'S CHOICE! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Haunting and virtuosic... Baker suites Will Eno's tricked out head-games perfectly!

-- Chicago Reader

Funny! Thoroughly fresh and arresting!

-- Chicago Tribune

Performances begin November 17

80 SOLID minutes of legit laughs!
-- Chicago Sun Times

Delightful, offbeat Christmas fare
-- Lerner Papers

Drop-dead comic delivery
-- Gay Chicago

Critic's Choice
-- Windy City Times

[a] darkly hilarious monologue
-- Chicago Tribune

Hilarious! A wonderful show!
-- Talk Theater Chicago

Poison-pen perfection
-- Play pick, UR Chicago

Previews start March 4th!

Join Theater Wit for a world premiere musical in our spring frolic! Two for the Show follows the travels and travails of the song and dance team “Rice and Shine” as they work their way from obscurity to the big time and back again. Along the way the two fall in love with the same woman, split up over a movie deal gone sour, and finally reunite onstage for a triumphant finale. Inspired by the 40s road trip movies starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, Theater Wit workshopped this new work last April and is happy to bring it to full production this March.

Emmy-award winning actor Will Clinger and Jim FitzGerald first burst onto the Chicago theatrical scene in 1988, when Odd Songs and Rare Theatricals, the first of series of hit revues ran for over four months. They worked together for the next five years, finally closing their last collaboration in 1995 at The Second City. Two for the Show is their first musical and their first collaboration in over nine years. Don't miss this charming comedy. Call 773-327-5252 and reserve your tickets today!

"Undeniably Delightful!"

In "Feydeau-Si-Deau," co-adapters Paxton Whitehead and Susan Grossman don't do much to update the source, a Georges Feydeau sex farce originally entitled "Chemin de Fer," after the complicated card game of the same name.
The cards in play here include Francine, an unfaithful wife; her stolid but waspish husband; her hair-trigger lover, Fedot (pronounced like the playwright); the lover's innocent young wife; a drunken neighbor; and, in typical Feydeau fashion, a young man with a speech impediment. Jeremy Wechsler's astute staging for Theater Wit keeps the action in the late-19th Century, upper-middle-class Parisian world, and the set by Hang Le and Courtney O'Neill has the requisite doors for breathless slam-bang entrances and exits (even if a knob did fall off on opening night). Kevin Theis's swaggering arrogance and eventual humiliation as Fedot bring a certain disgraced New York governor to mind, and there are sterling turns by several supporting players, especially Ron Keaton as the bumbling drunkard and Matt Engle as a young swain tongue-tied in love.

But if one tends not to like farce on general principle, there isn't much in this show that would change that verdict. Skillfully played, elegantly costumed by Laura B. Kollar, and with a few sly contemporary touches, "Feydeau-Si-Deau" is undeniably delightful, but the delights tend to be short-lived.

Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune

"Four stars! A dream cast of comic actors!" -- Timeout Chicago

The original title of Feydeau's play is Chemin de Fer, for a French version of baccarat, a game in which the banker holds the cards (so to speak) until another player takes over his position. Theater Wit's cheeky but clunky new name evokes the spirit of Feydeau's intent with the square-dance allusion to changing partners; women are passed 'round and 'round in the course of the farce by a number of discontented male suitors.
Though we don't want to reveal too many of the particulars--the reveal of the who, what and with whom is what makes French farce worth watching--we can say this: The swinging partners in Feydeau-Si-Deau seem almost to advocate for open relationships. Working with a dream cast of comic actors, many of whom are afforded only a scene or two, Wechsler makes a decent case for Feydeau's brand of sex comedy with a lesser-known work (this adaptation, which premiered on Broadway in 1973, makes a belated Chicago debut).

Maggie Graham, an actor who seems genetically engineered for screwball, is a standout in the lead female role, while Matt Engle channels his intensity into painstakingly choreographed physical comedy (and Jennifer Grace makes something out of nearly nothing in a delightfully quirky, tiny role).

Kris Vire, Timeout Chicago

"A Breathless Adultery Fest!" -- Chicago Reader

Justin Hayford writes,

In this breathless adultery fest (originally titled Chemin de Fer), French turn-of-the-century playwright Georges Feydeau proves he's the Bach of the bedroom farce. When two stultifyingly bourgeois Parisian couples unwittingly trade partners, they become ensnared in a web of deception, mistaken identities, police inquiries, and random gunfire. Feydeau's clowns dance impishly on a precipice of moral ruin.... The production ultimately delivers satisfying mayhem.

Chicago Reader

Difficult Audience Members

While we have had the occasional difficult (or rather, drunk) patron, I am now counting my lucky stars. From MSNBC:

James Sroden took his 8-year-old grandson to the popular show in October of 2006 at the Briar Street Theatre in Chicago. But in the days after, he said he was bleeding from the nose, having nightmares and losing filings in his teeth after he said two blue men forced a camera down his throat.

In the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Srodon said the Blue Man Group actors used an "esophagus cam" to project an image of Srodon's mouth and throat onto a large screen for the audience's amusement.

The lawsuit alleges the Blue Man actors circled him, held his neck and arms and "forced his head back" to insert the camera.

"When I started struggling, it seemed like this fellow, he tried to be more aggressive with this device and shoved it way down my throat," Sroden said. "In the days after that, the nightmares continued. A few days later, I really panicked because I had blood coming from my nose."

Horrible, eh? Poor guy. Those wacky blue guys have finally gone too far! Sure, stuff each other with marshmallows, indulge your latex fetish, but stop assaulting the audience and shoving things down their throat! That's A.R. Gurney's provence.

But, one problem, according to the general manager:

"Essentially, we have a piece in the show where an actor holds a camera to an audience member's mouth, doesn't enter their mouth, and then we play a video," Kori Prior said. "We have been performing this show in this theater for 10 years and have never had this issue before."

Now, I am not a Blue Man, nor do I play one on TV, but basic sense will confirm that under no circumstances will actors be shoving objects down audience members' throats! It's hard enough to get them to get their parking validated.

In any event, Theater Wit's spurious lawsuits to date: 0

Our audience must love us.

Dear god... Another blog?

As part of my New Year's resolutions, I have resolved to actually start maintaining a blog on this site. Hey, other theaters have artistic director blogs. I like typing random unfounded opinions as much as the next guy. And, honestly, I question if I get to write ROFL or LOL enough in my day to day existence.

Actually, it's part of my goal to start using the theater's web site as an actual tool instead of a burden to keep updated. Over three years ago, I converted the site into a moveable type blog to help with frequent updates. I have subsequently maintained and updated the software regularly. Of course, the one thing I haven't done is to... you know... actually use this technology to post content!

So, here are the New Year's Resolutions that Theater Wit and I made to each other over a bottle of Madiera (don't ask) at 1am on New Year's Eve:

Keep an artistic director blog. If you make an entry less than once I month, don't speak to yourself ever again.
Redesign the front page to something a little less neutral. I think the current layout is much cleaner than our old one, but is not particularly in the spirit of our endeavor.
Put the damn company history up on the site. We have a proud record which interested parties might want to review, but right now you can only access them by using the search function.
Activate the search function.
Start including a rehearsal and pre-production blog. While I think in some ways discussion of process is overrated, I think there are interesting aspects to the producing and directing process that will be of interest to at least six of seven of the millions of readers this new site will no doubt attract.
Bring other artistic collaborators of Theater Wit in for each show and encourage them to post articles as well.
Put actual show information on the site. Trivial details like "What's it about" often get short shrift on our pages.

OK. So, with 3 days left in January, I have fulfilled my first obligation of posting. Victory is mine! READ MORE

Chicago Tribune recommends Santaland

Fain is a "natural raconteur" and the production has "just the right sensibility for the material" says Nina Metz.

JOIN THEATER WIT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris directed by Jeremy Wechsler A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd directed by James Pelton

Learn More About our Holiday shows

Now playing at Theatre Buiding Chicago
1225 W Belmont

Thom Pain wins Jeff Award!

Lance Baker has received a 2007 Jeff award for excellence in solo performance for his work in Thom Pain (based on nothing). Congratulations!

I know anyone lucky enough to see Lance's performance will agree the award was well-deserved. It was a truly remarkable performance of a remarkable play. I was truly delighted to have worked with Lance on Will Eno's extraordinary text.

"Brilliant! Outstanding! Bold and Breathtaking!" -- Chicago Tribune

Kerry Reid tells Chicago to be "lucky enough to catch Theater Wit's bold and breathtaking production of Nguyen's devilishly clever and disturbing parable" for a "show that had me laughing harder than anything I've seen in months".

"Thrilling and Hilarious!" -- Sun Times

"Nguyen's script does something unexpected from the get-go. It straddles a line between parody and homage, and, in the end, actually succeeds in making you think," writes Misha Davenport.

In the end, the show poses one question: If absolute power corrupts, what about superpower? Along the way, it just might challenge your beliefs of what it takes to be a hero (super or otherwise).

"Dazzling! Highly Recommended!" -- Chicago Reader

The Chicago Reader has Men of Steel on their "Short List," saying "the show sparks insights into the complex ethos of graphic novels".

"Theatre Wit's Chicago premiere never drops its energy or misses a caption" -- Chicago Free Press

"Fueled by Joseph Fosco's pile-driving sound design and wonderful video and animation by Jessica Ross and Robert Ross Parker, Jeremy Wechsler's slam-bang, film-noir staging moves things at warp speed, so fast you can't wonder about what's missing till it's over...", says Lawrence Bommer

"Awesome production values and a terrific cast" -- Timeout Chicago

Timeout Chicago calls Men of Steel "exciting and funny," a "classic comic book!"

Men of Steel Desktops Available

We've got desktop backgrounds for your computer available with original Men of Steel art. Come and get 'em!

2007-2008 Season launches with a bang!

Our first show of the season will be MEN OF STEEL, by Qui Nguyen. This astonishing superhero epic features both amazing fights and remarkable dialogue. A sophisticated social satire about our relationship as a society to power and our own heroes.

Opens at Theatre Building Chicago on September 25th.

Not to be missed. Seriously.

NOW EXTENDED THROUGH NOVEMBER 17! Men of Steel, by Qui Nguyen, directed by Jeremy Wechsler

Learn More About Men of Steel

Now playing at Theatre Buiding Chicago
1225 W Belmont

Industry Nights

As always, $5 off for all industry professionals at the door for Thursday and Sunday performances. Just bring your headshot / resume with you.

"A Winning Ticket!" -- Sun Times

Hedy Weiss calls Thom Pain "Fascinating! Beautiful, clever and blackly comic." Read on for more.

"Highly Recommended! Critic's Choice" -- Chicago Reader The Chicago Reader is also blown away by our latest offering. "Lance Stuart Baker is a no-duh call for the role of Thom in this Theater Wit production. His intelligence, sensitivity, and command of language suit Eno's tricked-out head games perfectly, and his fragile intensity has never been in sharper focus." Read the full review here. READ MORE

"4 stars! Resonant and Hypnotic" -- Time Out

Novid Parsi gives Thom Pain (based on nothing) four stars, continuing the critical raves for Theater Wit's hit show:

"What makes Will Eno's monologue on the alienated modern man so resonant is that Lance Baker doesn't play him as such...Telling a sad boy's sad story and his own sad love affair, Baker's alienated self isn't an empty self but one reeling against such emptiness; Baker reels captivatingly. More than the every-no-man of absurdist literature, Baker's Thom Pain is a specific one. He's that guy, the creepy, abject guy you don't exactly like but can't quite dislike, whose dyspeptic, disenchanted and self-consciously clever worldview intrigues as much as it distances. He reflects, and knows he does, your own sad soul."

You can read the full review here.

"Superb comic theater!" -- Chicago Free Press

"As Pain, Lance Stuart Baker navigates the many levels of Eno's script with gilded finesse. He masterfully underplays, guiding each moment to its comical height. As skillfully guided by director Jeremy Wechsler, Baker's Pain is shifty and indulgently downtrodden. Baker also backs up the unusualness of the proceedings with a firm emotional connectedness. His character actually aches and seemingly represents all the confusion and contradictory emotion that every human being experiences.

At one point in time, Pain exclaims..."Isn't it great to be alive?" It may be an even greater achievement to witness superb comic theater like Theater Wit's THOM PAIN (based on nothing)."

Check out the Chicago Free Press on the stands today.

Bring a friend for free!

We've already had several people ask us if they can return to see Thom Pain a second time. They want to bring back friends, relatives, pets, who knows? And who are we to stop you?

Every ticket now includes a pass so you can come back and see the show again at no additional cost, as long as you bring someone new with you. You get to see the show again, look totally cool to your date/friends and be cheap all at the same time. Fantastic!

Student Rush Tickets

We have a limited supply of student rush tickets available for Thursday, Friday and Sunday performances. These tickets are for sale starting 30 minutes before the performance for $10 off the regular ticket price along with your student id.

Chicago Tribune says "Funny! A thoroughly fresh and arresting piece of writing"

The Chicago Tribune joins the chorus of acclaim about Thom Pain, writing "Funny! A thoroughly fresh and arresting piece of writing... Baker is perfect for this part!" There is also a discussion of the critical history of the show for those interested here.

Season announcement imminent

Our 2007-2008 season is close to finalization! Make sure to sign up on our mailing list to keep updated on our plans.

Thom Pain Jeff Nominated

Theater Wit continues its 100% track record for our regular season programming. The Joseph Jefferson committee has nominated Lance Stuart Baker for an award for solo performance in Thom Pain (based on nothing) at the 2007 Jeff Awards on October 29th. Congratulations! Well-deserved recognition for one of last year's most notable performances.

Baker "a perfect choice"

After spending a few days, with us, Will Eno thinks that Lance Baker is a "perfect choice" for the Chicago premiere of Thom Pain. You can read his interview with Mary Houlihan here.

"Two for the Show" named Best Show of 2006!

Kerry Reid of the Chicago Tribune lauded Two for the Show in her 2006 end of year roundup.

Baker "a Chicago Treasure" says WBEZ

Kelly Kleiman of WBEZ says "David Sedaris' monologue The Santaland Diaries is being done by Lance Stuart Baker, who is a Chicago treasure. He's such a good dramatic actor that he very rarely gets to do comedy. This is an opportunity to see him. Don't miss it."

Check out the mp3 here and check out Santaland Diaries before you miss out on the best comedy the holidays has to offer.

#1 Show To See Now

New City puts Santaland at the top of their pick list, so what're you waiting for?

Lance Baker returns

Joe Foust is playing Hamlet this Christmas in Milwaukee, so Lance Baker is returning for one year only. This is a great chance to see one of Chicago's most accomplished actors in a role he's expert at. I'm really excited to be working with Lance on this play which he has performed to great success in the past.

Two for the Show wins "Best New Work!"

The After Dark Awards honored Two for the Show for "Best New Work" on October 9th at the Lakeshore Theatre. Here's what they had to say:

Mr. Clinger and Mr. Fitzgerald resurrected the song-and-dance man musical in their delightfully entertaining world premiere. Reminiscent of the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby “road” comedies with a blending of the shtick of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and the prepubescent energy of the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland “let’s put on a show” genre, the work was chockfull of physical humor, verbal banter and catchy musical numbers.

Two for the Show nominated for Jeff Award

This season's vaudeville romp has just been nominated for the Jeff Awards in the "Best New Work -- Musical" category. Congratulations to the authors, Will Clinger and James Fitzgerald and everyone involved.

Open Thread - Calling all renters

Ah, the wonders of press delay. As you may recall from last month's article (actually three months ago), we were in a sort of space limbo... Faced with the very real prospect of being homeless for the 2007 season, I needed to hustle up some space for our season -- a prospect made more challenging by the fact that I don't even know what the 2007 fall show is yet. The experience has proven invaluable in my coming role as theatre landlord.

"Thom Pain" comes to Chicago!

We are proud to announce that Theater Wit will present Will Eno's Pulitzer-finalist, Thom Pain (based on nothing) as our first show of our 2007 season.

Flanagan's Law

Helene Hanff, in her fantastic memoir of frustrated theatrical ambition, Getting Underfoot in Show Business, recognizes only one constant in the arts. Bill Flanagan, a stage manager told her, "In the theatre, whatever happens to you, it's unexpected." So, if you can predict something or even imagine the possibility of it occurring, it won't. Normally, this law gives me lots of happy surprises. In truth, this month has been quite surprising. We'll see how happily it turns out.

The eidetically inclined amongst you will recall the announcement of our lease and address about three months ago. In truth, the lease needed one more revision. A provision regarding liability required the landlord to review his insurer's requirements. As we were literally talking about six words, I forged ahead, confident that the paperwork would be completed "any day now".

Now, the landlord for our property is a trial lawyer by day/property developer by night (much in the same way as I am increasingly an artistic director by day and nervous wreck at night). In consequence, he disappears for three to six weeks at a time, once vanishing for three straight months. After pursuing the elusive sentence revision for eight weeks, I finally got him on the phone.

Me: "We need to get this signed."

Landlord: "Absolutely. Let's get together Tuesday."

Me: "OK, but email me the revisions so I can have it reviewed by our lawyer before the meeting."

Landlord: "I'd like to review timings first. Let's just get together on Tuesday."

Me: "Why don't I bring a copy of our proposed revision?"

(beat)

Landlord: "OK"

Hmmm. I grimly prepared for the meeting. Perhaps he had run into some financing difficulties and we were going to have to delay construction. Maybe he was going to try and up the rent schedule. Or maybe I was being paranoid and he just wanted to review the construction schedule before printing clean copies for signing. So, two days later I dropped by his law offices.

Apparently, the condominiums he has been building in the adjacent property have been selling quite well and he would like to build additional units. Where?

On the theatre site.

But, asks the reader, isn't that where the... well... THEATRE is located?

Absolutely, so the buildings would have to be torn down. And underground parking installed, and a new sixteen units constructed.

All I could think was, "I'm screwed. I've been trusting this guy, cutting him slack regarding the lease and now I've lost two years and $50,000 in architectural and design costs." Then I thought, "Didn't I write something about the importance of WAITING FOR A SIGNED LEASE." I mean, it's one thing to not take someone's advice. It's a whole new level of obstinacy to not take your own. Without a lease, I have nothing except our personal relationship to cement the deal. Is our history together enough to convince him to leave millions of dollars on the table? Probably not. I was fairly sure I was an idiot.

Then he asked me what our ceiling heights were and hauled out a napkin from his jacket. On the napkin he had a set of calculations for maximum building height under current zoning restrictions and a sketched out floor plan. A floor plan that included two stories of space allocated for Theater Wit. He wasn't calling me in to dump the project, he was trying to enlist my aid and approval for any resultant delays. What?!?

We reviewed his plan. It keeps the theatre space with roughly the same square footage, but puts three stories of condominiums above us. There are separate entrances for the condominiums and the theatre, elevator access and 17' high clear-span performance spaces. As brand new construction, his general contractor would take over the structural work and our contractor would be in charge of the finishing work. Our acoustics would be improved from the current plan, our entryway would be weakened. But, in general, the plan looks like we would come out ahead.

There are some caveats. First, it would take significantly longer to start construction. His estimate was a year, I thought the delay would be at least sixteen months. There are also some serious uncertainties about the feasibility, as the landlord has a number of commitments to meet for bank financing approval. We would need to go back to the Alderman and revisit the neighborhood community groups for approval. And we would incur additional costs: all the design and drafting would have to be repeated, we'd need rental space for the next season and a half. In addition, the new building could be more expensive and we might need to raise additional funds for our share. And we are in negotiation with another company to share the space. How would this delay affect them?

I was able to negotiate in broad terms for a credit to be applied toward our construction contribution for all new design work and some credits for renting another space over the coming year. As these concessions are nearly $100,000, I was quite encouraged. We outlined a brief schedule of when the various decision points would be reached over the next six months and a verbal agreement that if the landlord decided against the development project we would revert back to the original unsigned lease.

But most of my attention was actually taken with the question, "Why is he doing this?" I think he's excited about having a theatre in his complex, but why? Just an arts lover? Why not just build condominiums? Does he need a loss to help launder money for the mob? Will I have to cast him as the lead in all my shows?

The situation isn't that dire. Probably. I think I've been projecting (and in turn presenting in this articles) too bleak a picture of what a theatre can offer a canny landlord. In our case, he knows we're in for a ten to fifteen year commitment and will be a largely self-sufficient tenant who can provide a steady stream of revenue. Second, the restaurant lease he has in the other commercial space is contingent on our presence. Third, the space has been presented to the alderman as a live performance venue, with all the neighborhood development potential that implies. Theaters attract bars and restaurants in time, they encourage street traffic, etc. The presence of the theatre is also a unique selling point to his condominium customers, many of whom are young, first-time buyers.

So, maybe theatres aren't beggars at the gates. Maybe we don't have huge amounts of money, but what we lack in cash we make up in cachet. We'll see. There's a tremendous amount of negotiation to take place over the next forty five days. We need to get something on paper from the owner, obviously. We need to set up some parameters for the financial commitment to the new build and we need to redesign our entire space for the new footprint.

So, back to the drawing board. We'll see how it shapes up, but god knows there are worse problems. Even in my most anxiety-ridden moments, a little voice keeps shouting "New construction! New construction!" in the back of my mind. This will be the moment we look back on in amazement two years from now. Hopefully a happy surprise.

By all means, drop by the Theater Wit blog and leave opinions, questions or the like. Have a good month!

Help... I can't breathe

So, we're getting into the heart of our structural planning for the new building. This is the part where highly trained experts tell me how not to fry, freeze, suffocate or electrocute the public.

Clever, no?

Funding a new space

Ah, funding. The bugaboo that plagues every theatre’s dream of owning / operating their own space. Allocating enough capital to fund a theater can foil the best wishes of any company. There are a few options for any theatre looking to embark on this kind of capital campaign. All of the following is a log of what we did, working on a small level as we did. As a personal history, I hope it will be of some help to other groups.

Two for the Show rides off into the sunset

I am sad to say that Two for the Show closed a week ago now, and we'll miss it. Kudos to cast and crew for a really lovely job on our 40s musical tribute, and particular thanks to Will and Jim who penned such an enjoyable and smart parody.

Two for the Show continued Theater Wit's commitment to Chicago premieres and new works begun in our first season with W! It received critical praise from nearly every paper in Chicago and audience post-show response was fantastic.

We'll be going dark for a few months here to solidify our plans for the new space, and keep you posted about our upcoming benefit and the schedule for grand opening. Stay tuned!

WBEZ Pick of the Week

Jonathan Abarbanel picked Two the Show on WBEZ as his pick of the week calling it "a light-hearted pleasure." Thanks, Jonathan!

"A Double Helping of Uncomplicated Delight"

The Chicago Tribune's Kerry Reid says the show is a "delight from start to finish". Check out the review!

Critics Choice! Highly Recommended!

The Chicago Reader loves this "whip-smart" production.

"Delightfully Entertaining" -- Gay Chicago

Three stars for the "the physical comedy, the witty word play and the soft shoe-inspired choreography"...

Windy City Times loves the "madcap mayhem"

Check out the Windy City Times review which declares that the cast keeps "the wit and sparkle coming in such abundance that we hardly notice that two hours have gone by"...

"Comic Genius" says Pioneer Press

Catey Sullivan calls Two for the Show "a comedy of pure ridiculousness performed by a cast with the smarts to make it work." "Hope and Crosby on pogo sticks!" Clinger is a "comic genius" and paired with "a rollicking delight" in Tuomi.

For the full review, click here.

Group Sales Available

Group Rates and reservations are now available for Two for the Show via Group Theater Tix. Special matinee performances also available. Download the information sheet here.

Fall Art Party

Yes, like all good theaters building a space, we think about light. We think about the relationship of the viewer to art. And we think about a benefit. Stay tuned for more details about our first full out party, complete with a variety of works from Chicago artists, excellent music and a fabulous venue to see and be seen in :)

Thanks for a great holiday!

Over 4,000 theatergoers enjoyed The Santaland Diaries this year at the Theatre Building. See you all soon! Happy holidays.

Site Message READ MORE

Won't you be... my neighbor?

So, it is with a sense of profound relief and joy that I can finally say that we have a signed lease. Yes, after 15 months, Theater Wit has signed a lease at 5437 North Broadway for about 11,000 square feet which will encompass two performance stages, a classroom, office, rehearsal space and a scene shop. Oh, and a lobby. With bathrooms! (Five stalls for women, one for men -- intermission justice at last!) We're committed to an eight year initial term, followed by up another five three-year renewals

Sun Times raves about Santaland!

Christopher Piatt recommends a "smart" production that delivers "80 solid minutes of legit laughs".

The Sun Times can't say enough great things about our latest production, declaring "anyone who misses the recently chloroformed Defiant Theatre can get an unexpected stocking stuffer this month from Theater Wit, a company that's very much alive and kicking:. Joe Foust is a "top shelf character actor whose blitzkrieg energy makes this 'Diaries' unique". Keep reading for the rest of the review!

Gay Chicago gives Santaland 3 Stars

Tim Sauers at Gay Chicago gives the production three stars "thanks to Joe Foust's drop-dead comic delivery and thoughtful, reflective tone guided by the appropriately paced and timed work of director Jeremy Wechsler, the staging sings the right spirited song." Keep reading for the complete review from 2004.

Santaland named Critic's Pick by Rick Reed

Rick Reed at the Windy City Times has selected The Santaland Diaries as his Critic's Pick, writing it a "sugar-free, and hilarious, adaptation of the piece that launched Sedaris to fame and fortune"

Chicago Talk Theater Review 2004

From Tom Williams, at Chicagocritic.com, another rave for our production!

Reviewing your lease

In which we confront the horrors of lease review in our drive for a new space...

Creeping in the window of opportunity

Our September Performink Article about building out our space follows.

Picking the site, part 1

This article appeared in Performink July, and is reposted here for the enjoyment of all...

Picking the Site, Part II

Here's the reposted article from August's Performink...

Performink picks up "Space Odyssey"

A monthly set of articles will be appearing in Performink about the construction of our new space. These articles will be varying from the shorter posts here, summarizing information that's been accumulated over months. Largely targeted towards theater professionals looking to build their own space, they will be a monthly series that include cost breakdowns and "how to" information about the process of building out a space in Chicago at the small theater level. Many thanks to Carrie for publishing the series, and I look forward to some spirited discussion as my hair-brained schemes lurch toward completion.

Inspectors Away!

City inspectors visit our theater site and confirm, "Yes, Virginia, you can have a theater here."

What's been going on?

Several months, and nary a post... Why so quiet? Did someone get to us in a dark alley? Is this some crazy fake theater site designed to part you from your money? Are we too lazy to pick up the typewriter once in a while?

Why a space?

Three years ago as I was planning Theater Wit I had to answer a few questions:

"What makes a theater?"

"What sort of theater should Theater Wit be?"

"What makes a theater last?"

These questions obviously cover a lot of ground, and consequently took a lot of time to answer, but I thought I'd jot down some of my thoughts about what a theater is and how they led me to renovate a building.

You're sold out?!? Is there any way I can get a seat?

We do release unclaimed tickets and house seats at showtime. To get them, you need to drop by and put your name on a waiting list at the theatre. We start the list when the box office opens, one hour before the first performance of the day. We often have 3-4 no shows, but obviously can't guarantee seats.

More reviews! More love!

Two additional Chicago critics have weighed in on The Santaland Diaries. Tom Williams of ChicagoCritic calls the production "hilarious, combining playfulness and bitterness to give his Elf a touching humanity" in "this wonderful show." Meanwhile Tim Sauers at Gay Chicago gives the production three stars "thanks to Joe Foust's drop-dead comic delivery and thoughtful, reflective tone guided by the appropriately paced and timed work of director Jeremy Wechsler, the staging sings the right spirited song."

W! running strong More W! patrons make their voice heard.

READ MORE

More cards! More!

Here are the audience comments from last week. W! continues to do tremendously, and I hope you all have a chance to come check it out this month.

"W!" is Michael Moore on steroids

Larry Bommer has written up the show in Chicago Free Press. A good day for satire-lovers everywhere.

"Political satire at its timeliest, finest and most urgent"

Gay Chicago has just released another rave for W!. What are you waiting for? Go buy tickets! Now! (Or take a moment and read Venus' review here)

Audience Response week #1

Our first regular week is over, and it's been fantastic. As always, audience response cards can be found right here.

First Amendment is alive and well

Local critic Tom Williams wrote us up on his website ChicagoCritic. "The First Amendment is alive and well," says Mr. Williams. "W! is a vaudevillian treat that tickles the hypocrisy of the right wing."

And this from a self-confessed "moderate-to-conservative reviewer. Read his entire review here.

Yummy :)

Copley News Service rates W! at 3 1/2 stars. "Funny (and scary)"

Dan Zeff for the Copley news service has published a thoughtful review that examines not just W!'s execution, but also its role as agitprop. Mr. Zeff feels that W! successfully "raises the emotional intensity from Bush the dork to Bush the menace."

Highly recommended by Sun Times

Hedy Weiss calls W! "hilarious" in it's "sparkling premiere" of our "wholly disarming and deliciously demented little musical satire". Tom Mula stars "brilliantly", Ronald Keaton is "side-splittingly funny" in a series of "bravura performances". C. JaiPearson is "formidable". Check out the full review on the Sun Times web site and then call or go online to order your tickets today.

"90 Perfect Minutes" says Hedy Weiss on Chicago Tonight

Hedy Weiss of the Sun Times appeared last night to talk about W! on WTTW in a rave review: "90 perfect minutes...I found myself laughing and giggling throughout the whole thing... very very clever... wonderful. A great job. Very charming." The full text of the interview is here.

W! Recommended for Chicago Theater Award

Looks like W! is strong out of the gate, leading with a Jeff recommendation for excellence in the 2004-2005 season.

The Jeff Awards are given annually by The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee to honor excellence in professional theatre produced in the immediate Chicago area. Organized in 1968, the committee is composed of up to 45 theatre professionals and enthusiasts who evaluate approximately 200 productions and hold two awards ceremonies each year. The Jeff Awards for excellence in Equity theatre are celebrated in late October or early November.

Congratulations to the artists in W! for a great show and thanks to the Jeff recommendation team who joined us at opening.

Second week of audience responses

As promised, here are the new audience response cards -- unedited except to not spoil surprises for new audience. We couldn't be more excited about our opening on the 7th. Look forward to seeing you all at the show. And thanks to all the below (good, bad, indifferent) for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

Quickie Interview with Tom Mula in Sun Times

Tom talks briefly about W! in a brief interview, which can be found here.

Theater Wit joins other Chicago theaters in the Daily Herald

A lot of attention is being given to political theatre here in Chicago, first in the Sun Times last Sunday and now in the Daily Herald. A lot of great companies (I'm a huge Stage Left fan) are contributing to the local debate.

"Humor is such a wonderful way to engage people, make them think and make them angry," Wechsler said. "A lot of people feel marginalized by the events of the past few years, and people want to find a voice and a sense of community to vent."

I can't find the article on the Daily Herald Web Site, so here it is in full...

Rock On!

W! Previews Audience Response #1

Our first weekend of previews for W! has just finished, and audience response was phenomenal. Over 225 people saw the show, and nearly 80 of you left detailed responses. If we had any doubt how our debut show would be received by the public, they've been put to rest. For those of you who took the time to write us a note, thank you and read your responses below (fame at last!). If you haven't seen W! yet, check out your fellow audience members feelings about the show and then grab yourself a ticket online or by calling 773-883-1090.

Political Theater for the Political Season

ag·it·prop (the spreading of) strongly political ideas or arguments expressed especially through plays, art, books, etc.

"When I came to Washington, I was just a lad,
Narrowly elected by a hanging chad"

How can you see George W. Bush dance to your own tune? Come check out W!, a musical... er, tribute... to our 45th president. In early 2004, popular Chicago actor and writer Tom Mula teamed up with long-time collaborator, Steve Rashid, to express their dismay over the current state of political affairs and to add their voice to the national debate. Over the course of several months they developed the script and wrote more than two dozen songs and monologues. A series of successive readings to friends culminated in a public reading that included Steve Scott, from the Goodman Theater, and myself. We were treated to a biting commentary on the current administration, set against a backdrop of deceptively cheery, catchy tunes.

"Our priorities is our faith"

W! The Musical! takes place at a Republican $2000/plate fundraiser. The show features George W. Bush (as portrayed by Tom Mula) singing wonderfully biting songs like "A Texas Kind of Prez" and "In His Own Words". Various members of his administration bully him in duets, suck up to him in solos and choreograph him through his confused and deluded policy making. Those familiar with Tom's work won't be surprised to learn that he has mastered a near-perfect parody of George W. Bush. READ MORE

2004 Season announced! We are very happy here after two years of planning to launch our 2004 season. Yes, yes, we know 2004 is halfway over, but you'll be happy to know you can get nearly uninterrupted theater fun for the rest of this year. Here we go:

W! -- The world premiere of Tom Mula and Steve Rashid's political satire on our 45th president is running from August 26th through October 31st at the Bailiwick Arts Center. Click here for more information.

Stay glued to your computer for more details. READ MORE

Welcome to Theater Wit

We're a new company in Chicago dedicated to producing plays of humor and intelligence. We are currently on the lookout for a home and hope to sign a lease within the month. Once we've picked a location, we're going to share the build-out process here in the hope that other theaters will find it useful, and the public may get their fair share of schadenfreude.