PARENTS' NIGHT OUT: World Premiere of Unspeakable, inspired by the life of comedic legend Richard Pryor

FINAL PERFORMANCES

UNSPEAKABLE TO CLOSE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8

INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF COMIC ICON RICHARD PRYOR

AT BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE AT WATER TOWER PLACE

**Given the strong language and adult situations inherent in this story, this production is recommended for audiences 16 years of age and older.**  

Here at ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows, we caught the opening night of The World Premiere of Unspeakable, a dramatic fantasia inspired by the life of comedic legend Richard Pryor.  James Murray Jackson, Jr. does absolutely shine as Richard Pryor in this short run, and it's worth a night out, if you're not easily offended. Those who came of age in the 70's and 80's will especially relate to this blast from the past. Yet this show is more of a tragedy than a comedy. It's an age old tale of childhood horrors turning into adult triumphs and of beloved entertainers on stage whose personal lives were a wreck. In future incarnations the script and staging could be stronger, as this still feels like a work in progress. Still, it makes for a fun parents' night out and we recommend it.

Unspeakable will play its final performance on November 8, 2015 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.).

“It has been an absolute joy to mount the first full physical production of Unspeakable with an all Chicago cast and crew,” Director and Co-Author Rod Gailes OBC said.

The critics rave about the stellar portrayal of the iconic Richard Pryor by James Murray Jackson, Jr.  Chicago Tribune says Jackson, Jr. delivered a “very provocative performance” and the Chicago Sun-Times applauds Jackson, Jr. as a “gifted actor.”  Gapers Block raves “James Murray Jackson, Jr. plays Pryor with a fervor that attests to how much he esteems the man” and Chicago Concert Reviews exclaims Jackson, Jr. is “spellbinding as the lead, channeling Pryor’s ghost with authenticity and reverence.”

The cast of ten – many playing multiple roles – features James Murray Jackson, Jr. as “Richard Pryor,” a role he originated in the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival earning him a New York Times rave for his “magnetic lead performance.”  The cast also includes Chicago natives E. Faye Butler (Working, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), Lamar N. Barnes, Ebony Joy and Akilah Perry.  Also featured are Northwestern University alum Taryn Reneau (Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew), Roosevelt University alum Chris Amos (Both Your Houses, Tom Jones), Kierra Bunch (The Sun Always Shines for The Cool), Jeff Award winner Ginneh Thomas (The Submission) and Chicagoan Ronald L. Conner (King Hedley II).

Sex, Drugs and Comedy.  Unspeakable is an unflinching ride through the emotional landscape of Richard Pryor spanning sixty-one years and focused on the period between 1967 and 1982.  Born and raised in a Peoria brothel owned and operated by his grandmother, Pryor faced situations that forever shaped and scarred his sensitive soul.  With a pimp for a father and his mother a whore, young Pryor’s imagination helps him escape and ultimately leads him to comedy. Unspeakable captures the energy of a man battling success and the demons it invites.

Director and Co-Author Rod Gailes OBC brings a cinematic vision to the provocative odyssey of Pryor with an ensemble approach highlighting the comedian's journey from damaged child to comic legend, based on a script by OBC and Jackson, Jr.

Unspeakable is presented by Tenacity Park, Creative Mind Entertainment, OBC DreamTheatre, Stefani Nicole Von Huben, Kenneth Schapiro, John M. Cappetta, Sr. and Ronnell Shaw.

For his portrayal of Richard Pryor in the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival production of Unspeakable, Jackson received the Festival’s Outstanding Lead Actor Award.

This play is in no way supported, endorsed or created by, nor does it in any manner emanate from, Richard Pryor, his estate or other successor(s).

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for Unspeakable are now on sale through November 8.  A select number of premium tickets are also available for many performances. Group tickets for 10 or more are now on sale by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ACT OUT: Theatre Opening, Closing, Postponed, Extended #reviews

Cyndi Lauper & Harvey Fierstein press conference for Kinky Boots currently in previews. Opening night October 17th.

Here's our round up of Chi, IL Live Theatre Shows Opening, Closing, Postponed & Extended(also check out our highly recommended list):

Opening:

Black Watch by National Theatre of Scotland at Broadway Armory -ChiIL Live Shows caught opening night and we were shocked and awed.  This action packed war drama is raw, real and disturbing without glamorizing combat.  In a brilliant way, the seduction of honor, history, and the warrior way stand in stark contrast to the soul killing, psychologically damaging, desert warfare of today.  Black Watch is political without being heavy handed and loud, bright and intense enough to get the message heard.   Highly recommended!

Get your tickets today--short two week run.  

Click here for our past coverage and show details here.

Half price tickets available here. 

Stephen Sondheim's Assassins at Viaduct Theater-ChiIL Live Shows will be there for the opening tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.

Harold and the Purple Crayon at Chicago Children's Theatre (family friendly-ages 3+)-Check out our photo filled feature on the early creative process behind the costumes and set design and show details here.

Here's more of our past Harold coverage including full show details.





Broken Glass at Red Twist-

Red Twist is one of our favorite black box storefront theatres and they consistently impress with high quality, Jeff recommended offerings.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.













Kinky Boots at Bank of America Theatre with Broadway in Chicago-check out our original video footage with Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein and photos from the press conference here.   The show is currently in previews and we'll be there for opening night October 17th.   Can't wait!   

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We have loads more original video clips and photo filled features coming!




Closing:

Equivocation at Victory Gardens (review)

If you haven't seen this show yet, go already.  Equivocation unequivocally rocks!   Bard nerds will find this show a laugh riot with plenty of Shakespearian references and in jokes.   Yet Equivocation is something utterly unique and new, with biting political commentary, compelling characters, and multilayered meaning.   Highly recommended.  Click here for our past coverage and show details.   

Postponed:

Due to major funding that did not come through, the production of “Unspeakable,” which was scheduled to start performances at the Royal George Theatre Oct. 16, has been postponed until the spring.  More details to come.  Refunds available at point of purchase.

Extended:

After at Profiles Theater (review)

There are plenty of prison dramas, but what happens after?  This slice of life exploration of the aftermath of wrongful conviction is a thought provoking social commentary.  What price can you put on a life unjustly snatched away in a miscarriage of justice.  How does jail time inextricably alter a man?   The characters go well beyond stereotypes and are a unique blend of traits and surprises.   Check it out.   

Three weeks added: now playing through November 4, 2012

Profiles Theatre will extend the Midwest premiere of After by Chad Beckim, directed by guest artist Matt Hawkins.  The production, which opened September 5, will extend for an additional three weeks through November 4, 2012. All original cast members continue in their roles including guest artists Alice da Cunha, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, J. Salome Martinez, Stephenie Park, Gabriel Ruiz and Foster Williams, Jr.  Performances are held at Profiles original venue, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway.

When a wrongfully imprisoned man is exonerated by DNA evidence after seventeen years in prison, he is forced to re-assimilate into a cold, foreign world of toothbrush shopping, doggy day care, and a friendship with an anxious young woman with secrets of her own. After is a compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed.

After, written by Chad Beckim, received its World premiere production in September 2011 by Partial Comfort Productions in New York where he is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director. His playwriting credits include …a matter of choice, `nami and Lights Rise on Grace which won Outstanding Play at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival and finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award. Chad holds an MFA in Playwriting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program and in July 2007, he was named one of 50 Playwrights to Watch by the Dramatists Guild.

After is the second production of Profiles Theatre’s 24^th season. The 20^th Anniversary production of Hellcab by Will Kern opens at Profiles’ The Main Stage on November 15, 2012.  
  
Click here for our past coverage and show details.