Parents' Night Out-The Well of Horniness at The Cornservatory

 Last chance to see:

Catch it while you can!   ARFTCo's production, The Well of Horniness, 
closes this weekend.    Holly Hughes’ 1983 comedy is brought to life with groping hands and campy finesse by A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company.   

*This show is intended for Adults Only. 18 years of age and up only please.

Our motto here at ChiIL Mama is "Life doesn't end with birth."   In 11 years of being a mom I've realized that just because you create a life, that doesn't mean you can't have a life.   When you take time to get out with your significant other or a group of friends, you can come back to your little dependents energized.   So turn off the kid appropriate channel and stick the bedtime stories on the shelf this weekend and take some time to laugh.

I checked out this campy, lesbian melodrama Saturday, with an old theatre friend, her grown daughter and her male gay friend, in town from Boston.   Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, including her librarian daughter, who was more mortified by her mom's quirky, lifelong friends than she was by the show. 

The dialogue is hilarious and as smart as it is smart-ass.   I love Holly Hughes references to "those who don't wear beige" and her groan inducing puns.    I was taken back to college when I used to spend my lunch hours listening to all the old, melodramatic 1930's radio shows like War of the Worlds and The Shadow, complete with their cheezy sponsors.

I was especially amused that all the parts are played by women.    We've been writing here about the Shakespearean classics where all the parts were originally played by men.   The bard liked to mess with gender bending cross dressing where the men often played women who pretended to be men.    Saturday was talk like Shakespeare day, so turnabout is fair play.    

In Holly Hughes hilarious oximoron of a radio drama on stage, the women are men and women who love women.    The night we went all the men and women in the audience, regardless of dress or sexual preferences, were laughing at this madcap adventure.   Check it out Friday or Saturday before it's too late.   

Special Guest appearance on April 30 by Beth Allin!

The Well of Horniness

By Holly Hughes

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name Shouts "MURDER!"

A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company announces their production of "The Well Of Horniness" by Holly Hughes, showing Prime Time, Friday & Saturday nights at 8:00 pm, at The Cornservatory Theater, 4210 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, Il.   Running through Saturday April 30, 2011. Tickets are $15.00 and $12.00 for Students and Seniors.

Under the table and over the top, ARFTCo presents “The Well Of Horniness" by Holly Hughes; a hilarious All Girl, All Good-Times High-Heeled Camp Radio Play! Follow the adventures of innocent, enticing Vicki as she struggles to escape the clutches of her lesbian sorority sisters, the Tri Delta Tribads! How does she become the unwitting accomplice to Murder when she meets the sensual and seductive Georgette? And what about these strange feelings and hidden desires that rage throughout her body? Tune in, turn on, and find out what dwells in.... THE WELL OF HORNINESS!

The show is directed by Samantha Garcia*, set and costumes designed by Tina Haglund*, props designed by Susan Gaspar*, stage-managed by Hazel Marie*, marketing by Steve Hickson*. The Cast includes Miquela Cruz*, Emily Friedrick, Susan Gaspar*, Liz Hoffman* Karen Shimmin* and Angela DeMarco*."

Opens April 8, 2011 and runs thru April 30, 2011, Fridays & Saturdays, at 8:00 pm at The Cornservatory Theatre, located at 4210 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL. Tickets are $15.00, $12.00 for students and seniors. Make reservations online at www.arftco.com, or call 773-418-4475. Group rates are available.

*Indicates A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company Ensemble Member

Check back in soon for ARFTCo's popular 5th season of The Original TV Reruns. 

Mellow Yellow Monday--Punk Kin Easter

Mellow Yellow Easter--We had a great, mellow Easter with family.   The Easter Bunny came in the morning and hid a bunch of eggs.    He's got a good sense of humor.   The kids cracked up to find eggs in creative places, like under the invisibility cloak in their Harry Potter Lego Hogwarts.

It's been a fun psychology study to see the kids' letters to mythical, magical creatures evolve as they age.   Now at 7 & 10 their questions to Santa, the Tooth Fairy and The Easter Bunny are really funny and fascinating.   They left him a plate of baby carrots with sparkly gel frosting and a cup of carrot juice.

The bunny wrote back and answered all their questions.   Our Easter Bunny's name is E.B.-Eggbert Bunnikins.    He could deliver carrots instead, but kids get disappointed.   Why doesn't a chick deliver the eggs?   Chicks are anarchists at heart--"egging" each other on and "laying" around, so if you want the job done right, you need a rabbit.

I'm happy they're not too old to love dying eggs.    Du-Jay made a hilarious yellow story egg depicting the Easter Bunny getting seen.

The kids found their baskets and loved their new DS games, candy and Cozy Hugs-real lavender stuffed pets you can heat up for aromatherapy/ a warm snuggle.    Sagezilla named her new friend Porkchop, AKA:   Piggy.    Du-Jay's lion is Lionel.

Click below for more Mellow Yellow Monday fun from around the world.

Theatre Town Low Down-Star Witness, Working

Chicago always has too many great choices for theatre.   Here are our two top choices of the week for a parent's night out.    We had a chance to see both and highly recommend checking them out before they end.

Star Witness at The House Theatre

I can honestly say I've never been to a show before this one, that moved the audience for a scene change, instead of the sets.    This show takes place in not one, but two theatres in the basement space at The House.   It begins with a small town kitchen scene, played out a theatre in the round, in The House's intimate Parlour space.   Then there's the swap and woods beyond, that require a journey from the audience as well as the main character.

The creative minds at The House impressed me at the door with a retro-art program that unfolds into a playable board game.   They even included game pieces and a red die for everyone.   It's unique touches like this that make The House Theatre stand out in a town brimming with great productions.

This mystery is loads of fun, with nods to Oz, ruby cowboy boots, a mad escape by bike, and quirky characters like a swap creature and a one armed man.   Star Witness ends May 7th, so catch it while you can.

March 27th, 2011 to May 7th, 2011

Written by Joe Meno
Directed by Sean Graney
A small town mystery. A girl gone missing. A police scanner with no answers. Star Witness is the story of Shelley, a nineteen-year-old waitress in the tiny town of Somerset, IL, hoping for something, anything to surprise her. When a local child disappears, Shelley and her foster grandmother Hazel steel themselves beside the police scanner, hoping for good news. But as tragedy begins to cloud the town, Shelley desperately searches the unfamiliar night for a glimpse of something that has kept its wonder. Sean Graney (Artistic Director and Founder of The Hypocrites) directs this latest collaboration with Chicago novelist Joe Meno (The Boy Detective Fails).

RUNNING: March 17 -May 07, 2011

SHOWTIMES: Thursdays → Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm

LOCATION: The Chopin Theatre Downstairs Theatre
1543 W. Division St., Chicago, IL

TICKETS: $25 BUY NOW or by phone at 773.769.3832
$10 Student and Industry rush tickets available at all performances pending availability one prior to curtain at the box office window.

Working at Broadway Playhouse at Watertower Place

I've always been a fan of Studs Terkel and consider him a Chicago treasure.   So it was a pleasure to see this celebration of everyday people in all walks of life, based on his interviews. 

If you're thinking of bringing the family, there is some language and a prostitute who is pretty candid about her line of work, but the bulk of the show is pretty appropriate for all ages.    We highly recommend checking out Working before the end of their run, June 19th.  

I also had a chance to stay after the show for a Terkel style "talk back".   There are a number of these scheduled throughout the run and it was well worth sticking around for. 

  

Learn about the WORKING Local Heroes program. 

Click here! 

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" 

-Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times 

"REMARKABLE! *** 1/2 stars (out of 4)" 

-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

WORKING is a vital new musical based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Chicago’s own Studs Terkel. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, PIPPIN and GODSPELL) from the original adaptation by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, WORKING is the working man’s A CHORUS LINE. A musical exploration of 26 people from all walks of life, with songs by all-star composers Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Tony Award™ winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and Grammy Award™ winning James Taylor. WORKING celebrates everyday people in a genuinely funny and touching way, portrayed by some of Chicago’s brightest stars including E. Faye Butler, Barbara Robertson, Gene Weygandt, Emjoy Gavino, Michael Mahler and Gabriel Ruiz. WORKING fills you with hope and inspiration and is the perfect musical for everyone who has ever worked a day in their lives. 

Did you all watch 190North on February 19? If not, click here to get a behind-the-scenes look at this musical!

Performances run through Sunday, June 19.

Ticket prices are $67.50 to $77.50. 

GROUPS OF 15 OR MORE ON SALE NOW! 

CALL (312) 977-1710 

Here's the official Working website.   Check it out for detailed show info.   Check out Broadway in Chicago for tickets.

Play Locally-Happy Earthday, Easter, & Talk Like Shakespeare Day

photo by chiILMama                                           Kenazworks 2011

Friday 

Happy Earthday! 

• There are a zillion great Earthday events going on nationwide.   Take a hike, enjoy some green space, help clean up a park.    Then make every day Earthday with some simple lifestyle changes.    Every little bit can make a big difference.   Use washable plates and utensils for meals, and when you can't, use plant based, biodegradables instead of plastic.    

• If you live in the Chicago area, check out The Nature Oasis  for excellent city wide, nature based programming for the whole family.   Many programs are free or low cost.   Activities include camping, canoeing, campfires, Toddlers-Tunes-and-Turtles events and more.

• Starbucks honors Earthday with free coffee all day when you bring in a reusable mug!   Click HERE for details.

Saturday 
April 23rd marks the bard's  447th birthday!   Check out this WEB SITE, Talk Like Shakespeare.org for some linguistic fun.   You can learn your thees and thous, print out a mask, and even play "Where's William".   Submit a photo of yourself in the bard mask for your chance to win an ipad.

Sunday
Happy Easter.   Enjoy time with family and friends and the coming of spring.  If you haven't had a chance to see Hop yet, it's a lotta fun.   Check out ChiIL Mama's review HERE.    We caught up with EB and the Pink Berets at Universal in Orlando last week, over spring break.    We'll have a full recap in the next few days as part of our green Eco-Orlando series.   For now, get a little sugar buzz goin', and have a hoppin' good time.

Chris Cornell at The Vic This Friday

Chris Cornell brings his sold out acoustic tour to Chicago's Vic Theater this Friday.  Insider word is they have one more limited batch of tickets to release between now and the show, so if you're still trying to score tixs, check the Vic's website early and often.   All ages welcome.

VIP Lounge backstage at Lollapalooza 2010-Wolfmother & Soundgarden-The music was amazing & we were all lovin' the ice cold, minty neck wraps in the August heat!

We've grown up with Soundgarden, Audioslave and Chris' solo work and it's been great introducing his music to our kids.   In fact, when Soundgarden played Lollapalooza 2010, both kids were back stage for the show.   Speaking of Lolla...we've mentioned it already this year, but tickets are on sale already and goin' fast.   Don't miss the 20th anniversary this August!   Click HERE for the 2011 Lolla line up and ticket info.


Check out Chris Cornell's main site HERE and catch him live at The Vic if at all posssible.   This is one show you don't wanna miss!   Follow Chris on Facebook and Twitter as he has his own adventures on tour with his young son, Christopher.   

Late Breakin' Thursday Fun

Got a chance to duck out tonight?   It's going to be a busy weekend with Earthday and Easter.   If all the coming eeeees leave you needing an enjoyable pre-weekend evening, check out the details below and have some fun.

Please join us on Thursday, April 21 at Landmark's Century Centre Cinema for a special screening of NEW GARAGE EXPLOSION!!: IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMES. Admisson is complimentary, but please arrive early as seating is first come, first served.

Landmark's Century Centre Cinema
2828 N. Clark Street, Century Shopping Centre
Chicago, IL 60657

Ticketing Starts at 6:00pm
Screening from 7:00 — 9:00pm

Please note that this invitation is not a guarantee of admission as seating is limited by capacity. No RSVP is required as seating is first come, first served.

Reputable purveyors of compelling niche music, Scion A/V has made it's first foray into feature-length cinema with NEW GARAGE EXPLOSION!!: IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMES, a gritty cross section of one of rock's most exciting subgenres—garage. After a brief nod to garage's humble beginnings amongst American youth in Detroit during the 1960s and its contribution and influence on '80s punk, the documentary focuses on the scintillating present. As it pans trans-nationally, the camera profiles artists like the late Jay Reatard, Black Lips, The Dirtbombs, Thee Oh Sees, Smith Westerns, Vivian Girls and many more in an attempt to understand not only the exponential ascent of garage rock's popularity but the reason these people feel so passionately about it. A wide-eyed glimpse into a musical movement, NEW GARAGE EXPLOSION!!: IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMES is as much about the music as it is about the people contributing to the distinct scenes of the San Francisco, Oakland, Detroit, New York, Memphis, Atlanta and Portland garage communities.

VBS directors Joseph Patel and Aaron Brown worked with producer/journalist Mike McGonigal to offer a particularly in depth examination of a multi-dimensional and often misunderstood slice of popular culture unfolding in front of us. NEW GARAGE EXPLOSION!!: IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMES is a candid snapshot of this magically vibrant moment in rock history, inspirational and brimming with DIY purity.

Madness in Miniature: An Hour of Cabaret, Puppetry, and Intrigue

Check out ChiIL Mama's review HERE.

Set in the opulent lower lounge of The Chopin Theater, this unique revue showcases Meredith Miller’s signature style of performance: drawing upon traditions of cabaret, puppetry, and burlesque, she brings to life hand-crafted props, puppets, and costumes to create an intimate, macabre, and darkly comical world of illusion, love, and loss.

April’s line-up showcases master story-teller Jason Adams performing astonishing feats of toy-theater—bringing to life magical worlds that emerge from a suitcase—and Emmy Bean with her gorgeous voice, tiny ukelele, and deep, dark secret!

Tying all this madness together is musical guest Nick Sula on the grand piano, playing live accompaniment and performing ragtime and jazz standards!

Click HERE for tickets!

Prichard at Quenchers- (9:00 tonight) 21+, $5 donation 

Dorian Taj (IL)

www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomdoriantaj

Slow Witch (IL)

Check 'em out here on MySpace

Big April Shower Of Give Aways-Don't Miss Your Chance To Win

April Shower Of Give Aways-Kanani, American Girl Doll of the Year, 10 Tickets, 6 CDs, 3 DVDs, and a T-shirt and signed sequel to Peter Pan by local author, Peter Von Brown (tickets are Chicago area-all other give aways are open nationwide)

Remember to enter HERE to win our great April give aways.    This month we have an eclectic assortment of DVDs for adults and "big kids" and an action packed, signed sequel to Peter Pan, NeverWorld, that stays true to the original.    Enter through midnight on April 29th.

We've already picked a number of our CD and ticket winners, but you can still enter to win a Family 4 Pack of tickets and/or Double Discs for Dreamtree Shakers at Beat Kitchen May 1st.   Enter through midnight April 25th-tickets & 26th-CDs.

• Anywhere USA
• Bob Dylan Revealed
• The Quiet Arrangement

We're also taking entries till May 31st, for your chance to win the American Girl Doll of The Year, Kanani from the island of Kaua'i!

We'll be running a number of features on Kanani and on Kaua'i for the next 3 months, 

to celebrate the launch of our new spin off, ChiIL Travel Kids

.   Check in often for updates.

Sage Ani and I have been invited to explore Kaua'i this June with The American Girl Ohana and we will be running a photo filled series on family friendly adventures here at ChiIL Mama, ChiIL Travel Kids, Chicago Parent and more.   Winner will receive an 18" Kanani doll and book.

Thanks for reading ChiIL Mama.   And good luck.

You can also read me at:  Chicago Parent, Dug Sound, 

ChiIL Live Shows, ChiIL Travel Kids and Twitter:  @ChiIL Mama

Win A Disc Wednesday Daddy A Go Go Winner Announced

“Grandparents are cool, beloved, and cherished, which is why on each of my CDs there are a couple of songs with shout-outs to them. I thought why not put some of those tunes together and share a little grandparental love?   

John Boydston

Congrats to Nicole F. who is our disc winner this week.   She and her family like to rock out to Mindy Hester & The Time Outs.   She's won the new release by Daddy A Go Go, Grandkid Rock.   Check out this "best of" CD that takes kindie rock into the next generation and beyond!   Older kids and parents will appreciate the rockin' riffs and pop puns.    Littles will have a great time playing air guitar and dancing in sweet celebration of their elders.   

DADDY A GO GO SAYS:
WHO NEEDS KID ROCK WHEN YOU’VE GOT 
‘GRANDKID ROCK’?

“Boydston brings a percussive beat and sly humor to songs like ‘I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons.’”– People Magazine
“The lyrics are pure kid, but parents will hear nods to the Eagles, the Dead and even proto-punks the Vaselines. End result: a perfect soundtrack for changing diapers, washing the minivan or just bopping around the kitchen." – Newsweek
“John Boydston celebrates kids and classic rock with slick '60s pop references, entertaining lyrics with a froth of good-for-you messages and feel-good, sing-along bounce.” – Los Angeles Times
"You gotta love the brains and instruments behind Daddy A Go Go -- John Boydston, a former CNN producer and current stay-at-home dad who came of age in rock's golden era and is now trying to re-create it for kids. He does it with his original songs, groaner pop culture puns, smart covers and ripping guitar lines ... Daddy A Go Go proves again that he's one of kids-music's rockin'-est rulers." – Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Multi-award-winning children’s rock and roll recording artist Daddy A Go Go, a.k.a. Atlanta stay-at-home dad John Boydston, enthusiastically announces the release of his eighth CD, Grandkid Rock (Boyd’s Tone Records, $11.99, run time 40 minutes, for ages 3 – 10).

A leading advocate for rock and roll in kids’ music, former CNN producer John Boydston has been “rocking out and raving on” for families since 1998.  The acclaim has been tremendous.  Five Daddy A Go Go CDs have made Amazon.com’s “Best of the Year” critics’ list.  

Come on, Get Happy (The Best of Daddy A Go Go, Volume I) was included this past November on the AOL Parent Dish “Top 25 Albums for Kids” list.

Monkey in the Middle and Mojo A Go Go were honored with the prestigious Parents’ Choice® Award.  The Washington Post credited Daddy A Go Go with helping change the face of kids’ music by moving “playroom tunes into the pop-rock era.”   Kids’ music authority Warren Truitt (About.com/Children’s Music) characterized Boydston’s albums as “full of puns, parental pop music winks, and headbanging riffs … John Boydston lets the jokes fly and the rock and roll thunder.”  

Daily Candy Kids declared, “Not some watered-down musician for wee ones, Boydston isn’t afraid to shred some serious guitar riffs.”

A “greatest hits” album comprised of 16 remixed tunes that John Boydston considers his “rockingest rockers” from six previous Daddy A Go Go CDs, Grandkid Rock cheerfully continues the Daddy A Go Go alterna-rock tradition of what Stomp & Stammer described as “upbeat, wildly entertaining rave-ups, sing-alongs and silly puns that have endeared the group to kids (and their parents) nationwide.” While Boydston’s most recent release, Come On, Get Happy, focused on softer songs for younger children, Grandkid Rock goes the other direction, rocking out for the bigger kids with lots of electric guitars, drums, driving rhythms and power chords.

Why Grandkid Rock? John Boydston explains, “Grandparents are cool, beloved, and cherished, which is why on each of my CDs there are a couple of songs with shout-outs to them. I thought why not put some of those tunes together and share a little grandparental love? I even re-tracked the lyrics on ‘I Caught My Daddy Watching Cartoons,’ making the old guy even older yet.”

Born in Oklahoma, John Boydston graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Masters in Journalism. He spent ten years working as a television news producer, making stops at CNN, WSVN, and WSB before leaving the news biz in the mid-’90s to become a stay-at-home dad, a move that set the scene for his rebirth as Daddy A Go Go.  All this happened when his sons were young, with the boys providing inspiration for many of the earliest Daddy A Go Go songs.  Boydston has never looked back.

Check out their web site HERE.