They Might Be Giants--But They Looked Pretty Short From The Balcony!

We just saw a rockin' awesome TMBG show Saturday afternoon, where they packed the 1,000 seat Vic Theatre.   There were multiple drum kits,

lots of confetti blasts,



snarky sock puppets,



and a range of eclectic instruments, including a penny whistle, accordian, bass sax, and clarinet.

 
From the opening notes of "Never Go To Work", to the close of the second encore, our all time favorite,"Istanbul, Not Constantinople", the Vic was vibrating to the ornate ceiling with dancing parents and kids of all ages.   Boy have they grown.   But they're still not too big to be good sharers, and let others play with their toys.

Back in the year 2001, our son was born and we embarked on what we jokingly called "2001:   A Baby Odyssey".   They  Might Be Giants were on a similar path, with the 2001 recording of their first children's album, "No!".

In the intervening 8 years, they've popped out a family of 4 alternative, kidcentric discs, to educate and entertain, a fun, bedtime compilation, and podcasts that rock our world.
  

When we heard, in 2002, that TMBG had put out a kids album that wasn't all lullabies and 10 verses of wheels on the bus, we were all over it.   As young adults, in the 80s, we had danced to They Might Be Giants' alternative rock, and were alternately amazed an annoyed by their unusual compositions.   Most of the annoyed part came from those catchy tunes we couldn't get out of our brains.   I like to call it my brain's "screen saver".   Those crazy tunes like "Anna Ang", "Don't Let's Start" and "Dr. Worm" still have a way of popping up on auto play, whenever I'm not actively thinking of something else.

Then in 2003, we gave birth to future rock star, Sagie Contagious, and TMBG released the fantastic 4 story/4 song, hardback book and disc combo, "Bed, Bed, Bed".    

In 2005, "Here Come The ABCs" came out, and we saw them in concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music around then, with our two and four year olds in tow.   The small auditorium wasn't crowded, and just a hand full of kids were dancing down in front.   We laughed about the "kiddie mosh pit", and they gave us a big, orange foam, They Might Be Giants hand, like you see at sporting events, for free.  We cracked up at the antics of the "Deeply Felt Puppets", and bought our toddler a size 8-10 "No!" shirt, being thrifty, so he could wear it for a few years.   It still fits our 3rd grader...but just barely!

Then,  "Here Come The 123s", took off like a bottle of soda shaken up by a toddler, and blasted all the way to the top, winning a 2009 Grammy for Best Children's Album.   How do you top that?   It's elementary, my dear.   You use the scientific method.   Saturday's XRT concert took us on a nostalgic trip back through all of TMBGs phenomenal kids discs, including a number from their impressive newbie, "Here Comes Science".   Their intelligent humor and rocking riffs will have parents and kids laughing and learning, without even trying.

When we were children of the 70s, the only giants resided at the top of bean stalks and ground trespassers' bones to make their bread.   When we were small, discs weren't invented yet, and the booming genre of intelligent, funky, fun kids music was unheard of.   Our kids have grown up with They Might Be Giants as an integral part of the sound track of their childhoods.   And we're mighty glad they have.


Check out their excellent web site for the hot off the presses "Here Comes Science", featuring 19 new songs and videos that feature a fun, creative way to look at science.  The TMBG site also has detailed info about the band's past history, future plans and even podcasts......for headphone sporting anteaters.   They have merch and tunes there, so silly they'll make your face hurt.   

(Here's Du-Jay's new tee from the show, since he has to kick his "No!" shirt to Sagezilla.   It's a small adult size, so I hope he'll get 4 years of wear out of this one, too.)

Yeast Nation: And a Tale of a Jeff, 2 Tonys, a Greg, a Mark, and a cast full of Jan's

Barbara Robertson

Photo by Michael Brosilow

ChiIL Mama had a hilarious, kid-free afternoon, exploring the primordial ooze, at American Theatre Company.   And I'm happy to report that Jeff recommended Yeast Nation has been extended through November 8th, due to record sales weeks and great reviews.

This quirky rock musical explores the emotional and physical quagmire of a colony of yeast, at the beginning of time.   Though all the characters are single celled beings, they are multifaceted.   Humans will relate to the desperation over lack of resources, overpopulation, and hunger.

Humans of this century are not so different from the yeast, where the royal family keeps secret stashes of salt, while the masses starve.   Yeast use blackmail to ensure complicity and manipulate unwilling dates.   A certain subset of humans will also relate to the two yeast who bring the beautiful girl "a fatty from their secret stash" in order to impress her.   Even the age old battles of religious prohibitions and stasis versus progress and free thinking, manage to surface.   

I was eager to see Yeast Nation, as I've been a fan of Greg Kotis and his wife Ayun Halliday, since the early 90's when they were weekly staples in The Neofuturists production Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind.   Back before they had their own building, we'd line up at The Live Bait Theater on Clark Street and the actors would pass out a deck of playing cards, because the deck equaled the number of seats available.   And when they sold out, which they inevitably did, they ordered out.   The pizza would arrive at the end of their 30 plays in 60 minutes, and would be shared by all.

Greg, Ayun, and Greg's co-author, Mark Hollmann defected to The Big Apple years ago.   Lucky for Chicago, we still have a soft spot in these New Yorker's hearts.  Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, who won 2 Tony awards for their irreverant musical,  Urinetown, came back to embrace their roots in the local theater scene, and make Chicago a funnier place this fall.

Thank you Greg and Mark, for attempting something that seems like an impossible dare.   I'm reminded of improv. class challenges, and can just hear you egging each other on over beers.   In my brain, the fictional dialogue goes something like this.

"Hey, Mark.  I bet you can't create an entire musical starring nothing but single celled organisms."

"Oh yeah?   Well, I accept that challenge, Greg, but on the condition that you write it containing 9 characters all named Jan."

This challenge was not only attempted, but fulfilled admirably.  

Jan the Unnamed Barbara Robertson
Jan the Elder Joseph Anthony Foronda
Jan the Second Andrew Keltz
Jan the Sweet Melanie Brezill
Jan the Wise Phil Ridarelli
Jan the Sly Sandie Rosa
Jan the Wretched/Jan the Youngest Bernard Balbot
Jan the Famished Wendi Weber

This production of Yeast Nation (The Triumph of Life), is technically being called the "Midwest Premier", since Yeast Nation was work shopped extensively, in different incarnations and locations, and performed as a full blown production in Alaska.   However, it still counts as a new musical, in my book, since it's never been seen with this full musical score before.

There was only one child in the audience, Saturday afternoon, but ACT recommends Yeast Nation as kid friendly for the 8 and up set.   Despite the catchy score and singing, dancing yeasts, younger children might find the content a bit over their heads or scary.   Nothing is particularly inappropriate for children, but characters are murdered and lofty themes are explored, reminiscent of classic Greek theatre.

Contact the American Theatre Company box office for detailed production information and tickets.

Chicago Children's Theatre's World Premier of The Hundred Dresses Impresses

Sunday, I took my two junior critics to see The Hundred Dresses, presented by Chicago Children's Theatre.  It passed both the gender and age tests, and got a resounding cheer and two little thumbs up, from my 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl.

This production is Chicago Children's Theatre's most ambitious undertaking to date, and they rose to the challenge admirably.   The acting, sets, and costumes are all fabulous.   And the musical itself is extremely entertaining, enlightening and well written.

Natalie Berg and Leslie Ann Sheppard, were especially impressive.

Even my actual third grader, Dugan, declared those two made the most convincing 8 year olds.  That's not an easy feat for adults to pull off.

 Chicago Children's Theatre has been a favorite of ours, since January of 2006, when we saw their excellent, inaugural production of A Year With Frog and Toad.   Now they've embarked on another first, with the world premier of The Hundred Dresses, a musical by Ralph Covert (of Ralph's World fame) and G. Riley Mills, based on the 1944 children's book by Eleanor Estes.

Although Eleanor Estes died in 1988, her daughter, Helena Estes, was able to come to the press opening last Sunday, to see the contemporary offspring her Mother's award winning book gave birth to.    Although 65 years have passed since Estes published her Polish immigrant tale, bullies have changed little, and The Hundred Dresses is still timely.   With a compelling sound track, colorful characters, timeless themes, and a necessary message, The Hundred Dresses musical is sure to become a classic.

One of our favorite aspects of this premier production, was the interesting choice to bridge the decades between the present and the original book, with an inclusive array of visual and musical choices.   The little red school house hearkened back to simpler times.   Sketches for the 100 dresses looked like 1940's Vogue patterns.    Then the rich girls' dresses, bobby socks and saddle shoes were vintage 1950's.

The retro lunch boxes were straight out of the mid 70's.   In fact, I got a nostalgic kick out of the fact that I had the same lunch box as the Peggy character, in my childhood.   Miss Mason, the teacher's holiday costumes were this millennium, as were the recent musical choices of the opening band, like "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips.

This is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, October 4-10th.   So, what better time for Chicago Children's Theatre to launch their run.   It's estimated that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day, as a result of being bullied.   So, Estes original message of bullying and it's concequences is still timely, and as necessary as ever.   There are still many children who are cruel to new immigrants, those with less money, or those a little different.   And it's eye opening to many children to realize that teasing and taunting, or even standing by and allowing a bully to continue unchallenged, can be just as harmful as bullying in a physical way.

The show skillfully touches on common ways boys bully, with the humorous song, "Willie Bounce", which recounts physical bullying, threatening, and lunch theft.   The two male characters also provide levity to a serious subject, and make sure The Hundred Dresses won't only be relevant to the princess set.  Willie's bumbling antics and amusing costumes, which included cowboy, robot, Superman and Tiny Tim, add comic relief and amused parents and children alike.

The girls' bullying runs throughout the production, and takes the more subtle, and often more destructive, bent of psychological games.   Childhood is a time of playfulness and wonder, well captured by the giant swing set and playground games, in this production.   Childhood is also a time of great cruelty, lessons in negotiating friendships, peer pressure, fitting in, and ultimately, great compassion.    If even some of the children who come to see The Hundred Dresses leave with the strength to recognize and reign in cruel behavior and words in themselves, and challenge those actions in others, then Chicago Children's Theatre has performed a great service.

 In the lobby, before the show, children can color dresses or boats that may be used in future productions.

Children can also enter to win a "Chrissa" Doll (2009 Girl of the Year, who experienced bullying) courtesy of American Girl Theater, or purchase The Hundred Dresses book and related toys.  

The interactive atmosphere continues inside during seating, as an opening band plays upbeat favorites from the 1950's to the present.  Characters roam the audience, encouraging goofy 50's and 60's style dance moves, and chat one on one with kids.

In the lobby, directly after the show, cast members are available to meet the audience and sign the all important autographs.

 My kids treasure all their signed programs, and when they dress up and put on productions at home, the plays always end with autographs.   Despite the traffic jam it caused, the kids were thrilled that the actors continued that noble tradition.

As we posted last week on ChiIL Mama, children are encouraged to share their stories about bullying on line by emailing them to shareyourstory@chicagochildrenstheatre.org where they will select some for posting each week. Also available on the website is an extensive down loadable study guide, as well as interviews with director Sean Graney and members of the cast of The Hundred Dresses.

Today, we got the excellent news that their run has just been extended till November 8th, due to popular demand.   Shows are at The Royal George Theatre Mainstage and run Tuesday, Wednesday (10/21, 10/28 and 11/4) and every Thursday and Friday at 10:30a.m.   Weekends, shows run Saturdays and Sundays at noon and 3p.m.  

School group discounts and discounts for birthday parties of 10 or more, are available through GroupTixs, with details on line.

Look For ChiIL Mama This Weekend: Riot Fest, Veganmania, Northpark Nature Center Harvest Fest, They Might Be Giants Family Show, Gustafer Yellowgold

Chicago's Riot Fest turns 5 this year, and most of the fans of these predominantly 80's punk bands have spent the last few decades reproducing.

 

We'd hoped to catch up with some of the band members who are punk parents, for a ChiIL Mama feature, but Riot Fest had an extremely limited amount of press passes available.   Nevertheless, we plan to see 7 Seconds at Beat Kitchen tonight, and may make it over to Metro or Congress Theatre during the 5 night run, as well.

In 1996, when Chicago natives, Naked Raygun, reunited for Riot Fest, the band members brought all of their kids out on stage in various kid sized Naked Raygun tee shirts.   Their offspring ranged from toddlers to teens.   We've also run into 88 Fingers Louie's lead vocalist, Denis, with his young son, at Pitchfork and Riot Fest.   I'm interested to see these punk progeny in years to come.   Will they rebel and become Republican accountants, or build on their musician parents' past and take punk and hard core in a whole new direction.

The first year of Riot Fest, we saw The Angry Samoans and found kid sized tees for both Du-Jay and Sagezilla.  The band scours thrift stores for fun shirts and silk screens Angry Samoans in red across the recycled tees, for xtra cool, one of a kind creations. 

In later years, medium adult tees were the smallest, we could find.  But we expanded the kids punk rock wardrobes with tees from Naked Raygun, Blue Meanies and Bollweevils.   




Several years ago, we saw 7 Seconds at Metro and were surprised to run into 3 different parents there, we knew from playgroups, not punk shows.   Their kids ranged from 2 year olds to teens, graduating from high school.   We were amused when Kevin Seconds appropriately broke out a newer song, with the lyrics "this is your parents' hard core."

At past Riot Fests, we have seen quite a few 30 and 40 something punks introducing the bands of their formitive years to their children.  Despite a listing of "all ages" for most of the shows, Riot fest is better suited for kids who are at least teen agers.   But if you have a teen at home and remember livin' in the 80's, The Aragon Brawlroom, and the heyday of Chicago punk rock, this is a slice of nostalgia your teens just might embrace.   If we can walk together, why can't we rock together.

Saturday morning, ChiIL Mama will be at the biggest vegan party Chicago has ever seen.   Veganmania is coming to Pulaski Park Fieldhouse from 10-4 on October 10th.   Despite the manic name, our organizer friends have promised no hard sell conversion tactics will be leveled against mere vegetarians or.......gasp...........omnivores.    So whether you are hard core vegan or just like to eat a bit healthier and support local small businesses, Veganmania will be a tasty treat.  

Admission is free, and you’ll get 5 free “Grub Stub” tickets redeemable at any food booth just for walking in the door.   Early birds get the swag bag, loaded with wonderful vegan products, for the first 100 people (age 16 & over) to show up.  Veganmania's the place to be, for food samples, live bands, DJs, great speakers and a children's craft area. Check their website for a rundown of all the vendors.

Then we're off to Northpark Nature Center for their 18th annual Harvest Fest, running 10-3pm Saturday and Sunday.   We always enjoy Mark Kater's macabre storytelling, live music, the farmer’s market, hiking in the woods, and seasonal food and refreshments for sale.   However, the highlight of Harvest Fest is always the impressive scarecrow building contest.
 

We won a pumpkin last year, and a coveted buckthorn and corn husk ribbon with MOST CREATIVE
 engraved with a wood burning tool.   Here's our "Bad Dorothy", complete with beheaded lion, tin man and scarecrow, and Toto in a basket.   This year we have scarecrow Harry Potter and Hermione planned. 
 

Straw is plentiful, and wooden crosses to stake up the scarecrows are provided, along with string and huge piles of donated clothing.   Contestants can bring their own props and costumes or use the materials there.   I'd highly suggest bringing your own Sharpies.   The available markers are always a bit questionable.   Entrants are encouraged to take their scarecrows home.

Saturday afternoon at 4PM, They Might Be Giants rock the Vic Theatre with a family show.   They were awarded a 2009 Grammy for Best Children's Album for "Here Come the 123s".  We hope to post a full review of the show, as well as their upcoming kids' release, "Here Comes Science".   We've been laughing and learning with TMBG since the kids were toddlers, and are fervent fans of their podcasts.

Finally, Sunday at 11AM, ChiIL Mama will be rockin' out at Schuba's Tavern, with award winning entertainer, Morgan Taylor, and his cartoon creation, Gustafer Yellowgold, an alien from the sun.   We're looking forward to the multimedia show, featuring live music and minimally animated illustrations.

Look For ChiIL Mama This Weekend: Whoop De Doo, Home Depot, The Hundred Dresses

It is our pleasure to invite you to join us at the Experimental Station on Friday, October 2, 5-10pm, for Whoop De Doo ,a faux-public access, traveling kids show.  We will collaborate with the Experimental Station, the Smart Museum, and Chicago TV's Chic-a-go-go!   Whoop Dee Doo will be bringing this kid-friendly show to the South Side for one evening only.

Whoop Dee Doo features pre-planned performances accompanied by active audience participation. Structured like a high school talent show, Whoop Dee Doo highlights a diverse array of performers from the community in which it temporarily resides, and engages audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Program components have also included skits, game shows, contests, and dance intermissions. 

This event is free and open to the public. Audience seating will be limited. Kids and adults in costume will be given seating priority.

Whoop Dee Doo has performed with such venues as the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Deitch Projects in New York, Rocket Projects in Miami, and our most recent show was with Loyal Gallery in Malmo, Sweden.

Our performers ages have ranged from three years of age to sixty-five, and acts performing on the show itself have ranged from professional drill teams to opera singers, break-dancers, Celtic bagpipers, drag queens, punk bands, science teachers, tap dancers, and dog trainers. We have highlighted twelve year-olds in game shows on the same stage as Amanda Lapore, and pancake-eating contests follow live R&B music videos in-the-making. Civil War re-enactors cut off faux bloody limbs as educational tools, while West-African dance troupes, bloodhounds, and Christian Mimes await their turn on stage.

One of Whoop Dee Doo’s main goals is to promote diversity in every show and display talent from all ages, backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities, often times collaborating. The unlikely combination of performances and bold set design creates a fantastically original experience.

Whoop Dee Doo has brought together hundreds of members of the community, and has a place for anyone and everyone to contribute. Because it is a kid-friendly show, Whoop Dee Doo embraces a huge range of tastes and sensibilities, which strips away all divisions between high and low art. Whoop Dee Doo is a truly inclusive event, it invites a cross-generational dialogue, and the project itself blurs the lines between curating, art-making, performance and community, without sacrificing content for the project to be made more accessible.

This is the first Saturday of the month, which means Home Depot Kids Workshops from 9-noon.    Come on by and make a firehouse bank.  

All workshops are free.

Finally, Sunday afternoon we're looking forward to reviewing The Hundred Dresses by Chicago Children's Theatre.   It's on The Royal George Theatre Mainstage for a limited run, from Sept. 25 - Nov. 1.

The show is a new musical by Ralph Covert (Ralph's World) & G. Riley Mills, based on the Newbery Honor Book by Eleanor Estes and recommended for ages 6 and up.

Check out Chicago Children's Theatre's Website for interviews, video excerpts, and show study guides for teachers.  There's even a blog for children to share their personal stories of experience with bullies.  Here are the details from their site.

Share Your Story

Have you ever been a Maddie, a Willie Bounce, a Peggy, a Wanda, or a Jack? Have you ever had an experience with a bully, either as a target or a bystander? Tell us about it, and we'll post some of them on our blog for the whole Chicago Children's Theatre community. Everyone has an experience to share. We especially want to know:

- What did you do?
- What do you wish you had done?
- What will you do next time?

Each week, we will select a few submissions to post on our blog. Email your stories to shareyourstory@chicagochildrenstheatre.org, and view other stories at http://www.chicagochildrenstheatre.org/blog. Be sure to check back each week for more stories, including submissions from the cast and crew of The Hundred Dresses!

The Hundred Dresses is the perfect complement to the elementary curriculum, based on the Newbery Honor Book by Eleanor Estes. Give your students the opportunity to see the story come to life on stage! We also provide student discussion guides, bullying prevention tips and post-show talk backs. For more information or to book tickets, call GroupTix at 877.447.7849, or visit them online.