3-18-05
BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL
Reprieved, reprieved! The curfew shall not toll tonight! An 11th hour settlement of the nearly three-year legal wrangle between producer Michael Cullen and restaurateur Joe Carlucci has saved the Mercury Theatre from the auction block. The choice property at 3741-3747 N. Southport houses Cullen's Bar & Grill and the Strega Nona restaurant in addition to the Mercury. The settlement was announced March 2, just days before the scheduled March 8 auction.
The agreement between Carlucci and Cullen, joint owners of the property, reportedly includes the introduction of new capital from an outside investor. The order also provides that the court will retain jurisdiction to approve costs and expenses of the court-ordered receiver, approve obligations of the parties, and ensure the proper distribution of proceeds from the closing. The closing of the agreement will take place by April 1.
Talk about a declaration of principles. The folks of the spanking-new Theatre 5.2.1. have a code of theatrical conduct that reads like a party manifesto: "We don't believe in regurgitating old work for the sake of our artistic selfishness or the gratification of a self-centered industry." No Shakespeare, Shaw or Chekov. No Mamet, Miller or Simon. Hell, not even any Brecht. The troupe only will do world premieres written anonymously (at least for the moment), with the scripts to be burned at the completion of the final show. Each show runs five weeks only, with two performances per week and a running time of one hour; thus, Theatre 5.2.1. What's more tickets are just $5.
So how do they expect to make a living? They don't, says artistic director Lewis Lane. "It's not about money. Anyone who thinks they're going to make a living in theatre in Chicago is mistaken." What if they have a hit? "We don't care if no one ever sees [our plays] again. It doesn't have to endure the test of time. What about royalties? "There aren't any royalties. The playwright's personal ego is not a concern. We don't care if people don't know who we are." Burning the script, they feel, "insures that their work remains fresh, hard-hitting and honest, providing a once-in-a-lifetime performance for the people who deserve it and all at an affordable ticket price."
We're not convinced that 10 performances and ashes guarantee work that remains fresh, hard-hitting or honest, but that certainly is the challenge the troupe sets itself with its admittedly-unique approach. Theatre 5.2.1. debuts at the Beat Kitchen March 18-April 16 with a musical, The Sleeper, a fable about a crooked landlord at war with the mice in his own building. The playwright is uncredited, but the composer is Dan Schiller. Does he have to burn the score, too? Will the musicians burn their instruments the way Jimi Hendrix used to do?
Those who have shaken the snows of 20 or more Chicago winters off their shoulders, and consider themselves Off-Loop Theatre veterans, may recall the glory days of Jamie O'Reilly and The Rogues, the ebullient Irish folk band that grew out of the close-knit Chicago theatre community, and played the pubs of Lincoln Avenue and the seasonal street fairs. While the group long ago went their various ways, they are reuniting for a May Day benefit for African Refugee Resettlement of Chicago (ARRC), to be held at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox (wheel chair accessible).
Besides lead singer Jamie O'Reilly (daughter of actor, producer and director James O'Reilly and Wyn O'Reilly), The Rogues were Tom Amandes, Paul Amandes, Peter Swenson, John Floeter and Stuart Rosenberg, and all will be present for the reunion concert. Tom Amandes made the move to Hollywood and has cut himself quite a profile as star of "The Untouchables" and, currently, "Everwood" on the WB. Back then, Amandes was a regular member of the ensembles at The Body Politic and Court Theatre.
The concert is at 7:30p.m.; $20; 312/458-0822 (24 hours). A reception follows the performance.
Funnyman Justin Kaufmann thought that if he sucked up to me I would plug his sketch comedy group, Schadenfreude, and tell fans everywhere that Schadenfreude's show on Chicago Public Radio has moved from Sundays at 8:30p.m. to Saturdays at 2p.m, right after "This American Life." Yeah, right, Justin, fat chance. It's like the lady at dinner with President Calvin "Silent Cal" Coolidge. "I bet my friend I could get you to say more than two words," the lady said to the Prez. "You lose," he replied.
Comings and—mostly—goings. Reginald Nelson, a co-founder and former managing director of Congo Square Theatre Company, has resigned from both the Board of Directors and the ensemble, citing "irreconcilable differences between myself, artistic director Derrick Sanders, and the Congo Square ensemble." Nelson, now based in Los Angeles, feels it's in his best interest to focus on his screenwriting and acting career. "I wish to express my deep gratitude to everyone who has helped Congo Square Theatre Company become a major part of Chicago's cultural landscape," he added.
Michael S. Pieper has stepped down as artistic director of the Boxer Rebellion Theatre Company after two years to pursue his expanding freelance directing career. In his two-plus seasons with Boxer Rebellion, Pieper staged seven shows and created the Martin de Maat New Works Festival. Managing director Kyle Hillman says a new artistic director will be named before the troupe's April 15 fundraiser, and that the current top candidate is a Chicagoan from outside the Boxer Rebellion ensemble. The company closes its season with Steven Dietz's God's Country, April 21-May 28.
After a scant two years on the job, Goodman Theatre literary manager Rick DesRochers quietly slipped away in November to assume the post of associate artistic director of the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. He'll be replaced starting April 11 by Tanya Palmer, who comes from the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she was literary manager and then director of new play development from 2000 to 2005. Palmer originally is from Canada. We guess she must have missed the snow.
Finally, two notable off-Loop Theatre board members have passed away in recent weeks, Alan Saks and Jack Turley. The always-gracious Saks and his wife, Esther, were Evanston residents who were instrumental in the success of Northlight Theatre (then the Evanston Theatre Company) in its early years. Together, they also were patrons, promoters and collectors of the visual arts. Chicagoan Jack Turley, a senior partner at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, was a member of the board of the St. Nicholas Theatre Company during its 1970's reign of glory. Turley's wife, Angela, also was a St. Nick board member. Alan and Jack were generous gentlemen, whose efforts helped establish Chicago's off-Loop theatre industry. They will be missed.