Second City's Iraqtile Dysfunction

That being said, the revue, which covers a variety of issues ranging from the political (Condaloleeza Rice’s fashion sense; prisoner abuse; relocation of the victims of Hurricane Katrina) to the personal (a couple abruptly finding themselves without television; another couple’s indecision about having kids), never quite takes off.

The first act suffers more from the blands, as the sketches, while well performed, generally don’t go anywhere unexpected. A couple who find themselves without TV suddenly realize that they don’t actually remember each other. It’s amusing and Antoine McKay and Claudia Michelle Wallace do it well, but it’s also been done before. A planning session for a kids carnival with former CIA operative Valerie Plame as one of the moms surprises us and is one of the better sketches.

In the second act, things pick up a bit. The disagreement about having children, while not one of the funnier sketches in the piece, does offer some of the most truthful acting. Three men returning from a male retreat that one has bought into a little too much is also a clever addition. Generally, though, most of the sketches offer a familiar situation pushed to the extreme, which can be an effective comedic device, but it leads to some disappointingly conventional humor. And the improvised section felt obligatory and, in the end, disappointing.

Of course, the audience, well served by Second City’s bar, loved all of it. Even when the writing slackened, the performances were crisp and well timed. While Iraqtile Dysfunction may not offer the best of Second City’s writing, it shows off the professionalism of its performers to good effect.

Iraqtile Dysfunction—Second City

Chris Jones, Tribune—“Much of the time, you can head over to Wells Street and find shows with little relation to the news. Not Iraqtile Dysfunction, a show so consumed by terrorism and international affairs, the inevitable anti-Comcast skit (and I’m for dinging them at every opportunity), seems strangely out of place. This show dines out marvelously on matters geo-political and is inclined to splutter elsewhere, especially in the second act.”

Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times—“There is one (and really only one) reason to rush out and see the new Second City mainstage revue, Iraqtile Dysfunction, and his name is Brian Gallivan. Though tall, lanky and unthreatening looking, beware: He’s got that tricky glint of mischief in his eyes. A secret charmer, to be sure. And a smart and subtle one at that… Sadly, the rest of this revue falls far short of the mark. This is pretty startling, given that anyone who sits down with a pile of newspapers and magazines these days (in other words, something a little more substantial than cable news) would realize just how much there is to question and satirize. But for the most part, this team settles for the easy fix.”

Lawrence Bommer, Reader—“The new mainstage revue, Iraqtile Dysfunction, is directed by Ron West. Brainy, well executed, and cleverly conceived, Iraqtile Dysfunction is unashamedly political, achingly funny, and topical with a vengeance, with plenty of brilliant improv.”

Nina Metz, New City—“Without question, the show’s epicenter is Brian Gallivan, who has a killer improv set as a chatty, effeminate airport customs agent operating somewhere south of the border. It is a priceless piece of comedy that morphs into another improv set that references the scene before it. It’s not a new concept really, but as laid out by director Ron West, it feels entirely unexpected.”

Jenn Q. Goddu, Free Press—“This Ron West-directed 92nd revue has all the markers of a typical Second City show: solid work from a cast seemingly made of silly putty and with an endless supply of characters they can tap in an instant, an immediacy of audience interaction in a few examples of actual on-the-spot improvisation and fleet-paced transitions. Yet now there’s a new energy and sass on stage. It helps that the songs interspersed with the sketches are so sharply funny and the ensemble is tight and consistently talented.”

Rick Reed, Windy City—“The press materials describe Second City’s 92nd revue as ‘amusing.’ For better or worse, that one word accurately sums up this fast-paced, clever revue, which delivers on the Second City tried and true mix of political satire, improvisation, and inspired nuttiness. I say for better or worse because this revue, while definitely worth the price of admission, lacks some of the bite and lunacy of previous revues. There are plenty of chuckles here, but no giddy flights of can’t-catch-your-breath laughter.”

The Fantasticks—Theo Ubique Theatre Company

Larry Bommer, Reader—“Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s musical rumination on the illusions of youth and love, based on Edmond Rostand’s Les Romanesques, is presented by the Theo Ubique Theatre Company. As direct and universal as Our Town, Jones’ and Schmidt’s musical just needs the right voices behind the right faces to work, and it has them in this tenderly crafted revival. There are a few longueurs in the work’s parody of thespian overkill, but overall a gorgeous score gets served hot.”

Much Ado About Nothing—Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Chris Jones, Tribune—“If it’s a warm, rich, funny, clear, accessible and thoroughly well-spoken production, suitable for the whole family, created with lush and bouncy mid-Atlantic values and performed with the sophisticated surety but cultural invulnerability of a Stratford afternoon tea, then this is the show for you… But if you crave a deep, risky, complex and counterintuitive exploration of a familiar text, a show in tune with the multiple disruptions in this profoundly ambiguous play, and with the aim of making you think about the play in fresh and new ways, I suspect you’ll either resist or be lulled into lethargy by some of what transpires here.”

Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times—“Yet in this production of a play in which Shakespeare supplies the most delicious verbal jousting by those positioned both high and low in the social order, the dialogue is too often delivered in a sing-song way. And while it is all accessible, too often the characters’ subtlety, irony and sophistication seem lacking. As with many recent Chicago Shakespeare shows, there is a sense that the play is being carefully ‘taught’ rather than fully lived.”

Justin Hayford, Reader—“Self-righteous, ruthless men treat women like trading cards in Shakespeare’s comedy. Believing the passive, innocent heroine has betrayed her betrothed, these men band together to humiliate her, then (so they believe) inadvertently kill her. Directors like Canada’s Marti Maraden who ignore the play’s problematic sexual politics might at least offer a giddy comedy about true love’s triumph over deception. But Maraden’s staging is so blandly pleasant, her characters so featureless (except for the truly funny clown constables), that it’s difficult to imagine why anyone would care about them even when trouble arises in act two. This is one production that lives up to its name.”

Fabrizio O. Almeida, New City—“From the sun-drenched Mediterranean courtyard and boysenberry-colored skies of designers Patrick Clark and Marcus Doshi’s beautiful Messina setting to the sprightly sparring between the Bard’s famously bickering Beatrice and Benedick, this Much Ado visually and temperamentally basks in a sunny disposition from start to finish. And since there are no radical reinterpretations to be found here, Shakespearean purists need not worry. This is a production that doesn’t bother with any deep explorations into the text’s more serious narrative strands of spurned love, male-bonding misogyny or cold-hearted parental rejection that have informed recent, darker stagings abroad.”

Lawrence Bommer, Free Press—“The title notwithstanding, there is much ado about a lot in this clear and present, swift-moving and awesomely competent production by renowned Canadian director Marti Maraden. Apart from the immediate victory of solid casting, she leaves nothing to chance, inspiring utterly persuasive performances from Chicago’s finest. Even the smallest character knows exactly what he or she is saying and why but, above all, without knowing what’s coming next. You may have seen this romantic comedy dozens of times (like this writer). Here you see it for the first time.”

Emily Lee, Gay Chicago—“Having the heart to be ridiculous is a brave and wonderful thing to do, allowing your audience the freedom to be the same. Newcomer Maraden understands this well, and she, along with Kelli Fox and Jim Mezon, both ensemble members of Canada’s Shaw Festival, deliver frolic with a vengeance. Committed solely and with overly generous egos to each and every moment Fox, Mezon and Maraden carry this show amidst some of Chicago’s finest talents, injecting a fresh and masterful energy. The result is a damn good time.”

Rick Reed, Windy City—“Canadian director Marti Maraden makes an impressive Chicago Shakespeare Theater debut with Much Ado About Nothing, staging one of Shakespeare’s most delightful comedies with the kind of perfection that makes one hope Maraden will become a familiar name around Chicago. Her interpretation of the play is dazzling, effervescent, witty, and contains nary a missed step.”

Oliver!—Marriott Theatre

Chris Jones, Tribune—“Nancy, Fagin and Bill Sykes—the colorful crew of the Dickensian musical Oliver—could just as well have hung out in some seedy Elizabethan tavern. So why not cast these roles with Shakespearean actors? That seems to be the idea behind David H. Bell’s stellar Marriott Theatre revival of the tuneful Lionel Bart perennial. Yes, it limits the Broadway-style flashiness of the show. But this kind of casting also transforms this musical from the typical family-oriented mixture of tuneful Dickensian clichés into something that digs far, far deeper. And therefore, it merits a northward drive for city-bound musical lovers.”

Jennifer Vanasco, Reader—“You’d think that Lionel Bart’s musical version of Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’s tale of redemption, would be amiable holiday fare. But much of the first act of director David H. Bell’s lackluster production drags: the musical numbers are sprightly, but the dialogue is flat. The show is almost worth seeing, though, for Greg Vinkler as a conflicted, fearful, wryly funny Fagin and Kate Fry as a vivacious Nancy with a will of steel.”

Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City—“The challenge of staging the 45-year-old Oliver! lies not in its elevated sugar-content, however, but the story barely tucked into the overwhelming jolliness. David H. Bell’s experience at directing classical drama is evident in his attention to text… Whatever the complaints as to its verisimilitude, there’s no denying the pleasures of Marriott’s production, featuring a high-calorie budget and a cast led by Greg Vinkler and Kate Fry. If weather precludes a drive into the city, suburban families will find plenty of warmth and merriness in Lincolnshire.”

Quote of the Fortnight:

“A show that makes Tony ‘N’ Tina’s Wedding look like Chekhov.”—Chris Jones reviewing The Awesome 80’s Prom in the Tribune.