Good, bad and lukewarm.
The Woody Allen show is really fun. We've been reviewed by three publications...which an acheivement for a theater company that is generally perceived as an "improv" theater. We got a rave, a lukewarm and a pan. So we're affecting people and that's great. The bad review was from a critic who didn't appreciate all the liberties we took with the play. Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that because, as I've mentioned before, we took a dated, once funny, play and gave it what I've been calling "The Chicago Treatment". This particular critic and the paper that this particular critic works for has a bad case of "Second City Syndrome". (I just keep coining phrases.) Second City Synrome is the firm belief that we (Chicago) has something to prove to New York City. We don't. We are the theater and comedy capital of the world (ask Time Magazine and the London Guardian to name a couple). And one of the things we're great at and uniquely qualified to do is exploit the improv and sketch comedy community here in town to find fresh ways of putting shows on.
I think we're doing a totally unique show in a totally unique way. If Shakespeare can be "interpretted" a thousand different ways, why can't Woody Allen? Well, it can and anyone who says differently is short-sighted, snobby and doesn't know what the general public might enjoy.
The people I care about making laugh, they laugh hard. That's the young hip kids and young hip adults. That's the blue collar people who came in off the streets because of the bad review. Apparently the bad review points out some of the things we're doing that real people actually find interesting.
I'm really proud of my theater company, Chemically Imbalanced Comedy. I like the shows we have in the works. I like the direction we're headed. I like the opportunities that it is affording me. I like the people I work with. I enjoy the material we do.
I feel like I'm really in the mix now. We're getting reviewed. We're creating alliances. Building reputation. Getting recognized.
For the record, we are a theater that does COMEDY. That isn't strictly sketch or improv. It isn't strictly theater. For some reason, that idea baffles some and angers others. I was in a band for a while, "Los Shut Up". We were a band and a comedy group. Still to this day (we've been broken up for six months almost now), people say, "I thought you were a band." "We were." And then, "But I thought you were a comedy group." "We were."
Try to do something different and you confuse the easily confused.
I think we're doing a totally unique show in a totally unique way. If Shakespeare can be "interpretted" a thousand different ways, why can't Woody Allen? Well, it can and anyone who says differently is short-sighted, snobby and doesn't know what the general public might enjoy.
The people I care about making laugh, they laugh hard. That's the young hip kids and young hip adults. That's the blue collar people who came in off the streets because of the bad review. Apparently the bad review points out some of the things we're doing that real people actually find interesting.
I'm really proud of my theater company, Chemically Imbalanced Comedy. I like the shows we have in the works. I like the direction we're headed. I like the opportunities that it is affording me. I like the people I work with. I enjoy the material we do.
I feel like I'm really in the mix now. We're getting reviewed. We're creating alliances. Building reputation. Getting recognized.
For the record, we are a theater that does COMEDY. That isn't strictly sketch or improv. It isn't strictly theater. For some reason, that idea baffles some and angers others. I was in a band for a while, "Los Shut Up". We were a band and a comedy group. Still to this day (we've been broken up for six months almost now), people say, "I thought you were a band." "We were." And then, "But I thought you were a comedy group." "We were."
Try to do something different and you confuse the easily confused.
posted by Churchill at 1:21 AM
2 Comments:
I am proud of CIC too. The last three Screw Xmases were fun and an honor to be in.
I miss Los Shut Up. Floor wax/dessert topping factor. You guys should do a reunion tour.
I found out today that Los Shut Up is apparently doing the reunion tour. They're just doing it without me. Oh well. There's was a different sense of humor than mine. Much conflict arose from that.
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