Third Coast Creatives

The Factory Theater concludes its 26 th season with a world premiere production of Prophet$, written by Anthony Tournis and directed by Wm Bullion.   Chicago winters can challenge even the hardiest soul, so when spring finally arrives, locals search for reasons to laugh.   Prophet$ offers plenty of opportunities for audience to laugh off the cobwebs of winter. Eric Roach, Anthony Tournis, and Eric Wang In The Factory Theater's Production of Prophet$ Photo by Michael Courier It’s 1988 and a time of excess.   We meet a trio of down and out hustlers as they watch their latest scam, selling bootleg pornography tapes to teenagers, come crashing down. Vic (played by Tournis), and his hapless cohorts Seth Levy (Eric Wang) and Owen (Eric Roach), are trying to figure out what to do next.   As they watch successful TV Evangelist Leslie Good (Timothy Amos must have received his evangelical training in Slytherin), soliciting contributions from his virtual flock, ...

From April 5-7, the 9 th Annual Chicago Comedy Film Festival (CCFF) debuted over 85 short comedies.   The festival showcases films that range from low budget to studio quality, championing strong voices in comedic storytelling.   CCFF’s mission is to support comedy as a vital and influential art form.   For nearly a decade, CCFF strives to provide a vibrant platform for creatives from around the globe to network, share ideas and inspiration, collaborate and more. Through the years, several films that have played this festival have gone on to distribution, Netflix, or other platforms. Throughout the festival, venues were packed with filmmakers, friends, fans, and supporters of indie films.   There were Q&A sessions with the filmmakers at the end of each session.   In between showings, viewers discussed their favorites prior to casting their votes for the audience choice awards.   I came to the festival to see The Great Chicago Fire by s...

Playwright Shannon O’Neill’s newest work, May The Road Rise Up , is like a glass of fine Irish whiskey on a cool Chicago night - filled with character intermixed with smoky secrets.   This play is not what you may expect.   This is an Irish family drama where no one dies. Contrary to expectations, May The Road Rise Up is not dark and dreary, but rather infused with humor.   This Jeff Recommended world premier only reinforces The Factory Theater’s reputation as a hidden jewel in Chicago Theater. Vic Kuligoski, Patrick Blashill, and Loretta Rezos in May The Road Rise Up at The Factory Theater Production Photo by Michael Courier The story revolves around the Murphy family and their circle of friends.   They have suffered a terrible tragedy. Everyone in their small town knows what happened, even if no one (including the family) talks about it.   Rather than deal with the grief, both family and friends choose to slap a band-aid over the pain and let th...

For decades, Cole Porter was the toast of Broadway.   With successful shows such as Kiss Me Kate , Anything Goes , and Silk Stockings along with constant flow of hit songs cascading off his keyboard, just having Porter’s name on the marquis was a producer’s dream.   At the urging of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, Porter agreed to pen the score for a show set in Montmartre in the 1890s.   Written towards the end of his career, Can-Can was Porter’s “poke-in-the-eye” to the censors he felt were holding Broadway back.   With its latest production in its Porchlight Revisits series, Porchlight Music Theatre brings Can-Can , Porter’s irreverent homage to the wicked revelry of Montmartre to Chicago’s Gold Coast’s Ruth Page Center for the Arts for three high kicking performances.   Beginning its fifth year, this special series provides an opportunity for music theatre aficionados to experience musicals that opened on Broadway, but are no longer frequentl...

The winds may have been howling through Chicago’s downtown theater district, but mere weather wasn’t enough to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds that passed through the doors and lobby.   After all, they were joining the quest with one of the most popular heroes in young adult fiction.   The off-Broadway hit, The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical, launched its national tour at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre.   The winner of several Drama Desk Awards, the show is a musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s popular YA series, featuring a book by Joe Tracz and music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki. Unusual for a national tour, this action-packed theatrical adventure has most of its original cast intact. Kristin Stokes, Chris McCarroll, and Jorrell Javier in The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical Photo by Jeremy Daniel Percy Jackson fans are sure to find this musical adaptation far more enjoyable than the 2010 film version or the 2013 sequel.   The s...

The post-holiday weeks can be a challenge to even the hardiest of Chicagoans.  Readjusting back into your “normal” schedule, somehow hampered by a few extra pounds that appeared from nowhere can be a challenge.  Add in the chill of the January wind and it makes you want to stay home and hibernate until the annual call for the pitchers and catchers.  Cruel as Chicago’s winters can be, the City offers surprise treats to those who dare to search for them.  How about City Winery, the unique and intimate facility in the West Loop that pairs delicious foods and wines with fantastic live music.  There are few better pairings to City Winery’s gastronomical offerings than Paris Combo , an eclectic musical group based in Paris France.  The musically devious Parisians will be showcasing songs from their latest studio release, Tako Tsubo , as well as favorites from their previous six albums.  Paris Combo brings their 2019 U.S. Tour to City Winery for one nig...

Inclement weather and holiday mayhem resulted in a series of scheduling audibles in the week before Christmas.   Completing what tasks I could, I found myself with the choice of battling holiday traffic home or find something else to do until the traffic dissipated.   I decided to treat myself to an off-Loop show.   After a quick internet search, I decided to check out the Otherworld Theatre’s world premiere of Joseph Zettelmaier’s The Winter Wolf .   I’m glad I did. Shariba Rivers and Molly Southgate in Otherworld Theatre's The Winter Wolf Photo by Steven Townshend It’s Christmas Eve in Cora’s house.   She’s visited by her beloved grandfather, a man of high spirits and failing health.   They sit around the fireplace as he tells her the legend of the Winter Wolf, a strange creature who serves as Time’s hunter, stalking those who are in the winter of their lives.   That night, the Winter Wolf comes for Cora’s grandfather, but the young girl ma...