Steadstyle Chicago
June 2008 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
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Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day
Critical Evaluation: ** out of ****
Thomas J. Cox and musicians Kevin O’Donnell and Bob Lovecchio in Lookingglass Theatre Company's "Nelson Algren: For Keeps in a Single Day" at the MCA. Photos by Sean Williams.
As Lookingglass Theatre and MCA reach milestones in their existence in Chicago, they are partnering to present a new production of "Nelson Algren: For Keeps and a Single Day". Nine years ago, a short version of this was presented and this larger version on the stage of the MCA is more of a performance art presentation than a play. It is in fact the blending of the words of Mr. Algren, Chicago's "backstreet poet", with the jazz music written by David Pavkovic and Griffin Rodriguez and film by John Musial (who also directed the production).
The story is Chicago and the music represents the beat of the city, the soul of what we hear and what we see. This is a clever work, but not one that will appeal to everyone. It is a Multimedia portrait of the man using his works "Chicago: City on The Make" and "The Last Carousel" for the scenes we witness during the 90 minutes. The stories deal with Chicago and some of the stories will hold more meaning than others. We see Algren as a South side boy and experience his first love. We see him make the move to the North side, where as a White Sox fan, the Cubs fans make him play right field (where no one hits the ball) but see him become one of the boys. The stories deal with drugs, hookers and the faces of the city. The tempo of the music is the beat of our city and the readings are powerful as done by Thomas J. Cox as Algren.
If you are a fan of Algren, you will love what you see and hear. If you are a fan of Chicago and someone seeking more knowledge about the history of Chicago during the early 1900's and on, you will gain some knowledge and insight. If you are someone looking to experience performance art, this will satisfy the appetite, but if you are a theater buff or someone who wants a plot, you may walk away feeling unnourished. It may help to visit the display at The MCA of Art Shay's Chicago Accent. Shay was a close friend of Algren and ome of these photos will help give you a little more insight into Nelson Algren and who he was.
This production will run through June 29, 2008 at The MCA (Museum of Contemporary Arts), located at 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets range from $25-$55 and are available through the Lookingglass box office located at 821 N. Michigan Ave. or at The MCA box office, by phone at either 312-337-0665 or 312-397-4010 or online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or www.mcachicago.org. There are some $10 tickets for Tuesday nights, check for availability. Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Target Saturday matinees buy one get one free are subject to availability. Discount parking is available at Olympia Centre Garage at 161 E. Chicago Ave. Make sure to bring your ticket with you.
About Alan Bresloff
Alan
Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago
Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for
LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra
Newspaper and The EpochTimes. He also writes for ElImparcial
and TeleGuia. His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.
Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a
"reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater
itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical
and more.
"Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad. Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen. You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.