Prehistoric is the genre du jour for the House Theatre’s latest effort. It’s very “Clan of the Cave Bear” delivered with a cloying, Up with People vibe—a non-event posing as spectacle. Harsh words for an oft-praised company, but no amount of journalistic hype can disguise the creeping sense that the emperor has no clothes. Though the actors in the large ensemble are very good—particularly Carolyn Defrin, with her long, lean body, sleek aquiline nose and antler headpiece, looking like Cher in a Bob Mackie—there’s little in Stephen Taylor’s play or director Nathan Allen’s staging to hold your attention. For better or for ill, the House has been shoved into the stratosphere of high expectations where anything short of amazing is a disappointment. At best, the troupe’s current show is sweaty and occasionally funny. But twenty minutes in, it becomes tiresome. Even boring. (Nina Metz)
Funny Man from Chicago: A Preview of Damon Williams at Riddles Comedy Club Damon Williams has spent the past twenty-eight years building a reputation as one of Chicago’s smoothest funnymen, able to rock the house in top venues with predominantly Black audiences while also earning spots as a frequent guest on shows ranging from radio legend Tom Joyner's to WLS-TV’s long-running, recently cancelled talk show “Windy City Live.” These days, he’s best known…
