Are there Chicago audiences for gay theater that isn’t easy to swallow? How about for one-man shows by gay performers that straddle the line of monologue, performance art and concert? The night I saw Kevin Thornton’s “Sex, Dreams and Self Control, ” in town for only a fist-full of shows, the audience certainly was somewhere else. In all fairness, the 11:30pm start time on a Thursday evening may have had something to do with it, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen one man working in this genre threaten to outnumber the audience. In this case, it really is a shame. Thornton is engaging and funny and cute as hell as he recounts his journey from aspiring youth minister to rebellious homosexual with only himself, a microphone and a guitar. His web site compares him to a post-Smiths Morrissey, and in fact there are moments he opens his mouth to sing that you can hear it right away. The impressive versatility of voice shines brightest when he picks up the tempo, even when he is singing about handjobs after Bible study. There are a few more chances to catch Thornton this weekend at The BoHo Theatre at Heartland Studios. Gay audiences, this is our opportunity to prove we will support theater that doesn’t involve naked men, bars or Broadway in Chicago. (William Scott)
At BoHo Theatre at Heartland Studios, 7016 N. Glenwood , (866)811-4111, through May 9.
One For The Ages: A Review of “Nyra’s Dreams” at Chicago Dramatists “Nyra’s Dreams” is the story of Nyra, a naïve and effervescent young woman who leaps into different lives across time in a quest to achieve enlightenment so that her spirit may return to Dyavaprthivi, the divine realm that exists between Heaven and Earth.
Blown Away! A Review of “tick, tick...BOOM!" at Boho Theatre The work is a semi-autobiographical account of the life of its creator, Jonathan Larson, set between two major life events, the flop of his 1984 show “Superbia” and the success of his posthumous smash hit, “Rent.”
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