Two weeks ago (darn blogging back-log!), Mer and I went out to Chicago to visit Sononmu and OrangeJoJo.  JoJo had bought us theater tickets months ago, long before we went on the double-mortgage social diet. Since the tickets were already bought, we took the trip, and made it into a three-day weekend to boot.

The trip to Chicago was without incident, except we made pretty good time because we did not stop to eat (we ate before we left home). We got to Chicago around 9:00 (Chicago time), and we chatted until 11:00 or so and went to bed. Mer and I had to close the door since one of Sonotmu’s cats (Aethelred) kept being really friendly. Normally, I love cats being friendly, but this was a smaller bed than I was used to, and Aethelred weights a lot. He was kicked out of the bedroom. The other cat, Bodica, tended to sleep on her own bed (or with JoJo).

Saturday I introduced Sonotmu and JoJo to the Wii, which made the trip with us. JoJo wins for the most disturbing Mii character (a Mii is like an avatar – a visual representation of yourself in the game). I wish I could take a picture of JoJo’s Mii, but it might frighten my readers. Sonotmu already had a Mii since I made it for him, since he, well, looks like me. Sonotmu and JoJo were pretty good at tennis (the main game we played), and they seemed to enjoy it.

Saturday afternoon we took the El downtown to 1650 N. Halsted to the Steppenwolf Theater to see the theater group 500 Clown. 500 Clown is a group of three actors/clowns that present plays interpreted by them through the use of sketch comedy, improv, clowning, and amazing physical stunts that are jaw-dropping. We went to see the 5:00 production of Macbeth. The amazing thing about 500 Clown is that they manage to tell the story they are performing despite using hardly any lines from the play. In an hour-long version of Macbeth, I would guess that about 10 minutes of the performance used lines from the original play. In the case of Macbeth, the crown that Macbeth wants descends from the ceiling and gets stuck about 15 feet off of the floor. Much of the rest of the play is made up of the three clowns trying to get the crown down. It is high energy and zany, and about 3/4 of the way through the performance, you realize they are still telling the story of Macbeth. There is still the struggle for the crown, and the killing of a trusting friend (clown). The stage falls apart just as Scotland does in the play. It was pretty amazing, and I recommend 500 Clown to anyone who gets a chance to see them.

After the play, JoJo offered to take us to see the 8:00 showing of 500 Clown Frankenstein.We happily accepted, and went across the street to a very nice Italian restaurant. We got the time wrong for Frankenstein, so we had a happy hour to spend where we walked to a chocolate cafe and had hot chocolate and chocolates. We made it back to the theater for Frankenstein with a few minutes to spare, so we were not rushed.

Frankenstein was much like Macbeth – the clowns managed to tell the story without using many of the lines from the book. Probably most thought provoking was when they took the fully healthy clown and accused him of being a monster. They “unleashed” him on us, the audience, and told us to shout “Monster!” and “Kill him!” and “Burn him!” Meanwhile, the clown kept protesting that he was a nice guy. I happily yelled along with the crowd – my improv training told me to “yes, and” the actors, so I supported what they were doing. Mer pointed out after the play that the audience was basically a mob, and the clown was a nice intelligent man who was being yelled at. Yes, it was a play, and there was no “mob,” but it was an effective way to get the mob part of Frankenstein across.

Both productions are worthwhile, but if you can only see one, I give the nod to Macbeth. I am prejudiced, in that I know Macbeth much better than I know Frankenstein, but I also thought the stunts and acrobatics in Macbeth were more exciting. Very much fun!

But the fun does not stop there! JoJo was kind enough to put together an Improvapalooza where their improv group (the Flying Buttresses) got together with another group and they invited me and Mer along to the practice. I got to be on the learning end of improv for the first time in six years, and it was a little intimidating. JoJo made us do an on-stage exercise where we had to instantly change character every time she wanted us to. That sounds easy, but after about the fifth change in thirty seconds, you start having to reach to find a character. Very interesting. JoJo did not get off entirely – Sonotmu directed a few exercises, and I introduced the group to one of my favorite games, Political Debate, where two people square off against each other in a debate where key words and ideas are supplied by the “ideas-men” on stage. It works very well. They did a nice job.

We left Sunday afternoon, and for some unknown reason there was an hour backup at the Indiana line (on a Sunday afternoon!). We passed the time by continuing to listen to Professor Weinstein tell us about American Literature in The Teaching Company lectures we have (we have been listening to the American Lit series for over a year – almost done!). We went to Mom’s place in Michigan, where we had a wonderful supper with Mom and Marc, and had a nice time visiting. We left Monday morning after sleeping in. We had a great time

Sonotmu is looking forward to our next visit!