Gay, African-American author E. Lynn Harris has turned his talents in a new direction, penning his first play, a musical adaptation of his novel, Not A Day Goes By. Designed to have a spiritually uplifting message, the work tells what happens when lies, deceit and betrayal meet fear, lust and greed, all of which sounds to Jonny like a match made in Heaven for a set of Hell-bound character traits. Not A Day Goes By will stop at the vast Arie Crown Theatre for a week, March 9-14, as part of a five-month national tour featuring TV personalities Jackee Harry (from Sister, Sister), Trenyce (from American Idol) and Gary Owens (from BET's Comic View). For ticket info: (312) 791-6190.
Theatre Entropy will return to Ohio next September as the lone Chicago representative in the Columbus National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival. Theatre Entropy came into being in 2002 for the sole purpose of taking a show to the last Festival. This year, the company will mount (pardon the expression) Making Peter Pope, a play by Edmund De Santis. Festival organizers tell Jonny that About Face, Bailiwick and GayCo theaters requested applications to appear but did not return them. So Entropy rules the roost.
The Festival may be short on Chicago GLBT theater, but the two dozen participants include several Wisconsin neighbors, among them Elizabeth Whitney, who will take her work Pop Culture Princess to Columbus. Milwaukee-based Whitney currently is appearing in Chicago with the gals from Dyke Mic.
Meanwhile back in Chicago, Theatre Entropy plans to stage an adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, May 14-June 5 at Live Bait Theatre. The troupe also will stage Making Peter Pope here following the National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival.
'Upon entering Circuit at 7 p.m. food and drink will be served amidst a sea of dancers, twirlers, body builders, gymnasts, underwear models pulsing with the pent up energy of the late winter months. At 8 p.m. it's show time, and the temperature definitely will rise. Dancers ... fire eaters, jugglers, tumblers ... the esteemed Babes with Blades and the cast of Naked Boys Singing ... .' If this sounds like your cup of tea, you might enjoy Cirque du Salacious this Saturday (March 6). VIP admission is $50 (preferred seating and two drinks); general admission is $25 (one drink). The beneficiary is the Bailiwick Summer Pride Series. Oh, yes: at 10 p.m. Cirque segues into Strip Search, whatever that is. Jonny can only fantasize. (773) 883-1090.
As if the dance world isn't gay enough already, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is going to make it even gayer with its March 21 Celebrity Cast Party, a special event specifically for the gay community. The 3 p.m. performance at the Harris Music and Dance Theatre will feature three full-company works: Trey McIntyre's new Full Grown Man (set to music by Beck), plus Marguertie Donlon's Reverse Deconstruct and Minus 16. The post-performance party at Hotel 71 includes heavy hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and co-mingling with HSDC dancers. Tix for performance and party are $85-$100; (800) 882-4275.
Caught in the Act Productions has figured out that it's been six years since anyone in Chicago staged Martin Sherman's very gay World War II drama, Bent. So caught in the act is doing it March 11-April 11 to mark the play's 25th anniversary. A portion of all proceeds from the run will be donated to Test Postive Aware Network. Bent will play at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division. Tickets are $15; (773) 593-2862.
Jonny is delighted to report that one of the world's most special people, the inimitable Andre de Shields, returns to Chicago to appear in Proof at the Goodman Theatre, March 27-April 25. As any Broadway queen worth the name can tell you, Mr. de Shields created the title role in The Wiz, and has appeared in many other Broadway shows, earning two Tony Award nominations, most recently for The Full Monty. While best known for his work in musical theater, the former Chicagoan (who started with the Organic Theater here) is a skilled dramatic actor as well, as he will demonstrate in the non-musical Proof.
Out Chicago playwright Joel Drake Johnson will be part of a panel this Sunday (March 7) at American Theatre Company, Voices from the Heartland: Writers from Small Towns. Johnson will be seated with fellow playwright Brett Neveu and novelists Joe Meno and Richard Babcock. The panel is at 5 p.m., tickets are $5; (773) 929-1031.
