Chemically Imbalanced Comedy

Anthony, critic of critics.

2009-03-06T10:05:00.002-06:00

By Anthony Ellison

After some small glitches with preshow technology, about a half dozen or so Satans (in requisite red and black and gothy makeup) appear onstage and start in on you. As we?re trying to take lightly the ominous pronouncement to ?sit back because you don?t have any choice? while the world is crumbling outside, the fact becomes irretrievably clear: We're trapped. No, really. We. Are. Trapped.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE
- Megan Powell Timeout Chicago

I nominate Megan Powell to speak for us when the world is, at last, confronted by Satan. She will defeat the devil with words!! She is clearly prepared to give him a piece of her mind concerning his over-done “look”. Red face paint? Yeah right, Satan, you’re gonna have to do more than that to scare us…and Megan Powell, slayer of the Dark Prince.
And it’s cute to me (Outside intentional humor) that you tried to pin down THE Megan Powell, Critic Empress of God (God’s future wife), to the general populous by grouping her in “you people”. You silly demons! She is not part of us. She is but an extended limb in the literary defenses of Jesus Christ. You’re lucky you didn’t burn into a pile of ash when you called her “shithead”. You think you’ve seen shit? You don’t know shit about shit, until you’ve seen God shit. It’s made of screaming white gold and it blinds you if you are impure.
But what pains me the most is the fact that even the Viaduct is not safe from Satan’s bombing stand-up routines. Thank the heavens that we had Megan there. Cause it’s not like we didn’t know what we were getting into when we went to a Satanic Awards Show.

Join us every Friday for this new satirical series by Sponsored Troupe Member Anthony Ellison. You can see Anthony perform with Counter Productive Lover in our Comedy Showcase. Check www.cicomedy.com for listings

Stage Shot

2009-03-05T09:47:00.002-06:00

As we get closer to the opening of our show Cartoon we have been sharing some of the behind the scenes looks of the show.

Here is a short video of the blood devices that will be used in the show. Brian Kash (Artistic Associate and cast member) shows us.

Blood design by Artistic Associate Nathan Petts

Seeking Production Intern

2009-03-04T09:25:00.001-06:00

Chemically Imbalanced Comedy is seeking a Production intern for our upcoming show Cartoon.

Because the show has lots and lots of stage blood the intern would be in charge of coming in to the Theater Saturday morning and taking the costumes across the street to the laundry mat and washing, drying and hanging the costumes for that evenings performance. Laundry money will be provided.

The show runs April 2-May 10

The Intern will get a CIC pass to come to all of our shows during the run (including our Comedy Showcases Saturday & Sun, Pimprov on Fri, and Cartoon)

Please send emails of interest to angie (at) cicomedy.com

Goldstar Reviews

2009-03-03T07:19:00.001-06:00

reviews from Goldstarevents.com on last weekends Showcase:

"The Improv house teams were fantastic and BC, the musical two-man sketch show was hilarious! This a wonderful place to go for some great laughs!"- 4 stars

"Very funny. High energy performances. Great venue. Not a bad seat in the house. Makes for an excellent Saturday night AND it's BYOB! GO!"- 4 stars

Cartoon Assassinations

2009-03-02T09:17:00.007-06:00

As we work through the rehearsals for our upcoming show Cartoon we have been sharing with you some of our pre-production work. In the show Jay Gish has created an animation to illustrate how the most recent leader of Toon Town Esther has come to power. We get to see all the past leaders who each assassinated the other to gain power. Here are Jay's first drawings of the animation.

UntiLoLo

The Machete Wielding Acrobats

FiniFini

Bolinger The Duck

Chihuly DeMan

Cynthia

Anthony, critic of critics.

2009-02-27T07:00:00.005-06:00

By Anthony Ellison

Gao Xingjian's The Other Shore
By Gao Xingjian

NobelPrize–winner Gao Xingjian’s The Other Shore tackles head-on the trials we face as we struggle past life’s sorrows and grapple our way toward nirvana. Or so declare the program notes. Hats off to the audience member who gleans any such straightforward authorial ambitions from the action that unfolds onstage. The Shore most folks will remember consists of an actor initiating largely obscure stage pictures (a woman thrashing on the floor and chanting “hands!” for example) that are eventually adopted by a chorus of black-clad onlookers.

READ THE REST OF THE ORIGINAL REVIEW HERE
— Christopher Shea TimeOut Chicago

In Christopher Shea’s review of The Other Shore, there is a playful sadness that provides a through line for his eye-level understanding of the The-a-ta. Right off the bat, we see how vulnerable and brave he can be immediately, recognizing the “head-on” “struggles” that the path to “nirvana” lays in front of us to “grapple” within reality. Have you ever had to wrestle nirvana? No. I doubt it. If you had, you would end up with a fiercely infinite case of Cauliflower ear, and a broken femur at the least. Chris came back unscathed, with a refined pallet for choreography.

My humble advice: Don’t try to wrestle Euphoria. Leave a man’s job to a man. Christopher Shea will live it, defeat it, and dance the night away in temperamental display of “sexual writhing”. And don’t expect to “cuddle”, or “inch” your way into his heart, cause he did his time watching “aimless” adults childishly attempting to invoke the storm of “gleaned authorial ambitions”. Cuddling is for WEAKLINGS! He’s a man who dances alone…for nirvana…for productions on a diet (rather than this “bloated” display of “hopping adults”). His message is simple: Quit yelling “HANDS!” and “thrashing”, if you can’t yell “HANDS!” and thrash at the same time. Christopher Shea has been through "Highfalutin Hell" and back, he can't take it anymore.

Oh yeah. And I dare you to yell “HANDS!” at his face... No, I take that back. Don’t yell “HANDS!” at him. He might kill you.

Join us every Friday for this new satirical series by Sponsored Troupe Member Anthony Ellison. You can see Anthony perform with Counter Productive Lover in our Comedy Showcase. Check www.cicomedy.com for listings

Cartoon Theme Song

2009-02-26T10:02:00.001-06:00

As we work through our rehearsal for Cartoon we have been sharing some of our process with the blog readers. Here is a youtube of the very first rehearsal of the Cast learning the song and dance for the opening Theme song.

Website Makeover

2009-02-25T07:57:00.002-06:00

Webmaster Tom McMahon did a make over to our site this past week. But we have some more work to do.

Let us know what we should include in the FAQ and other suggestions for the website.

You can check out the site HERE

Today is the last day to Vote

2009-02-24T08:55:00.003-06:00

Today is the last day to Vote for Chicago Readers Best of Chicago.

So don't forget to have your vote counted. VOTE HERE

This is What its Like...at Pimprov...Picture Version

2009-02-23T09:12:00.011-06:00

Pictures by Jerry Schulman

First you will be met with a friendly face that will either take your money or check you in on the prepaid list.

Then Marz Timms will greet you as your host.

You may see a stand up..Like Grandma Sex

Then an opening Improv group will perform for about 20 min. Seen here is Angerstein Street.

Finally the Pimps will take the stage.

Be ready they might call on you.

If they do come on up and have some fun.

Anthony, critic of critics.

2009-02-20T15:38:00.004-06:00

By Anthony Ellison

New Review Chicago Reader
Amadeus

It's possible to pull off Amadeus on a shoestring budget--strip away the Hapsburgian frippery and there's a seething, human core to Peter Shaffer's 1979 historical drama in which court composer Antonio Salieri finds himself on the wrong end of a rivalry with Mozart. But Doug Long's production fails to tap into the play's raw fury. And despite the shoddiest set and worst wig jobs this side of RuPaul's Drag Race, it doesn't rise to the level of camp, either. That's a shame, because Long has a fine Salieri in Larry Garner, who's found the right mix of pathos and drollery. The other members of the cast almost manage to be charming. Almost. Oak Park's Village Players really needs to up its game. --Leon Hilton

Breakdown of Leon Hilton’s review of Amadeus:
Leon was apparently operating on much more than a “shoestring budget” using million dollar references like the old faithful adjective ‘Hapsburgian’ in the first sentence. And thank god too, because he really dressed up the far too ambiguous noun ‘frippery’. But I was thinking to myself, “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa Leon! You busted out the literary hammer on my brain way too early! How are you going to keep up this fripperian pace?” Then in vintage Hilton fashion, he drops the “raw fury” bomb right on our foreheads, to remind us that Leon criticizes for passion, not glory.

By choice, Leon chooses to throw a paradox right at our Fripperial Cortexes by belittling the wigs and the set 50 words after he declared it ‘possible’ and almost forgiving to put up a low budget, respectable version of Amadeus. So just stop trying to figure Leon out and trust me when I say that he is a man who knows to expect a low budget costume and set display from a small theatre putting up a period piece. And even though, he forgot to really tell us anything about the actual acting or direction, he made his way around to mentioning everyone’s favorite current transvestite, RuPaul. Because Leon, I agree. The world has not heard enough about him. Almost charming? No, Leon, you can color me all the way charmed.

So Cheers, Leon! Here’s to putting the ‘r’ back in front of the ‘e’, in theater!

Join us every Friday for this new satirical series by Sponsored Troupe Member Anthony Ellison. You can see Anthony perform with Counter Productive Lover in our Comedy Showcase. Check www.cicomedy.com for listings

New Board Members

2009-02-19T10:36:00.002-06:00

CIC is happy to announce our newest members to our Board of Directors:

Joe Rosengarten, Nefarious Productions
Elliot Fredland, former Board President of Bailiwick Repertory Theater
Jerry Schulman, Patent and Trademark Attorney in Oak Brook Terrace

They will join current Board Members

Ken Kulan Jr., Chicago Charitable Games
Angie McMahon, Executive Producer CIC

Ideal Future

2009-02-18T07:53:00.003-06:00

As we work our way through the production of Cartoon we have been sharing tid bits of what we have been working on.

Here is a quick video of part of the Dance Ideal Future.

Congrats to the Pimps

2009-02-17T10:25:00.003-06:00

Big congrats go out to Pimprov who will be featured on the Chicago Improv Festival Main Stage for the first time this year.

Dates of the show are still TBA...we will keep everyone updated!

Stick Figure Torture

2009-02-13T06:10:00.001-06:00

In CIC's show Cartoon we have a series of Stick Figure Torture slides that play during the show. Here is a sneak peek. Art work done by Jay Gish:

Love Letters

2009-02-12T07:50:00.002-06:00

Recently CIC was nominated for the Emerging Theater Broadway in Chicago award, we recently found out we did not make it to the next level of voting. But we had asked folks if they would like to write some letters of support for us to send in with our application for the award. Here is one of those letters:

To Whom It May Concern:

While studying theatre in college, one of the primary aspects of the art world, that thing which grabbed me the most, was a sense of community, family, and trust among my fellow artists. Upon moving to Chicago, I had no home away from home. On a whim, I dusted off a headshot, polished up a monologue, and headed over to audition for this company called Chemically Imbalanced Comedy Theater and their upcoming production of Book of Liz. After living in Chicago for less than a month, I was already cast in my first production.

Book of Liz was a huge success for the company. When we started the run, we were rehearsing where ever we could get a room. Because the show was such a hit, CIC could finally afford a theater space and Chemically Imbalanced had a home at last. The production didn’t just work wonders for the company, I felt I’d gained quite a bit from the experience as well. Those feelings of community and family came rushing back again. It was something I hadn’t felt on stage since I was 19 years old. Not only was I pleased to say I was a part of the little show that could, the show that brought them such success, but I found a Chicago theater home a lot quicker than I had anticipated.

In the past year and a half I have seen the audiences and the interest in CIC grow at an impressive rate. I have worked closely with the people who started this company from the ground up, and I am overjoyed to watch their dreams become a reality day in and day out. I am now a company member at Chemically Imbalanced, as of September 2008, and I am honored and privileged to be adopted into this theater family. With the attention of Chicago theatergoers, Chemically Imbalanced Comedy Theater could open their doors even wider, and the theater community in Chicago could feel that sense of family, that little detail that causes so many of us to fall in love with the art form in the first place.

Thank you so much for considering Chemically Imbalanced Comedy Theater for such an honor.

Sincerely,

Casey Pilkenton

CPL...Show Preparation

2009-02-11T07:15:00.003-06:00

By Dan Gordon
I’ve improvised with several teams for a little over 6 years and have realized that each team has its own unique style. I wanted to share a little bit about what happens behind the stage before a show begins with my current group, the CIC house team, COUNTER PRODUCTIVE LOVER.

SHOW PREPARATION
Generally, every team does warm ups to instill a collective focus and energy. CPL does this too, but it is a very unique type of focus that I have yet to encounter on any other squad. Most groups mesh well and hang as a group outside of rehearsals and yet don’t really settle into each other when prepping for a show, relenting to hardcore concentration.

Here is the rundown of an average warm up before a 10:30p Weekend Showcase:

10:05 – Most of CPL has arrived at CIC.
10:10 – CPL claims the dressing room (The Hilarium).
10:11 – Someone asks where Anthony is. He is probably outside hand-rolling a cigarette like a hipster.
10:12 – Someone just got a text from Amy saying she forgot about the show and will be there shortly. The last word of the text ends with either “f#%@” or “C&*%”.
10:15 – Someone closes the door and shuts off the lights.
10:15:05 – Scott grabs Sean’s penis.
10:16 – Everyone has completed their second beer.
10:18 – Amy has arrived. She enters in a whirl of curses and violence.
10:18:28 – Amy has completed her second beer.
10:19 – Word Association games have begun to sharpen our wits. Innocently it begins, then ends one of three ways:
A) The group is standing, reviewing the patterns in unison, arms around each other, aroused and ready to regret whatever happens happily.
B) The warm up quickly devolves into laughing, cursing, where personal
Insults are dished out ruthlessly and cause individual check-ins of the self.
C) The warm up is replaced by a violent frenzy of fists, kicks, slaps (All in the
Dark, mind you), bites and kisses. One or more people will undoubtedly
The Hilarium with a notable injury.
10:27 – Scott releases Sean’s penis.
10:29 – Places.
10:34 – The team has become distracted and has reached that “group mind”
and is startled when its fun is so rudely interrupted by the host calling Counter Productive Lover to the stage.
11:00 – After the audience has found their melted faces on the floor and reapplied them back to their skulls thankfully, the drinking resumes backstage.

Sweet Somethings: A Love Letter

2009-02-10T09:55:00.006-06:00

By Casey Pilkenton

One of the many dreams that I never saw come to fruition due to my own laziness was to become a writer for Late Night with Conan O' Brien. One of the other dreams I never saw come to fruition due to the fact that I have never had a strong grasp of reality was to *marry* Conan O'Brien. In the coming weeks he will leave Late Night and go fill Jay Leno's shoes at the Tonight Show. I still don't know how I feel about this. The following letter (which will be emailed to NBC, so I would appreciate your support) was an attempt at getting some things off my chest and to get over him. Note: It didn't really work. I'm still hopelessly in love.

Dear Conan,

You and I never meant to fall in love. This part is true. You were just helping me fall asleep late one night when I was twelve. You won me over with your silly antics and your ability to make any interview, no matter the celebrity, entertaining. I, in turn, kept you satiated with my laughter. It was as simple as that. It was love—pure and true.

We started things slowly. I was very young, a school girl. Staying up until 12:30 was just not in the cards. As my parents tried to come between us, you promised me that you would be there every school holiday, every summer, every Friday night. And there you were. All those times apart, I will admit, they were tough. I tried my best to keep the laughter locked inside my heart. Knowing that the coming break from my daily monotony would bring me close to you once again. And, everytime we saw one another, it was as if no time had passed. But time it did pass. We said goodbye to a great mutual
friend of ours, Mister Andy Richter. I cried. You cried. (Yes, you did. Don't lie.) Your pompadour got much bigger and with the growing coif came growing popularity.

Pretty soon I was old enough, mature enough to watch you every night. We shared some amazing times, you and I. Here are some of my favorites: Loser at the beach, Pimpbot, The Slip Nuts (especially when they opened for Slipknot. Classic.), your satellite channels (Puppets Rubbernecking, a favorite), your many travels (a trip to Houston at 3am, comes to mind) the masturbating bear, Abe Vigoda, Preparation H Raymond, a baseball game set in the 1864, staring contests with Andy…

I could on forever. Your charming and childish humor was my joy. As the popularity of your show grew, I noticed that you had been wooing other women. Not only did you woo them, you wooed them good. Some of those women were in my high school graduating class. We celebrated your birthday one year by eating a cake decorate with your face. I knew you'd want it that way. It wasn't long before you were a household name and the comedy voice of a generation. And still, your hair was growing.

On my first ever trip to New York City in 2001, I got up early and stood in line for hours to see you live. Forget the Statue of Libery, forget Central Park, I had other plans. As the line started moving into the building, my excitement grew. My heart was beating out of my chest. I couldn't believe that I would get to see you in person. Pretty soon there were only twenty people in front of me, then fifteen…ten…five…three…and then I heard,

"That's it! No more into the studio!" and a velvet rope was locked back into place right in front of me. I could have jumped it, and I thought about it. The scream of heartbreak that erupted from me caused quite a disturbance. You should ask security about this. I was wearing a pink, checkered shirt. They probably remember me. I settled with buying a metal lunchbox decorated with your face and a recording of my friend and I taking a ride with you on your desk. We shared some great dialogue with you on that ride, Conan. We paid a lot to take that tape home too. A whopping $15 or so. It wasn't until we got back to Georgia that we realized the audio didn't record. It was as if, all of a sudden we were no longer meant to be.

Our relationship took some work, but I was in it for the long haul. You were my comedy soulmate. When you poked fun at a complete stranger, simply because his name was Forss Fagerstrom, when you installed a special lever so that you could play "Walker, Texas Ranger" clips sporadically throughout your show, it was like we'd never lost touch with one another.

My 25th birthday brought yet another Conan cake into my life and a T-shirt decorated just for me stating, quite plainly "I'm in the Cone Zone." I sent you pictures. You probably have them framed somewhere. You once filmed for a week in Chicago…just one year shy of my moving there. This month marks the end of your run at Late Night, the end of an era, and I've missed out on the chance to see it live. Though I do regret that, I feel that I did everything I could do for this relationship. It is time for you to move on.

As Lulu sang in the hit song, "To Sir, With Love," —"how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It isn't easy, but I'll try…" I wasn't still coloring at age 12, and I don't wear much perfume these days, but you get the idea. I've grown up with your show and, though I do hope to catch a taping of the Tonight Show some time in the future, it just won't be the same. You had me with Late Night. I grew up with it. Our relationship, it's changing yet again.

But I'm still in this, if you're still in this.

All my love, you funny one…
Casey

Casey is an Artistic Associate with Chemically Imbalanced Comedy. Currently a cast member in CIC's Main Stage Play Cartoon set to open in April.

An Open Letter to TV...

2009-02-09T07:27:00.005-06:00

By Leslie Nesbit

An open letter to FOX, NBC Universal and HULU (and for that matter, ABC)

I am worried because I don't know if you are recording what I'm watching on HULU.

Let me start at the beginning. I am addicted to television. I'm not ashamed and I'm not doing anything to stop it. I watch shows on FOX, NBC and ABC because I do not have cable. I watch everything from Bones to 30 Rock to Lost....to the Office, Fringe, Scrubs, ER, SNL, Heroes, Chuck...I think you get the idea. If I can't watch it I record it.

I'm going to add another factor into this. I am an actor. I usually have rehearsals at night during all the prime-time hours. Thats no problem for me because, like I said, if I can't watch it I record it. Before HULU and all this extremely convenient "online tv" I just assumed that you probably knew that I was recording the show and therefore added me to your "viewer" list.

Lets add something else - I don't know how your neilsen ratings work. I like to make up my own rules.

And another addition. I know this whole "online tv" is new to you. HULU only getting online in the last year. ABC, you had eleven different full episode players...

This is why I'm worried. I was okay when I recorded tv on my DVR. But, I don't know if you are actually paying attention to what I'm watching on your online sites. And what if more and more people are not watching regular tv and just catching up on your websites? What if because of that you feel that no one is watching a show and therefore cancel it? What if I am the reason that Fringe is cancelled? I worry about this because I am addicted to television. And I need tv. Especially one hour dramas and 30 minute comedy shows. I need it.

I am going to suggest to you to pay more attention to what people watch on your episode players. Please. Because as much as I'm kinda disappointed in Heroes, I still watch it every week.

Oh and...
FOX? I heard what one of your CEO's said. People don't like Science Fiction? Are you serious? Don't generalize man. And don't cancel Dollhouse before people get a chance to fall in love with it. You are on thin ice FOX, what with playing the series finale of Arrested Development during the opening of the Olympics in 2004. That was ridiculous. Don't even get me started with Firefly.
You've got a good thing with Fringe. Keep it.

NBC? I just don't get how Jay Leno is getting another hour long talk show. It almost makes me wanna punch a really nice car.

ABC? Thanks for picking up Scrubs. I enjoy that one.

CBS? I"m sorry but, my basic cable has replaced you with a 24 hour infomercial channel. I don't understand either. But...you're cool.

Sincerely,
Leslie

Leslie Nesbit is a member of CIC Sponsored Improv Troupe Roboctopus. She can be seen performing with them in CIC's Comedy Showcase on Saturday Feb 28 at 10:30pm. She is also a cast member with CIC's upcoming Main Stage Play Catroon set to open in April.

Vote Early and Often

2009-02-06T06:20:00.002-06:00

Voting has started for the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago.

We know a lot of our fans have Emerging Theater Companies they love besides CIC.

And a lot of our fans have Improv Groups they love in the city.

But if you find yourself not sure who to vote for in either of those categories let us make a suggestion to put our long running Improv show "Pimprov" as your favorite Improv Group and or name "Chemically Imbalanced Comedy" the Best Emerging Theater Company.

VOTE FOR US HERE

Make sure you go to the top of the page and hit SUBMIT BALLOT or your vote wont count.

Thanks for the Support!

Goldstar Reviews

2009-02-05T08:55:00.002-06:00

reviews from Goldstarevents.com on last weekends Pimprov:

"Definitely worth attending if you want a really good laugh." -Lisa Kirner 4 stars

Space For Rent

2009-02-04T10:08:00.002-06:00

Hey folks,

Wanted to give a quick update on the space.

Thanks everyone for your warm response to the space.

We are booked solid till Aug 1,2009 for main stage renters, rehearsals, and late night.

We have some fantastic groups coming in, including "Will Act for Food", "Open Eye", "Live Wire", and "Backstage Theater Company"

Really appreciate everyone's support.

There is Not, and Never Has Been, a Better Dummy.

2009-02-03T08:25:00.002-06:00

Mayakovsky V. V., Rodchenko A. M., 1923

This is one of the masterpieces of the era – The Dummies Poster. It was created by Alexander Rodchenko, a brilliant photographer and graphic designer. He is most famous for being one of the founders and apologists of constructivism – an avant-garde art and architecture movement, which denies art for art’s sake and proclaims manufacturing practicability as the basis for creation.

The text was written by Vladimir Mayakovsky – a talented Russian poet, who was one of the most notable representatives of early Futurism.

The Caption says:

Never ever better dummies one can hold Gonna suck them till I’m old.

I started with the Dummy's poster to give me an idea on the Cartoon poster. I have gotten a lot of good feedback about how to change it for our purpose and would love to hear more thoughts.

Love Letters

2009-02-02T09:02:00.002-06:00

Recently CIC was nominated for the Emerging Theater Broadway in Chicago award. We asked folks if they would like to write some letters of support for us to send in with our application for the award. Here is one of those letters:

5 more ways for Mayor Daley to financially screw the citizens of Chicago:

2009-01-30T09:48:00.000-06:00

By Anthony Ellison

5. Let 3,000 rapists (or all around criminal allstars willing to pick up rape as a new hobby) out of Cook County prison out of no where and just let them roam the streets and bend us over the old fashioned way. He could invest in security system stock a month prior and watch the funds roll in. Plus, this will free up $800,000 per inmate on annual cable and internet/food and shelter costs.

Join us every Friday for this 5 part satirical series by Sponsored Troupe Member Anthony Ellison. You can see Anthony perform with Counter Productive Lover in our Comedy Showcase. Check www.cicomedy.com for listings