Batman Incorporated #1
drawn by House ensemble member and genuine comic book artist Chris Burnham, and written by Grant frickin Morrison.
Holy eff it’s sweet. Check out this great interview in the AV Club about Burnham and his work-as-hard-as-you-can-on-as-many-cool-things-as-possible success.
ATTACK OF THE GIANT SEA CREATURE!
The cast of Death and Harry Houdini’s trip to Key West started out pleasant enough….
Miami.
Opening Night of Death and Harry Houdini at the Arsht Center.
As if the thrill of Opening Night and all the spectacularity included within the performance of Death and Harry Houdini weren’t enough, we had some off-stage excitement that added even more of a kick.
Before clicking the link above, maybe click here to read the initial review that incited the follow-up.
It certainly creates one of those perfect case moments for picking apart the cell phone issue and how we handle (empathize with, and demonize) the offending patrons. It’s our own little(?) version of the recent upset at the New York Philharmonic, which I’m glad to see had a nice resolution given the circumstances—unknown by anyone else at the time. You never know. Yet also can’t help but be reminded of the sacrosanct “1% of You” written by Tracy Letts on the Steppenwolf blog a few years ago, sadly no longer linkable since they updated their site (read: bring it back!—so I can blog about your blog yall). Mr. Letts pretty much does the entire community a therapeutic favor by unleashing all our pent-up rage at that inconsiderate minority of audience members who seem not to recognize they are in a public space where the performers are not only alive, mere feet away, and perhaps the best listeners in the room, but that contrary to 20th century theatrical theory, there is not in fact a fourth wall separating them. Dark light does not equal sound barrier. And of course he does it with perfect eloquence. And concision. (Should learn about that.)
At the end of the day though, it’s really not an issue at all as long as everyone follows these rules of cell phone etiquette—if not, you’ve been warned: Chris Mathews is coming for you.
Excerpt from last night’s performance report of Death and Harry Houdini.
A wonderful reminder never to judge your audience.
Performance Notes:
What an interesting night, especially in contrast to last night’s exuberant audience that was full of excitable teenagers. Tonight, we had a predominantly Eastern European audience that all held an expression on their faces as though they were judging Olympic gymnastics. Super quiet throughout the show, almost no reactions. This made Brandon Ruiter stick out like a sore thumb.
Regardless, we put up a solid show, good pace, energetic, and clean.
The surprise came at curtain call… the audience stayed seated and their applause morphed into a rhythmic clap, as if we were to begin dancing. The cast waved their final goodbye and exited – and the audience did not stop clapping. Our first encore came from our most silent and stoic audience, who then gave a standing ovation!
The Adrienne Arsht Center has done something pretty clever here for our upcoming visit with Death and Harry Houdini.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
From the archives:
In 2003, The House participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We were number 81 in the line-up, next to last. Who was last? A little known Democratic candidate seeking state senate election by the name “Barack Obama.” I distinctly remember an exchange with fellow company member Phillip Klapperich in which we discussed the chances of a man named “Barack.” We weren’t optimistic. But his float and smile were nice enough. Hilarious.
Also, we were all pretty much wasted on Jameson and Guinness before we even got there. We convened early in costume to “get ready” (read: drink) and get picked up by a Chicago Trolly, whom Nate & Phill worked for as tour guides in those days. Being *next to last* we had about a 2-3 hour wait before we even started moving. More time to drink and goof off.
I myself had finished a 6-pack of Guinness before we’d even moved. Guinness is delicious on a brisk morning! I’d never drank like that before, and don’t think I really have since. Then I went and waited tables that afternoon! It was awesome. Glory days.
Hope you’re having a fun and safe St. Patrick’s Day.
-Chris Mathews
Just added performances of Death and Harry Houdini.
Tuesday March 27 at 7pm
Wednesday March 28 at 3pm
Follow the link above or call 773-769-3832.
Get it.
Hey everyone,
Tonight would have been our original closing night for DEATH AND HARRY HOUDINI.
Fortunately, we’ve been met with a great response to the show and we were able to extend to April 15th before we take it to the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami.
Thanks to everyone who’s made the show such a hit.
Happy Not Closing Night,
The House
The Fox is Black, Re-Covered Books Series: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
While we would certainly have our own interpretation of how this classic should be graphically represented, some of the entries over at The Fox is Black are pretty inspiring.
