Punk Punk
Written by Hannah Ii-Epstein
and Birthday Cake
Fat Cat Bar, 4840 N. Broadway (map)
thru Oct 10 | tix: $15-$30 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
Scattered but enjoyable
Nothing Without A Company presents
Punk Punk
Review by Lauren Whalen
Nothing Without a Company is a burst of bright energy on the Chicago theater scene. With founder and Columbia College Chicago graduate Hannah Ii-Epstein at the helm, the ensemble seeks out theater in unconventional locations. (For example, last spring’s Down the Moonlit Path took place in a church and required audience members to choose one of two interactive “tracks.”) NWaC isn’t afraid to demand that its audience move, think and participate, but they aren’t threatening, simply present and confident. Their latest original piece, Punk Punk, doesn’t quite gel but is nonetheless a catchy and entertaining way to spend a Saturday night.
With its DIY aesthetic, including a zine-like program with original poems and stories from cast and crew, and sitcom-gone-gory storyline, Punk Punk brings to mind indie direct-to-video movies from the late 1990s. It’s the live equivalent of something I’d find on a bored Friday night, browsing the shelves of Blockbuster, a movie I’d find somewhat scattered but still satisfying. Punk Punk’s sense of humorous irony could use a dash more of the earnest nature I enjoyed in Down the Moonlit Path, but the songs (rife with sexual innuendoes and four-letter words) are a lot of fun, and Hannah Ii-Epstein’s script almost attains the difficult standard of true dark comedy.
NWaC retains its interactive, location-specific vibe: audience members meet at Fat Cat Bar in Uptown and are guided to a secret location I won’t spoil. (It’s worth noting, however, that you will have to walk 10-15 minutes in either direction.) Punk Punk has a wonderful, authentic sense of place, thanks in large part to Taylor Figura’s stage management and Sarah Collonge’s lighting cues. Whitney Masters’ costumes are a bit over the top (especially where landlady Marissa is concerned) but otherwise hit the mark: Kathy’s leather leggings and Mindy’s bountiful blue Mohawk are sights to behold.
The cast is two-thirds strong: Wright’s arc from annoyed and straight (in every sense of the word) to up for anything is funny and true, and Anna Rose Ii-Epstein’s Mindy is a standout, with brash charisma and a powerhouse voice to match. Only Newell seems out of place. Her character is exaggeratedly annoying to the point of being borderline-intolerable (likely a lethal combination of writing, directing and acting) and to make matters worse, Newell didn’t quite seem to have a grasp on all of her dialog.
Punk Punk isn’t as captivating as some of NWaC’s earlier work, but I appreciate its edginess and its genuine effort to be different. The company as a whole stands to make a real impact on Chicago theater, and I’m eager to watch their development both this season and in the ones to come. Silly, raucous and more than a little nasty, Punk Punk isn’t like anything else you’ll see in the city.
Rating: ★★★
Punk Punk continues through October 10th at Fat Cat Bar, 4840 N. Broadway (map), with performances Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays and Saturdays 8 and 10pm. Tickets are $15-$30, and are available online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at NothingWithoutACompany.org. (Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission)
Photos by Matthew Gregory Hollis
artists
cast
Anna Rose Ii-Epstein (Mindy), Jamie Newell (Marissa), Caroline Wright (Kathy)
behind the scenes
Rose Freeman (director), Aaron Paul Homard (music director), Hannah Ii-Epstein (producer), Taylor Figura (stage manager), Whitney Masters (costume design), Sarah Collonge (lighting design), Marissa Hughes (properties design), Will Bennett (fight choreographer), Mike Newquist (poster art), Jake Fruend (poster design), Cameron Downing (filmographer, editor), Gaby Labotka (PR, marketing), Mari DeOleo (guerilla marketing), Ivori Skye (soundtrack engineer), Kaitlin Carver (casting director), Trey Sheek (assistant director), Phillip Brankina (assistant literary), Matthew Gregory Hollis (photos)
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