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| THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| My profound gratitude goes out to the (at least) 13 ATC-ers who took the time to post their adroit comments about Stoppard's divinely hilarious romp. My partner and I roared with laughter throughout this 75-minute farce -- and we weren't alone. The chuckles and belly laughs came fast and frequently from everyone in the audience. The cast was superb, because material like this can be deadly if the actors try too hard for laughs or come across as too broad (or even too subtle). Fortunately this little non-equity theatre group, The Saint Sebastian Players, consistently hit all the right notes and made Stoppard's superb blend of satire, absurdism, wit, and homage chug along at such a frenetic pace that I literally was left breathless when the cast came out for their bows. Agatha Christie was never skewered so lovingly and with such panache. Highly recommended if you live in the Chicago area. The Real Inspector Hound runs through 2/6/2022. It is being staged in the basement of St. Bonaventure Church on Diversey Parkway about a half block west of Ashland Avenue (just on the border between the Lake View and Lincoln Park community areas). |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: ChicagoDRO 03:15 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Thank you for posting this BroadwayTony. I live in Chicago and planning to go see this as well. I’ve never been to a show at the theatre company so I’m looking forward to it. I’m also planning to see The Moors and the new show at Trapdoor Theatre. So good the have Theatre back in Chicago. |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:26 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - ChicagoDRO 03:15 pm EST 01/20/22 | |
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| I hope you enjoy Inspector Hound as much as I did. I second your sentiments that Theatre is finally back in Chicago. | |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND (major spoilers) | |
| Last Edit: mikem 12:58 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| Posted by: mikem 12:54 am EST 01/18/22 | |
| In reply to: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| (Major spoilers below) BroadwayTonyJ, I'm really glad you liked it. I think your comparison to Noises Off is an apt one; for both shows, a lot of the first part is funny in itself, but it also serves as the setup for when everything goes to pieces at the end. When I first saw The Real Inspector Hound, I went in totally cold, so I had no idea that it was going to take a huge left turn. The part where one critic answers the ringing phone on the set is very funny, but when he turns to the other one and says, "It's for you," it was so hilarious that I can still remember vividly that part of the production all these years later. And that it's the critic's wife, when he told her "never to call him at work," was a great follow up. It's an extremely well-written play, and I'm glad you saw a great production of it. I wish there was one playing near me! |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 01:44 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I think you've convinced me and I live near by. Thanks. | |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:32 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - PlazaBoy 01:44 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I was a little apprehensive about how my partner would react to this production. He was not a fan of Stoppard's Arcadia, which we saw at the Goodman decades ago -- he liked the turtle but nothing else. Thankfully, he laughed as much as I did yesterday. I had never seen a production by the Saint Sebastian Players group until yesterday (although they have been an active non-equity theatre for 40 years). They treated my partner and me as if we were royalty. We had a nice chat with some of them afterward. They are a very friendly ensemble. The Real Inspector Hound reminded me a little of Noises Off, another farce which can be difficult to pull off. Windy City Playhouse did a hilarious production of it just a few years ago in 2018. |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 02:43 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - BroadwayTonyJ 02:32 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I've never seen Saint Sebastian Players. I look forward to it. As for Windy City Playhouse, I am looking forward to Sons of Hollywood. I loved their immersive production of Boys in the Band. The last show I saw before the pandemic shut down. |
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| re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 04:00 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - PlazaBoy 02:43 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| Windy City Playhouse is one of our favorite theaters. We've seen several of their shows, most recently The Boys in the Band. We met Danield Kyri, the respected Goodman and Steppenwolf actor (he plays Darren Ritter on Chicago Fire) at one of their productions. Sons of Hollywood looks really good. We will probably see it some time in February. The performance standard of the Saint Sebastian Players was on the same level as that of Windy City Playhouse. In fact, we saw an hysterically funny production of Noises Off at their theater in 2018. |
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| Glad you enjoyed it | |
| Last Edit: MockingbirdGirl 12:52 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 12:41 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND -- Sublime Silliness Yesterday Afternoon on Chicago's North Side - BroadwayTonyJ 09:43 am EST 01/17/22 | |
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| At least 13 of us would have felt terrible if you hadn't! :D | |
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| re: Glad you enjoyed it | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 01:27 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:25 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: Glad you enjoyed it - MockingbirdGirl 12:41 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I had no idea that anyone would even reply to my post. I was blown away by all the comments, and I was certainly convinced to see the Chicago production. I was a little worried that the non-equity group that staged it might not be up to the challenge, but they were really quite good. Their set design was also top-notch. The Real Inspector Hound is considered one of Stoppard's best works. After seeing it, I can understand why. It's very strange that the Burns Mantle series failed to name it's off-Broadway debut as one of the 10 Best Plays of 1971-72, (although they do give it a mention as being notable). This Stoppard treasure is a devastatingly wicked parody of The Mousetrap. I am very fond of Christie's play, which I initially saw in London in '96 and more recently at the Court Theatre in Chicago. It's not a masterpiece like her And Then There Were None, but it's still a very solid, enjoyable work. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to respond. |
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| re: Glad you enjoyed it | |
| Posted by: comedywest 03:21 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Glad you enjoyed it - BroadwayTonyJ 01:25 pm EST 01/17/22 | |
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| I saw it in college. I think Ian MacNeil (the scenic artist) might have been in it. It was on a double bill with The Dissolution of Dominic Boot. Both were very funny and well done. It was something that college students--granted that class had a few excellent actors--could do and do it well. | |
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