Three days in a row of unadulterated warmth! We have earned it this year, Chicago! Remember that blizzard we lived through? I'm still reeling.
Let's do something summery. We could set up a lemonade stand! Or have a block party! Ooh! Camping! Let's go camping!
Okay, things to pack: guns, men in drag, bikini teens, Joan Crawford, a rock and roll caveman...all delivered with sublime excess on a plate of pure funkiness.
Camp-ing. Confused? Let's Trogg! about it.
Hell in a Handbag easily stands out as Chicago's go-to theater company when it comes to camp. Their debut production Poseidon: An Upside Down Musical was a long-running smash, and their holiday cabarets are consistently hilarious. Expect similar results when you head over to Trogg! A Musical.
The basement of Chopin Theatre has been transformed into a subterrane of silliness. Obtrusive pillars have been camouflaged as shimmering stalagmites, and there's a chilly damp sensation in the air one can only experience several yards underground. It feels like those cave tours I used to go on with my family in Wisconsin. Except I was slightly drunker this past Sunday.
Which ordinarily I wouldn't disclose, but I think it has merit when it comes to Trogg!. The more you can let yourself go with this show, the better off you'll be. The more FUN you'll have! Never forget that you are watching a Joan Crawford-inspired musical about a caveman who loves rock and roll. This isn't Edward Albee folks, relaaaaaaax.
It's the swinging 60's, and a caveman has just been discovered in Southern California! Dr. Joan Cannon (David Cerda, whose subtle wit contrasts nicely with his innumerable costume changes and Crawford-eyebrows) and her panicky sidekick (the wonderfully fearless Ed Jones) must look after the creature and protect him from the god-fearing townsfolk. Truly remarkable performances from Alex Grelle as Peanut, and Elizabeth Lesinski as Joan's daughter, Barbara. Both FULLY COMMIT to the ridiculousness, which is the only thing one can really do to make this kind of shtick work.
The energetic ensemble, decked in beachwear, never seems to stop dancing, and the consistently beguiling Harmony France also pops in as a mod news reporter, a blond and brassy Gale Weathers for the 1960's.
The fact of the matter is, you'll have a great time at Trogg! The show knows what it is and doesn't try to convince you otherwise. Summer is a time for not taking yourself too seriously, and Trogg! is the perfect catalyst for that attitude.
Some people might want to question the story, or the singing, or whatever...and to those people I say: Ugh! Go get yourself a drink and chill out, you stuffy old thing!
Trogg! is running through July 3 at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, Chicago.
Filed under: Hell in a Handbag
Tags: @talkedabout
Chris Jones' blog
