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Victory Gardens presents |
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| Jacob and Jack |
| Written by James Sherman Directed by Dennis Zacek at Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln (map) thru June 20th | tickets: $20-$48 | more info |
reviewed by Katy Walsh
'You must be a good actor. You're not good-looking enough to make it in L.A. unless you were a good actor.' Victory Gardens presents the world premiere of Jacob and Jack. A successful commercial actor returns to Chicago for a Yiddish theatre tribute to his grandfather. Thinking it's only a staged reading for his mother's ladies club, Jack has not rehearsed. Complications arise as he pisses off his wife, flirts with the ingénue and the theatre sells out. In a parallel dimension set in 1935, Jacob is preparing for his theatrical moment. Complications arise as he pisses off his wife, flirts with the ingénue and the theatre does not sell out. Seventy-five years apart, Jacob and Jack are challenged with a stage actor's pay, ego and libido. Jacob and Jack is a comedy transcending time. The humor is beautifully showcased in the similarities and differences between past and present theatre. It's witty with a shmeer of the absurd.
Check out the rest of the review at Chicago Theater Blog
