GIRLFRIEND Had A Stellar Opening Weekend, And I Can Exhale.

This weekend's premiere of Girlfriend was insane. As in, I nearly lost my mind.

I had been bandying this play around (in my brain, on paper, to the occasional passerby) since 2008, but had really been hammering out drafts in earnest since last summer. In essence, this play was my baby.

My colicky, allergic, and stranger-phobic baby.

And the idea that this baby was going off to be seen and heard and judged by people who didn't even know about the multiple scene changes and character changes and coffee mug changes...and who didn't fully get how crazily I loved each scene and character and mug of coffee...

Well, it felt like I was sending my baby off to college. Or to a firing squad.

But then I remembered that I had a director in my corner; a gal who reminded me of the play's inherent sweetness, who promised me a production of which I could be proud, and who suggested that- maybe- I could write an ending? How about a different one? Let's try a third- yes, there's an ending.

And I had simply wonderful friends send flowers and thoughts from all over the place, and my parents sent chocolate-covered strawberries which, as everyone knows, is the traditional Opening Night Gift.

And I remembered that I had a cast who was so flippin' funny and full of heart and energy and patience for my tendency towards wordiness. And there was a production staff, too, who wanted this play to be exceptional- for the playwright and cast and their awesome theatre company (20%Theatre Chicago, whoopty whoop).

But I still had The Panics. And it didn't let up until I was sitting in the darkened theater with P.J. on one side and my director on the other, clutching their wrists as if my balance would keep the play from toppling.

And guess what, guys? It was good. The cast was hilarious, the storyline made more sense to me than it had in my 4am brain, and the audience applauded even though they didn't even know me. (I mean, some of them did. And those friends laughed extra hard. And I'll totally take it.) Granted, there was at least one reviewer who sat stony-faced throughout the whole thing, like she was watching Schindler's List performed in mime. But maybe the fact that the audience around her actually laugh/applauded between scene changes should color her review slightly?

Because here's the thing. People liked it. A lot. And I can finally breathe that breath of So, You Didn't Faceplant.

Opening night: Me, 20% Theatre Chicago's Artistic Director (and one of our show's leads!) Lindsay Bartlett,
and Girlfriend's fearless director, Amy Buckler. I love these people to the moon and back.

Hey, what's that? You need those details one more time? Well, okay: 

Girlfriend, by Keely Flynn
April 25th-May 19th
Zoo Studios (4001 N. Ravenswood, Chicago)
Thurs-Sat, 8pm Sun 2pm
Industry Night Mon, May 6th, 8pm
www.brownpapertickets.com
(Wanna pay cash at the door? email boxoffice@twentypercentchicago.com)

Thank you, friends and family, for coming and indulging and bolstering and laughing your heads off. You rock. 20% Theatre Chicago rocks. This gorgeous Chicago Spring weather rocks. 

And so does napping. Napping is definitely gonna rock.

Girlfriend, By Keely Flynn. Oh Wait, That's ME.

Lately, I've spent a bunch of time reviewing and promoting some terrific shows around town. But there's one very important show opening in previews tonight...

'Cause it's mine.

Girlfriend is the story of Anna and Caro, two twentysomething gals who have been friends forever and ever, Amen. As they attempt to navigate the ups and downs of functional adulthood and the Chicago theatre scene, they also redefine friendship- and just how heavily you can lean on those pals before you drag 'em down with you.

Sure, this may be one of the more biased things I've ever blogged, but Girlfriend is a really funny show. And- honestly- not just 'cause I'm the playwright. This cast is quick and sharp and bitingly funny. They're also adorable and fun and completely root-able. There are bits and pieces of people I've loved in Chicago- and more than a few glimpses of folks I'd like to shove off a bridge.

But, I assure you, it's a comedy. A wicked awesome one. Because Amy Buckler, our director, is smart and savvy and really good at coaxing a storyline out of a blocked playwright. And 20% Theatre Chicago is an amazing group of artists who rock the heck outta new works.

Speaking of tips o' the hat, I'd really be amiss if I didn't give a big shout out to my husband P.J. (Like, a twenty gallon tip o' the hat.) This is the guy who found me at my desk, shaking from my 10th cup of coffee, and having a draft-related freakout to end all draft-related freakouts. And this is the guy who took my laptop out of my twitching hands, plonked me into a bathtub, and yanked the rest of the story line from my brain (not entirely unlike how the Egyptians removed brain matter from their mummies).  He also maintained our kids and pets and meals and made sure I drank water during this whole creative process. So, yeah. Wicked big thanks.

And I'd like to dedicate this show- my part of the show, anyhoo- to my Dad. As many of you know, Dave Flynn is undergoing some serious chemo for some serious cancer. But through it all (and since I started writing in the 2nd grade), he's been one of my staunchest supporters.

Dude has every playbill and poster in which I've ever been featured on the walls of his recording studio. That's a lot of shows; some of which should've been shoved off that ol' bridge as well. But there they stay, reminders of how proud he's always been of my work.

So Dad, happy 62nd birthday. I can't wait to tell you about how *your* show went. (And you better make it out here for the next one, yeah?)

Girlfriend
April 25th- May 19th
Zoo Studios (4001 N. Ravenswood, Chicago)
Previews April 25th & 26th, pay what you can!

Thurs-Sat, 8pm Sun 2pm
Industry Night Mon, May 6th, 8pm
www.brownpapertickets.com
(if you'd like to pay cash at the door, email boxoffice@twentypercentchicago.com)

An Early Birthday Present, Dad.

Dad, 

Tomorrow is your birthday. Today is your 9th round of chemo. One of those things is awesome...and the other is rather annoyingly unfair. (Like when the segues between MST3k clips seem to go on and on and on and what is with all of the chatter, people?)

So to celebrate the former- and distract you from the latter- here's some stuff I'm pretty sure you'll just love. 

Like Johnny At The Fair:

Or this kid's school picture (courtesy of Awkward Family Photos):

This impossibly hard rock n' roll trivia game: 

How about he fact that I was so surprised to see someone I actually knew at my own wedding:

Maybe a good quote from Jack Handey:

If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, 

because maybe you'll look like a dummy and 

people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.

And definitely this pic that proves you know how to rock- on yours or anyone's birthday:

Happy birthday, Pop. 

Love, your obnoxious daughter 

...And a legion of awesome folks high-fiving you from across the internet. 

TUTA Theatre Chicago's The Silent Language.

People, people, there is so much good theatre going down around Chicago this month. But right up there at the tippety-toppest is TUTA Theatre Chicago’s darkly comedic fairy tale The Silent Language, directed by Jacqueline Stone; meaning, seriously, don’t miss this one. The U.S. premiere- written by Serbian playwright Miodrag Stanisavljevic and translated by Zoran Paunovic- is TUTA’s first foray into performances intended for younger audiences. And it’s spot on.

Poor Gasho (Max Lotspeich) plays the guitar in TUTA's The Silent Language
Photo credit: Anthony Robert LaPenna

Based on an old Serbian folk tale called Nemusti Jezik, the story concerns Gasho (an energetic and youthful Max Lotspeich), a poor servant who receives a gift of the silent language. This gift enables him to communicate with all things in nature, the things that often go unheard and overlooked. As he sets off on a quest to rescue a princess being held captive by the “threest” elf king (Aaron Lawson, hilarious and bumbling), Gasho finds himself both helped and hindered by the inhabitants of the fairy tale’s forest. The terrific ensemble also includes Sean Ewert (quietly terrifying as The Boogeyman), the hilarious trio of Jamielyn Gray, Angela Bullard, and Laurie Larson, and Carolyn Molloy as the plucky and desperate princess.

Designer Michelle Lilly’s set is lushly decorated with a mix of shabby-chic Victorian details, draped tapestries, and elements of nature all gorgeously woven together. Coupled with Wain Parham’s evocative original score, it’s impossible to not become fully immersed in this magical land. Geared towards theatergoers aged 8 and up, The Silent Language is a show that adults will truly love as well.

TUTA Studio Theatre

2010 W. Fulton Ave, Chicago

April 19^th- May 19^th, 8pm (no show Saturday, May 4^th)

1.800.838.3006

www.brownpapertickets.com

www.tutato.com