Crowd Pleasers for Feb. 3, 2012

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The Beverly Theatre Guild will stage "Playing Doctor" from Feb. 3-5 in Chicago.

Updated: May 9, 2012 10:13AM

Here is a look at a special event in Chicago.

The Beverly Theatre Guild’s second show of its 49th season is a hilarious play of what many parents may relate to and is to all children, young and old, who have pulled the wool over their own parents’ eyes at one time or another.

Of course, this farce takes it to a level that one could, or maybe could not, only imagine doing.

Rob Brewster’s parents are very proud of their son the doctor. What they don’t know is Rob has used all the money they gave him for medical school to live on as he has pursed his fledgling writing career.

He doesn’t like lying to his parents, but he does need just a little more time. Inevitably, Rob’s day of reckoning comes when his parents arrive for a visit.

Quickly, he enlists the help of his secretary to be the nurse with his best friend and roommate, Jimmy, to round up his actor friends to pretend to be patients.

Complications ensue when Jimmy decides he is such a good actor that he can impersonate all the patients, with the help of a trunk full of costumes and bad dialects.

Rob’s neighbor Chuck; Chuck’s nymphomaniac ex-wife, Maureen; and Rob’s hypochondriac Uncle Harold add to the mix of this comedy.

Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore have been among the most-produced playwrights in the world for more than three decades.

They are called “the masters of modern farce” and have garnered multiple film and TV awards for their work as stage actors, producers and writers.

Van Zandt got Bob Newhart’s attention after a feature film debut as a character in “Jaws 2” and the success of plays written with Milmore.

Newhart hired Van Zandt as a writer for the acclaimed “Newhart” TV series.

Milmore began her career as an actress, starring in many national TV commercials snf appearing in TV shows including “Newhart” and several TV movies.

She began her writing collaboration with Van Zandt with the play “Love, Sex and the I.R.S.” and has created and developed TV series for Brooke Shields, Martin Lawrence, Don Rickles, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Goodman and many others.

Directing “Playing Doctor” is one of BTG’s own members, Rich Bucchi, of Oak Park.

His first experience with BTG was back in 2002 when the troupe revived “Bleacher Bums” and he played the part of Zig.

Since then Bucchi has been in many other productions, most recently as one of the con men in BTG’s “Wait Until Dark,” which played in fall.

Although this is his first time directing for BTG, he has directed many shows for other community theater companies and professionally directed for Chicago’s Murder Mystery Players and Dillstar Productions for seven years.

A graduate of Players Workshop of the Second City, comedy will probably always be his first love.

Bucchi’s assistant director is Frankie Scalzi, of Chicago Ridge, whose degree is in technical theater with an emphasis on stage management from West Texas A&M University.

She has done costuming and stage management professionally and is the head receptionist at a law firm in downtown Chicago.

Scalzi is also a BTG member and currently on the board. “Playing Doctor” marks her seventh production as AD with the guild.

Shawn Hall, of Chicago’s Lincoln Park community, as the lead, Rob Brewster, took up acting when he caught the “injury bug” from football and baseball at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Hall took an acting class for the fun of it after having his elbow reconstructed, both hamstrings pulled, a torn medial collateral ligament and finally a sports hernia.

He ended up auditioning for a mainstage production, fell in love with theater and has continued pursuing it since.

In his spare time Hall plays guitar and works out and has dove into the past to play in a pickup football or baseball game.

A resident of Chicago’s Beverly community for more than 37 years, Peggy Gannon is making her debut with BTG.

She is playing the mother of Rob, Janet Brewster, a bit of a scatterbrained society wife who supports her son and obeys her husband, but is hiding a spine of steel.

Gannon lives with her husband, Jack, and Schatzi, her beloved miniature schnauzer.

She recently retired as a primary grade reading specialist in Community Consolidated School District 146 in Tinley Park.

Gannon now volunteers at the Ridge Historical Society, is a BTG member who has shared her baking recipes each month for the past two years in the monthly newsletter, and is working on her acting goal to appear in a production of “The Thin Man” so Schatzi can be with her.

Another longtime Beverly resident and a member of BTG since 1967, John Neumann is in yet another production playing Robert Brewster III, the overbearing, pompous millionaire father of Rob.

Neumann, who recently retired as a chemical salesman, has performed in more than 20 productions for BTG, helps build the sets and has served on the board.

He originally joined BTG to “meet chicks” but found his true love and wife of these many decades from the audience.

Dana Grube, of Chicago Ridge, is back on stage with BTG as Rob’s loyal secretary/ “nurse,” Max, after appearing in 2011’s “Leading Ladies” as Audrey.

She also has been on the BTG stage in the comedies “Arsenic & Old Lace” as Elaine and “Twentieth Century” as Lily.

Grube has served as president of the St. Xavier Theatre Troupe board and is a guidance counselor at the Chicago High School for the Arts.

Jen Bartolo, of Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, plays Maureen, Chuck’s nymphomaniac ex-wife.

She studied dance for 10 years at Turning Point Dance Studio in Elmwood Park and graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor of fine arts degree in theater performance.

Bartolo recently left her teaching job to pursue her dream of becoming a professional actress.

Bryce Gardner, of Park Forest, who plays Chuck, has a double master in teaching the blind, has performed in many of the area’s community theater groups since the age of 4, is a stay-at-home-dad with his three children, and runs a theater ministry.

Others in the cast who should keep the audience laughing include Jim Seeberg, of Orland Hills, who plays Rob’s hypochondriac Uncle Harold, and Don Fisher, of Glendale Heights, who plays Rob’s best friend and roommate who takes on multiple characters.

The co-producers of “Playing Docor” are Lynne Simari, of Chicago’s Hyde Park community, who teaches and directs theater and the show choir at Seton Academy in South Holland, and Jason Taylor, of Chicago’s Pullman community, who is producing his second show of this season.

“Come join the fun of this production of ‘Playing Doctor.’You deserve a good laugh,” officials said.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. Feb. 3-4 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Baer Theatre at Morgan Park Academy Arts Center, 2153 W. 111th St., Chicago. Discounted group rates are available.

Reserved seats can be purchased at (773) 284-8497 or beverlytheatreguild.org. Walk-ins are always welcomed and will be seated.

MORE CROWD PLEASERS

ART

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, (312) 443-3600: “Light Years: Conceptual Art and the Photograph, 1964-1977” recently opened and continues through March 11. *** Admission is free to Illinois residents on the first and second Wednesdays of the month.

BEVERLY ARTS CENTER GALLERY: 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago, (773) 445-3838, Ext. 210: “B.A.D.,” a group multimedia exhibit curated by Molar Productions and Larry Lee, will be open through Feb. 12 in the East and Bridge galleries. Admission is free.

Described as “Beautiful and Dangerous. Big and Dumb. Bodacious and Dirty. Boring and Derivative. Bambi and Dumbo,” the exhibit features works by Benjamin Bellas, Stephanie Brooks, Judith Brotman, Gerard Brown, You-Ni Chae, C.C. Ann Chen, Young J. Cho, Meg Duguid, Jason Dunda, Kirk Faber, Andreas Fischer, Max Byron Garrett, Jeffrey Grauel, Jason Guo, Alex Herrera, Greyson Hong, Paul Hopkin, Carol Jackson, James Kao, Nancy Kim, Karin Kuroda, Erin LaRocque, Diego Leclery, David Leggett, Dave Murray, Chris Naka, Hao Ni, Heidi Norton, Susannah Papish, Nipporn Production (Mayumi Lake and Yoshie Suzuki), Isaac Leung, Patrick Quilao, Academy Records, Allison Ruttan, Benjamin Stone, Joshua Slater, Jenyu Wang, and Yaloopopat.

According to Lee, Molar Productions is “a domestic exercise of the democratic process as curatorial practice, some say, buffoonery ... since 2005.”

Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.

ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM LOCKPORT GALLERY: 201 W. 10th St., Lockport, (815) 838-7400: The Sunday series of free public programs continues with an informal media presentation entitled “Of a Certain Age: Monet, Grandma Moses and More” from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 5. One of the programs that accompanies the current exhibition, “Luminous Ground: Artists with Histories,” this event is free and reservations are not required.

On display through April 6, “Luminous Ground: Artists with Histories” was co-curated by Lloyd Klauba, associate curator of fine art, and Doug Stapleton, assistant curator of fine art, both of whom are based at the ISM Chicago Gallery. Klauba has been a curator with the ISM since 1989 and has curated several important exhibitions. She is a former teacher and writes novels in her spare time. Klauba’s belief in the importance of a good education aligns well with one of the strategies of this exhibition in that all of the selected artists were highly influential teachers of generations of artists.

The artists of “Luminous Ground” share three important similarities: the creation of lifelong bodies of work of the highest caliber; the influencing of multiple artists across generations, not only by their art but through teaching and community involvement; and commitments of 50-60 years or more to the exploration of personal creativity. Their art arises from luminous ground, a reservoir of creativity that has sustained and nurtured their art through the decades. All remain, or remained, vital and working artists throughout their lives and have earned the freedom to do as they please — as their art dictates — without undue concern for critics.

The artists include Ralph Arnold (1924-2006), constructions; Morris Barazani (1924), abstract paintings; Gerda Meyer Bernstein (1931), socially relevant installations; Fred Berger (1923-2006), figurative painting and sculpture; William Frederick (1922), silversmith; Theodore Halkin (1924), painting and sculpture; Thomas Kapsalis (1925), abstract painting and sculpture; Vera Klement (1929), painting; Ellen Lanyon (1926), printmaking and painting; Elizabeth Rupprecht (1932), painting; and Leopold Segedin (1927), figurative painting.

Additional programs are planned including an opportunity to hear about other artists with significant histories who are “Of a Certain Age” (2 p.m. Feb. 5) and to participate in a community collage and “Make Our Garden Grow” (1:30-3 p.m. March 20). All programs are free and open to the public.

MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S ROBERT F. DECAPRIO ART GALLERY: 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, (708) 608-4231: “Jamie Callahan: 365 Day Self Portrait” will be displayed through Feb. 9. In July the namesake photographer began working on an intimate photographic expose of himself in what was to become a 365-day visual blogging.

The artist explained, “This project is the first time I’ve ever turned the camera on myself. Normally I avoid photographing myself at all costs, so I decided to do something that would force me significantly out of my comfort zone. In many ways it proved to be an arduous and frustrating journey. I am now very well-acquainted with all my blemishes and asymmetries.”

PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE’S CHRISTOPHER ART GALLERY: 202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights, (708) 709-3636 (PSC Foundation): “Presence-Absence,” a two-person show featuring paintings by Sergio Gomez and Mark Zlotkowski, will be exhibited from Feb. 6-29. According to the artists, the exhibit is intended to “encourage its audience to a deeper understanding of their own visible and invisible experiences.” An artists reception is booked for 4:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 9.

Gomez is the director and co-founder of 33 Collective Gallery in Chicago. In 2009, he founded VisualArtToday.com, a curated online exhibition space for international contemporary art. Gomez also is a graphic designer, illustrator, faculty member at South Suburban College, and an independent curator for the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago.

Zlotkowski was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side. He has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master of fine arts degree from Northwestern University. He teaches in the department of art and media design at DePaul University.

The Christopher Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays and 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays. Visits also can be made by appointment.

SALON ARTISTS GALLERY: 294 Main St., Park Forest, (708) 833-5108 or (708) 703-7806: The Valentine’s Day sale, which will take place from Feb. 7-11, will feature handmade wood pens and bowls, pottery and jewelry for small gift giving, and unique paintings and drawings. The cooperative gallery regularly features painting, jewelry, woodwork, photography. handblown glass and multimedia works by numerous artists.

UNION STREET GALLERY: 1527 Otto Blvd., Chicago Heights, (708) 754-2601: “I Shall Be Released” will be displayed to Feb. 11. Exhibit artists include Scott Anderson, Aaron Coleman, Cesar Conde, Sherri Denualt, Barbara Edwards, Tanya Gadbaw, Diana Gondek, Hai Ri Han and Sarah Knill.

Other artists involved in the show are Nancy Mueller, Diane Ramos, Barry Reithmeier, Stephan Roll, Marina Ross, Liz Kolben, Marina Kuchinski, Jonathan McFadden, Bridget Mitchell, Jennifer Moore, Luis Sahagun, William Sclater, Eva D. Smith, Mimi Solum, Amelin Spinney, Aaron Tinder, Jennifer Webster, Michael Weigman, Margi Weir and Peter Wilhelm.

A free poetry-spoken word open mike night will take place from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 4 in conjunction with the closing of the exhibit “I Shall Be Released” at Union Street Gallery. Poets of all ages from all walks of life are invited and encouraged to release their words. This exhibit is all about trial and tribulation, overcoming adversity and rising above it all, being released from what holds people back, and claiming one’s own identity and voice. The poetry will reflect much of the same themes as the exhibit.

On the first floor, there is also an interactive sculpture exhibit, which invites the viewer to touch, turn, feel and play with the art. The exhibiting sculptors are Rob Millard-Mendez from Indiana and Howard Haarer from Michigan.

COMEDY

CD&ME: 23320 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort, (815) 469-7315: The weekly Laugh the Night Away! series, which runs through April will feature comedians Steve Iott and Tiffany Ellen with music by Dave Rudolf on Feb. 3. This funny man from Michigan is no stranger to either television or the concert stage, He has appeared on A&E and Comedy Central and has opened for Steven Wright, the band Chicago and Bill Maher. The cover is $13 for each show. Doors will open at 7 p.m., with comedy starting at 8 p.m. and music performances starting at 9:30 p.m.

“LAUGH OUT LOUD TOUR”: The Second City, 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago, (312) 337-3992: The Second City Touring Company brings its hilarious show home to Chicago for a night of classic and original sketch comedy and trademark improvisations. The show runs Saturdays and Mondays.

RIDDLES COMEDY CLUB: 5055 W. 111th St., Alsip, (708) 422-5055: Maija DiGiorgio will perform two shows each on Feb. 3-4.

“SKY’S THE LIMIT (WEATHER PERMITTING)”: The Second City e.t.c., 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago, (312) 337-3992: While people are bombarded with tornadoes, both political and weather-related, the day-to-day news stays the same — saving marriages, raising kids and whether the American dream is something that can be afforded. This show runs Thursdays-Sundays.

“SOUTH SIDE OF HEAVEN”: The Second City, 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago, (312) 337-3992: This thought-provoking, irreverent and hilarious show explores the many fates that propel the world and universe, from the cultural divide between Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans to the delicate distinction between dancing and stripping. The show runs Tuesdays-Sundays.

MUSEUMS

ADLER PLANETARIUM: 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-7827: “Deep Space Adventure” is an immersive space experience that takes attendees aboard the observation deck of a futuristic starship.

CHICAGO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, (312) 527-1000: “Circus Zirkus: Where You’re the Star of the Show!” opens on Feb. 3 and runs to Aug. 12. *** “Michael’s Museum: A Curious Collection of Tiny Treasures” fosters the art of collecting and features nearly 100 collections of tiny objects including miniatures, trinkets, artifacts and curiosities donated by founder and curator Michael Horvich.

THE FIELD MUSEUM: 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 922-9410: “Natural Wonders: A Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel” is on display to April 22. More than 300 square feet large and nearly 2,000 years old, this ancient Roman floor mosaic is one of the world’s largest and best-preserved. Discovered in 1996 in Lod, Israel, the “Lod Mosaic” is unique with its depiction of exotic animals and a profusion of fish and fleets of Mediterranean ships. Visitors can study the mosaic’s glorious details and uncover the stories hidden in its imagery before it returns to Israel.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY: 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (773) 684-1414: “Powerful: African Americans in Energy” runs to April 15. Visitors can learn about different sources of energy — how they work and the impact each has — as they play a highly interactive game of miniature golf. Attends can play their way through the energy landscape of choices like oil, natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power. Just as golfers keep score, participants will keep a running tally of what they have learned at each hole. The final hole is the participants chance to “putt the vote” and have their say on the best choice for the future of energy.

THE 1950S PARK FOREST HOUSE MUSEUM: 141 Forest Blvd., (708) 481-4252 (Jane Nicoll): The “Step Back into a 1950s Valentine’s Day” exhibit continues through March 3 and features vintage valentines and other themed decorations. Operated by the Park Forest Historical Society and sponsored by Central Park Apartments, the museum is open in February from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesdays. The museum is also open for school tours and small groups by appointment. Admission donation is $5 for adults while ages 12 and younger may attend for no charge with a paying adult.

SHEDD AQUARIUM: 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, (312) 939-2438: Illinois Resident Discount Days, which feature free general admission, will take place Feb. 6-7. This includes admission into “Waters of the World,” “Amazon Rising,” and the “Caribbean Reef.” Packages including “Wild Reef,” “Polar Play Zone” and Abbott Oceanarium are available to Illinois residents at a discounted rate on these days.

THEATER

“MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET”: Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, (773) 935-6100: Extended through at least May 31, the show is inspired by the auspicious twist of fate that brought together Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at the Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis, Tenn. The show runs Wednesdays-Sundays.

“PINKALICIOUS — THE MUSICAL”: Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut Ave., Chicago, (800) 775-2000: Recently extended to May 27, this production of the hit musical is based on the popular book by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann. The Emerald City Theatre show is best for ages 3 and older.

“TREASURED STORIES BY ERIC CARLE — A BROWN BEAR, A MOON AND A CATERPILLAR”: The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University, off University Parkway east of Governors Highway, University Park, (708) 235-2222: The Especially for Kids series continues with this show at 11 a.m. Feb. 4. The title character from “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” (Philomel) is joined by a whimsical cast of adventurous animals drawn from the pages of “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” (Henry Holt and Co.) and the poignant story of a young girl’s unusual quest, “Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me” (Little Simon). This show features evocative music, stunning visual effects and innovative puppetry, with a triple-bill that highlights three of Carle’s most beloved tales. Tickets are $10.50 for main floor, mezzanine and front balcony; $11.50 for platinum box seats and $15.50 for box seats.

VARIETY

BACINEMA SCREENING OF “SENNA”: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago, (773) 445-3838: This film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8. Rated PG-13, the movie runs for 1 hour and 46 minutes. Cost is $7.50, or $5.50 for center members.

BACINEMA REEL TALK: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago, (773) 445-3838: Film lecturer Suzanne Patterson leads a free after-screening opportunity to discuss and dissect a movie in a friendly atmosphere on the third Wednesday of the month through May.

MIMI’S CAFE GOES RED: 16154 LaGrange Road, Orland Park, (708) 226-2286: Mimi’s is activating its heartfelt campaign on National Wear Red Day, Feb. 3. Guests who show their support by wearing red will receive a free cup of soup with any purchase to warm their heart. And throughout the month, guests will be invited to join in the fight against heart disease in women. For every $1 donation, guests can post a red heart-shaped tribute card on the giant in-restaurant red dress display. With a $5 donation, guests also will receive a commemorative red dress lapel pin. As a thank-you for these donations, Mimi’s will provide each guest with up to $35 in savings.

Crowd Pleasers listings may be sent to jvirtusio@southtownstar.com with “Events” in the subject line. Items must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the desired Friday publication date in order to be considered for publication.

More events can be found at the websites for Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau, cscvb.com, and Chicago Southland Arts Alliance, chicagosouthlandarts.com/events.cfm.