The Down Side of Suicide: A Divine Comedy
When: Fri 7/16 and Sat 7/31, 9:30 PM,
Price: $15
When I heard the title of the newest show offered in Wicker Park’s quaint Gorilla Tango Nation Theatre: The Down Side of Suicide, “comedy” was not the first thing that crossed my mind. This dark humored and at times raunchy show is not for the faint of heart. Audience members find Abe Hutchins in a deplorable and outlandish act that sends him plummeting through the underworld on his journey to reach his eternal punishment. Along the way, a few celebrities (some dead and some still living) are met, the ultimate divine spirit and devil cross paths, weird romances are formed, and some sort of message was learned in the end.
The cast of six talented actors carried out the jokes that lacked depth and intellect. Most jokes fell short not in the delivery, but in the writing. On the same level of “dead baby jokes”, I found my inner pre-teen self laughing nervously at jokes that I knew I shouldn’t find humorous.
To sum it up: the actors have potential but the script and direction fall short of higher high school promise. It was good for a few cheap laughs but not a show you’d want to see time after time. Remember to keep an open mind if you decide to go and remember that they're just kidding even if they made fun of the son of God.
And if dead baby jokes and outlandish humor are your thing, performances run Wednesdays, June 16-30, 2010, Saturdays, July 3 & 31, 2010, and Fridays, July 9 & 16, 2010, all at 9:30pm at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 60647. Tickets are $15; to purchase tickets call 773-598-4549 or visit www.gorillatango.com. Special student offer, buy one get one free with valid student ID that are available at the door.
