Fa La La La ... Fuck It

"This tale of a dysfunctional family's nightmarish Christmas is genuinely unsettling. Dad--a mountainous, grunting, embittered drunk--is onstage the least, but his weary belligerence sets the tone. Mom only stops her pathetic, ineffectual attempts at sugar-coating when she pours her grief out in soliloquy. Having adopted opposing coping strategies, the two teenage kids tear at each other: the boy, his face covered in zits, affects childish enthusiasm, trying to buttress mom's Martha Stewart fantasies; the girl, her face a riot of piercings, does her sullen best to withdraw, but her unplanned pregnancy blocks the way. The raging, intimate dread recalls Eugene O'Neill, Jennifer Estlin is devastating as mom, and the laughter of drunk audience members only makes the play more disturbing." --Dan Weissmann

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Fuck You, I Love You, Bye: The Rahm Emanuel Story

"Nearly every joke in the first few scenes of Annoyance Theatre's new comedy landed with an artless clunk on opening night. Maybe the cast was rattled, having lost director Paul Turner to a family emergency a week before opening. But once they settled down and found the rhythms in Marc Warzecha and Andy Cobb's biting, imaginative satire, things took off. The hour-long show is set in 2081, when Chicago rules the world thanks to a certain bloodthirsty, erratic, foul-mouthed mayor. Recently deceased, Rahm is presented as an interactive hologram in a Museum of Science and Industry exhibit, reliving his greatest moments--which include adding "Go fuck yourself" to the city seal. It's funny, filthy, politically savvy, and gleefully anti-establishment." --Justin Hayford

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Ripper! The Musical

"This musical pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper is standard-issue Annoyance Theatre stuff, but that doesn't mean it's not damn good. Jen Spyra's book hums with witty dialogue and a quick, smart mystery, the leads are impeccably cast, and Boaz Reisman's peppy musical numbers hone the comedy to a razor edge. Though the bit players are given to staginess, Kellen Alexander's peevish, whiny Holmes is a delight. Alex Moffat has a minefield of gay jokes to get through as Dr. Watson, but he pulls it off—thanks in large part to Brendan Dowling's direction, which gives the gags just enough breathing room. I was deep into the first act before I realized that Watson's signature medical satchel was actually a woman's purse." —Keith Griffith

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Ripper! The Musical

"Until just before intermission, I experienced a sort of cognitive dissonance while watching Ripper The Musical. While enjoying the show (a reworking of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper, this time co-starring the British royal family), I simultaneously wanted to stop the action and ask, “What’s a nice period piece doing onstage at the Annoyance?” As founder and artistic director Mick Napier says, “…the theater has become known for its subversive language and themes.” Yet here actors with sharp elocution, dressed in brocade, corduroy, velvet and lace, stood alongside the ghosts of Co-Ed Prison Sluts and Love Is Dead: A Necromantic Musical Comedy. Then it happened, Sherlock thinks he’s cornered the serial killer, only to learn that he’s got the wrong guy. “You’re an abortionist," he asks. "That’s wonderful!” Cue a full-ensemble choreographed song-and-dance that’s vintage Annoyance. Liberals who can take a joke will find it hilarious. Making her musical theater writing debut, actor Jen Spyra (Bucket of Blood, Splatter Theater) assembles an excellent production team with co-lyricist and piano player Boaz Reismann, and Improvised Shakespeare MVP Brendan Dowling directing Kellen Alexander (The Deltones, Dart) and Alex Moffat (Wonderbat, The Album) as Holmes and Watson respectively. The supporting cast is compelling, especially Jillian Burfete and Jeff Murdoch, who both play multiple roles (Burfete’s include Queen Victoria and a prostitute named Messy Pie). Plenty of good shows look easy, but Ripper’s audience can discern many instances where extra effort was taken, practicality be damned. Some of the props are purely for ambiance and even unnecessary—a beautiful old typewriter, Holmes's to-do list: “new housekeeper, engagement ring, C.V.”—a rarity in the world of low-budget theater. The ornate costumes are all rented from the costume shop at Northwestern, where Spyra is in the Writing for the Stage and Screen MFA program. Alexander, who is gay and best known for his work with the improv team 1, 2, 3 Fag!, wasn’t merely typecast as the enamored Watson (sample line: “I’m very fond of Holmes, in a homosexual kind of way.”)—rather, he brings great acting chops to the role. And while Ripper is male-centric, Spyra made sure to have a ladies-only musical number that measurably added to the show (although it didn’t advance the plot). The singers, three “working girls” one-upping each other with the refrain, “but I’m pretty sure I’ve had it the worst,” sound like the Pink Ladies if they were asked to respond to Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp.” In Victorian accents. While trying not to get murdered." —Jenna Marotta

Messing With a Friend

"...will surely be the hottest improv show in town and costs a mere five bucks. Assertive, vulnerable, eloquent, acerbic and ---most important---complicated, Messing is a colossal talent."