"A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Modern Rep

I can't remember when I've had so much fun experiencing Shakespeare. #TCTheater artist Grant Sorenson's new company Modern Rep bills the experience thusly: "Shakespeare's most overdone comedy gets a radical new production that explodes Original Practice all-male casting into something messy, sexy, and very gay. Performed by six dynamic actors, this Midsummer Night's Dream embraces the dark, twisted, and unsettling aspects of Shakespeare's original text, served up in a flamboyant and unexpectedly queer way." Mission accomplished! When you think about it, Midsummer features fairies, ample romantic banter including double entendres, a character named Bottom, an ass, and lots of talk about a hole. It was just begging to be turned into a gay fantasia! And this production delivers in the most clever and joyful way. It's definitely the sexiest Shakespeare I've ever seen, and the gayest Shakespeare I've ever seen, in the best possible way. It's a joyful celebration to begin Pride month that flies in the face of anyone who dares to say that queer people don't deserve all of the fullness and legality of life as a citizen of this country, as a resident of this planet. And as a piece of theater, this Midsummer is so modern and forward-thinking. I don't worry about the state of theater as long as there are artists making inventive, outside-the-box, wholly engaging theater in sweaty little loading docks in the North Loop (continuing through June 20).

"Kiss of the Spiderwoman" by Teatro del Pueblo at the Southern Theater

The 1993 Tony-winning best musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, with music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret) and book by playwright Terrance McNally, was just made into a movie starring Jennifer Lopez. What's better than seeing an acclaimed musical on the screen? Seeing it live on stage! And now finally I had the opportunity to see this rarely done musical, thanks to Teatro del Pueblo. I don't know if the timing with the movie was intentional or coincidental, but this story of two men imprisoned by a fascist regime, one of them escaping into the fantasy world of his beloved movies, couldn't come at a better time. Featuring a talented cast and impressive design in the gorgeous Southern Theater, this is a rare opportunity to see Kiss of the Spider Woman live on stage as it was meant to be, and "celebrate Latine voices, queer identity, and the power of resilience!" Continuing through November 23 only.

"Only Ugly Guys" by Running Errands at Gremlin Theatre

The "funny, clever, inventive, and very modern" new play Only Ugly Guys, written by up-and-coming #TCTheater artist Kurt Engh, is back for another round. But this is no mere remount, it's an expansion and rewrite of what he calls an "anti-romcom" about four young gay men. The version staged at Open Eye Theater last summer as part of their Guest Artist Series was 90 minutes long and used projections of videos, texts, and social media. This new version (with two of the four original cast members returning) is about two and a half hours including intermission, staged on the thrust stage at Gremlin Theatre. So there's 30-40 additional minutes of story, with a new structure and style as well. It's the same four characters and similar relationships and story, but told in a fresh new way. And it's still "funny, clever, inventive, and very modern," continuing through September 27.

"Only Ugly Guys" at Open Eye Theatre

After adapting/directing/producing a play last fall that was "unlike anything I've ever seen before" (an adaptation of the Norwegian novel Naive. Super, with a different actor performing the solo play each night), Kurt Engh returns with an original play that once again inventively uses sound, video, and technology to tell a story. In this case, it's the story of four young gay men in a modern rom com that's very funny and engaging, and well performed by this cast of new-to-me young actors. Only Ugly Guys is presented as part of Open Eye Theatre's Guest Artists Series, which has already brought us Madeleine Rowe's charmingly odd solo piece Honey, I'm Home. It's great to see this established theater host the next generation of theater makers on their sweet little stage, and the group of artists behind Only Ugly Guys makes the future of #TCTheater look bright. The short run concludes on June 30.