Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago will pause programming for a year and lay off more than half its staff- Page 2

[uncamark]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 11:38am

And it hasn't helped Porchlight that their "Broadway in Your Backyard" parks shows have been cancelled for the first two weeks due to the hazardous air warnings in Chicago.

As for Lookingglass, it probably hasn't helped them that their number one cheerleader at the Sun-Times lost her job before the pandemic because of statements she made about Blacks and gays.  She didn't lose her job at the PBS station in town, but her reviews don't get the notice that they did at the S-T. (She did give a mixed review to the current show, "Lucy and Charlie," but it probably didn't fit her aesthetic requirements.  At least she didn't pan it like she did the "Oklahoma!" revival.)  It also didn't help them that they started their season with a remount of a show from Congo Square Theatre, our pre-eminent Black company, that was never intended for a general audience and asked that white audience members leave the theater for 10 to 15 minutes at one point near the end of the piece for a portion that was solely for Black audience members.  This is not to discuss possible racism, but I would think that the heavily Gold Coast/North Shore subscribers at Lookingglass were not too happy about this action.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 4:58pm

Amidst all these prominent theaters announcing these cost cutting measures and accompanying existential donation campaigns, I do wish we had more investigative theater journalists able to really dig into how these companies have been earning, spending, and investing their money in the years leading up to the pandemic. And why it is that it’s these bigger, established companies that seem to be struggling most, as opposed to the smaller ones that one would think would be the first to go.  And where are the many notable alumni of these theaters right now in their time of need? 
 

I am not dismissing the toll COVID has taken on theater, nor the effect of programming choices on audience attendance. I’m just… finding it all to be getting a little hard to swallow. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 5:54pm

I think these companies are trying to do more than putting on cash grab shows year after year like the Muny or Tuachan. But I have to disagree I thought Mark Taper had a pretty well rounded season. Looking glass? Not so much. There was nothing there to spake interest. Steppenwolf has celebs and well know playwrights, Chicago Shakes has been adding a few pre-NYC shows. Not sure what Lookingglass’ angle is. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 7:03pm

As far as programming goes, the Taper had a very balanced season. The issue with the "do things people want to see" complaint is places like that are either doing new work (which means it could sink or swim) OR they are presenting productions incubated elsewhere, sometimes without seeing them first.

Covid did have ripples in programming for the past 2 seasons. Some shows were in development and needed to be produced. The touring/presenting side of things was weird. And they were trying to diversify or try something new. My hope is that next season will be much different for a lot of companies, but that might be too late for some.

Updated On: 7/3/23 at 07:03 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 9:17pm

I do feel like - since our industry is for the most part pretty diverse and understanding - that maybe the seasons since opening back up have been pretty heavy handed and maybe people just want a fun night out and not a show where you have to leave the show at the end while other audience members see the rest of the show (I didn’t see it but that is such an odd programming choice) 

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 7/3/23 at 11:07pm

But Lookingglass HAS given audiences good nights out, and presented shows that people would want to see--

"Lookingglass Alice" and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" were remounts of some of their most financially and critically successful productions, the former of which has been regularly revived to sold out crowds for decades. Both are delightful, creative, inventive, accessible, and just plain fun.

"Vilette" was a new production, and therefore riskier, and reviews were not as kind to that one, but it was extremely on brand for the audience they have cultivated, which craves inventive stagings of classic novels.

"Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon," the current production, is a silly and irreverent musical comedy in a stellar production that's gotten phenomenal word of mouth.

None of these are the "eat your vegetables" content so many in this thread are accusing them of producing. "What to Send Up When It Goes Down" was mentioned, but that was produced by Congo Square and remounted in Lookingglass's space after a prior sold-out run.

You can't just say they made stupid programming choices that they should have known better, and you can't blame it on overly woke programming. They made a more concerted effort than most companies did post-pandemic to balance bringing back crowd-pleasing hits with true-to-brand new work. You can be critical of the results, of course, and we can disagree, but this was not a case of a company that programmed recklessly.

"Lucy and Charlie" is a very good show, and I hope more people are motivated to check it out in the wake of this news.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 7/4/23 at 12:18am

"But Lookingglass HAS given audiences good nights out, and presented shows that people would want to see--"

No. They haven't.

Villette wasn't risky, it was stupid. It starred no ensemble members and no Chicago stalwarts. It's a great, complicated novel that doesn't lend itself to adaptation and  simply doesn't have the recognition that their usual adaptations have. Frankenstein, Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Ethan Fromme, 20,000 Leagues... all the Mary Zimmerman work. There was nothing to compel anyone to see and was a hard sell out the gate... and unfortunately it was very pretty but pretty dreadful. 

And you mention the "audience they've cultivated" but unfortunately I believe they ostracized their audiences with a good portion of their programing in the years leading up to the pandemic. Plantation! and Acts of God were both underdeveloped, critical, word of mouth and box office disasters. Frankenstein and Her Honor, Jane Byrne were admirable but ultimately not particularly interesting and they were neither critical nor box office successes. 

Despite it's unpopularity, they actually brought back Her Honor, Jane Byrne. Again, an admirable play but neither "on brand" for Lookingglass nor particularly well received by the paper of record. While I liked the play and thought it some some important things, it's political points were aimed squarely at the white liberals that make up the audience that Lookingglass had cultivated. 

Lucy and Charlie is TERRIFIC but (again) not aimed at the audience Lookingglass has "cultivated" and  SHOULD NOT have been programed in their summer slot. It does have great word of mouth but word of mouth is mostly a locals only phenomenon and locals are being tourists elsewhere.   Right now there are tourists in the city and they usually run a family appropriate show with circus elements or a very recognizable title... because they're located in prime tourist territory. The show is VERY adult and not at ALL appropriate for families. So... they've programmed a terrific September show that's a hard sell in June and July. 

I LOVE Lookingglass. I'll be devastated if they don't survive... but they did this to themselves. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/4/23 at 9:41am

Well, for what it is worth, you both have convinced me to see Lucy and Charlie! 

[uncamark]

Posted: 7/4/23 at 10:21am

Yes, "What to Send Up" was a hit for Congo Square, but it was done in two locations on the South and West Sides that are heavily Black and where the audience the play was written for was located.  The playwright came right out and said that the show was not for white people but was designed to give solace and comfort to Black audiences. It seemed a little too performative for Lookingglass to book it in their Magnificent Mile space, but they were a company that started out as lily white (the way Mary Zimmerman cast "The Arabian Nights" would not be allowed today), like their fellow Performance Studies majors at Northwestern.  They did not have an ensemble member of color until J. Nicole Brooks came aboard in 2007--and with the exception of Lucas Hnath's "Death Tax" she has appeared in, written or directed the company's "Black" shows (including the Jane Byrne show, which was less about Byrne and more about her infamous "move" into Cabrini-Green). Of course, there are so many companies out there started by white kids that went to the same college that have added people of color to the company in the last decade or so.