Time To Make Superior Donuts

It's all in the ingredients. Picture from Rich Cotovsky;s Facebook page.

When I first heard that Rich Cotovsky was heading to Washington D.C., I thought the Obama administration had made a swap with the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Cotovsky would become the President’s new Chief of Staff and the wily Rahm Emanuel, having tricked everyone into thinking he was gunning to become the Mayor of Chicago, would actually snag the more prestigious position of being a theater’s Artistic Director.

Emanuel could reinvent the late night show Bitch With Rich as Bitch With Rahm, and he’d have plenty of time to grow a beard and long hair for next year’s Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins theater festival. Meanwhile, Cotovsky, a veteran of in-your-face plays like Wild Dogs, would test Barack Obama’s calm and cool demeanor by eating a Twinkie off the floor of the Oval Office.

Actually, Cotovsky’s going to Washington D.C. for three-months to join the cast of the critically-acclaimed Tracy Letts comedy Superior Donuts. It’s a high profile gig for a talented actor who will surely make the most of it. Mary-Arrchie will be giving Cotovsky a send off party tomorrow night at Justin’s Bar on Southport.

He’s generated a lot of good will at the theater, as well as among the countless performers who have taken part in Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins, an annual weekend celebration of drama, comedy, and music. (I know because I’m one of them.) So here’s a toast to Rich Cotovsky: Knock ‘em dead in Donuts.

Abbie Fest XXII: Alive & Kicking

Photo from The Plagiarists Facebook page shows Ryan Palmer on left; Gregory Peters on right.

As I arrived at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre a little after 3PM this past Saturday, Artistic Director Rich Cotovsky was getting psyched for his role as Rex in Matt Borczon’s short piece Wild Dogs. Cotovsky has performed in this two-man tragicomedy at every Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival since 1989, pretty much with a different co-star each time. Wild Dogs, a tale of a deranged loner who takes in a timid businessman who’s been tossed out by his wife, exudes an in-your-face attitude that’s well-suited to the Abbie Fest and the Mary-Arrchie itself. The theatre group has always aimed for a streetwise grittiness.

Cotovsky held up a package of Twinkies, much to the delight of the audience, and as Wild Dogs unfolded, he rewarded their enthusiasm by tearing it apart with his teeth. With whipped cream smeared across his nose and beard, he howled and scampered on all fours, before taking a massive swig of Mad Dog 20/20. The Abbie Fest was set up as theater in the round this year, and sitting so close to the action, I was able to appreciate the various comic nuances Cotovsky continues to bring to a role he has performed numerous times.

Abbie Fest likewise continues to entertain and surprise as it charges into its third decade. Longtime fans are familiar with the nonstop schedule that kicks off at 7PM on Friday and runs through late Sunday night; the eclectic mix of seasoned professionals and mistake-prone rookies tackling everything from Harold Pinter to an early hours talk show about oil; and above all, the sense of support within Chicago’s theatrical community. The artsy, dramatic ambience of the Abbie Fest’s earliest days has given way to a raucous party spirit, and there are a lot more comedy groups on the schedule now.

So there was something reassuringly old school about watching members of the Dandelion Arts Center performing A General Revue of Dorothy Parker’s Situation by Brooke Johnson and Dina Marie Klahn. It wasn’t clear if this was a straight up presentation of the witty Parker’s own words, or a work that was inspired by her. Either way, a likable cast breezed through clever scenes with well-crafted dialogue. No belly laughs, but definitely satisfying. Later that day, Lance Eliot Adams, who has been affiliated with Mary-Arrchie for several years, read from his own novel, A Voice I Heard.

Black Forest Theatre founding members James Moeller and Carla Hayden have been gracing the Abbie Fest with their off-kilter charm for several years now. Their latest piece, The Dogstar Rages, was penned by Moeller, and displayed his usual fascination with clever word play and quirky characters.

Existential Crisis, a duo comprised of Matt Peterson and Mike Cherry, poked fun at various conventions of theater and sketch comedy, like banging into each other during a blackout, or jumbling various elements of Shakespeare. They finished with a funny but poignant bit about a guy who’s devastated to learn that his hero from back in their high school days wasn’t the sexual stud his overblown reputation made him out to be.

Journalistic integrity should prevent me from reviewing a performance by Famous In The Future, the group I spent 20 years writing and performing with, but what the hell, this is a blog. FIF used clever dialogue and imaginative costumes in a funny opening bit that mashed Alice In Wonderland with the current Tea Party movement. Long time member Desiree Burcum’s original song exploring how America embraces mediocrity scored some major hits on current celebrities. A sketch about two mountain climbers debating whether they should save the life of a circus clown who had fallen into a ravine was laugh out loud funny, especially for those of us familiar with founding member Frank Carr’s pathological fear of clowns.

A.S.S. IV by The Plagiarists once again featured the hysterically funny Gregory Peters portraying a pompous professor introducing the works of an obscure (purely fictional) playwright. The revue bounced between rapid fire eloquence to can-you believe-we’re-actually-doing-this-onstage gross-outs, with the highly polished cast somehow holding the insanity together. At this point it was after 10 o’clock, and the huge crowd that had gathered in the Mary-Arrchie’s storefront venue on Sheridan Road made it impossible for audience members sitting toward the back to see much of what was taking place. But there was a positive vibe in the air, and for those of us who have been coming every year since Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins I, it was great to see this freewheeling celebration still going strong.

Revolution For The Thrill Of It

Graphic taken from 2010 Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Fest t shirt. These t shirts will be on sale at the Fest.

You might see a small band of rebels in the Daley Center tomorrow afternoon, but it won’t be a scene being filmed for Transformers 3. The guy with the megaphone and unruly hair is Mary-Arrchie Theatre Artistic Director Rich Cotovsky, and his devoted followers are actors. They’ll march northward until they reach the Mary-Arrchie Theatre at the corner of Broadway and Sheridan Road. Yep, Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins XXII has arrived. The virtually nonstop three-day celebration of theatre, performance art, comedy, and music will once again exude a freewheeling 1960s vibe that kicks off with an Opening Ceremony that features Cotovsky channeling the spirit of Hoffman.

As usual, some big players on the local scene are involved; like A Red Orchid Theatre doing Oil Talk, Rush Pearson doing Gogol’s Diary Of A Madman, The Factory Theater doing The Popeye Chronicles, and The Factory Theater Alumni doing The Mystery Of Pink Floyd. Unfortunately the Mary-Arrchie Theatre itself won’t be performing its current hit Cherrywood, (it’s been extended through August 28th) as part of Abbie Fest, but the group will be performing Wild Dogs and Gas Mask 101.

Over the years, Citizens’ Relief, Rare Terra, Theatre O’ Th Absurd, The Plagiarists, and Bruised Orange Theatre have put up interesting shows, so they should be worth checking out this time around. Several other performances look promising. Part of the fun at Abbie Fest is never knowing what to expect. In addition to showcasing a wealth of local talent Abbie Fest also provides a supportive atmosphere in which new groups can get their feet wet.

I took part in this annual ritual for 20 years as a member of the Famous In The Future comedy group, and have too many fond memories to go into here. My old mates are still active, and this year, they’ll be offering a revue of scripted material called Famous In The Future in 3D. Longtime cast member Desiree Burcum, who has an obsession with puppets, warned on Facebook that some puppets will be involved with this year’s production. Founding member Frank Carr is the only individual other than Cotovsky, who has performed in every single Abbie Fest. Famous In The Future in 3D is slated for 7:00PM Saturday night.

A few hours earlier, James Moeller and Carla Hayden of Black Forest Theatre will perform The Dog Star Rages at 4:45PM. Moeller has been talking up the original 30-minute piece, which also features Maurice Cleary, on his JimmyDumps/SunnyJimmy blog and it sounds like another winner from the always offbeat but genial Black Forest Theatre.

Abbie Fest XXII is a great place to hang out all weekend for inventive and imaginative performances, and a fun way for the theater community to come together. Mary-Arrchie Theatre is located at 735 W. Sheridan Road, just off the intersection of Broadway and Sheridan. (773-871-0442)

The Birthday Party

Photo from Rich Cotovsky's Facebook page.

Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party is an ambiguous tale of an ominous pair of men who arrive at a boarding house with the intent of forcing a reluctant Stanley Webber to celebrate his birthday. I saw the play in a Jeff-nominated production years ago at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre on Chicago’s north side, with Rich Cotovsky in the role of Stanley. There’s a birthday party coming to the Mary-Arrchie tonight, although not The Birthday Party. And instead of being ambiguous or ominous, this is a festive gathering to honor Cotovsky, who helped found the theatre group almost 25 years ago.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Cotovsky by any means. I once wrote a profile of him for the Illinois Entertainer, and I’ve covered Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins, the Mary-Arrchie’s rollicking, three-day annual festival, for I.E. as well as Streetwise, a local publication created to help the homeless. As a member of Famous In The Future, which is the only group other than the Mary-Arrchie itself to have performed at every one of The Abbies, I’ve come to respect Cotovsky’s talent, wild sense of humor, and passion for the Chicago theatrical community.

Back in 1989, when the first Abbie Hoffman Fest was held, Famous In The Future had just lost its mother hen, Lake Sirmon, leaving Frank Carr and myself to keep things going. I saw an ad in the theatre listings of The Chicago Reader seeking participants for a festival that would commemorate the 20th anniversary of Woodstock, and thought it would be a good fit for our group. When we showed up for our tech run at the Mary-Arrchie, it was clear Cotovsky wasn’t impressed with our amateurish approach. He had good reason to boot us from the festival, but that probably would have run counter to his vision of creating a bonding experience among Chicago’s multitude of performing artists. So he let us do The Abbie, where our revue of original comedy sketches drew a polite response, although not much laughter. Over the years, we would hone our talents, and eventually have some very successful shows at The Abbie. For that, we owe Rich a great deal of gratitude, and I suspect many other groups could tell the same story.

Of course, there’s more to Rich Cotovsky than taking pity on struggling theatre groups. Over the years, he has helped the Mary-Arrchie earn a reputation for cutting edge, critically acclaimed productions like Tracers, Cowboy Mouth/4-H Club, Buried Child, Mojo, and its most recent offering, the Jeff-recommended How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found.

So here’s a toast to Rich Cotovsky and a wish for another successful season in 2010. Happy Birthday!