CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Podtalk: Harry Wood on His Debut ‘Roast’ at Chicago’s Greenhouse Theater, Thru Aug. 18, 2019
CHICAGO – It is Chicago where New York City native Harry Wood is debuting his first play, entitled “Roast,” through The Comrades theater company at the Greenhouse Theater Center. The comic drama, about a gathering of stand up comics and relatives to “roast” – rather than eulogize – a deceased fellow comedian, is a World Premiere that runs through August 18th, 2019. For tickets and more information, click here.
Derek Bertelsen (The Artistic Director of The Comrades) directs “Roast,” which follows the friends and family of Sam, a talented young comedian who took his own life. They gather to fulfill his last request … to hold a roast of him instead of a traditional funeral. As each of the roasters has their turn on stage, they reflect on who Sam was, and what he meant to them. The play asks an important question, when a loved one is lost, how does the world change in their absence?
The Cast of ‘Roast,’ Written by Harry Wood (inset)
Photo credit: The Comrades
Harry Wood is a writer and stand-up comedian from New York City. He studied at Northwestern University, where he focused in acting, playwriting, and creative writing for the media, and graduated recently in 2017. He was named one of ten “Seniors to Watch” after his performance in the Northwestern Senior Showcase in New York City, which led to a representation contract. He currently can be seen performing in New York with the “Story Pirates,” a children’s theatre group.
In Part One of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Harry Wood reflects on themes in his debut play “Roast,” and how families, whether related or not, affect how we conduct our lives.
In Part Two, Wood knocks stand-up push back on the current comedy ethos, and how to talk to a sad clown.
By PATRICK McDONALD |