*** The conspirators is a young theater company that presents very topical humor. They reside in the Wrigleyville area at Otherworld Theatre, on Clark Street, just south of Irving Park, so when it is not baseball season, parking is pretty easy and of course, just a few blocks south of the theater, there are many types of dining spots. Due to some overlapping productions, we were unable to get to this show early in the run, but I try to work with the smaller theater companies and seeing they had a Monday night performance, I jumped at the opportunity to see what their show “Commedia Divina: it’s worse than that” was all about.

The show is more of a performance piece than a play. Perhaps, even a revue. It is approximately 80 minutes, and although it has a story line of sorts about seeing the future as seen by a woman and told to her priest, it is in fact a series of 8 or 9 skits, some very funny, others not so much. Tonight there were three understudies on the stage ( cast of 12, so 1/4 of the players were understudies). Since the program does not list roles played by the cast listed, I will give credit to those who I know were filling in tonight ( for whatever reason)Libby Corkle ( Malady),Demitri Magas ( as Cher and others) and last, but certainly not least, AL Smart ( Lindsay Graham and others).

I will tell you that the younger crowd was hysterical as we went from before Covid until election 2024 and what might take place ( depending on Tuesday). I am unsure if they will make any alterations depending on what takes place Tuesday, but there are a few scenes that are political in nature. The other cast members are Eva Andrews, Travis Barnhardt, Jimmy Dwyer, Emily Fernandes, Harper McCoy, Mitch Maguire, Kelly Opaliko, Tess Vincent and Corin Wiggins. The Percussionist, Dakota Norman, is a very important part of this show as he does all the sound effects and at one point assumes a role IN the production ( at least for a bit).

Written by Sid Feldman and directed by William Bullion, this is a series of skits that are combined into a story. The exceptional skits ( as I am calling them) are the ones involving “The Three Stooges ” ( I am unsure if the audience members truly know their work) and the  Drag show competition bit. This was hysterical with two senators and Cher as judges. I truly think that this bit could be extended into a future show on its own.

The choreography (Meghan Lynham) on such a small stage worked and they even had some tap dancing. The costumes ( Kit Medic) were simple, but effective and all in all, the cast and crew kept the action moving allowing for the audience to never miss a beat. While it is not my favorite type of theater, I was impressed by the talent assembled and sections of the story/production were a delight.

Presented by The Conspirators

Thru – Nov 9, 2024 with only a few chances left

3914 N. Clark Street  Chicago