Lollapalooza

22 Time Out Chicago August511,2010 TimeOuTCHiCAGO.COm

Lady GagaThe Strange Tree Group (strangetree.org)Strange Trees resident playwright Emily Schwartz envisions a Lewis Carrolllike journey, depicting Stefani Germanottas transformation into Lady Gaga. Check out her breakdown of the first two scenes below; read the whole thing at timeoutchicago.com/features.

The show opens with a fight with young Stefani and her parents. They want her to study for university entrance exams but she wants to be a star. She prays in her bedroom late at night. The moon shines in through over-exaggerated windows, the shadows are deep and dark. We hear Stefani lament that a life without fame would be no life at all as she sings The Fame (My teenage dream tonight, Fame!). Suddenly, from underneath her bed, something wicked begins to creep. It looks as though its made of the night. Its skirts are cobweb, its shoes

are cloven hooves: the Fame Monster. Stefani is confused and frightened; she fights to stay in the real world but the Fame Monster drags her underneath the bed and into the dark world of Dreamland. The Monster takes Stefani through a moonlit forest. Hearing her screams, two young princes, Alejandro and Roberto, come to her aid and frighten the creature away. Alejandro explains the only way out of Dreamland is through the power of his mother, the Red Queen in the castle FAME. Roberto tries to convince Stefani that Alejandro is evil. Alejandro says the same of Roberto, and Stefani chooses the handsome Alejandro to be her companion. The pair set off on a journey toward the castlebut first she explains what she expects of a man in the musical number Paper Gangster.

Strange Tree Group debuts Schwartzs The War Plays Oct 28Nov 21 at the Athenaeum.

Erykah BaduBarrel of Monkeys (barrelofmonkeys.org)The subtitle of Badus latest album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), got the Monkeys thinking about Return of the Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back and the rest of the Star Wars universe. The result is a Badu-scored musical about Cloud Citys smoothest traitor, Lando Calrissian. Our musical starts with Lando as a young man and ends when he decides to join the Rebel Alliance, says BOM artistic director Luke Hatton.

ACT iOn and On (Baduizm)Opening scene. Lando as a young man on his home planet of Socorro. He smuggles, yet struggles with being selfish vs. selfless.Otherside of the Game (Baduizm)Lando being all pimpin, learning to be a con man. Plays Sabacc to win the Millennium Falcon.Green Eyes (Mamas Gun)The antagonist (Jabba the Hutt) sings/tells Lando of his unrequited love for Han Solo. Now he hates Han and wants him killed.Bag Lady (Mamas Gun)The introduction of Landos love interest. She tries to warn Lando that one day all them bags gonna get in your way. Tyrone (Mamas Gun)The love interest hears about Landos transgressions and kicks him out of the house.Otherside of the Game (reprise)Sung by Lando after slaying the Sorcerer of Tund.Window Seat (New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)Han and Lando gamble for control of the window seat on the Millennium Falcon. Han wins.

ACT iiTurn Me Away (Get MuNNY) (New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)The many tempting women/droids of Cloud City try to win the new ambassadors affection.20 Feet Tall (New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)Darth Vader, having arrived in Cloud City, asserts his power over

Social DistortionPavement Group (pavementgroup.org)The punk aficionados of Pavement Group (Lipstick Traces, punkplay) propose a docu-theater treatment of Social Ds arc called It Wasnt a Pretty Picture. There are a million musicals that deliver third-person accounts of moments in history and culture, says artistic director David Perez. It Wasnt A Pretty Picture is not that musical.

Drawing from the rich source text of interviews, reviews and testimonials, this Social Distortion musical explores the intricacies of the rise, destructions and subsequent

rebirths of Social Distortion and the self-perpetuated myth of Mike Ness as a courier of pop culture. Set in L.A.s legendary Whiskey A Go Go, the play mixes first-person testimonials with live performances from the band. The audience is on stagestanding room onlywith the play taking place in and around them. The play is a debate of sorts, with fans, foes and journalists adding to the conversation, while the omniscient presence of legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQs Rodney on the ROQ serves as a sort of moderator. Part documentary, part ferocious punk show, It Wasnt A Pretty Picture ponders the narrative of one band and, by proxy, the zeitgeist of the So-Cal punk movement.

Look for Pavement Group to announce its next show soon.

InspiredbyGreenDaysBroadwayturn, TOCchallengedthreelocaltheatercompaniestoinventmusicalsbasedonLadyGaga,ErykahBaduandSocialDistortion.CompiledbyKris Vire

LoLLa, the musicalIf wed told you in 1994, when Green Day played its first Lollapalooza, that Billie Joe Armstrong would one day take the stage at the Tony Awards, youd have said we were full of Dookie. But with American Idiot, the rock musical based on Green Days 2004 album, now playing on Broadway, thats exactly what happened in June. With Green Day back as a 2010 headliner, we wondered what some of Lollas other prominent acts would look like in the hands of creative Chicago theater companies.

Lando. He tells Lando he has no way to escape the Galactic Empire. Agitation (New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)Landos inner turmoil in deciding whether to sell out his good buddy Han. He sings: What a day / Going through a thing now / Finna pull this thing out / But its against the law / Its against the law. Certainly (Baduizm)Han Solo, after realizing he was tricked by Lando and is now captured by bounty hunters: You tried to get a little tricky / Turned my back and then you slipped me a mickey.Out My Mind, Just in Time (New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)Realizing hes all alone, Lando reconsiders his choices. Decides he will choose decency over prestige. Joins Rebel Alliance. Guess its time to grab a coat / Evolution time to grow / Ego trying to block the door / Might not have no where to go / Finally got a leading role / Introducing super dope / Starring in his episode / Hello, new world / Out my mind.

See Barrel of Monkeys Thats Weird, Grandma every Monday at 8pm at the Neo-Futurarium.

August511,2010 Time Out Chicago 23 TimeOuTCHiCAGO.COm

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After reading Schwartzs musical

vision, New Yorkbased fashion

designer and illustrator Renie Hanna

conceptualized this costume for young

Stefani. The ice-blue and silver sheer

ensemble evokes the sleepwear she

might don in a fantasy dreamland. The

black lingerie, mask and silver arm

bracelet add a Gagalike edge.