In this brave new world, you never know what to expect when you venture onto that jam packed digital highway in search of a respite from the Covid harangue. Most of the time, all you’re looking for is some soul satisfying entertainment that both soothes and excites. A semblance of what’s no longer part of our physical existence. Even though boundaries between cities and countries disappear, you want to support your own and stay within the confines of Chicago when searching for theater or jazz or dance in cloud land. It’s not easy. Quality can vary a lot and because you want to show your appreciation with dollars, choosing wisely is just prudent.
Surprise has been a constant in this pleasure-seeking odyssey. Take theater. Chicago Plays, the online face of The League of Chicago Theatres, has 23 listings for virtual performances available for viewing right now; most running through to the end of May. Several are targeted to kids. Production quality, understandably, is all over the place and that’s not necessarily a deterrent. If the story is strong and the acting compelling, allowances are justified.
Because of its crackling plot and ace cast, one show stands out for its ability to carry the heady essence of a live theatrical performance. Originally scheduled to end May 11th, the virtual run of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, has been extended until the last day of the month. The play works beautifully as a reasonably viable alternative to the real thing. Of course, the connection between audience and the performers can’t exist in the virtual world so you have no idea how other streamers are reacting to what you’re seeing.
School Girls suffered the poor timing of being scheduled to open at the Goodman just as the lockdown went into force. Seguing it from a live stage to a virtual one was the only rational thing to do as a means of recouping some of the play’s production cost.
Being transported to a strict Ghanaian girl’s boarding school in 1986 did its own wonderful job of whisking your spirits from quarantine and placing your psyche in a totally different world. Often billed as “an entertaining comedy”, Jocelyn Bloh’s story about rivalry, the rabid hunger for winning and self- acceptance, as funny as it is, goes way beyond such a clichéd description.
It may because not everyone can fathom how treacherous girl politics in high school can be. The alpha female in this scenario is as diabolical as she is driven to be crowned Miss Ghana. When an unexpected newcomer shows up with the star power to steal her thunder, things go low. Bioh keeps everything balanced while working in a lot of sensational dialogue. And if you never knew or forgot what a destructive impact bleaching cream had on African as well as African American women, School Girls makes the psychological costs of those days erupt with the force of a killer volcano.
Non-subscribers are asked to pay a minimum of $20 (per person) to watch the performance.
