Written by Dustin Ford
Chicago has some amazing shows. The city in itself is full of artists and thespians ready to prove their worth. With such fierce competition, local actors have joined more and more creative works in order to stand out. Like vines, these performers stretch to great lengths in order to reach new light.
Southern Gothic
This show is one of several at the Windy City Playhouse. What makes these performances so exciting is that they are their own style of immersive theater. It’s the early 60s in the rural south and you have been invited to a private party with some old college buddies. You play as a wallflower watching the story unfold, but something isn’t quite right. You sense a general unease creep in over the jolly occasion as everyone’s closest-kept secrets rise to the surface. You’ll follow the actors streaming from one room to the next inside of a fully-functioning house built inside the Windy City Playhouse. You are a part of the action, sitting on a couch next to actors or sharing a ledge on the patio all while the plot thickens.
Batsu!
Named after the Japanese word meaning both “X” and “punishment”, this game show is a ridiculous schadenfreude spectacle all for your enjoyment. Four improv comedians face off in a string of challenges to decide who wins and who gets punished. The games are designed to put the competitor’s improv skills to the test, ultimately resulting in some hilarious outcomes. The punishments are even wilder than the games; the losers will have to slap a table of mousetraps, get shot with paintball guns, or eat sushi out off some guy’s hairy chest. Speaking of sushi, Batsu! is a part of Chicago’s Kamehachi. They have a fantastic selection of sushi and sake to choose from.
Tommy Gun’s Garage
Tommy Gun’s Garage takes you back to 1920s Chicago for a taste of life back in the day. Flappers and gangsters run this joint, serving and performing on stages. In an instance, your server could go from bringing you some prime rib to doing the watusi. These stage performances include comedy skits, dancing, and singing music from the roaring 20s. Sit back and enjoy some of Chicago’s finest bootleg hooch, but watch out for police raids! And for the love of Pete, don’t forget the password!