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14 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS June 2008Beyond theAbbeySean CallanE-mail: Irishquill@aol.com.It makes little difference whereyou go to the theater—be it Broadway’sGreat White Way, the West Endof London or the theater district ofChicago—all almost invariably haveone thing in common. It matters notwhether the show is bad or good, butshowtime starts at eight. Not sevenor six or even earlier apart from theonce or twice a week matinees orthe seven-thirty Tuesday only startsin New York City. Evening performancesstart punctually at eightoh five immediately following themandatory “shut of your cell phone”dictate. With standard length shows,theaters then start spewing peopleonto the street sometime after ten.But must it be so—since by thetime many theater patrons reachhome, it is well past their usual bedtime.Why not begin evening showsearlier. Say, at seven, or even six andhave theatergoers out on the street byeight or eight-thirty while it is stilldaylight at least in Summer? I am notsure of the reasons for not doing thatScene from Hizzoner with Neil Giuntolistory next pagebut I imagine that producers couldcome up with a couple. Perhaps theythink that a half asleep audience willbe less critical of a mediocre showthan a more wide awake crowd?Senior Set“Half asleep?” you echo, thinkingI exaggerate? Let’s face the facts. Aquick glance around any theater asthe fire curtain rolls up reveals thatmuch of the audience consists of theover 50s set. For the most part, thereare relatively few spring chickens orpeople of college age roosting alongthe rafters. For one thing, theater ticketscost too much. Especially comparedwith movies. And for another, thosewho relish burning a candle at bothends don’t generally think of a theateras the place to do it. Instead, a majoritysitting in the stalls are from the seniorset. Many would be happier getting the“early bird” dinner special, catching theshow and being back at home in robeand slippers by the time the first actorsteps on stage. At their own fireside,the seniors don’t have to stifle yawns orput up with elbows in the ribs to keepthem from nodding off and snoring.Some may say that tradition callsfor the eight o’clock start and that isthe reason it has become standard.But eight o’clock was not always thecase. Theater originated in Greece,and they had shows by day. As faras is known, when the poet Arionproduced the world’s first plays atCorinth sometime in the seventh centuryBC, they were daylight affairs.Alexis did not have to rush homefrom the Agora to change his robeand pick up Helen before catching achariot to the amphitheater to snarethe best seats in time for the Prologue.No, he simply took the day off fromwork and sauntered to the show athis leisure. He viewed the maskedhumans reveling as Gods and satyrswithout any artificial light.Goats and FigsBut things, even in theater, seldomstay the same. The playbill schedulehad changed a hundred years later. Bythis time, Greek theater had becomemore spectacular and competitive.Plays were adjudicated and prizeswere awarded for the best productions.The first recorded prizes were agoat and a basket of Attic Figs. Thesewent to Thespis in 534 BC for hislatest tragedy. Unfortunately, the titleand plotline of his historic work havevanished in the sands of time.By the time Sophocles had replacedAeschylus as the top dramatist in Athensin the following century, show bizhad become even more sophisticated.Instead of performing on the bare floorof the orchestra, actors were struttingtheir stuff on marble flagstone withscenery and special effects. PlaysJuno And The Paycock at Live Bait TheaterThe Artistic Home productionof Sean O’Casey’s Juno and thePaycock runs through June 29,2008 at The Live Bait Theatre,located 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago(1 block south of IrvingPark Blvd.)Juno and the Paycock capturesa snapshot inside the Boyle familyhome as revolutionary politicsand violence percolate betweenIRA “die-hards” and “staters” onthe streets of 1922 Dublin.With her son maimed duringthe Easter Rising and herhusband content to drink awaythe current days of chaos, Junois left to earn food for the tableand keep peace in the home.Good fortune arrives for CaptainBoyle in a contract promisinghim an inheritance from a deceasedcousin. Yet the promiseof another contract written in theblood of brotherhood threatens tooutweigh any sum of money ableto lift the Boyle family out of theslums of Dublin for good.Performances are Thursdays at7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at8:00pm and Sundays at 7:00pm.Tickets are $25.00 on Fridays andSaturdays, $22.00 on Thursdayand Sundays, with discountedrates for students and seniors onThursdays and Saturdays. Fortickets call 866-811-4111 or visitwww.theartistichome.org.had even become night time affairssporting a preshow warmup. Thestatue of Dionysus Eleuthereus wascarried through Athens in a torchlightprocession to the theater of Dionysus,the patron God of the Greek stage.This hoopla ensured a full house andan enthusiastic crowd. So perhapsthat is where the eight o’clock starthas come from. But for my part, Iwould welcome plays starting earlierin the evening.One Page Play ContestThe one page play contest scheduledfor July 12 at IAHC’s Irishfestwill not have an 8pm start. It will beheld in the afternoon and presentationspromise to be extremely entertaining.The contest has attracted morethan 30 entries, many of which areclever and witty. Some of the playsare international in origin and comefrom as far away as Italy and Australia.While the actual prizes have yet to bedetermined, it is not likely that theywill include either goats or figs.Nunsense atMarriott TheatreNunsense, the hilarious off-Broadway musical sensationwith book, music and lyrics byDan Goggin, runs through July13th at The Marriott Theatre,10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire,IL.When the Little Sisters ofAptakisic discover that theircook, Sister Julia, Child ofGod, has unintentionally poisoned52 of their fellow nuns,they are in desperate need ofmoney for the burials. To raisethe funds they decide to stagea wild variety show, and theytake over the Marriott Theaterfor their venue. Headlinersinclude Reverend MotherRegina, a former circus performer;Sister Robert Anne, astreetwise nun from Brooklyn;Sister Mary Leo, an aspiringballerina; and the delightfullywacky Sister Mary Amnesia,who lost her memory when acrucifix fell on her head. Withmadcap ballet and tap dancing,a rowdy audience quiz, bingoat intermission, hysterical nunpuns,and riotous surprises,Nunsense is charming andirreverent musical entertainmentfor people of all agesand faiths.To reserve tickets or forperformance schedule or dinnerpackage information visitwww.marriotttheatre.com orcall 847.634.0200.