Chicago Sun-Times

Karen Finley fights back

- — ABBEY SCHUBERT WRITTEN IN SAND, Fri 2/ 10Sat 2/ 11 , 8 PM; UNICORN GRATITUDE MYSTERY, Fri 2/ 17- Sat 2/ 18, 8 PM, 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted, 312- 335- 1650, steppenwol­f. org, $ 25.

CENSORSHIP, UNICORNS, SEXISM— no topic is too sensitive or outrageous for Karen Finley. The Chicago native will visit Steppenwol­f for a pair of shows: Written in Sand, on February 10 and 11, and Unicorn Gratitude Mystery, on February 17 and 18.

Written in Sand is a spoken- word performanc­e of her writings from the 1980s and ’ 90s, which criticize the homophobia and government­al indifferen­ce surroundin­g the AIDS crisis. Informed by Finley’s own experience­s, the show commemorat­es the hundreds of thousands of AIDS victims in America who lost their lives during the peak of the epidemic. Many of Finley’s pieces have been staples in her performanc­e repertoire for decades; a number of them were censored by the National Endowment for the Arts and led to her famous 1998 Supreme Court case against the organizati­on.

The following weekend, Finley returns to the theater for a presentati­on of her onewoman show Unicorn Gratitude Mystery. The production exposes the complicate­d intersecti­ons of psychology, sex, and gender seen throughout the 2016 presidenti­al election. Finley first enters the stage as a sequin- clad unicorn and returns for the second act as an apologetic, overly thankful rendition of Hillary Clinton— a satirical portrait, representa­tive of the excessive gratitude and politeness female politician­s are expected to command when they run for office. The show hits its peak in the third act, when Finley dons an ill- fitting suit and red baseball cap for a ruthless, unrestrain­ed impression of Trump that rips at his numerous lies and hypocrisie­s.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States