Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The opening night audience appreciated the ironic humor in this evening of monologues and sketches, but the people whose closed minds might be opened by Culture Clash’s wry critique of prejudice probably won’t be buying tickets for the production, which runs through this weekend (Fri-Sat 8/15-16 8 PM, Sun 8/17, 7:30 PM, $25-$35). That’s too bad, because there’s no questioning the accuracy of their vision of America’s cultural diversity, and the performances are extraordinary.
The show’s been tweaked for its run here, with crowd-pleasing allusions to the Cubs, the Sox, and Bernie Mac–as well as to John Edwards and Barack Obama. Indeed, Culture Clash’s take on the foolishness of prejudice is especially timely now, as right wing rumormongers wage war against America’s first multiracial presidential candidate by attacking his patriotism and faith. But it’s doubtful that Culture Clash in AmeriCCa will reach the audience that most need it. The evening’s second half–a reading of Chavez Ravine, the ensemble’s new drama about the displacement of Latino families by land developers in 1950s Los Angeles–was underrehearsed on opening night, but it’s probably tighter now.
