Steadstyle Chicago
	July 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	500 Clown and The Elephant Deal 500 Clown has become a cult in our Chicago theater scene.  I have attended all their shows and see some of the same faces.  They are a very action based troupe that continues to work on a show even after it has opened.  They hold feedback sessions with the audiences and learn from those who stay what they want and find ways to incorporate these ideas if they are physically possible into the show.  They are not just performers, but teachers.  What they teach is risk-taking, both physical and emotional.  It is clown theater, theater of the absurd, but of most importance it is fun! This particular show is influenced by Bertolt Brecht in a very minute way in that they used his "man is man" as their theme.  Brecht also constantly rewrote his plays based on the reaction of the audience and believed that we as individuals have the power in our own lives to make our way.  Enough about Brecht.  500 Clown uses the theory to tell us a story with some wonderful cabaret type music by John Fournier, who also wrote the music for "500 Clown Christmas". The story is about a cabaret singer, Madame Barker and her performances.  The fabulous Molly Brennan shows a remarkable singing voice to go along with her agility.  The other four cast members constitute her stage crew and along the way all Hell breaks loose and another story evolves.  We, the audience become part of the performance, some more than others. In most of their shows, it is Ms. Brennan, Adrian Danzig (Bruce) and Paul Kalina (Shank) who do all the amazing stunts, but they have added two new characters for this show, Matt Hawkins as Cheetah and the lovely Jessica Hudson as Viola.  These two new members of 500 Clown fit right in and also have dynamite singing voices as well as great agility.  As in most of their performances, they find themselves getting the audience involved during all the turmoil.  They sit in the audience, climb through the audience, get members to follow them, stand, move and in tonight's performance one man even gave Shank the shirt off his back. No matter what might be bothering when you walk into the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, for 90 minutes you will not have one moment to think about anything else but laughing and having a ball.  Entertainment is meant to be a diversion to the ills of the world and your everyday lives and 500 Clown will make you forget your troubles.  I will tell you up front that what they do is not for everyone, certainly not for children.  This is adult humor and some of the lyrics in the songs are truly adults only, so just because the title of the troupe has the word clown in it, do not think for one second to bring the little ones. Danzig and Kalina, as usual, do all the hard tumbling and hanging and the years have not taken anything away from their ability or agility.  The newcomers are still learning the ropes but as the years go on, I am sure they will take on more of the load.  Director Leslie Buxbaum Danzig is very into what these performers are capable of and keeps the flow of the performance at a pace that is never boring.  If you go to this show with an open mind, you will have a ball! "500 Clown and The Elephant Deal" is part of the Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative and will continue through July 12, 2009.  Performances are Wednesday through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. (no performance on July 4).  Tickets are $28 for all shows except Friday, when they are $20.  $15 for students (I suggest Juniors in High School and college with ID) and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 312-335-1650 or online at www.steppenwolf.org/boxoffice.  They are also available at www.goldstarevents.com and www.hottix.org.  For more info www.500Clown.com.  You might want to have them come to your scholl or organization.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.