The first act of themusical concerns itself with the creation of Seurat’s famous work. Members ofthe ensemble will portray the people in the painting that Seurat someticulously rendered. The online photo came from a trip to the Art Instituteof Chicago that Birkett took to “re-connect” with the work that inspired themusical. It’s nice to see Birkett, a talented actor in and out of musicaltheater, holding down the central role in a show about the nature of art andthe people who sacrifice for it. Birkett is joined by a number of notablemusical talents, including Bryce Lord, Karl Miller and Kristin Pagenkopf. Theproduction will be directed by Carol Zippel, who helmed Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle for Windfall.
Windfall Theatre’sproduction of Sunday in the Park WithGeorge runs May 7-22 at Village Church Arts (130 E. Juneau Ave.).
The arts collective Bad Soviet Habits is tapping into theunique creative energies of Kurt Hartwig and Andy North in order to bring Heart of a Dog to Moct (240 E. Pittsburgh Ave.)this week. The play is a loose, visceral adaptation of the 1925 MikhailBulgakov novel of the same name. The novel tells the story of a doctor whotransplants human organs into a stray dog. This political satire finds Hartwigand North playing multiple roles in a play featuring minimal set, props andcostuming. Judging from videos posted online, Hartwig and North share a veryinteresting dynamic. They plan to take the show to fringe festivals in Minnesota and the Czech Republicin the near future.
Bad Soviet Habits’production of Heart of a Dog runs May6-21 at Moct. There is no charge for admission.