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Past Shows:

CIC..s Saturday Night Showcase (comedy showcase) Sept 2000-Current

The Southpaw Sam McClowski Show (original sketch comedy) Oct 2001-March 2002

The Fixx (an improv open mic) Oct 2001-March 2002

Mojo, by Jez Butterworth (a dark comedy, co-produced with beYond thAt Productions) Dec 2001-Jan 2002

Judy in Disguise with Glasses (original solo show) July 2002-Nov 2002

The Friday Variety Show (comedy variety show) Feb 2003-Oct 2003

The Man with Pussy Galore (an improvised parody of James Bond films) Sept 2003-Oct 2003, June 2004

Things You Shouldn..t Say Past Midnight (Midwest Premiere of the off-Broadway comedy) May 2004-June 2004

God by Woody Allen (Chicago premiere of the Woody Allen 1975 classic) March 2005-May 2005

The Kings Proposal or the Marriage to Princess Guido by Michael Govier (World Premiere) March 2006-April 2006

The Vietnamization of New Jersey by Christopher Durang (Chicago premiere of 1977 Durang Classic) Sept 2006-Oct 2006

Mr. Marmalade by Noah Halde (Chicago Premiere from this new Broadway Playwright) March 2007-May 2007

ENCORE! (ever changing series of company members projects and workshops) Nov 2003-Current

-Nov-Dec 2003 Screw X-Mas (a holiday cabaret show co-produced with Sweetback Productions)

-Jan 2004 Improv Showcase

-Feb 2004 Chris..s Slumber Party (original sketch comedy)

-March 2004 Caped Crusaders (an improvised parody of Batman & Robin)

 -April 2004 Two more Encore! (a showcase of 2-person improv troupes)

-May 2004-June 2004 Moved and Shaken (original sketch comedy show)

-June 2004-July 2004 Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it all to You! (one act comedy by Christopher Durang)

-Aug 2004-Oct 2004 King of the Mountain (comedy competition and showcase)
-Oct 2004-Nov 2004 Chris..s Slumber Party (original sketch comedy)

-Nov 2004-Dec 2004 Screw X-Mas (a holiday cabaret show co-produced with Sweetback Productions)

-Jan 2005-Feb 2005 Split the Bill, featuring Children of the Absurd and the Chris and Scott show (original sketch comedy)

-March 2005-May 2005 King of the Mountain (a comedy competition and showcase)

-Oct 2005 Workshop presentation of The Kings Proposal or the Marriage to Princess Guido by Michael Govier

-June 2005-Dec 2005 Lick Your Wounds (an interactive group therapy session)

-Dec 2005, Dec 2006 Seasonal Disorder (Holiday Cabaret Show)

-Feb 2006 Comedy Jackpot (4 New Late night shows that each run once a month);
 

 ~Who..s Your Deity? (A sketch and improv show focusing on the relationship between modern life and the changing face of religion.)

 ~Calamity TV (The audience chooses the reality show they’ve always wanted to see but the networks have been too scared to put on TV.)

 ~Bad Review (Pick the worst review from the Chicago Reader and Improvise the show we think they would have liked better)

~Cappin The Week (The cast will take any angle to wring the laughs out of the week..s news.)

Snubfest Jan 2005 & 2006 & 2007 (a comedy festival where attendants have been overlooked by other festivals but showcased by CIC. Performers from NYC, Virginia, Los Angels and Michigan to name a few)

A balanced stage picture
Time Out Chicago / Issue 144 : November 29, 2007 - December 5, 2007


Rabble-rouser Angie McMahon finds an Artistic Home for Chemically Imbalanced Comedy.


By Kim Jeffries


WE ROLLIN', THEY HATIN' McMahon and co. do it their own way.
Being a nomad isn't fun. But Angela McMahon, executive producer and cofounder of vagabond theater company Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, tried hard to make it work over the last seven years. But her 20-member group won't have to cart around its sketch, improv, stand-up and comic theater pieces for much longer. After wandering from Wise Guys pub to Frankie J's on Broadway to the Cornservatory, CIC takes over the 40-seat Artistic Home theater in Lakeview, with its Saturday showcase remounting in the new space starting Saturday 1."We were under a lot of constraints being an itinerant theater company," she says, sitting in the dusty black-box space during a break in renovations. "A lot of times all we could do was hang a drape. Now that we have our own space, we can paint it however we want."

Doing things her way has become McMahon's calling card. Since 2000, her company has put on Saturday-night improv showcases for lesser-known groups, staged a wide variety of plays and run three successful years of Snubfest, an annual festival celebrating the talent of otherwise rejected comedians. As CIC climbs the comedy-circuit ladder, she finds herself constantly defending the company against those who think it "too cheap" or "too small" to give much credit. Her propensity for vocalizing these complaints has earned McMahon mixed reviews from her colleagues, who either respect her determination and skill or think her just plain abrasive.

I was called a pretty awful name by a head of a comedy festival," she says. "I stir up trouble; I guess you could call me a troublemaker. But we just do what we do. We have to run our race and not worry about everyone else."

McMahon admits to stepping on some toes while running: CIC's production of Mr. Marmalade, Noah Haidle's warped coming-of-age play, ran concurrently earlier this year with the city-produced Dog & Pony version, which upset plenty of insiders. And for the past two years, Snubfest has run simultaneously with Sketchfest (next year's Snubfest will be in June).

But for all the griping, it's hard to ignore her role in championing underrepresented Chicago comedians and actors by giving them show slots and encouragement. "That seems to be the overlying theme that she and CIC have created—from the point of view of the underdog," says Jonathan Pitts, executive director of Chicago Improv Festival Productions. "People who are involved in comedy don't always feel like Donald Trump [A-list material]."

McMahon, though, is striving for more than just a good performance: A degree from Columbia College in theater and classes at Second City and Annoyance Theatre have taught her how to act and be funny, but the knowledge she gleaned outside the classroom has allowed her to stand out. She worked with nonprofit theater Free Associates and on independent projects, learning the ropes of how to combine acting and production to create a well-rounded experience for the audience. Every time she saw a show, she would think to herself, "If this were mine, this is how I would do it."

It's this DIY mentality that drives McMahon—and for every person who calls her an awful name for that tenacity, there's another who acknowledges her talent. "When you come from the artistic side you have a vision, and there's no budget," says Farrell Walsh, CIC's artistic director. "Angie's able to step in and talk about the reality of the situation."

McMahon's efforts have paid off with her company's arrival in a permanent home, but not even she can plan for what's next. "It's interesting when an underdog becomes queen of the castle," Pitts says. "You end up seeing things from a different point of view than before."

Chemically Imbalanced Comedy reaches equilibrium Saturday 1.

The Book of Liz Amy and David Sedaris wrote this cartoonish play about a woman
who runs away from an Amish-like religious community, meets wacky characters, and
ultimatly finds empowerment in the manufacture of cheese balls. The cast of this Chemcially Imbalanced Comedy production acquit themselves admirabley, displaying verve, sharp comic timing, and unflagging commitment. Sarah Rose Graber, offbeat but not cloyingly so, is winning in the lead roale.- Zac Thompson.

The Centerstage Review, by Dennis Mahoney.

Following the classic "hero's journey" plotline, in which the once shy
and timid main character leaves a comfortable nest to explore the
world outside, the David and Amy Sedaris-penned "The Book of Liz" will
cause you never to look at a cheese ball in the same way again.
Chemically Imbalanced Comedy presents this offbeat, often touching
look at life inside an Amish community.

The story revolves in and around the "Squeamish" town of Clusterhaven,
a religious community that survives on the sales of its famous smoky
and traditional cheese balls. The balls are made by Sister Elizabeth
Donderstock (portrayed with a plethora of facial expressions by Sara
Rose Graber) using a secret ingredient that only she has access to.
When upstart Brother Nathaniel Brightbee (a Paul Lynde-channeling
Brian Kash) arrives and insists that he take over the cheese ball
industry, Sister Elizabeth decides to listen to the voices inside her
head, hit the bricks and try her luck in the world beyond Clusterhaven.

Befriended quickly by the Cockney-accented (yet Ukraine-bred) Oxana
(played fantastically by Casey Pilkenton), Sister Elizabeth soon finds
work waiting tables at the Pilgrim-themed Plymouth Crock Restaurant.
Elizabeth now finds herself almost totally surrounded by gay
co-workers and recovering alcoholics; despite being the exact opposite
of what's back in Clusterhaven, these characters quickly become her
closest pals, and teach her some things that she takes with her when
she eventually heads back home.

The simple set and costume design effectively portray the starkness of
the Clusterhaven community, and director Angie McMahon ably positions
the cast members on different platforms to establish various
locations. Nathan Petts (Donny), Trey Chambers (Duncan), and Adam
El-Sharkawi (the often bombastic Rev. Tollhouse) all turn in strong
supporting performances.

"Pulling it off best are the putty-faced Brian Kash as Brightbee (who
could out -sneer Dubya) and Nathan Petts as a sarcastic gay waiter.
Meanwhile, Sarah Rose Graber conjures up a believably naive,
charmingly sincere Liz for everyone else to play against.

Windy City Times:

"Brian Kash's smarmy tics and bulging eyeballs as the interloper
Brother Nathaniel Brightbee from another Squeamish Community is great."

"The whole production also has a strong center in Sarah Rose Graber's
ernest and funny turn as Elizabeth."

Amy and David Sedaris' satire is a nice match for the folks at Chemically
Imbalanced Comedy, a company whose mission is to entertain at all costs. This goal is a particularly tricky one, since balls-to-the-wall wackiness often comes off as desperate for laughs. Here CIC taps into another play that's short, zany and filled with eccentric characters. Liz (Sarah Rose Graber) is an open-minded member of the Squeamish community, an Amish-like group of the religiously devout and hardworking. Sick of her life making cheese balls and praying all day, she up and leaves, and then stumbles upon a bickering Ukrainian couple who speak in thick English accents. Soon enough, Liz finds a job at Plymouth Crock, a theme restaurant run almost entirely by alcoholics. Quirky, yes. But part of the script's charm is its simultaneous mockery and embrace of both teetoling and hard-living lifestyles (and the nonpreachy ending doesn't hurt, either). That being said, we must again praise Brian Kash, who was the best part of CIC's Mr. Marmalade, his hyped-up, almost cartoonish presence is really, truly funny. –Tim Lowery

CIC Stages Sedaris-Flavored "Book of Liz" at the Cornservatory
You're not alone if you've ever thought about how unfair it was that the Sedaris family had enough funny in their gene pool to create not one, but two hilarious offspring. Amy and David Sedaris have each been hugely successful independently, and the brother-sister duo have combined forces on a few occasions, collaborating on a number of stage plays. Their latest collaboration to hit Chicago is "The Book of Liz," which Chemically Imbalanced Comedy is presenting at The Cornservatory Theater (4210 N. Lincoln) until September 30th.

The Book of Liz is a satirical romp that manages to be bitingly funny while still offering a very sweet earnestness. Sister Elizabeth Dunderstock (played by a delightful Sarah Rose Graber) is a member of an Amish-like religious community whose prosperity depends on the sale of her famous cheeseballs (a nod to the cheeseball-making business of Amy Sedaris). She feels unappreciated by the members of the community, particularly by Reverend Tollhouse (Adam El-Sharkawi), so Liz decides to see what the outside world has to offer her. She gets along better than she ever would've imagined, but a potential career opportunity forces Liz to reexamine her values and decide whether this chance to succeed in the outside world is worth changing herself for. The play is surprisingly heartwarming, considering it comes from one author who coveted the apartment of Anne Frank and another who created miscreant Jerri Blank.

Sarah Rose Graber plays the title character with an unabashed enthusiasm that has you rooting for Liz the entire play. Her character's naivety has the potential to become annoying, but Graber's sweet nature luckily prevents that from ever happening. Adam El-Sharkawi as Rev. Tollhouse and Lina Bunte as Sister Butterworth each have notable moments onstage. Bunte adds a multi-dimensionality to the sexually-frustrated chatterbox Sister, while El-Sharkawi rises to the challenge of playing a stern task-master amongst a cast of comedic characters. The standout of the cast, however, was Brian Kash as Brother Brightbee. Kash's character is a self-important blow-hard who tries to resume the community's cheeseball-making duties. The audience loved every moment that Kash was onstage, appreciating his comedic timing and eating up his range of perfect facial expressions.

"The Book of Liz" plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 5 PM. Tickets can be bought by calling the box office at 773-865-7731 or online.

--Dyan Flores