Paige Collins and Ensemble

Dog and Pony Theatre Company actually puts the audience into the action with their passionate, incisive musical about Chicago’s violent 1968 Democratic convention, The Whole World is Watching. Using the intimate technique of promenade theater, the audience stands among the performers, shifting their bodies and focus along with them as the story, embroiled by frustrations of over the recent assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the conflict in Viet Nam, unfolds throughout different areas of the open space.

John Blick and Jordan Phelps

Here, it is brilliantly easy to understand the fear and frustration of the young protesting students.  The actors playing policemen herd cast and audience members to different areas of the room, resulting in a sense of confused claustrophobia, at times. But, this notorious incident in Chicago’s history, wherein the police force savagely attacked a group of protestors, is given a sense of emotional equality in this heartfelt presentation.  Playwrights-lyricists Devon de Mayo and Stephen Ptacek knowledgeably illustrate that the public servants, whose actions resulted in the title chant, were systematic cogs, doing their jobs and worried for their own safety.

Employing a sure sense of space and purpose, co-directors de Mayo, David Dietrich Gray and Elana Boulos evince true and complex performances out of the exceptional cast. Along with the assistance of musical director-arranger Dan Mohr, the entire ensemble pulses with the wounded fragility of the era. In particular, John Blick, as a tortured police officer, Jenny Lamb, as a compassionate parent, and Jordan Phelps, in a gorgeous solo number, deliver with heart filled connection. Paige Collins, as the sweet rebel who narrates the penultimate events of the weekend, also perfectly develops a character of accessible nuance.

David Seeber and Kristen Magee

In fact, the show’s one minor flaw lies in the late introduction of Collins as primary voice in the action. An increased sense of emotional connectedness would have resulted with an earlier entry point into her character’s world.

Here, though, the eclectic, extremely talented Collins takes us into the process of this very unique production with an exclusive Sheridan Road interview.

Morgan Maher and Anthony Apodaca

Sheridan Road: The Whole World is Watching is a very original production. What was the rehearsal process like?

Paige: The rehearsal process was separated into 2 parts! A five week workshop in which we (the cast and the writers) played with text and bits of music. Then we had a little time off and came back to a full script and a full book of music. It was a magical process that involved a lot of collaboration and patience and discoveries – fully satisfying and great group of artists to be in the room with!

John Blick and Morgan Maher

SR: Why do you think the story of the 68 Democratic convention is still pertinent today?

Paige: The 60’s may have been one of the last time periods in which people in our country were not afraid to speak up and say how messed up they thought things were. Only now, with the economic and political climate being the way it is are we seeing something similar, but probably nowhere near as radical. In short, I think this event will always be pertinent, because it evokes an extreme sense of unity among people who are, on the surface, so different. Also, there’s a feeling that, amongst all the noise, your voice may be heard. At least, that is one of the ways I connect to the play.

The Whole World is Watching runs through June 9^th at Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave, in Chicago. Tickets are $15-$25 and can be purchased by calling 773-871-3000 or by visiting www.dogandponychicago.org. —Brian Kirst

If this movie had come out five years ago, at the height of the celebrity baby-fad, it would be doing much better business than it currently is. As it stands, they took the title of a beloved pregnancy advice book and tried to convey the entire spectrum of potential pregnancy experiences through really broad comedy and unapologetic sentimentality. Aside from some questionable casting, it played better than the trailer made it look.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting wants to illustrate how every pregnancy is as different as the couple experiencing it. Wendy (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games) has always wanted children and she and her husband, Gary (Ben Falcone, Bridesmaids), have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for years; when she finally gets pregnant, it’s not at all the joyful experience she was expecting. Unfortunately, Gary’s racecar-driving legend of a father (Dennis Quaid, Footloose) and his trophy wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker, Just Go With It), are also newly pregnant and Skyler shows Wendy how effortless pregnancy can be at every stage. Jules (Cameron Diaz, Bad Teacher) and Evan (Matthew Morrison, Glee) are reality show contestants having a fun fling until a surprise pregnancy tests whether they can work in a real relationship. Rosie (Anna Kendrick, 50/50) and Marco (Chase Crawford, Gossip Girl) have a one-night stand only to begin a wonderful relationship over an unexpected pregnancy, which is then challenged when the pregnancy doesn’t come to term. Holly (Jennifer Lopez, The Back-up Plan) and Alex (Rodrigo Santoro, Post Grad) can’t conceive so they plan to adopt. When Alex panics at the thought of fatherhood, Holly sets him up with a group of power-fathers called “the dude group” played by Chris Rock (Grown Ups), Rob Huebel (The Descendants), Thomas Lennon (What’s Your Number), and Amir Talai (The Ex List) who treat fatherhood like the thug life.

Sounds like there’s a lot going on? Yup. The filmmakers try to make up for the enormous outpouring of plotlines by pushing as many jokes and sincere confrontations into each scene as possible. The result feels pretty thin, but select elements rise to the top. The dude group plotline, the performance of Elizabeth Banks, and anytime Dennis Quaid and Brooklyn Decker are on screen are all moments that pulled me in. No one could be more surprised than I to find supermodel Brooklyn Decker actually acting, and I couldn’t believe I was genuinely enjoying her turn as the “pregnancy unicorn.” Anyone who read my Just Go With It review would remember some pretty rough shots I took at her and this one made me want to take it back. She and Quaid are a fantastically likable team of egocentrics.

The other stories suffer from too little attention, especially the young one-night stand couple storyline, told mostly through montage, though the audience really wants to see Kendrick and Crawford work it out, it probably has less to do with the clunky screenwriting than it does with the fact that they’re adorable. The most problematic plot centers on Cameron Diaz, who doesn’t seem to have a maternal bone in her body and Morrison, who simply continues to play Mr. Schuester from Glee, just with an unsympathetic Cameron Diaz to try and inspire instead of a group of plucky outcasts. And how does Cameron Diaz keep getting movies where she has to dance? Not even quarter-second edits made her moves convincing. Not a great way to open a picture.

My personal opinion: Way too many plots in play to fully flesh out any particular character. Not a bad rental if you’ve had a tough week, but not a movie night out. –Jake Jarvi