Stupid Fucking Bird
by Aaron Posner
August 16 - September 21, 2014
July 23 - August 30, 2015 (remount)
Sideshow Theatre Company
Victory Gardens Theater
scenic designer Joe Schermoly
costume designer Noël Huntzinger
lighting designer William C. Kirkham
sound designer Christopher M. LaPorte
"I'm a seagull. And seagulls can't act."
On the grounds of a country estate, two generations worth of Russians mope and love and hate and make a lot of bird-based metaphors. Sound familiar? It's Anton Fucking Chekhov versus the modern world in Aaron Posner's ballsy Stupid Fucking Bird. A smash-hit in Chicago, this heartbreakingly hilarious sort-of-adaptation of The Seagull takes a baseball bat to one of theatre’s most famous works and staunchly refuses to pick up the pieces. Sideshow's signature energy and wit are on full display in this very funny examination of what drives us to make art and find love.
Press
★★★1/2 (out of 4)
"Exceptionally smart, exceptionally funny. One of the best off-loop shows of the season!"
Chicago Tribune
★★★★★ (out of 5)
"Terrifically moving performances... This is, dare I say, a staggering work of heartbreaking stupid fucking genius."
Time Out Chicago
"A genuine hit... Blackly comic perfection!"
Chicago Sun-Times
★★★1/2 (out of 4)
"Smart, funny, irreverent and moving... an exceptional play!"
Daily Herald
Reader recommended!
"Jonathan L. Green directs Sideshow Theatre's hit with grace and agility."
Chicago Reader
"[A] funny, heartbreaking, fourth-wall-battering post-punk manifesto."
New City
★★★★ (out of 4)
"One of the most stimulating and well-staged productions of any Chekhov play that I have ever seen."
Chicagoland Theatre Reviews
★★★★ (out of 4)
"With a superb director, a knockout script, and a stellar cast, it's nearly impossible to not have a fucking good time at this show."
Chicago Stage Standard
"A smart, funny, gut-wrenching piece of meta-theatrical brilliance... an opportunity not to be missed!"
Splash Chicago
"Wickedly funny, intellectually serious... highly recommended!"
Chicago Critic
★★★★ (out of 4)
"Scathingly hilarious... Stupid Fucking Bird, simply put, is pretty fucking brilliant."
Chicago Theatre Beat
"Highly recommended... harsh, and vulnerable, and honest."
Chicago Theatre Review
