The holidays can be a stressful time for many, but That’s Weird, Grandma Is Back! is the perfect antidote for the winter blues. Back for the first time in two years, this delightful production by PlayMakers Laboratory features a mix of sweetness and comedy that only the minds of children could produce.
PlayMakers Laboratory teaches creative writing workshops to students in Chicago Public Schools, a worthy cause in and of itself. For an extra level of fun, the stories the children write are then adapted into stage plays that can include acting, music, and movement. Teaching artists then perform these plays first to the students in the schools and then for the public in the form of That’s Weird, Grandma. With the winter holidays in full swing, the current iteration of the sketch show features tales about Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and other holidays in addition to non-holiday fare.
That’s Weird, Grandma Is Back! has a zany, unpredictable vibe as stories veer in directions adults would never imagine. At the same time, the warmth and enthusiasm of the teaching artists performing give the show heart and ground it in the very real and important work these artists are doing. The selection of plays varies from performance to performance, but examples include a sketch in which the IRS demands a man’s life savings in exchange for the return of his dog, only for the man to battle his way, John Wick-style, through the agents to reclaim his canine companion. Another particularly hilarious story is performed verbatim, an enthusiastic ode to the child author’s favorite food, snow crab.
On the more touching side of things, two students explain Hanukkah to an alien, a story which is set to a lovely melody. Another story involves an aspiring pilot coming out to their parents, a tale so lovingly and earnestly told it caused me to tear up. The PlayMakers Laboratory teaching artists are talented and flexible actors, able to handle the differing moods of the various plays with ease and always committing fully to their choices. The result is a hilarious and wholeheartedly pleasant hour of theatre.
The return of That’s Weird, Grandma should be celebrated by all fans of arts education and wonderful theatre. Go support this great organization and spark joy in your life by attending That’s Weird, Grandma Is Back! this holiday season.
Ticket Information
Location: Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave.
Dates: December 9 – 17, 2023
Tickets: $25 adults, $15 youth. Available now at the PlayMakers Laboratory website.
All photos by Evan Hanover.
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