Foresight is 20/20, Galileo Players, at Second City, Donny’s Skybox Studio, and It’s a Mediocre Life, Posin’ at th’ Bar Productions, at Second City, Donny’s Skybox Studio. Although a background in quantum physics might help, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the Galileo Players’ quirky humor. Thankfully, Foresight Is 20/20 doesn’t attempt to unpack all the mysteries of science in one hour. Instead the ensemble uses familiar concepts–Darwin’s theory of evolution, Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, astrology–as a platform for investigating some common misconceptions about the nature of scientific thought.
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Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for It’s a Mediocre Life. Apparently this parody of Frank Capra’s holiday classic garnered sufficient interest two years ago at the Strawdog Theatre to merit a restaging. But it’s hard to understand why, since the play is decidedly less than mediocre. Paul Engelhardt’s script draws its laughs from shallow, crass humor: the premise is that Clarence must regain his wings by rescuing an alcoholic, wife-beating arsonist. There are some fine performances (in particular, Brian Posen as the neurotic Clarence), but Engelhardt doesn’t give the cast much to work with. Too muddled and literal to properly skewer its source, at 40 minutes the show isn’t even much of a diversion. –Nick Green
