Back in 1869, men got to do all the fun stuff.
Such as chart the Colorado River and explore the Grand Canyon.
Thatโs what John Wesley Powell did with a crew of burly guys.
Playwright Jaclyn Backhaus got to wondering โ what if those guys were, say, women? What would be different?
Drawing on Powellโs published journals, Backhaus penned โMen on Boats,โ which Something Something Theatre Company opens Friday, Oct. 12.
And those adventurous men? The playwright insists that they be played by anyone but cisgender white males.
In Something Somethingโs production, those macho men are all portrayed by women.
Why, you might ask.
The casting makes the play, according to the Chicago Tribune, โsubversive, a deconstruction of macho adventuring.โ
And itโs gotta be fun, too.
Jasmine Roth directs the cast, which consists of Hannah Taylor, Maryann Green, Erin Hepler, Kimberly Swanson, Katie Burke, Leah Blue, Odalys Catalan, Christine Peterson, Timi Post and Analiese Bloom.
Opening is 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12; regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28 at the Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre, 330 S. Scott Ave. $25, with discounts available.
