Whatever your complaints about the great city of Chicago–the weather, the CTA, the corruption—a shortage of live theater probably isn’t one of them. With all the improv, sketch and storefront theaters you’d think we’d have reached a saturation point by now. After all, what’s left? Well, maybe the original, most basic form of “performance”—storytelling. Several times a month around the city a variety of writers and performers gather for nights like “This Much is True” at The Hopleaf in Uptown or “Essay Fiesta” at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Jeff Garlin recently performed at their two-year anniversary show) and several others to do nothing more complicated then tell a story. Sometimes moving, sometimes poignant, often very, very funny and usually free. It’s cheaper than a night at the improv, and often more interesting.
