About This Show
Local actor/musicians Erik Hellman and Jessie Fisher present an updated variant of the classic variety hour: Original music, special guests, comedy, magic, improv, and ephemera along with the tightest country/soul band in the land. Fast-paced, fun, funky and fresh.
From Erik and Jessie: For nearly a century, American entertainment was built on the back of the variety show. Ours borrows heavily from the musical variety shows of the 70s. It's a little Sonny and Cher and a little Fozzie the Bear. We start with a killer seven-piece country/soul band and then add the usual suspects: singers, comedians, magicians. And then we mix in some more novel acts: poetry and improv, diarists and dancers, games, stunts, surprises and the occasional baked good. Over a year of doing the show at our home in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre and other venues around Chicago we have developed a growing family - diverse, tight-knit, supportive - which blurs the lines between audience and performer. Come and be a part of it.