Northwestern University | The Hanslick Girls

July 9, 2017

God Of Grey: Jewish Theatre Ensemble’s “Grounded”

—Originally published October 17, 2016—

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of Northwestern students who always go to see plays together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls saw “Grounded,” a one-woman show starring Tess Musky-Goldwyn, produced by Jewish Theatre Ensemble. Let’s hear what they had to say on their way back from the theater…

“All I’m saying is that she should have gotten credit on the poster,” Gwen continued, as they exited the bustling crowd spilling out of Shanley Pavilion and onto the street.

“I guess that makes sense,” Eleanor said. “When there’s only one actress.”

“She was definitely really, really good,” Dania added. “It was a weird show, but I definitely enjoyed it.”

July 9, 2017

Glow-In-The-Dark: Purple Crayon Players’ “The Grumpiest Boy In The World”

—Originally published November 21, 2016—

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of Northwestern students who always go to see plays together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls saw “The Grumpiest Boy in the World,” Purple Crayon Players’ north-American premiere of Finegan Kruckemeyer’s TYA play. Let’s hear what they had to say on their way back from the theater…

Dania was clapping wild and loud as the lights faded up on the curtain call for the show. Eleanor was smiling and applauding as well, but not nearly as fervently as Dania, who was cheering with all the energy that the children in the audience likely had, but were advised not to voice in so many decibels, by their parents. Through the calamitous applause, Eleanor thought she could make out the telltale melody of “Go, Cubs, Go!” playing the actors off. As the house lights rose, Dania was still laughing.

“Oh, I needed that,” Dania said. “I needed that.”

“We all did,” Eleanor said. The girls collected their coats and headed out into the ever-darkening 3:30pm sky.

July 9, 2017

Auto Motives: Lipstick Theatre’s “Be Aggressive”

—Originally published November 14, 2016—

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of Northwestern students who always go to see plays together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls saw “Be Agressive,” Lipstick Theatre’s cheerleader opus. Let’s hear what they had to say a few days after the production…

*SPOILERS*

“Oh, and I realized I forgot to ask you what you thought of ‘Be Aggressive’ last week.”

Gwen and Dania were sitting together in their apartment – Gwen balancing a laptop on her lap in the bungee chair, and Dania nestled into the corner of their couch taking notes from a textbook. Gwen looked up at the question.

“What?”

“‘Be Aggressive?’” Dania repeated. She put her notebook down and leaned back into the couch. “The show Lipstick did last week. With the cheerleaders?”

July 9, 2017

Dreaming Through Smoke: The Wirtz Center’s “The Great Gatsby”

—Originally published October 31, 2016—

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor, and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of Northwestern students who always go to see plays together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls saw “The Great Gatsby,” the opening production of the Wirtz Center’s 2016/2017 season. Let’s hear what they had to say on their way back from the theater…

“‘The Great Gatsby’ is really weird.”

This was the first thing Gwen had said since leaving the theatre. Eleanor and Dania had made some comfortable small talk with a friend in the lobby, but they hadn’t discussed the production right away. Now, having walked approximately the requisite 100 feet from the theatre, Gwen’s voice rang out.

“I mean the book, not this stage version.”

“Well,” said Eleanor, trying to gauge where Gwen was headed, “I also thought this version was pretty weird.”

Tag / Northwestern University