When Danny Lord was a member of the Big Apple Circus, he used to get dressed up in a white lab coat to be a clown doctor and entertain in hospitals. If it’s true that laughter is the best medicine — and Lord proved it might be when he performed during the 1995 Chicago Fringe Festival in June — then his silent comedy is the visual equivalent of a prescription for Prozac.
Lord’s clown persona is not the stereotypical character in an orange wig and floppy shoes. If you know that when Lord was a child he used to watch Red Skelton on TV and then go upstairs to his room and set up a table and chair to re-create all the skits he saw, you’ll have an idea of the kind of pantomime and pandemonium he’ll be performing in his show, called “Bosco Goes Ape!”
Some of his routines are inspired by vaudeville classics that include magic tricks and audience participation, but he gives these bits a contemporary edge of angst and absurdity.
His partner Priscilla B-Light will join him, bringing their humor to new heights and widths. Lord also will bring his Pandora’s box of tricks.
“Bosco Goes Ape!” opens at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, and runs through March 31 at the Organic Theater, 3319 N. Clark St.; $12.50-$15 adults, $6.25-$7.50 for children. Call 312-327-5588.
– Nancy Maes
Ice royalty
Olympic figure skating champions Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt headline the 10th anniversary tour of “Stars on Ice” at the Rosemont Horizon Friday night. The production melds skating artistry with theatrical staging and contemporary music. No chorus lines, props or cartoon characters allowed. The all-star cast also includes Olympic silver medalists Paul Wylie and Rosalynn Sumners. Tickets are $27.50-$39.50. Call 312-559-1212.
– Cynthia Hanson
Fluff fight
The Skokie Park District was going to organize a snowball fight, but staffers were afraid there wouldn’t be any snow. So instead they have found sweeter ammunition. They’ve planned what they hope will be “The World’s Largest Marshmallow Fight.” With a donation of 100,000 marshmallows from a nearby food company, the park district is aiming to get the event into the “Guinness Book of World Records.” Mini-marshmallows are being set aside for free hot chocolate for participants. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Oakton Park, 4701 Oakton St., Skokie; free. Call 847-674-1500.
– N.M.
Joffrey’s debut
“Billboards,” the full-length program of dances scored to music by the pop artist formerly known as Prince, returns for its fourth visit, this time to the Rosemont Theatre. More importantly, the engagement represents the newly relocated Joffrey Ballet of Chicago’s first extended outing in its adopted home area. Eight new dancers joined the 30-member roster after the Joffrey relocated last September. One new spitfire to look out for is Lorena Feijoo, who dazzled audiences at the Kennedy Center during the company’s “The Nutcracker” there. The engagement runs Tuesday through Sunday at the Rosemont, 5400 N. River Rd. Tickets are $15-$45. Call 312-902-1500.
– Sid Smith
