I would rate this a zero if I could. Do not waste your time. The plays are not funny or interesting. There are so many better venues in Chicago where performances are intelligent and entertaining. There really is just nothing good to say, only again to advise , do not waste your time. read more

Who doesn't love theater? This was a delight, a crazy spectacle of 5 individuals who truly loved what they did, in the most passionate way. They yelled, cursed, ran, sang, and jumped, in what could only be described as array of curiosity performace and some obscurity. Having to travel from PDX for work, this was on my list of must dos and I am happy to have had the chance. Power to these performers, they truly love their art. And it shows. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Bathroom wall of name tags - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Imagine you're at a party. Quirky theme. Fun vibe. All of a sudden, a woman kills the music and tells everyone at the party that she miscarried a week ago. Before you have time to understand what just happened, the music clicks back on. Someone yells "let's do a line dance!" No one misses a beat. Everyone starts dancing. You are bewildered and vaguely upset. You consider joining the dance, but you can't because the music clicks off again. A guy grabs a mic talks about how his uncle assaulted him when he was 14. You begin to think that maybe this party isn't intended to be fun. But then, suddenly, the party music clicks back on and someone shouts "let's play musical chairs!" It goes on like this. If you ever begin to enjoy yourself, you know that at any second a partygoer will cut the electricity and monologue about gun violence or Palestine or climate change. You try to wrap your head around it. Maybe it's supposed to be a critique of parties in general? Before you can figure it out, the party is over. Everyone says they loved it. Anyway, that's what the Infinite Wrench feels like. $25 bucks. 5 stars I guess I don't know anymore. read more

If you're into (or can appreciate) live theatre paired with raw, gritty comedy then this is where it's effing at! The Neo-Futurists deliver The Infinite Wrench in a fast-paced, "let's see how many skits we can accomplish in an hour" kind of way. The Wrench (similar but not identical) replaced what was once the longstanding run of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind and, in my opinion, didn't give me any butthurt feels about it. I had a great time--in fact, I laughed my effing arse off! Some skits are profound, others are downright ridic but either way, they were all enjoyable. So this style of comedy may not appeal to everyone but it sure gets me! Thanks! Can't wait to come back! read more

The Neo-Futurists - Get your ticket! - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What to do this weekend in Chicago? Go to "30 plays in 60 minutes" by the Neo-Futurists! It's a hidden gem in Chicago! Their shows involve comedy, honest drama, crowd interaction. It's similar to improv, but better, and more authentic. Great date night or going out with friends. LGBT+ friendly. Only bring your teenagers if you're liberal and the coolest parents ever. read more

2/30 plays were actually funny; the rest of the show was essentially watching a bunch of theater kids conduct hamfisted political/social commentary. Mixed in was a tedious amount of "lol random" punchlines that reminded me of early YouTube humor. 2 stars for the novelty and because sometimes something is so bad it's enjoyable - like a real-life episode of the Office or something. read more

Tried going last night and they told us that we could not come in because we didn't have masks. Masks in May of 2023! No thanks.

We called the phone number on the website ahead of time to ask about the booster situation. They mentioned we just need the second vaccination. We were visiting from out of state, arrived and the hostess said we needed the booster. We explained that we called and that the person on their phone number said we just needed the second vaccination. The hostess said "I don't know what you're talking about, we don't have a phone number". She was very rude. We explained they have a phone number listed on both website and Google, and she again said they have no phone number. We then called the phone number in front of the hostess, and she says "that must be new". Hostess was super condescending and gaslighting and rude. This place left a terrible taste in our mouth. Very rude people. read more

The artists who perform at this theater really work their butts off to present some of the best work out. It is truth telling, progressive, real, and thoughtful. The building itself is thought provoking with jaw dropping "presidents hall" arts from artists in residence The space also provides gender neutral restrooms and comfortable seating . My only wish is that it was handicapped accessible. Hopefully soon! read more

The Neo-Futurists - Infinite Wrench - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Been wanting to go for years and finally made my way to a show. Came in with fully prepared for the experimental comedic theater experience. The parts that were going for big laughs missed the mark for me. The edgy parts felt a bit forced for me. Don't think I'd go back but some people seemed to really like it read more

This was not theatre. It was people on stage unsure of what they were going to say next. Absolute trash. I have never seen anything quite so unprepared and stupid. read more

"Theatre that knocks the cover off the Scorpion tank and drops a rabid Meerkat in" - Neo Futurists Website A very creative and entertaining improvisational troupe. Go to their signature show (Too Much Light Makes the Baby go Blind) and I guarantee that you will have a great time. Better yet- bring a group and REALLY whoop it up. It's the perfect activity for birthdays, stag parties, coming out after sex reassignment surgery and political victory rallies. Be sure to bring cash to pay your admission... for TML each person adds the value of a roll on a 6-sided single dice to $9. The most you could pay for admission would be $15 and the least would be $10. It sounds complicated, but it's fun and the line moves right along- unless some mook forgot to bring cash of course! Don't let the fact that this is a long running show stop you, The Neo-Futurists are always adding new material and no two shows are even remotely the same. A certain number of the 2-min "plays" are usually topical, a certain number relate to the human struggle of living in a large city... and some of them are just plain goofy. I do want to caution the more sensitive folks reading this that any given performance night will most likely have "adult" language, nudity and general irreverence for authority figures. There is no age limit imposed, but as they say on their website, audience members under 14 viewing the show "may be scarred for life by accident and without remorse". So take that under advisement and find a sitter for the kids, M'Kay? I have seen TML 6 times and each time I left wishing that they had another show immediately following it- I'd roll the dice, pay and go sit back down!! Parking (especially for Saturday night shows) can be somewhat of an issue so plan to come early and have a beverage at the Hopleaf Bar or another local tavern before the doors open. read more

I love this place. The shows are always changing, so you can go regularly and see something new each time. They are also super nice.

I have been to TML for years and was sad to here that the original show had closed last year but excited that a new show (and format) had been put in its place. Went out with friends and was lucky enough to have been called to participate in that evening's show. What was appalling was how they humiliated, embarrassed, and stole money from an audience member. A play entitled "A 100 play" asked an audience member for a 100 dollar bill (which someone did have on then and willing gave to the actor) and then proceeded to LIGHT IT ON FIRE!! The Neo-Furturists before the start of the play give a huge speach how they need money and asked for donations to support local theatre, and here they had an audience member who willing gave them money and just burned it. They could have kept that money and put it towards their group, paid their actors, he'll they could have used it to fix up they space but no they burned it. They could have even switched it out and burned a fake bill, but no they burned it. Then they asked for the audience member to go on stage after that to help them perform as further humiliation. I support my local theatre but I am still in shock that this company would steal as a form of entertainment and to do in such an malicious manner. The company never even thanked her nor apologized. It breaks my heart that such cruelty was used and will scream it from the roof tops for the people of Chicago to no longer support this theatrical group in further productions. Karma is a bitch and let's not hope something of theirs doesn't catch on fire. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Check out their newest show "Fear" Running now till October 31st. Tickets are cheap!! Based on stories and poems by Edger Allen Poe This show is raw, perfectly performed to pull on your emotions, tricking of your each senses till you don't know your up from your down. Each scene builds you up for the next! It's a shocking good time and you will be talking about it after you see it. I don't want to give anything else away because it is that good!! See it!! That is if you like Poe and aren't a chicken (insert chicken sound here)! read more

The Neo-Futurists - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Thirty sketches/plays in sixty minutes! If you're a fan of sketch comedy Chicago is full of wonderful productions and Neo Futurist is one you should visit if you haven't been. The hour is jam packed with energetic, quirky, sometimes serious, thoughtful plays. I have been to two plays, a few years apart and both times have enjoyed the program. Don't expect a theater setting like Improv Olympic or Second City upon entry. The building's interior has a lot of wear and tear but lots of unique character. The show is definitely Adult humor in nature so know that before you bring any tiny kiddos. Overall, enjoyed many of the sketches that the crew developed and performed during both of my visits. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Tonight's menu. Warning. Adult content. :) - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Four tips for seeing Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, a show where the cast performs 30 plays in 60 minutes: 1. Get there early (around 10:30 even), because there always seems to be a line around the block to get in (showtime is at 11:30 p.m.). 2. Don't look your best, because you have no idea when a cast member could come kiss you with a face full of lipstick or spray you with supersoakers. 3. Take time to admire the hallway of presidents. 4. Be puzzled sometimes, but mostly laugh a lot. It's a real mixed bag, so even if you didn't love it one month, it'll be a whole new show the next. A few of the plays were serious, a few were puzzling... but most were hilarious and weird like "Word-for-word Side Effects of Viagra, Performed at a Victorian Tea Party" or "13-year old Jay's Play." There's a lot of fun to be had here for under $15. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

From the moment you line up outside for "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind" until the buzzer sounds ending the night, you're in for a hell of a special experience. Really, the name of the show should be enough to give that away... You'll see 30 plays in 60 minutes (well, time permitting...we got 28), and I expected much more of a Second City, sketch comedy kind of feel. I got some of that, but what I really liked was that not only are the players the writers of the plays, but they also inject a bit of themselves into every play. One minute you'll be laughing how absurdly one can create a sandwich, the next you'll be quietly listening as an audience member spills about a lost loved one. I loved TMLBTBGB because it's a unique way to spend a weekend night, uniquely Chicago, and you're guaranteed a completely unique experience if you return in a month (they shuffle out old plays every week). This is a must-have on your Chicago bucket list. read more

This sounds horribly cliched, but over the years, I feel like I've grown up in and around this place and these people. Sure.. the shows change seasonally and even nightly, but what I get from the experience has largely remained the same. Whenever I go to see Too Much Light... I know that at some point during those 60 minutes, I will laugh so much that my stomach aches, and its likely I will tear up, get angry, think, and be able to relate to a cast member. I may even be forced to push my boundaries by.. say playing strip rock-paper-scissors or dancing alone in front of a crowd. I think many people have a misconception about Too Much Light... it seems like folks are disappointed that not all of their plays are funny. I'm not purporting to know what's really going on with the Neo-futurists and the writing of their plays, but I think honesty is what it really boils down to. And I admire the way in which they bring that to the stage, funny or not. As for the space, I think its great.. a blue stairwell with literature leading to bathrooms.. a hall lined with portraits of US presidents.. a kitchen.. an information room.. a merch closet.. a state park holding tank.. and finally the theatre. There's so much to see and do. And coming from a person who is sometimes bored by theatre, there's too much going on here for boredom to set in. I love that for prime time shows, they give student (and senior!) discounts. Street parking in the surrounding area is easy, and they are mere steps from the 24 hour #22 Clark bus. And yeah, I want to make out with Ryan Walters. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Neo-futurists make me happy. - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Neo Futurists is a Chicago based theater company that puts on a number of shows a year: but they tent pole production is "Too Much Light makes The Baby Go Blind"... and it have been running to packed houses for decades. Started by Greg Allen in the late 1980s, "Too Much Light makes The Baby Go Blind" is a semi improvised show that offers 30 plays in 60 minutes. And each week they add new plays, so the show is always different. And the cast members are all pretty skinny and fit, because the show they do takes a lot of energy: energy that is blasted into the audience at every performance. The performance takes place in the upstairs area of a converted Funeral Home in Andersonville. You go upstairs and wait in a large, hot room filled with other eager audience members, for quite some time. But it is all part of the process. And the process is fun. After getting to know your neighbor, whose body is most likely pressed up to yours; thus softening your isolation and opening you up to new experiences: then suddenly the Neo Futurists begin the process of selling you tickets, which is all part of the show. There is no set price for tickets. Instead, you roll two dice and pay that. And it's all cash. So theoretically you can see the show for anything between 2 and 12 bucks. read more

Hilarious! Absolutely Hilarious from beginning to end! Its shows and casts like this that keep Chicago on the cutting edge in world of improve (born in Chicago) comedy. "The Infinite Wrench" and "Too Much Light Make The Baby Go Blind" are basically the same. The cast performs 30 skits in 60 minutes. Hold on to your seat because the show is very fast paced and covers many different topics in a very short period of time! Some of the skits are very adult oriented, therefore, not kid friendly. The show I watched had a few children in the audience (bad idea). To be totally honest, out of all of the improve shows I have attended in Chicago, 2 of the best have been here. I highly, highly recommend taking in this very funny show!! read more

This might be the most kosher fun I have ever had. I've been to the Neo-Futurarium dozens of times and always come away satisfied and sore from laughing. On weekends they run a show called "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind", which is 30 improvised plays in 60 minutes, in improvised order. The plays range from serious to hilarious, and include everything from music to audience participation. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make sure you have fun. The admission price is reasonable (I believe it is $6 plus whatever number you roll on a six-sided dice) and they do serve beverages. If the show sells out, they order a pizza for everyone to enjoy! The Neo-Futurarium also runs original plays, which are always entertaining, and they offer student discount for admission, as well as "pay what you can" Thursday shows. The crew also puts on a version of TMLMTBGB edited and made for children, which runs on Saturday afternoons. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited to watch Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Really didn't know what to expect upon going in, and I have to say I was super impressed by the cast. The content of the plays weren't really my thing but the concept is really one-of-a-kind, and I don't know how the cast does it. Up to 30 plays? In one hour? And they don't even really know what order they're going to be in? Not something i can expect to be able to do in my lifetime. Followed everyone else's tips and got there early (a little too early in fact, but since it's close to the heart of Andersonville we just walked around there for a little bit). After waiting in line we walked in grabbed a token, went up the stairs, down the hall of presidents, past the concessions, and into a room where we waited again. After a little while, they got the ticket lines going $9 + the roll of one die. I rolled a 6! $15 show for me. Picked up a nametag before heading into the theater. The plays were wildly variating. From the serious, to the questionable, to the downright silly. It was a little crazy, but not too out there. I'd be up for visiting again if not just to see what new things they've cooked up. read more

Had a great time. Such an odd, eccentric, hilarious, poignant performance. I've been in theatre for the past 10 years as a performer and even president of a theatre and I found myself watching with amazement and complete envy at how much fun they were having. The show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind is difficult to describe. It's 30 mini plays in 60 min and they constantly write new material and toss out old ones. No wonder the show has been running since 1988. The mini plays are sometimes funny. Sometimes sad. Sometimes absurd. Sometimes too real. But they work as a collage and you'll definitely leave better off than when you arrived. It's a great time and I can't wait to introduce others to it. read more

The Neo-Futurists - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've only been to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and it's one of my favorite things. My friends and loved ones dig it, but my boyfriend (more of a conservative and opinionated type) wasn't really a fan (though I'm not sure that plays are his thing in general). I'm not going to give you the same run down as everyone else, I'm going to try and give you unique info. Parking can be a b-otch, but if you're willing to walk a bit, then it's not as big of an issue. There's tons of restaurants and bars, and there are some awesome options! They only take cash, and you should really listen to them in terms of arrival times - they know what they're talking about! Out of the dozen or so times I've been able to go, they've only finished 4 or so. That can totally depend on the audience, so I don't necessarily blame them. I will admit that when I go, and we're getting down to 10 minutes, I stare at the clock and try to figure out if we'll finish, ha. I have been to their special New Year's show - a flat $40 per person, covering the cost of the show, and you have catered appetizers from Whole Foods, and a champagne/grape juice toast at midnight. All in all, I found it a perfectly reasonable price for the experience. They do their normal TML show 50 weeks of the year (with the last two off), and so I was super surprised to learn about the New Year's show, and I can't wait to go again! If you love theater, or absurd, things that are real (they never play characters), things that will spark conversation and thought, things that you can talk about for years (for good or bad), than try Too Much Light! Keep in mind that the bathrooms only have two stalls, and I've found it's best to go after the doors open to the theater - if you get in early, claim your seat and go pee, or if your friends are at the end, go pee and meet them back in line! Otherwise, there can be a a bit of a line. I can't recommend TML enough, I'm just sad I've never been able to go see any of their other shows! read more

This is definitely a sight to see. Is this show for your mid-western aunts and uncles? No. Is this show great for open minded people? Absolutely. The show constantly changes. New plays are put in and old plays taken out. Always going to be a fresh experience. My particular experience did involve seeing two cast member's dongs. Yes, they hung dong. Once you get past the hanging dong, you realize that this is not raunchy, but rather a critique of man and their masculinity. Most of the plays have an absurdist value to them. If you can get past that, you really see the value in a lot of these plays. Some of them are just ridiculous but most have a very pointed critique about something in our society. It's very unique and it's a must see show. Even if you hated it, or don't get it, or just plain didn't like it, go see it. I rather see a show that made me FEEL something, whether it be distaste, or anger, or disappointment, then see something I would forget the second I left the venue. It's a must see show. read more

The Neo-Futurists - It's true. - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I am fascinated by the work of The Neo-Futurist's and their infinite Wrench. It makes me laugh, it makes me uncomfortable, it makes me question myself and others, it makes me well up. It is honestly one of the most connecting performances. I feel very connected to all of the performers and talking to them after I feel as if I know them after they have shared themselves on the stage. It is silly and at the same time heartwarming, heart breaking and relatable. read more

This was FUN~ I can't wait to do it again! 30 plays in 60 minutes and the plays changes every week (not all, just depends on the roll of the die). Not all the plays are a comedy, which they explain-- some are abstract, some are depressing, some are well, funny. Maybe not to you this time, but funny to other people laughing at you-- I'm referring to "12 Angry Men?"-- if you know what this mean, extra points for you! It's hard to get bored when you're already ADD and it's a different story every time the light goes out. So awesome! read more

I'm shocked that there are recent positive reviews. The only people laughing when I attended were friends of the cast members. This show bills itself as a zany screwball time-ticking approach to sketch comedy. I say, don't bother with the two-minute-per-sketch format if you manage to make two minutes feel like an eternity. I only laughed once, when a chair that wasn't supposed to topple over, did. I'm going to review as many of the sketches as I can remember so that ideally you never need to experience this for yourself. But if you want to save yourself the time from reading this, just picture that one Theater Kid you had in your high school or college class that always had a self-important, ultimately pointless story to share about his/her/their very VIP self. That's what this was, for two hours, in two-minute segments each time. Alternately, imagine those two Saturday Night Live sketches "High School Theater Show." But imagine the cast members were not in on the joke. Or if confronted about it, they'd just insist it was ironic. The so-edgy-you-might-cut-yourself decision to shave off a couple minutes at the end to represent how school kids will be lose their school hours is rendered no longer relevant by the latest CPS decision, so hopefully they have taken this out. But the political gestures scattered throughout the sketches seemed to scream, 'We're not political enough? Oh, we'll show you political!' It was the equivalent of if liberalism was this giant [unmentionable here] that someone sprouted and decided to wave around in your face for the whole show. Maybe slap you with it if you managed to forget that the cast members were woke. The Bernie Utopia sketch was similarly annoying to watch and dated. Like a poor man's Saturday Night Live attempt. The sketch with the hand-prints and the story about a hunting stepfather exemplified the problem with many of the other sketches. There was a lot of expectation and emotional build-up; a skilled sketch comedian would respect the audience enough to give some pay off. Instead, the sketch was a cast member rambling for two minutes about deer guts and then screaming TIME before you could question the point behind those two minutes you'll never get back. Ostrich Stitches similarly suffered from I-Want-To-Do-Slam-Poetry syndrome. If you want to make short skits or comedy sketches, I'd highly recommend watching some Key & Peele sketches to see how timing, managing audience expectations and fulfilling or subverting them, and character development can go a long way in the span of a few minutes. The pool sketch, meanwhile, had a point, but whenever sketches had Points, they thwacked you over the head with it. The point of that sketch was Look At This Awkward, Uncomfortable Moment In My Important Life. It's the type of thing you might permit a friend to relate to you in confidence, but you don't really need to pay money to see. The "NOW SWIM" sketch was absurd and occasionally bordered towards genuinely humorous, but the entire audience took away nothing from watching that (splashing a lot of water isn't all that funny or creative or thought-provoking). We're stupider for having wasted the brain cells on watching it and trying to find some meaning in it, if anything. The running with the chaser sketch was what I imagine would have happened if someone got really high and decided to make a dad joke into a two-minute sketch. As with many high-deas, this one is a lot less exciting to experience as a sober audience member. Similarly, the Rapunzel sketch and the pork rind/hand lotion dilemma had a single, banal punchline. Night terrors was forgivable only because it was early on in the night when it happened, before I figured out that every sketch would make you think there was some clever ending that would be revealed, when there actually was no pay-off, no delivery, no Amazon Prime by the time they screamed Time. Similarly, getting a male-identifying audience member into heels to score a touchdown had no clever ending either. It's 2017; we're all adults who watch Rupaul every Friday; gender subversion isn't innovative or funny. The only touching sketch involving forcing a sick old man to drink water until he died. Good old waterboarding. All in all, I'd recommend watching this if you've never had the unique experience of sitting through a child's magic show or a child's DIY circus performance or their self-made play or poetry-reading or any variant of sitting politely to experience a few hours of something constantly trying but always failing to be art. It might have been great fun for the people putting on the performance, but it's not exciting for the audience. This comparison might not do enough justice to children's performances. For the Briony Tallises out there, I apologize. read more

Honestly, one of the best shows I have seen in a very long time. A group of friends and I saw "Fear" last weekend and I was absolutely impressed. The Neos manage to create a fantastic mix that is part art instillation, part improv, part scripted show to create a wild, fantasy-like production. The tickets were cheap, the theater space was maximized to create the best show possible and the players were superb. Fear was definitely one of the scarier things I've seen in awhile, too, and it provided an excellent alternative to a haunted house this Halloween. I don't want to give away too much, but it's a show that is definitely worth your time. Though I'm not familiar with the Neos other work (this was my first time at any of their shows), I can clearly see that they are a group of players working outside the box to create the best, most cutting-edge theater possible in this great city. I applaud their work and I highly, highly recommend you stop in and support this small troupe. read more

Those who don't love the performances need to seriously question if they have an appreciation for talent or wit; just admit they are Pauly Shore fans and thus need to evacuate the planet. Quote of Neo-Futurists aka fact, "You've heard of Yelp, haven't you? Heehee. It's not for reviews. It's a communal Live Journal." Thanks six actors for educating me and my Yelp friend in the audience. And thousands of Yelp users. I returned your subjective sarcasm with one of my own. I did laugh five times. The rest were overreaching, or pretentious, or random skits (especially the Target one). The tokens, nickname name tags, pizza, ect al are not that quirky or edgy. Quaint, maybe. Or a nice try. The other reviews mentioned hipsters. The performers had bed head and were wearing sweats and the fat guy sitting next to me wore, no joke, those webbed toe water shoes and had a mullet. I don't give a damn but it was hardly hipster-esque. They did do a skit riled up about the Yelp review where a previous female performer stripped and made a painting with her breasts and some reviewer had the nerve to complain paint splashed on her clothes. They had an audience member get onstage and doused him with paint. They should have made him take his top off like the female performer did too. He was actually decent looking. Selfish. I kinda liked it (like I said some was funny and I really admire their skills for memorization would have loved it) but sixty percent of the material flew over my head (more likely too "inside" or self conciously odd, oh I mean high brow, insulting your audience, boobs, paint, ftw!!!!11!! I'm just jeluz) and I thought calling out the negative review/mocking a site and thousands of reviewers over ONE review at best overly sensitive. read more

So, I hear from the fellow yelpers that these sad-excuses-for-actors decided to do a skit about my review...hysterical! No, not their performance, just the fact that my words got under their skin so much...hahahaha!! :D Still, why on earth would you waste the audience's time like that??? This just proves my point even further...the Neo-Futurists are talentless and running on empty. Admittedly, I'm a tad flattered that they wasted their energy on me...I wish I had seen it but I'm sure that skit was about as entertaining as the rest of their coma inducing performances go. read more

Most definitely an authentic Chicago must...the perfect mix of improv, comedy, quirky venue...and in a great 'hood to boot. (Andersonville). TMLMTBGB is perfect for entertaining out-of-towners without breaking the bank drinking all night. Make a pit stop here, laugh your arses off, then get back on the booze horse. Consider it a reprieve for your liver, and medicine for your soul, laughing cures all. The only thing I wish is that they had an earlier show on the weekends, when I have *older guests in town, they rarely can fathom making an 11:30 start time... Must see once if you live here...seriously! read more

I didn't enjoy myself. Maybe it's my humor, I don't know. I can see the appeal of the experience, but it wasn't for me. We saw Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. As soon as you get in the door, it's a lot of gimmicks... "tokens" to get in, dice rolls determining the price, irrelevant and random nametags. Gimmicks continue through the plays, and as with most such theater experiences, avoid the aisles and front row if you prefer not to be coerced into them. The plays, for the most part, were just not funny. I know not all of them are meant to be. But very clearly, some of the ones that were meant to be... I just didn't get, or didn't find exceptionally funny. And the non-funny ones? Some are just really weird and make even less sense at times. A couple of them we couldn't even figure out what reaction they were going for. Yikes. It's not all bad though. I truly enjoyed maybe about 3 of the 27 plays we got through in 60 minutes. I think because they write the plays individually and they change them weekly, that makes a big difference in terms of the quality of writing. I imagine maybe some other day I might find more of the plays funnier, but I don't plan to go back at all. Lots of couples came to this one. I guess it IS an unusual date idea and it's a unique concept. Just make sure your it's your date's taste. And beware the howling interactive audiences. Seems like the cast wanted it at times, and other times they seemed really annoyed that anyone was making any noise at all. So it made for a weird dynamic. Anyways, the best part of my visit was the Hopleaf around the corner... sorry neo-futurists. PS: Why the name? read more

I really don't understand the appeal of this show... perhaps it wasn't our style of theater, or humor, or the fact the air conditioning wasn't working and the room was disgustingly humid and there was a faint smell of body odor... but at the very least I thought we would be entertained... we were sadly disappointed. 1. Most of the plays in the 30 seconds kind of fell flat. I feel like I kept waiting for the punch line, or "aha" moment, but many of the scenes ended awkwardly and without a point. I felt that the whole play was pointless. 2. Their website stated they had air conditioning. Either it was broken or a big fat lie. It really did affect the experience. People should be warned when that shit happens in the summer with a room full of people! 3. they seemed to want a very active audience, but when we arrived, the staff person told the crowd to "shut up" while they were explaining instructions on how the play worked... don't get a crowd riled up then tell them to shut up... that's definitely not a good way to start the night. 4. At one point they had a sketch about the menstrual cycle and their political views on abortion. In all seriousness, this sadly wasn't a comedy. They were really serious. And it was incredibly awkward. Save yourself an hour of time and some cash and go see sketch comedy at Second City... or see a drama elsewhere in the city. It seemed that some others in the audience (mostly younger 18-20s types) enjoyed the show and others here praise it for being different and creative.... if people mean "creative" in the sense of an entire hour the cast performing awkward and pointless sketches, then this is your show. read more

DO NOT GO SEE THIS SHOW EVER!!! TERRIBLE SHOW!!!! I do not understand how there are some great reviews on this site; and I'm not going to be one that makes a statement like that and won't back it up. My boyfriend was visiting in Chicago and I had some friends that recommended the show. Both of us only had 2 beers prior - and after the show we were saying how we wish we had more alcohol in our system to actually get through it. Of the 30 skits; two of them may have been funny. Overall, this was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life and I really can't believe how embarrassed I was about being there half-way through. I actually felt so bad that I whispered in my boyfriends ear "So, tomorrow let's go to Second City and see a real show, ok?" The type of humor for TMLMTBGB was terrible - overkill, the actors seemed to try too hard and a lot of it wasn't funny at all, very disorganized; it just made you think "What the F*ck?" after the skit. Maybe it's because they make new skits all the time that the humor runs out and they get dry of ideas - but I couldn't believe I wasted that money going there. The show itself moves so fast paced that you can't seem to catch a breath - and I remember in the beginning when there were about 3 'lame' skits i kept thinking (ok, maybe they save the best for last) but no they did not. It kept getting worse. One of the skits had a woman just run across the room without a shirt on - of course nudity always makes people laugh, but I was thinking to myself - seriously? Are they THAT desperate to keep the audience to like the show? Obviously that was the most memorable scene of the whole show but that's because it was so absurd. My recommendation: Do not waste your time going here. You will wish you hadn't gone - I know they brag about being the 'longest running show' but I don't get how it is still running, personally. My boyfriend once said "Remember that time we saw the terrible comedy show in Chicago?" (We saw the show a few months ago) Of course I remembered. Terrible experience The only positive thing I have to say is - the creativity and IDEA of the show is great; but I feel like a show like this needs actors that are INCREDIBLE (SNL quality) to be able to do it right. Yes that was a bold statement but it's true. read more

One of the best things I've done in Chicago was go to TMLMTBGB on a first date. It was a trek out there, and started very late, but SO worth it. My date had been going to this show since he was a kid, and couldn't wait for me to see it. Everything- start to finish was so unique and hilarious, from how you pay to get into the show, getting a new name and name-tag, and shouting out at the cast. You yell out a number and that dictates which sketch the group does next. The sketches are all over the board from sad, poetic, funky, to just plain loony. I haven't laughed so hard at a improv or sketch show ever. You should definitely catch this asap... Unless you really did go blind as a baby form too much light. In that case, I'm sorry. read more

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is not funny. There, I said it. After hearing many good things, I was incredibly disappointed. Out of the 30 skits I saw, approximately 5 were funny. And the "roll the dice to see how much you pay" on top of the $7 is not a "funny" system of ticket-pricing. The guy warming up the crowd in the little waiting room was awful as well... imagine a poor man's Beck doing "funny" covers of songs such as "Survivor" by Destiny's Child or whatever... it's been done before, and it's not funny after the first song. Oh... and the crowd is creepy. Shouting like crazy people for the sketch you like best to get performed next (because you go to the theater enough to know exactly what each sketch is) is damn weird, ok? And should children really be at an 11pm show? 10-year-olds? C'mon... I've sharted funnier skits than I saw here. If you're a theater person maybe you'll like it; but if you're into COMEDY (particularly absurd stuff like Mr. Show or "indie" comedy), I would NOT suggest this show. read more

Quirky and Entertaining. It's been a while since I've been to a Neo-Futurist Show that I forgot how close you are to the action on the floor. If you don't like the chance of audience participation or actors making eye contact with you, this might not be the place for you. The building shows it's wear and tear and the location next door to a funeral home still gives me temporary shivers, but there's lots of character in these halls. The waiting area is full of mismatched seating but it's a great place to gather and chat. And this recent time, we were each given an Bluebeard iced sugar cookie to snack on! I love the Hall of Presidents, with artist renderings of our Commanders in Chief's artistic, some that make me go wha? I've seen TMLMTBGB a few times as well as other productions, the most recent being Burning Bluebeard. Sometimes in theater, sometimes there's a bit that makes you think, sometimes stuff goes over my head, sometimes stuff you just don't like. But it's been entertaining every time I've visited. For Burning Bluebeard, each performer really connected with the audience and gave such an honest performance. Friendly folks and an inexpensive price for a memorable performance. Great location in the midst of popular restaurants and bars. read more

It just wasn't funny. I wanted it to be funny. It just wasn't. Things I find funny: The Gilmore Girls, Margaret Cho, Chuck Klosterman, John Stewart, Woody Allen, Christopher Guest Things I don't find funny: Will Ferrell, The Three Stooges, Daffy Duck and now Too Much Light The dramatic skits were actually really good, but the comedy just fell flat. I felt like I was watching some theatre majors do class exercises. Everyone in the audience was about 18-20 and the humor seemed to be geared towards them. It was all slapstick physical comedy. And some of the "plays" were ridiculous - someone riding across the stage on a scooter, someone jumping around to music for 2 minutes, someone bending down with a microphone to their knees so you can hear the crack - I wouldn't really call those plays. Of the 30 "plays", maybe 16 were ligitimate, and of those 5 were good, and 2 were mildly funny. read more