Some of Theater Oobleck’s best work has come about when the creators have gone with their gut–and that’s the case with Dave Buchen’s simple, wistful survey of the world’s history since mankind started mucking about. A kranky displaying Buchen’s drawings of insects, elephants, constellations, and catastrophes scrolls throughout, accompanied here by a set of songs in English based on original Spanish-language songs by Sebastian Paz. The intro is from Pliny the Elder, but there’s nothing dusty or pedantic–just a meditative handmade valentine to the glories of nature, an elegy for what’s been destroyed by human civilization, and the expression of a vague hope that maybe, somehow, it’s not too late to turn the ship around. Also on the program are Terri Kapsalis’s The Hysterical Alphabet (A-L) (Saturday and Sunday only) and Buchen’s Rhymes for a Long War. 4/28-4/30: Fri-Sun 8 PM, Link’s Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, 773-281-0824, $12 suggested donation. Then Natural History alone Tue 5/2, 7:30 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, $10 suggested donation. Both shows are “more if you’ve got it, free if you’re broke.”
