Redmoon to do Halloween show at the White House
Company to treat Obamas with skeleton crew
It’s still very hush-hush, top secret and high security in nature. But word has it that Chicago’s Redmoon Theater, which has made its mark during the past 19 seasons as the masterful creator of grand-scale spectacles staged both outdoors and in traditional theaters, has been invited to the White House for a special Halloween performance on Saturday.
Though all details of the event are being closely guarded until then, what is known so far is that an invitation from President Obama and the first lady has generated a beehive of activity at Redmoon, where skeletons and crows and other seasonal fright objects are being crafted, and where a lot of thought is going into which of these might be presented as gifts to the first family.
How did the invitation come about? No one is saying, although those who have attended Redmoon benefits over the years have certainly spotted Obama’s White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel (then a member of the House of Representatives from Illinois).
And the company’s loyal audiences and benefactors include many influential Chicago-based supporters of the president.
Ironically, one of Redmoon’s earliest triumphs was its Halloween eve “promenade-style” pageants staged on the streets of the Logan Square neighborhood, where Redmoon artists devised eerie shrines and engaged in elaborate fiery rituals. Now the performers and musicians might have the White House lawn and Rose Garden as the backdrop for their antics. Or perhaps the vegetable garden.
For minute-by-minute updates on Redmoon’s plans, go to the troupe’s blog.