A Delayed Review of "Tammy: A Coming of Age Story About a Girl Who Is Part T-Rex"

I recently made a trip down to Chicago (not to be confused with the restaurant Old Chicago) for professional business reasons. Other than meandering around the downtown area and visiting that one Starbucks they have on Michigan Ave., I caught a little play which made the visit worth the amount of sweat I perspired during the visit (it was hotter than a sack of flaming diapers outside).

A friend of mine had been raving about the production he was in called, "Tammy: A Coming of Age Story About a Girl Who Is Part T-Rex." Since I was staying with him and there was a grocery store that sold wings next door -- I decided to check the show out. Have you ever seen "Sleepless in Seattle?" Well, "Tammy" is nothing like it; other than the fact that film was created in the 1990's. However, let's talk about those wings I ate first.

I bought them from a Jewel grocery store where one pound of honey BBQ wings is $5.99 (score). I grabbed a 12-pack of Miller Lite as well (wasn't carded) and headed over to The Cornservatory (the building looked like corn) where "Tammy" was going down (BYOB). The wings were pretty legit but very crunchy. Some of them generated a fairly loud noise with each bite. In fact, I could hear other audience members mumbling to their friends, "Is that guy eating wings?" The wings complimented my overall impressive demeanor of sitting alone, in the front, with beer. But seriously, the wings were worth the money. I may move my weekly dates with girls from that little cafe at Target to Jewel's deli. If you want to ask me questions about the wings, hit me up on Twitter (@StephenSchu). Now about that play....

"Tammy" by Corn Productions, is a story set in the '90s revolving around a middle school girl named Tammy Rex, who is part T-Rex. Outside of the fact Tammy looks like a dinosaur, eats raw meat, and has growling issues, she is like any kid growing up. She yearns to be popular, has a crush on a popular/athletic boy, and ultimately just wants to fit in.

You instantly fall in love with Tammy, played by Alex Young. She's super cute, super funny and undoubtedly makes you feel her struggle. Tammy's best friend, Hope (Alisa Rosenthal), provides loyal alliance to Tammy through her tween difficulties supported by hilarious jokes and seasoned acting skills.

The main source of Tammy's social troubles come from Jennica Lupis, the "Mean Girls" Ragina George of the play. I was extremely impressed by Jackelyn Normand's portrayal of Jennica. Her condescendingly hysterical and mean-witted conversations alongside her two-faced actions complimented by her pack of followers drew out my first LOL of the play. Jennica and her classmates complained about grandparent's inconsiderate timing of getting sick around holidays after "Jesus died for us so we could have a good Christmas," which instantly caused me to burst out laughing followed by choking on Jewel chicken.

I could write pages about the entire cast individually, because each character was phenomenal and genuinely made their persona add to an overall, deep hilarity, which poured off the stage and into my grocery bag full of wing bones -- likely the result of Anneliese Toft's brilliant directing. I have friends who are '90s junkies that would fall in love with "Tammy" based off the cleverly weaved in '90s references and music. The Rex family morning scenes, various romantic fantasies between Tammy and Cliff (Eric Akeson), and the awkwardness by Steve "Bacon Bite" Watson (Seth Wanta) all made me laugh from my first beer to my last wing.

Playwright Julia Weiss has created an intelligent, thoughtful, and heartwarming two hours of laughter. I personally enjoyed the subtle jokes of the production, which showcased Weiss's sought after talent to create thorough, satirical enjoyment.

Although the play only runs until April 7, I wanted to give my kudos to the cast and crew. Regardless, you have two more weekends to check it out. The show runs Wednesday-Saturday through April 7 at The Conservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60618. Tickets are roughly $7, and it's BYOB (truly amazing). If I could eat wings, drink beer and see "Tammy" every Wednesday until I die; I'd be living a very good life.