Governors State University was founded in 1969 and its Center for Performing Arts opened in 1995. The latter starts its 2024-25 season Friday with a U.S. premiere covering those years.
“Boom X” features the music, culture and events of Generation X, beginning with Woodstock in August 1969 and ending with 1995 when the internet became prevalent. There is also a post-show, question-and-answer session.
“There’s 100 characters. There’s over 50 musicians,” said Rick Miller, writer, performer and director of the one-man show and creative director of Kidoons theatrical productions.
Highlights include “The Top 20 Songs of 1984 in 2 Minutes and 2 Seconds,” a number covering when Miller was 14 and singers Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna topped the charts.
“It’s a really interesting visual show. There’s a lot of design and creativity in multimedia. People don’t expect that the personal story is going to connect and resonate,” said Miller, who is from Montreal but lives in Toronto.
“I tell a bit of my own story growing up in Canada but I also tell the story of four other main characters. They’re people growing up in different parts of the world. You’re watching this going, ‘Who are these people? Why are they in this show?’ It slowly becomes clear.”
The generation when MTV, Pac-Man and “Star Wars” were cool may be the focus but Miller noted that “Boom X” — the second show in The Boom Trilogy, which began with “Boom” about the Baby Boomers and continues with “Boom YZ” about Millennials and Generation Z — appeals to many ages.
“The best audience is a multigenerational audience,” said Miller, who is also creator and performer of “MacHomer: The Simpsons Do Macbeth,” which was performed in 2006 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier and for many years worldwide.
The 100-minute “Boom X” is the culmination of a three-week residency that resulted from Miller connecting with Scott Sowinski, the Center for Performing Arts’ executive director, at the inaugural Midwest Arts Xpo in 2023 in Indianapolis.
“You come in contact with certain people that end up becoming a second home to you. This could be something that they bring us back every year to develop a new show,” said Miller, who worked with creative partner Craig Francis on “Hans: My Life in Fairy Tales” during the Governors State residency.
“I hope they get to do this with other companies too, whether it’s us or other opportunities for artists to make work in a theater as opposed to in their heads, computers or small rehearsals,” he said. “It produces more interesting work.”
Miller praised the collaborative Center for Performing Arts staff and explained work on the three-actor show “Hans,” which is geared for ages 4 and older and slated to premiere in 2025, included connecting with the university’s artistic faculty and departments.
“It’s a great opportunity for a theater company to have the luxury of a team like that and a beautiful theater to create in,” Miller said.
“It doesn’t happen that often.”
‘Boom X’
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13
Where: Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts, 1 University Parkway, University Park
Tickets: $20-$65
Information: 708-235-2222; centertickets.net
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
