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Below performance is “The Chicago Bar Chronicles” at Do The Thing, Last Ditch Bar in Greenfield. March 31, 2026

For content description, audio description and captions scroll down.

Something about yourself

CONTENT DESCRIPTION

THE CHICAGO BAR CHRONICLES

Possible Triggers: Mentions of bars, alcohol, cigarettes, violence, suicide, prison, cancer, sexual content, mention of genitals, body parts, sex acts, orgasm, slurs for gay women; volume variance.

Content Description: A 20 minute performance piece featuring a song, a short play, a poem and a poem/song. These 4 offerings are connected through short descriptions of the Chicago bars they were performed in or inspired by.

Part One: Get Up and Go Again

Possible triggers: Mention of violence, prison, cancer.

Content description: a stomp clap a capella piece about my mom and dad, and how their life philosophies shaped my approach to life.

Part Two: The Wizard of Oz Abridged

Possible Triggers: volume variance

Content description: a 5 minute rendition of the film “The Wizard Of Oz”, with all the character voices and body postures.

Part Three: Resistance Valentine

Possible triggers: Sexual content, mention of genitals, body parts, sex acts, orgasm, slurs for gay women.

Content Description: a free form spoken word piece about the inherent resistance in queer sex.

Part Four: Heaven’s a Bar in Chicago

Possible triggers: mention of bars, alcohol and cigarettes, injury and death of friends.

Content Description: part song and part poem, a piece

I wrote in 2016 for Pop Waits at the Neo Futurist Theatre in Chicago as an ode to my dead friends. It’s about making theatre and riding my bicycle and all of the friends I have lost from AIDS, cruel random shit, suicide and SARS Cov -2.

Love,

Molly B

If you are interested in workshopping original work, collaborating on theatre or performance, or hosting some clown classes, please reach out: [email protected].

AUDIODESCRIBE

Chicago Bar Chronicles by Molly B, audio description videos below. Transcripts available under each video, if screenreader preferred.

Last Ditch space description

Space description transcript

Description given from the perspective of sitting on the main floor, facing the stage? you are facing a small stage that is about 10 inches high. There are black curtains hanging at the back of the stage.

To the right and behind the stage is a hallway that leads to the restrooms. The restroom on the right is wheelchair accessible. To the right of that is the elevator to the street.

The floor directly in front of the stage is black and white checkerboard tile. There are a variety of tables and chairs. To the left is the wall with windows. There is a clown mural on the wall, a settee with gold curtains. There is a big pink box with a face.

Behind the checkered floor and the tables is the sound and lighting booth, and the talent dressing area, which has curtains to partition from the main area.

If facing the stage, to the right are two long high boy tables and chairs, and on the other side of that is the bar. The stairs exit is to the right, facing the bar. If facing the bar, to the left is the Last Ditch Free Store, offering a number of survival and comfort items.

Performer description

Performer description transcript

My name is Molly Brennan. I am a middle aged woman of white, 5 foot 5 with a medium build. My hair is black and silver and styled into a pompadour. I am wearing a black bnx duckbill style n95 respirator. I am wearing a red shirt with a snow leopard patterned neck tie, red and white striped overalls, a black dinner jacket with leopard print lapels, and black boots. I will be standing center stage for the entirety of my piece.

CAPTIONS

The button below will lead you to a powerpoint slide deck with the spoken word, lines and lyrics to “Chicago Bar Chronicles” as phrased in the performance.

Below is the full content of the piece:

CHICAGO BAR CHRONICLES

by Molly Brennan

CHICAGO BAR CHRONICLES 2026

GET UP AND GO AGAIN (3 mins)

My daddy said don’t be yourself

My daddy said be somebody else

Because deep inside you and me girl is a torn and broken man

Choose a human hero, then you act just like him

My daddy said don’t be yourself

My daddy said be somebody else

Because your self’s a wicked monster wanna lie and cheat and kill

Strangle that motherfucker, help the poor, the weak and the ill

My daddy said don’t be yourself

My daddy said be somebody else

My mama said get up and go again

My mama said get up and go again

She don’t say it with her words, her actions are her answer

She survived Cambodian prison, broken hearts and bones and cancer

My mama said get up and go again

My mama said get up and go again

She lift her weight, she run her mile in the cold, the rain and the heat

Pull up the weeds, put flowers on the grave if she’s hurt or sick or beat

My mama said get up and go again

My mama said get up and go again

My daddy said don’t be yourself

My daddy said be somebody else

Get up and go again get up and go again get up and go again

Beauty Bar (1 minute)

Beauty Bar is on Chicago Avenue just East of Ashland.

For a lot of years there was a Monday Night Event which featured “new, emerging and genre-defying” art. It was called Salon a Thon. It was great to have a Monday night event because I was a stage actor, and the union day off is Mondays. It was such a rich mix of professional artists, like myself, and folks who had never ever been in front of an audience. I mean, it was a lot: like this. These are the magic spaces, I think. The 3 B’s: basements, backyards and bars. No social climb, no capital. Art, music and literature because we need it. We need it. We need to make it, we need to see and hear and read and feel it. Thanks everyone for putting yourself up here out there. It can leave you raw as hell to write a thing and launch it into the air and wonder how it lands. Thank you for taking that risk and sharing yourself. It is fucking vital. Amazing work, everyone. And thanks to the hosts, too for putting it together. It’s a lot of work. And to Last Ditch, the Only Mask Required Dyke Bar in the World. Incredible.

Green Mill (<1 minute)

I’ve put together some of the work that I did in Chicago Bars in my 30 years there.

The Green Mill is a 4 am jazz bar in Uptown, which is a northside neighborhood in Chicago. Used to be a speakeasy. Al Capone hung out there. They have live music, poetry slams, and dancing every night of the week. On Saturdays, they have an event called “The Paper Machete”, which they call a living newspaper. Writers, actors, musicians, comedians are assigned different current events to share with the room. One week, I was assigned arts and culture. The Broadway Tour of “Wicked” was in town, so I shared this brief summary of the story it was based on.

WIZARD OF OZ (5 mins)

Auntie Em: Go find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble.

Dorothy: Do you suppose there is such a place? (Sings) Somewhere over the rainbow.

Sound: Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da!

Gulch: I need to speak to about Dorothy I'm really lame for the bite on my leg.

Henry: She bit you?

Gulch: No her dog.

Henry: She bit her dog?

Gulch: No.

Gulch: I have an order to take that mangy mutt.

Dorothy: Oh don't let her take him go away you're nothing but a wicked old witch.

Gulch: Ha!

Dorothy: oh Toto you got away they'll be coming for us we need to run away. Please Professor can you take us to see the crowned heads?

Professor : Oh do you know any? Poor kid looks like a storm's coming.

Henry: It's a twister! It's a twister!

Auntie Em: Dorothy Dorothy!

Dorothy: Auntie Em! Uncle Henry! (Sings) The wind began to switch to pitch. Toto I have a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.

Glinda: are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Munchkin: (sing) We represent the lollipop Guild the Lollipop Guild the Lollipop Guild.

Munchkin: She's not only merely dead she's really most sincerely dead.

Munchkins: (sing) Ding dong the witch is dead which old witch the wicked witch.

Witch: Eeee heeheeheehee! Give me back my ruby slippers!

Glinda: Oh you have no power here be off before someone drops a house on you.

Witch: Well I can't attend to here and now but I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too.

Sound: Poof!

Glinda: What a smell of sulfur.

Dorothy: People come and go so quickly here. Follow the yellow brick road. Follow the yellow brick road..

Scarecrow: Well some people go both ways.

Dorothy: Did you say something?

Scarecrow: (sings) I could while away the hours conferring with the flowers Consulting with the rain If I Only Had a Brain.

Dorothy: Come with me to see the wizard.

Tin man: Squeak squeak

Dorothy: He said oil can.

Scarecrow: Oil can what?

Tin man: (sings) When a man's an empty Kettle he should be on his mettle and yet I'm torn apart If I Only had a heart.

Dorothy: Come with us to see the wizard. Lions and tigers and bears oh my.

Lion: Put them up put them up what did you do that for? I didn't bite him! (Sings) I guess there's no denying I'm just a dandelion without the vim and verve if I only had the nerve.

Dorothy: Come with us to see the wizard! (Sings) We're off to see the wizard the wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Emerald City we're almost there!

Witch: Poppies. Poppies.

Scarecrow: Hey look it's snowing!

Lion: Unusual weather we're having.

Emerald city chorus: (sings) You're out of the woods you're out of the dark you're out of the night.

Guard: Who rang that Bell?

Emerald Citizens: (sing) Hahaha ho ho ho and a couple of Tralala Lala's.

Scarecrow: Surrender Dorothy.

Oz: I am the great and terrible Oz.

Dorothy: I'm Dorothy small and meek.

Oz: Bring me the broomstick of the wicked witch.

Scarecrow: But then we’ve got to kill ‘er.

Lion: I'd go back if I were you.

Tin Man: I've got a plan to get Dorothy out of there and you're going to lead us.

Witch guards: Oh we oh we oh.

Dorothy: The Hourglass it's almost empty.

Witch: Leaving so soon I wouldn't hear of it. How about a little fire scarecrow. No don't throw that water! Oh I'm melting I'm melting what a world what a world.

Guard: She's dead you've killed her.

Dorothy: The broomstick may we have it?

Oz: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Scarecrow: Why you're nothing but a humbug!

Oz: You've cut me to the quick now I'll have to take you back to Kansas myself.

Dorothy: Oh no Professor, please don't leave without me now I'll never get home.

Lion: You can stay here with us Dorothy we love you.

Glinda: you've always had the power to go home.

Scarecrow: She has?

Tin Man: Now I know I have a heart because it's breaking.

Dorothy: I'll miss you most of all scarecrow I'm ready now.

Glinda: Just click your heels together three times and repeat there's no place like home there's no place like home there's no place like home.

Auntie Em: There, there, dear it was just a bad dream.

Dorothy; But it wasn't a dream you were there and you and you and it was all so beautiful but I just kept wanting to get home and oh Auntie Em there's no place like home.(sings) Somewhere over the rainbow. The end.

Joie de Vine (<1 minute)

The newest lesbian bar in Chicago is “Dorothy” in Ukranian Village. The oldest lesbian bar is “The Closet” on Broadway, near Wrigley Field, opened in 1978. There are a lot of gay bars in Chicago, some are around forever and ever, and some go up and down within a couple years. There was a lesbian-owned wine bar in the Ravenswood neighborhood called “Joie De Vine” that was open a couple years. They had a valentine’s day event and I was booked to present a couple things. Here’s a piece I wrote for a fantastic punk redhead I was dating at the time.

RESISTANCE VALENTINE (2 mins)

This queer sex is effortless rebellion.

I am committed to righteous fucking + my ever rigid detachable cock + my writhing body + my open mouth + my slippery cunt + my abandon + my joy + my desire for you is a threat to the dominant paradigm.

Your pleasure is an act of defiance.

Your breasts in my hands unbreak queer hearts everywhere.

The gentle-voiced confessions, the sweet whispers we share, wrapped around each other, split the ears of our oppressors.

Our kiss is killing them.

Your tongue + I come, your tongue + I come + I come + I come + I come + we shake the foundations.

My teeth in your skin frees the g*ddess + she holds us + fucks us with all of her parts + we rise + our fire burns down the prisons.

We rip fearlessly into each other + weep + our tears heal everyone hurting.

Our kiss is freeing them.

We push our imperfect, broken pieces together + fill in the wounds.

This queer sex makes us ungovernable + wild + dangerous + impossible + glorious + resilient + beautiful.

The revolution will be grind + sweat + moan + stroke + taste + touch + we will terrify in our boundless lust. + we will fortify in our boundless lust. + we will glorify in our boundless lust.

Again, please. Again, again, again.

So we’re married now. There’s my awesome wife Maxine.

Simon’s

I’m going to wrap up this little tour of Chicago Bars and some of the stuff I did in them with Simon’s. I mentioned I was an actor in Chicago. Usually in fancy expensive shows downtown. But I got my start making store front theatre, and my heart remains there. Bars, backyards and basements, remember? I never preferred the fancy bars with $27 cocktails. I’d rather spend that on a pitcher to share with friends. Simon’s was the unofficial actor bar, where we could hang out and NOT talk shop, and NOT be recognized. When I was 25, I made the front page of the Chicago Tribune for a show I was in. I remember sitting at Simon’s, and catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind the bar. I looked old. Trick of the light, dust on the glass, or maybe a portal to the future. I remember thinking: “I’m a working artist. Someday I will be old and all of this learning will be behind me.” Young Molly, the learning doesn’t stop until you’re dead. 20 years later I was sitting at Simon’s, mourning the loss of yet another friend. And the words of this song occurred to me, so I started to write them down. It’s a waltz. (1 minute)

HEAVEN’S A BAR IN CHICAGO (7 mins)

Seems like Heaven's a stage in Chicago

Where the seats are all velvet, or they're busted and old

With our bodies and hearts

We lay bare our parts

If there's only three people, or the whole house is sold.

We say "I think something's up with the rigging.

I felt that the timing of my death scene ain't right

I sure sang off key

And I twisted my knee

I hope I don't suck so bad tomorrow night."

Maybe Heaven's a ride through Chicago

In the dark dead of winter, we are breathless and bold

The angel­witch song

Of your name on my tongue

As we shout to each other on our bikes in the cold

We say: "Hell yeah, we rode in this bullshit"

As we peel off our layers, bodies giving off steam

"We don't need a car

To get us to the bar."

And we know that the choice was either bus fare or Beam.

[SPOKEN] it’s 2:30 a.m. and they’ll be calling last call but they don’t mean me they mean everybody else still legal to smoke in this big shoulder town and the smell of nicotine never leaves my hair or my jacket or these two fingers the poison tastes like whiskey and melancholy and maybe at the bottom of this glass is a feeling like love everyone is beautiful and each ticking second sounds like maybe it’s big time on the jukebox and the rumble buzz of tom is the soundtrack of my life 40 hours a week as a temp sneaking out copies of my sci fi script between real work and spreading my filing over the course of the day learning my lines and singing my songs i perform and i write and i sleep 4 hours a night cause I gotta let my head get heavy at this bar i’m an artist and i’m almost 25 wishing i was 55 with all the learning behind me flash forward to now 55 wishing i was 85 with all the learning behind me

I think Heaven's a bar in Chicago

Where T Bone and Erin and Molly all go

And Jen, Rob, and Joe

And all the others we know

Sit with their loved ones, asking "How was the show?"

We say: "Running crew all got out early

We hit all our notes, and our muscles aren't sore

We were oversold by ten

We all made the rent again

Everything is perfect, and we don't hurt anymore."