CHICAGO _ "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind," one of the longest running shows in Chicago history and a fixture at the Neo-Futurarium in the city's Andersonville neighborhood, is to close Dec. 31. The comedic, sketch-style production, which has played since 1988, reached thousands of audience members, and is known for featuring 30 plays in 60 minutes, appears to be the victim of a dispute between Greg Allen, who created the piece, and The Neo-Futurists, his longtime collaborators, former artistic home, and, for many years, his licensee.
In a statement sent Wednesday to the Tribune, Allen said he planned to proceed independently producing "Too Much Light" with a new diverse company that "embraces a specifically socially activist mission." Allen cited a desire to "combat the new Trump administration." He also said his new company would be composed entirely of performers who represented "disenfranchised voices."
He did not specify when or where the show would reopen.
For its part, in a separate statement, the Neo-Futurists said they were "surprised" by the news that Allen was pulling the show and proceeding independently, and the statement cited numerous "artistic differences" and "irreconcilable personality conflicts" with the founder over the years.
The company, who long has relied on the income from the show staged on the corner of Ashland Avenue and Foster Avenue, also said it planned to open a new late-night production of its own devising in 2017.
But the title will have to change.
