A Tight Knit Family

Falsettos – Broadway in Chicago

You’ll need a deep intake of oxygen before the opening number of this manic, accelerated musical. Why? Because you’ll be left breathless by the waves of emotion rolling in, and that’s only by the end of Act I. Then, get ready for the stirring roller coaster ride that’s Act II. This show packs more levels of the human condition into its first hour than in any other play in recent memory. It’s peopled with seven multilayered, unflinchingly realistic characters who are always dissatisfied with their lives, for various reasons. The musical is tightly packed with 37 songs, a number of finely choreographed interludes, a countless amount of scene changes and a tsunami of emotions.

Somewhere in Time

Bloomsday – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Steven Dietz may be one of the most-produced playwrights in America, simply because he’s written so many comedies, dramas and literary adaptations. In this 2015 romantic drama, he bends the concepts of time and space to weave an interesting tale of the road not taken, or a riff on the one true love who got away. In its Chicago debut, under the astute direction of JR Sullivan, a cast of four, talented actors, led by the luminous Annabel Armour, breathe life into this play. It’s story of Robbie/Robert, an American tourist visiting Ireland, and Caithleen/Cait, a guide employed to take fascinated travelers around the James Joyce’s Dublin, specifically to the various locations from his 1922 literary masterpiece, Ulysses.

Rooh: A delicious journey through Indian food

Don’t walk, run to Chicago’s newest restaurant Rooh in the busy and exciting restaurant district on Randolph Street. But you may have to wait a bit for a reservation. And I can tell you it is well worth the wait. 

Light Years Away

Take Me – Strawdog Theatre Company

Shelley works in a call center for a less than great telephone company. She used to be an architect, but following a plane crash that leaves her husband in a coma and the disappearance of her son, the task of punting people’s complaints is all she can handle. In her search for stability and meaning, she stumbles into a group of people who say they have been abducted by aliens, and that those aliens want her to build an amusement park in Roswell, New Mexico.

Another Day at the Office

Below the Belt – Hundo4u Productions

Below the Belt is about three men living and working in an unnamed factory in some distant desert. What their job is exactly or what the factory actually makes is never stated, but it’s very important that it be done. A new arrival upsets the seasoned veteran who must now share his room again, and both, whether they want to or not, must jockey for the approval of their boss.

Fireworks for a Summer Night

The Crowd You’re in With – Aston Rep Theatre

It’s July 4th, and in the typically tiny back yard of Jasper and Melinda’s north side apartment a cookout is taking place, as a prelude to the evening’s holiday fireworks. The young couple’s invited their friends over for burgers and booze. The guests include young, married couple Dan and Windsong, who’s pregnant with their first child, their middle age landlords from upstairs, Tom and Karen, and their single friend and fellow band member, Darcy. It soon becomes clear that the pyrotechnic display that they’re planning to watch won’t be the only fireworks on this summer evening.

The Show Must Go On

Into the Breeches! – Northlight Theatre

It’s been said that War is hell. On the front, the men and women serving their country can testify to that statement. But back at home, private citizens in communities everywhere were having their own problems. Forced to tighten their belts, women were sacrificing a great deal for their men in uniform. Females, like the famous icon, Rosie the Riveter, left their homes to join the workforce. Scrap metal drives helped recycle materials necessary for making all kinds of war vehicles and weapons. The USO was established around the world to create a home away from home for GIs stationed far from their loved ones. But how did WWII affect small town social organizations, like community theatres?

Brilliance in Glencoe

Next to Normal – Writers Theatre

Don’t call Chicago the Second City when talking about excellent theatre. From its small storefront venues to its flashy Broadway tour productions, we have it all. And once again, Writers Theatre shows serious theatergoers why it’s considered one of the most beautiful jewels in Chicago’s theatrical crown. This Equity house consistently offers the highest quality plays and musicals, and their current presentation of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning musical drama ranks as one of their finest productions to date.

A List of Dates

Fight, Flight, and Freeze – The Agency Theater Collective

Hannah Tar’s one-person show centers around about dozen important dates in her life and how they all connect to each other. I’m not spoiling things by saying that several involve sexual assault and domestic violence, since they give a similar warning at the start of the show.