Monthly Archives: March 2022
A Play With a Twist
Wife of a Salesman – Writers Theatre
Talented playwright Eleanor Burgess, whose searing two-character drama, “The Niceties,” burned up the stage at Writers Theatre before the pandemic curtailed live entertainment in Chicago. The production was praised by audiences and critics alike. It dealt with a Caucasian college professor who provokes a confrontation with a likable, very intelligent African-American student, who’d written a well-thought-out paper about the part she felt that slavery played in the American Revolution. This was a riveting production that had a lot to say about a number of subjects, particularly racial inequities and closeted prejudices.
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Bring on the Girls
La Cage aux Folles – Music Theater Works
The glitz and glamor of summer in St. Tropez, with its sunbathed beaches, and all the sparkle and shine of its nightclubs, features wonderful performances by musical stars in sequins and feathers, backed by a troupe of talented chorines in glitzy drag. And yet, all this magic and majesty almost takes a back seat to the musical’s warmhearted story about an unconventional family who love and support each other through thick and thin. The story of Georges and Albin, their son Jean-Michel and his determination to impress Anne, his bride-to-be, and his future, ultra conservative in-laws, M. Dindon and his mousy wife, Mme. Dindon, is a story that overflows with love, caring and devotion. All the rest is sweet la glace on un gateau.
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It Begins in Darkness
Passage – Remy Bumppo
Like a tunnel or long hallway, Christopher Chen’s 2018 one-act drama is a walk down a dark “Passage.” It begins in darkness and ends in the light, but along the way the journey is filled with shadowy uncertainty, frightening twists and turns and unexpected surprises with shocking revelations. Without actually dramatizing the book, this is Chen’s homage to E.M. Forster’s novel about colonization, A Passage to India. The play borrows elements of Forster’s plot and character relationships, without being about the British takeover of India. True to Remy Bumppo’s credo, this play is truly “think theatre,” because it fiercely engages the audience and forces each member to examine, explore and ultimately evaluate the drama they’ve just experienced.
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The Power to Choose
The Lady from the Sea – Court Theatre
Court Theatre’s new production of Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea was originally set to premier in March of 2020, before having to shut down the night of their first preview. The cast and creative team have all returned to stage the show now, but rather than simply running their lines in the meantime, the Court commissioned a new translation by Richard Nelson. The show is one of Ibsen’s lesser produced shows, but to anyone who has seen his more famous A Doll’s House will certainly find a few similarities. The story centers on Ellida, wife to Dr. Wangel, and stepmother to his two daughters. Ellida is unhappy and anxious, and Dr. Wangel, despite his best and genuine efforts, cannot figure out why. The reason is a man from Ellida’s past, a mysterious sailor whose return has been looming over her for years. Now Ellida must choose between them.
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Reuniting After Separation
Once Upon a Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre – Idle Muse
Idle Muse is a true survivor. It’s the little storefront theatre that could. Once again, the company is back again and going strong, thanks to a small army of creative men and women who love creating dramatic art and who believe in its mission. They’re deeply devoted to transporting audiences through the plots of interesting stories, “exploring the relationship between individuals and the worlds they inhabit.” The company’s been around for 16 years, and despite a devastating pandemic that temporarily shut down live entertainment and permanently closed the doors of many theatre venues, Idle Muse is back.
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Lost in Space
Solaris – Griffin Theatre Company
Isolated in outer space, with only your imagination and your two fellow scientists to keep you company and offer you mental stimulation, a person could start hallucinating. As a three-member crew of scientific specialists continue to live and work together on an interstellar research space station, studying and trying to understand the extraterrestrial intelligence on the distant planet they call Solaris, their minds begin to tap into the memories of special people from their past. The planet is covered by an ocean of continually surging and undulating waves of a gel-like liquid. These sweeping streams seem to hypnotize the scientists and ignite physical manifestations within the three astronauts of loved ones who no longer exist. What plays out is a kind of lost in space ghost story that will continue to haunt the audience’s imagination after the curtain falls.
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A Sad Song, But We Sing It Anyway
Hadestown – Broadway in Chicago
In Greek mythology, Orpheus is the world’s greatest poet; here he’s an accomplished composer and lyricist of the kind of songs that make the whole world sing. Eurydice is the all-consuming love of his life, a beautiful young lady he meets by chance. He charms her with his music and by magically turning a crumpled piece of paper into a lovely red flower. This becomes the musical’s symbol of undying love. Then there’s lovely Persephone, a joyful, free spirit, whose beaming smile brings Springtime back to the world whenever she returns from below. You see, Hades, the God of the Underworld, once saw Persephone and fell in love with her. He then brought her down to Hadestown, plunging the world above into eternal Winter. Persephone agreed to marry him if he’d allow her to return to earth for half of the year, where she’d bring flowers, wine, happiness and a new beginning for the world.
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