Monthly Archives: January 2025
A Song Being Sung
Avaaz
Avaaz isn’t the leading character in this new production. It is, however, the theme of Michael Shayan’s one-person play that’s making its Chicago debut as part of a National Tour. Avaaz means “Voice,” not only in Farsi but in several other Middle Eastern, European and Asian languages. Farsi is, of course, the official language of Iran, the homeland of Michael Shayan. In Farsi, Avaaz also means “a song being sung,” which is the feeling the audience experiences during this often funny, sometimes heartbreaking, one-act. AVAAZ is not simply an autobiographical play. It’s a presentation that represents a great many ideas.
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The Essence of Hamlet
Fat Ham
In case you haven’t heard of him, James Ijames is a much-accoladed and talented actor, director and, most notably, playwright. His written work is incredible, especially since he brings a delightfully unexpected element of magical realism to many of his plays. Chicago audiences enjoyed his surrealistic THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON at Steppenwolf Theatre. In his 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, FAT HAM, now in a glorious production at the Goodman Theatre, Ijames has taken the essence of Shakespeare’s tragedy classic, HAMLET, and molded it into (believe it or not) a contemporary one-act comedy.
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Nice-Nice
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Talk about a play being timely. Just as the news is reporting that following the inauguration of the new President, a sweeping mass National Deportation Plan is set to begin in Chicago, a dazzling and lively new play that focuses on a community of African immigrants is playing on Navy Pier. Jocelyn Bioh’s 2023 Broadway hit is part of a limited National Tour. The comic drama has just opened in the Windy City and, coincidentally, its plot points seem to be ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. Both the Mayor and the Governor of Illinois have promised that Chicago’s still a Sanctuary City and that immigrants will be protected. But the events that transpire in the final scene of JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING will remind audiences of the prescience of Bioh’s play. Of course, the comic drama actually takes place in Harlem, New York back in 2019, during Trump’s first term. But with his re-election, the nightmare has returned for every immigrant who this new administration determines is “illegal.”
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