Author: Colin Douglas
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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A Musical Trip Back in Time
Hitt Records
Daryl D. Brooks, the wonderful Black Ensemble Theater’s multitalented Producing Managing Director, has written a number of musicals for the company. Some have been okay, some very good and some, like his currently running musical revue, are superb. Also Directed by Mr. Brooks, his new show is entitled HITT RECORDS, and is both an educational and nostalgic musical trip back in time.
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What You Want
Legally Blonde
The jury has returned with a verdict and Music Theater Works closes their 2024 season with a hit. LEGALLY BLONDE is a joyful, contemporary twist on the always popular Cinderella story. This peerless and polished production, which would make a wonderful holiday gift (especially for fans of the Reese Witherspoon film, on which this musical is based) is a pure delight. It’s “What You Want” when it comes to a hilarious, highly spirited musical comedy that’s just plain fun. The show is also a celebration of Girl Power and promotes a positive message about perseverance, self-confidence and being true to who you are. In addition, the musical features some comical and unforgettable characters, a multitalented and hard-working ensemble, plenty of entertaining songs and lots of kinetic choreography. And, despite it’s two-and-a-half hour length, including an intermission, the time seems to fly by.
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Finding Her Roots
The Berlin Diaries
With the popularity of television shows like “Who Do You Think You Are” and “Finding Your Roots,” researching one’s genealogy has seen a recent rise in popularity. It seems like almost everyone is devoting their spare time to investigating their family history. Discovering descendants through online sources, such as ancestry.com., or poring through volumes of old census records in the library, help jumpstart one’s investigation of their family lines. Through birth, marriage and death records, military and immigration documents and newly discovered personal journals and diaries, a diligent individual can often discover more about members of their family tree.
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Being Different Isn’t a Crime
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer
This popular and joyful holiday musical, written by Hell in a Handbag’s multitalented Artistic Director, David Cerda, is a gender-bending Christmas entertainment that’s now in its 25th year. Baby Boomers will especially enjoy traveling back in time to relive the essence of this nostalgic 1964 stop-action cartoon classic. But while the basic plot and theme remains the same, Mr. Cerda has put a LGBT+ twist on the story and added some new topical and contemporary adult humor. Even the song lyrics have been updated for today’s audiences.
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An Important Work For Today
A Bright Room Called Day
Tony Kushner, the brilliant Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of ANGELS IN AMERICA, began his writing career while in his early 20’s. In 1985 Kushner wrote this long, extremely wordy, yet intellectual and lyrical examination of how Adolf Hitler’s rise to power affected a group of artistic and progressive friends living in Berlin. The play is set in the small apartment of Agnes Eggling (a superb performance by Katherine Schwartz), a middle-age actress. She shares the flat with her Hungarian lover, Vealtninc Husz (nicely enacted by Raul Alonso). Blank Theatre Company’s stirring production proves to be an especially important work for today.
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Not a Black or White Matter
The Totality of All Things
Everyone should see this play because it’s filled with so many probing and controversial issues. It also says so much about the climate of this country today. THE TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS is the premiere production of Redtwist Theatre’s Twisted Playfest. It’s an important new work that sets the tone for the upcoming staged and stand readings of the original plays by Chicago writers, like Eric Gernand.
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Painting With Her Pen
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott wrote what she knew. That was the advice her publisher offered and so the young author painted pictures with her pen and turned her family life during the 19th century into one the most beloved of all American classics. And Lauren Gunderson’s beautiful new version of Alcott’s autobiographical novel is a story we need today. Although there have been dozens of theatrical and film versions, the story continues to speak strongly to audiences, especially to 21st century Americans. It portrays a very loving, tight-knit, resilient family who are trying, against all odds, to survive. The four sisters and their mother endure poor economic conditions, illness, romantic complications and a host of trials and tribulations that many of us still face today, especially at the holidays. The play may be set in New England during the mid-1800’s, but it’s universal. It’s a story about people who truly care for each other, and it carries a message that still rings true today.
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What If…
& Juliet
Life is full of what if’s, especially at this time of year. What if my Amazon package doesn’t arrive in time? What if I can’t get all my cookies baked in time for the party? What if the weather prevents me from spending the holidays with my family? And in the theatre, there’s been a recent rash of plays and musicals in which writers have reimagined alternative situations for familiar stories. What if, in Homer’s The Odyssey, Penelope had a more prominent and feminist role? The Goodman’s recent production of THE PENELOPIAD explores that premise. In another strong feminist treatment of a classic, the musical’s playwright and composer imagined what if the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good were actually best friends? That’s the basis for the highly popular show, WICKED. This trend in writers thinking outside the box continues in a brilliant new coming-of-age jukebox musical, currently in Chicago for only two weeks. Treat yourself to a holiday gift and do whatever you can to see this show. You’ll be so glad you did.
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No Man’s a Failure Who Has Friends
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
The beautiful new American Blues Theater venue is once again decked out in sparkling, colorful holiday decor. All the typical ornamentation, such as Christmas trees, wreaths, menorahs and candles fill both the stage and lobby, bringing a cornucopia of cheer to those who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. But it’s really what happens inside the theater that’s always so special.
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