Author: Colin Douglas
Are We Alone?
We Are Out There! – Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Next year Chicago Shakespeare gets lost in space, as they present a live production of an original, sci-fi musical. Based loosely upon the classic B-horror film of the 1950’s, “It Came From Outer Space,” this hilarious 45-minute prologue offers a taste of what we can expect from this world premiere musical comedy about extraterrestrial life arriving on earth. It’s a delightful sampler, professionally produced and absolutely tantalizing. After viewing this preview, audiences will be standing in line to see the full production in 2022!
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An Inherently Evil Act
Ohio State Murders – Goodman Theatre
A well-known author, Suzanne Alexander is revisiting the university she attended between 1949 and 1952. As one of the few African-American students during that turbulent time, Sue found campus life to be a lonely existence. She was forced into living a quiet, segregated, almost isolated life at Ohio State. Despite her appetite for reading classic literature and a gift for excellent writing, acknowledged by her English professor, Suzanne finds that declaring English as her major is met with derision and scorn.
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A Tour-de-force of Illusion
The Magic Parlor — Palmer House
Until it’s safe for the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel to reopen its doors again, and it’s safe to return to live performances, Master Magician Dennis Watkins will be performing his shows live on Zoom. His appreciative audiences come from every age group and from all over the world. Each performance is slightly different because of the makeup of his audience and the choices and manipulations created by his interactive viewers. And that’s what makes this viral production so unusual and spectacular: Mr. Watkins has only so much control over his magic show; it’s primarily how each audience member reacts to his tour-de-force of illusion that makes each show so unique and memorable.
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The Guest That Wouldn’t Leave
Jeffrey — Pride Arts
Before there was Covid-19 there was the AIDS epidemic. The virus infected thousands of gay men and women and decimated homosexual communities all over the world. However, there will be those watching this staged reading who weren’t even born until after this particular plague had been brought under control. Most young people won’t understand the full horror of this disease. The complications from AIDS sickened and eventually took the lives of so many innocent victims. But, without having lived through this era, some younger audiences won’t appreciate the bleak existence that a gay man tiptoed through, between 1981 and the mid-to-late 1990’s.
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A Hand Reaching Out in the Darkness
The Sound Inside – Goodman Theatre
Just as a cool glass of water slakes our thirst on a hot summer day, the Goodman Theatre has returned, quenching a need that audiences may have forgotten was missing. One of Chicago’s best-loved theatres has returned with a polished, new, live production. And it’s not simply a streamed version of an old presentation: it’s all-new and first-rate. In the premiere of Goodman’s series of live, televised productions, we have three great, new scripts brought to life in fully-produced, live-acted presentations. After more than a year, audiences are finally going to be able to replenish their souls and intellects with another superior Goodman production.
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Slam Dunk the Junk
Goods – Artemisia Theatre
In the not-so-distant future, the world that playwright Lauren Ferebee paints is a pretty dismal place. Climate change and pollution have grown out of control. There’s practically no land left on earth because the oceans have flooded most of the coastal cities, air temperatures are unpredictable and the planet is overrun with trash and litter. Refugee arrivals are still a problem and there doesn’t seem to be any solution. It’s 2100 and Marla and Sam, two interplanetary astronaut employees, are returning from their latest mission. They’re garbage collectors, whose job it is to slam dunk the junk from earth and deposit it somewhere in outer space.
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Gay Youth and Conservative Religion
Southern Baptist Sissies – PrideArts
Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to put a damper on everyone’s lives, forcing people to stay safe inside their homes, instead of going out for any reason. But smart, creative theatres have found a way to keep presenting their work to interested audiences. Chicago’s PrideArts, for example, has been offering a series of staged play readings as one-night-only viral productions. By special permission, I attended the final dress rehearsal, in order to review this viral production before the actual performance. Joe Hudson, who appeared in Bailiwick Repertory’s 2002 fully-staged production, directs this live Zoom presentation, featuring a cast of eight very talented actors.
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Game, Set, and Match
Last Match — Writers Theatre
When we watch an athlete we are admiring his skill, prowess and grace. We gasp at his agility and stamina; we’re only vaguely aware of how much this sportsman has trained, sacrificed and suffered to become the star of the playing field that we’re watching at this minute. But, as we observe and deeply internalize in Anna Ziegler’s extraordinary four-hander, there’s so much more to an athlete than merely what we watch during a game. It’s game, set and match…and so much more.
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New York, Do You Care?
Island Song — 4 Chairs Theatre
For everyone, this past year has been difficult, at best. For the theatre, it’s eliminated live performances with actors on stage and living, breathing audiences in attendance. Alternatives to simply shutting their doors until the pandemic’s fully under control have been enhanced audio productions of plays or virtual productions, available for purchase on demand. The range of success found in these viral play presentations varies widely, from multicast dramas, that sort of resemble a Zoom meeting, to full productions that have been thoughtfully produced with some modicum of creativity.
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Moments of Painful Honesty and Humor
Call Me Elizabeth — Porchlight Music Theatre
It’s a late morning in May, 1961 when there’s a knock at the door of the Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow. Always the epitome of style and elegance, beautiful Elizabeth Taylor welcomes unseen writer and old friend, columnist Max Lerner. He has arrived to begin interviewing the actress for a planned biography. The next 70 minutes will provide the theatre audience with a candid, sometimes humorous and often painfully honest look at one of Hollywood’s biggest and most glamorous movie stars.
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