Author: Colin Douglas
Love, Chaos & Dinner
Teatro Zinzanni – Cambria Hotel
You arrive at the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel to be greeted by a bevy of smiling faces, all of whom are there to happily launch your theatrical experience. If you’ve ever been on a cruise ship, you’ll understand what awaits you. At the far end of the theatre lobby there’s a huge bar, where all manner of beverages await your order, including a complimentary glass of champagne. Then, with a fanfare, the company of waitstaff announce that the 300+ seat Spiegeltent is now open and ready for your entertainment and dining pleasure. And with that, you’re off and running for three hours of nonstop munching, merriment and mayhem.
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More Than Meets the Eye
Kiss – Haven
There are so many unexpected twists and turns in this exciting drama, which is the finale to Haven’s current season. Seeing this one-act is truly an emotional experience. Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon has written political story. At first, the play is masked as a melodrama about four friends in Damascus who are united in their addiction to watching a particular soap opera.
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Four Spirits in Search of a Story
Ghost Quartet – Black Button Eyes Productions
In the very intimate venue of Stage 773, appropriately called “The Box,” four talented actor/singer/musicians ply their craft. Individually and together they play multiple characters who spin a series of interwoven story fragments that transcending seven centuries. Weaving vocal and instrumental melodies and motifs throughout creates an atmosphere of eerie contemplation. The stories come from many sources. They’re borrowed from the Grimm Brothers’ “Snow White and Rose Red,” Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” and the Scheherazade tale from “One Thousand and One Nights.” Then they’re given unique twists that make the stories feel original, yet slightly familiar. Somehow, an evil bear, a subway murder and the ghost of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk also figure into the four tales.
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A Beloved Children’s Book Comes to Life
Junie B. Jones, the Musical – Marriott Theatre
Oh joy! Oh rapture! The Junie B. Jones series of books, by Barbara Park, is onstage for the Summer in Lincolnshire in an absolutely bouncy, high-spirited musical adaptation. It was written for Theatreworks by Deerfield native, lyricist/book writer Marcy Heisler, and her partner, composer Zina Goldrich. This is definitely a show aimed at youngsters, based upon five of Park’s books; but adults will roar with laughter at the recognizable situations, the witty dialogue and the comical song lyrics that speak to their own experiences. Throughout the 60-minute play, Junie B. and her colorful world bursts to irrepressible life.
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Sibling Rivalry Gone Berserk
True West – Steppenwolf Theatre
The third in Sam Shepard’s Family Trilogy, along with his “Curse of the Starving Class” and “Buried Child,” this exciting, violent, darkly humorous play was a finalist for the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Three years earlier, Shepard’s drama premiered in San Francisco, followed by its Off-Broadway opening at the Public Theater. In 1982 Steppenwolf produced their thrilling version of the play, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, which helped put this Chicago-based ensemble company on the map. Shepard became instrumental in transferring Steppenwolf’s production to New York for another successful Off-Broadway run. Then the play finally made its way to Broadway in 2000, where it was produced by Circle in the Square and nominated for the Tony.
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This Production Really Shines
The Spitfire Grill – American Blues Theatre
American Blues Theater’s latest offering doesn’t just touch your heart; it enfolds your soul in warmth and caresses you with its humanity. Like the song that one character sings, this production “Shines.” It’s impossible to experience this lovely, folksy musical without shedding a tear or feeling a lump in your throat. At its core, this little musical is a celebration of the simple things in life. With music by James Valcq, lyrics by Fred Alley and a book co-adapted by both artists, from the film of the same name, this is a warm, heartfelt story of redemption and hope. It’s a show we could all use right now because it’s so positive.
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A Mobius Strip of a Story
Pomona – Steep Theatre
In the dark, dystopian world that young, British playwright Alistair McDowall creates, reality unexpectedly oozes into the science fiction thriller and then, just as suddenly leaches back out again. This surrealistic play is a kind of mobius strip of a story. The non-linear plot pops back and forth between the present and the future. It kicks all logic deep into the murky shadows that envelope Joe Schermoly’s nightmarish scenic design, and reality turns into an M.C. Escher-like staircase to nowhere.
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It’s All About Who You Know
The Recommendation – Windy City Playhouse
Upon entering the theatre, an attendant gives the patron his ticket, in the form of a congratulatory letter of acceptance to Brown University. Theatergoers are then plunged into the world of the play as they’re welcomed to a collegiate Orientation by Iskinder Iodouku, nicknamed Izzy (beautifully played by Michael Aaron Pogue). Jonathan Caren’s thought-provoking play is very interesting. It’s not about what you know but who you know, and the favors that people will perform now in exchange for something later on.
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Crowns and Pronouns
The Drag Seed – Hell in a Handbag
David Cerda has done it once again! The gifted performer and prolific playwright mines every ounce of humor from his LGBTQ parodies of well-known TV and film classics, like “The Golden Girls” and “The Poseidon Adventure.” This time around, Chicago’s Countess of Camp has loosely adapted “The Bad Seed,” that famous, b&w psychological horror-thriller film from the 1950’s about a seemingly perfect little girl who will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get what she wants.
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Till There Was You
The Music Man – Goodman Theatre
So suitable for the lazy days of summer is this musical that’s as American as apple pie and the Fourth of July. Opening on the Great White Way back in 1957, the show deservedly scored five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It’s been remounted on Broadway several times and is about to received another revival later this year, with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the leading roles. This is a funny, romantic, wholesome and infectious piece of theatre that’s truly unparalleled.Meredith Willson’s magnum opus is undeniably one of the classics of the American musical theatre. As the most perfectly written of all musicals, it doesn’t simply feature a few leading characters backed up by a chorus of dancing singers who only appear during the big musical numbers. Each and every person in this show is a unique character, an individual with his own personality and backstory. And that alone makes this show very special, both to be a part of and to enjoy as a theatergoer.
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