Author: Colin Douglas
Yearning for Fame and Fortune
Queen of the Mist – Firebrand Theatre
Tired of living from hand to mouth, 63-year-old Anna Edson Taylor decided that, in an early twentieth century world dominated by men, she would be the one woman who’d achieve celebrity and fortune with a single unconventional act. Mrs. Taylor desperately wanted celebrity and her own piece of the pie. She yearned for her share of fame and fortune, while also striking a blow for feminism. Convinced that with careful scientific research she could become the first person to successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. After hiring Frank Russell, a smooth-talking, wheeler-dealer of a manager and promoter, she carefully researched and drew up detailed plans for a barrel-like vehicle that would allow her to safely take the fateful plunge.
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A Tight Knit Family
Falsettos – Broadway in Chicago
You’ll need a deep intake of oxygen before the opening number of this manic, accelerated musical. Why? Because you’ll be left breathless by the waves of emotion rolling in, and that’s only by the end of Act I. Then, get ready for the stirring roller coaster ride that’s Act II. This show packs more levels of the human condition into its first hour than in any other play in recent memory. It’s peopled with seven multilayered, unflinchingly realistic characters who are always dissatisfied with their lives, for various reasons. The musical is tightly packed with 37 songs, a number of finely choreographed interludes, a countless amount of scene changes and a tsunami of emotions.
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Somewhere in Time
Bloomsday – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Steven Dietz may be one of the most-produced playwrights in America, simply because he’s written so many comedies, dramas and literary adaptations. In this 2015 romantic drama, he bends the concepts of time and space to weave an interesting tale of the road not taken, or a riff on the one true love who got away. In its Chicago debut, under the astute direction of JR Sullivan, a cast of four, talented actors, led by the luminous Annabel Armour, breathe life into this play. It’s story of Robbie/Robert, an American tourist visiting Ireland, and Caithleen/Cait, a guide employed to take fascinated travelers around the James Joyce’s Dublin, specifically to the various locations from his 1922 literary masterpiece, Ulysses.
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Fireworks for a Summer Night
The Crowd You’re in With – Aston Rep Theatre
It’s July 4th, and in the typically tiny back yard of Jasper and Melinda’s north side apartment a cookout is taking place, as a prelude to the evening’s holiday fireworks. The young couple’s invited their friends over for burgers and booze. The guests include young, married couple Dan and Windsong, who’s pregnant with their first child, their middle age landlords from upstairs, Tom and Karen, and their single friend and fellow band member, Darcy. It soon becomes clear that the pyrotechnic display that they’re planning to watch won’t be the only fireworks on this summer evening.
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The Show Must Go On
Into the Breeches! – Northlight Theatre
It’s been said that War is hell. On the front, the men and women serving their country can testify to that statement. But back at home, private citizens in communities everywhere were having their own problems. Forced to tighten their belts, women were sacrificing a great deal for their men in uniform. Females, like the famous icon, Rosie the Riveter, left their homes to join the workforce. Scrap metal drives helped recycle materials necessary for making all kinds of war vehicles and weapons. The USO was established around the world to create a home away from home for GIs stationed far from their loved ones. But how did WWII affect small town social organizations, like community theatres?
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Brilliance in Glencoe
Next to Normal – Writers Theatre
Don’t call Chicago the Second City when talking about excellent theatre. From its small storefront venues to its flashy Broadway tour productions, we have it all. And once again, Writers Theatre shows serious theatergoers why it’s considered one of the most beautiful jewels in Chicago’s theatrical crown. This Equity house consistently offers the highest quality plays and musicals, and their current presentation of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning musical drama ranks as one of their finest productions to date.
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Blood, Body Parts and Buffoonery
Killing Game – A Red Orchid Theatre
Are you tired of realism in the theatre? Are you attracted to the unusual drama? Do you wanna see a really, really weird play? Well, then look no further than Red Orchid’s latest production. It’s an intimate, up-close-and-personal presentation of Eugene Ionesco’s lesser-known comic drama about a world in which a plague is decimating the population, minute by minute. As the mysterious, deadly disease continues to rage, infecting men and women, old and young, everyone is speculating about how the illness is spread and what they can do to prevent contagion. As the debate continues, with the argument getting louder and more manic, dialogue overlaps and turns into cacophony. Welcome to the World of the “Killing Game.”
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Roald Dahl’s Classic Comes to Life
Matilda – Drury Lane Theatre
One of Roald Dahl’s most popular children’s books is about a little English girl who endures emotional abuse from both her family and the wicked headmistress of her school. Published in 1988, the novel was shaped for the silver screen in 1996. Eventually adapted for the stage by Dennis Kelley, with an impressive score by Tim Minchin, the theatrical musical initially sprang to life in Stratford-upon-Avon. After it was lauded by both local critics and theatergoers, the musical transferred to London’s West End in 2011. There, the musical went on to win the Olivier for Best Musical, as well as six other Awards, the most ever earned, at that point, by a single production. When the show transferred to Broadway in 2013 it became a huge hit all over again, taking home five Tonys, along with several other awards.
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Two Plays in One
The Winter’s Tale – Goodman Theatre
When published in the 1623 First Folio, William Shakespeare’s five-act play was grouped with his comedies. Later, however, this “problem play,” as it’s been called, has been lumped with the Bard’s later romances, along with “Cymbeline,” “Pericles” and “The Tempest.” The problem comes from the perception that the play appears to be two plays in one. The first half, at least in Robert Falls’ adaptation, is so dramatic that it seems like a powerful tragedy. Then, just as the first act comes to a close, and continuing into the second act, we’re suddenly transported to a pastoral setting. Whereas Act I was cold, darkly lit and costumed primarily in black and charcoal gray; Act II is joyful, almost bawdy and filled with confetti and bright colors. Then, lest the theatergoer settles into this orgy Dionysian revelry, the script returns to the darkness for an ending that is both redemptive and as happy as can be expected.
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Golddiggers Afloat
Dames at Sea – Theatre at the Center
Check your cares at the door and settle in for a fast-paced couple of hours of unbridled bliss. This most magically perfect, divinely flashy and old-fashioned of musical comedies, a show that few audiences have even heard of, has set sail in Munster. It’s the perfect show to usher in the Spring. Filled with jubilant songs, energetic choreography and exhilarating, endearing performances, this Valentine to those Busby Berkeley-style musical extravaganzas of the 1930’s is the consummate mindless entertainment that we all could use right now.
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