Pressing On

Girl From the North Country

The National Tour of this jukebox musical has arrived in Chicago for a two-week run. However, be warned: this isn’t a conventional musical, jukebox or otherwise. It’s structured more like a concert of 19 songs from the Bob Dylan catalog that are performed between the spoken words. The book was written and the musical directed by award-winning Irish playwright, Connor McPherson. Best known for works like “The Weir,” “The Seafarer” and “The Night Alive,” this sad, sometimes somber musical is constructed in a similar fashion. It’s features a unique, loose storyline that unfolds through a few short scenes and several long monologues.

Only You Can Control Your Future

brother sister cyborg space

This World Premiere one-act, now playing at Raven Theatre, is a distillation of all the reports and warnings that scientists have offered the world community for years about global warming. Former vice president Al Gore expressed a certain optimism when he said that humans have the tools to still repair the damage to the environment before it’s too late. But we’ve run out of time. The climate is definitely changed, despite denials by certain ignorant Right Wing politicians who seem to have their heads in the sand. The data is clear. Temperatures are rising at an alarming rate. The earth’s ecosystems are shifting in a costly, life-threatening and global way. The world, as we once knew it, is sick and dying. 

A Familiar Tale Told Again

a home what howls

(or the house what was ravine)

The works of Mexican-American playwright Matthew Paul Olmos focus primarily on stories about creating space for marginalized communities. In this world premiere production, performed in-the-round, the audience focuses on a smart, young Latina woman named Soledad Vargas. She’s a community leader and activist who’s relocated from the rural California countryside to the urban jungle. At the top of the play, Soledad is prepping for an organized protest against the continued urban expansion in the Golden State. She can see that the progress of this expansion hasn’t been thought through very clearly. It doesn’t take into account the displacement of her family, neighbors and loved ones. Even the animals and plants of the rural area are in jeopardy of losing their habitats.

From Concept Album to Concert Presentation

Chess

Modeled on the Soviet Union’s authoritarian state, author George Orwell wrote his classic cautionary dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, 35 years prior to that future date. Little did the author know how prophetic his story would be. Also set in 1984, at the height of the Cold War era, “Chess” is a cult musical about a high stakes chess tournament between two grandmasters. The show’s also a metaphor for the tension-filled political climate of that decade. Depicting a chess tournament between a Russian and an American, the musical becomes an allegory for the political manipulation between these two nations. Indeed, references to strategic moves and how two players try to outsmart and second guess their opponent makes the comparison between the game and the politics obvious.   

Savage and Sanguine

Richard III

Shakespeare described the hunchbacked anti-hero of his tragedy, generally called a history play, as “rudely stamped.” It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power, and the short reign of terror, of King Richard III of England. While the role of Richard, Duke of Gloucester has almost always been played by a talented male actor, Artistic Director Edward Hall’s new breathtaking, eye-popping production breaks with tradition by casting an accomplished actress, a Tony Award nominee, in the title role.

Unfiltered Voices

Notes From the Field

On an almost bare stage, three unquestionably gifted actresses bring to life the words of 19 individuals. These people, both men and women, young and not-so-young, are the subjects of documentary playwright, Anna Deavere Smith’s latest work. Created from the actual text of more than 250 interviews, the unfiltered voices of educators, inmates, students, the clergy, civil rights activists and even a highly respected politician explore America’s school-to-prison pipeline.

A Tale Told Through Dance

Illinoise

For 90 uninterrupted minutes, a whole lot of magic takes place on the stage in Chicago Shakespeare’s beautiful Yard Theatre. A brand new and unique kind of inspirational musical production has opened in Chicago and is currently playing at the Navy Pier venue for a short run. The production is an enlightening and loving story that’s based upon an acclaimed concept album by award-winning singer, songwriter and composer, Sufjan Stevens. It’s a tale told through dance, movement, music, songs, light and a few props. The musical features a large cast of the most talented and appealing young artists imaginable. But what’s really unique and special about this story is that there is not one single word of dialogue.

Gripping and Horrifying

Selling Kabul

Sylvia Khoury’s contender for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama is a gripping and ultimately horrifying story that’s ripped from today’s headlines. Taroon is a young man who’s been left behind by American armed forces in his native Afghanistan. Because he served as an interpreter for the military who left the country in 2021, Taroon is no longer safe in his own homeland. In fact, due to the rise in power of the perilously dangerous Taliban, Taroon and his family and friends’ very existence are continually at risk.