News & Reviews Category
Blue Skies Above Steep Theatre
By Devlyn Camp
Steep Theatre Company is presenting a three-act play in its Midwest premiere to launch their eleventh season. Under the Blue Sky is set on an interesting three-part stage including a functional kitchen, large bedroom and patio, with the audience at each side. The play by David Eldridge covers moments with six British schoolteachers in their romantic entanglements together and the controversy following. It’s a bit soapy, which can be a bit fun. At points, the plot feels slow and drags, but this is the dramatic build to the next knife brandishing or fantastically articulated monologue. Julia Siple’s wacky boozer character hilariously stomps all over her seemingly unimpassioned lover in a messy sex scene. There are loud fights, lots of wine, and some pretty exceptional acting from these sex-crazed teachers. The big issue: a two-hour play, three rather long scenes, and no intermission. Luckily enough, the talent of good actors can upstage that desire for overpriced concessions.
UNDER THE BLUE SKY
Steep Theatre Company
Now through November 19th
Tickets $20-22, available at steeptheatre.com
or call (866) 811-4111
Photo courtesy Lee Miller
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
The Boy in Black at Royal George Theatre
By Devlyn Camp
Chicago Fusion Theatre at the Royal George Theatre is presenting a season of works by Tony Meneses, beginning with The Boy in Black. Their black box production is quirky and cute, but overall sits at average. The play follows a boy who is surrounded by people whose names and personalities are based on the colors they wear. Those who wear colors have found love, and the boy in black, obviously, has not. It’s easy to see that this particular production isn’t at fault for an average show; the story is less than subpar. Fusion’s production probably improves on the unfortunate script. There’s some decent acting and funny jokes here and there. In fact, the best part of the show is a running gag that has little to do with the plot, in which a pretty woman named Ms. Pink and her large Hispanic lover Mr. Pink keep popping up to do cute couple things and rub their puppy love in everyone’s faces.
The cast pushes through, whether the set is falling down or props are misplaced. Sometimes the best part of black box theatre is watching crew and cast recuperate from mistakes, especially if they can acknowledge it and make it a joke. Among other shows opening, The Boy in Black is certainly not the worst. This production takes what they’re given and has the most fun they possibly can with college-level talent.
THE BOY IN BLACK
Royal George Theatre
Now through November 12th
Tickets $25, available at chicagofusiontheatre.org
or call (312) 988-9000
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Joffrey Opens Promising Season with Delightful Don Quixote
Don Quixote by The Joffrey Ballet
At the Auditorium Theater in Chicago
Runs October 12-23, 2011
Tickets $25-$149; Box Office (800) 982-2787
Highly Recommended
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
Don Quixote delivers in all aspects
I go to the ballet for many reasons. I love spending a classy night at the Auditorium Theater and accompanied by the Chicago Sinfonietta. I attend the ballet to be told a story in a unique way. I want to be amazed, to gasp and delight in grace, power and control developped beyond normal human capacity. Most of all, I go to the ballet to see something beautiful. The Joffrey’s Don Quixote, one of the most entertaining and stylistically varied ballets, delivers all the humor, stunts, and beauty an audience could desire.
Don Quixote kicks off the 2011-2012 subscription series at The Joffrey, aptly entitled “New Generation.” The performance follows the story written by Miguel de Cervantes of a delusional nobleman who believes himself a chivalrous knight in the adventures of his dreams. Choreography by Yuri Possokhov offers a Russian touch to the Spanish story, mixing Bolshoi ballet and festive Spanish dance styles. This ballet appeals to a wider audience than some others because of its humorous storyline. The performance involved some excellent character work in addition to the Joffrey’s exquisite dancing. Several audience members audibly sighed upon the entrance of Victoria Jaiani as Kitri, who stole the show from the beginning until her series of about 30 fouetté turns in the final scene.
The company numbers were each dynamic, fun, and often sassy and coy. At times they were almost soothing– I would get lost in a dance and it would seem unnatural for the dancers to stop moving at the end. Although a few company soloists moved a little stiffly and at times lost their expressions, this company is truly outstanding. The clever use of movement and expression to convey humor kept the audience engaged throughout the evening. The male soloists lived up to the leading lady, although before attempting the most difficult leaps and turning jumps they appeared a little worried, which made me nervous. However, Carlos Quenedit as Basilio was so successful in these attempts that in his final sequence, an audience member behind me cheered “yes!” upon each landing as if she were coaching a gymnast.
The details of the polished set and projected backgrounds set the stage for the dancers’ success. They were dressed in marvelous costumes of red, orange, turquoise, and sparkly gold. The warm, vivid colors of the ruffled dresses, bedazzled tutus and swooshing capes gave the story its Spanish touch, as did the detailed, fans, tambourines, and castanets. The production even featured a giant, puppetted pony for which two dancers provided the legs. The moving projections illustrated the story between and even during scenes. Projections designer Wendall Harrington achieved a creative use of artwork and media to tell this story, while maintaining the integrity of the piece.
Applause fairly rang through the Auditorium Theater on opening night. The audience enthusically supported the company, and they did not disappoint in technique or spectacle. There are only 10 performances, and I have no doubt that each night will be as successful as the first. Don Quixote opens a promising season with the Joffrey, complete with flying, diving, tradition, seduction, and most of all, beauty.
Carrie Fisher Lives to Tell in “Wishful Drinking”
By Devlyn Camp
When Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli had Liza, a star was born. When Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher had their daughter, star quality was born. A girl, who could have taken it easy after sci-fi fame surprised her, pushed forward into her own kind of enchanting celebrity. Though she sang, wore all black and shot glitter into every nook and cranny of the Bank of America Theatre, Liza she ain’t. Triumphing over the insanities of celebrity parents, drug abuse, her stay with a mental institution and more, Carrie Fisher gladly points out, “If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true.” And that’s what the wonderful Wishful Drinking is all about.
Fisher’s one-woman show is comedic therapy, a sort of audience-interactive stand-up show for the crazy lady in all of us. Carrie lets her viewers ask her questions about waking up in bed with a dead guy, and she’ll even buy you a drink if she really gets along with you. She’s up for anything, as long as it’s funny. If it’s not, she knows how to make it so. Carrie invites her audience into her wacky, eclectic set like she’s been waiting in her living room for years to tell you her story. Two couches sit between side tables holding nick-knacks and Star Wars toys. It’s warm and inviting, welcoming everyone into Carrie’s living scrapbook, where she tells stories using the upstage screen’s old photos and videos. And yes, she plays Star Wars. And yes, she remembers all her lines.
Former Princess Leia runs around her stage barefoot and wigged telling the whole world all about “Hollywood inbreeding” among her divorced parents who habitually remarried other stars. The woman is a delightful wreck. If you’re looking for Nerd Nirvana, here it is: Star Wars, celebrity pop culture past and present, and hundreds of gays on the edge of their seats waiting for Carrie’s next syllable. For anyone that ever wondered, “What happened to Carrie Fisher?” they can safely say she turned lemons into some delicious lemonade, and Obi-Wan is far from her only hope.
WISHFUL DRINKING
Bank of America Theatre
Now through October 16th
Tickets $25-65
Available at www.broadwayinchicago.com
Photo courtesy Cylla von Tiedemann
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration
Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration at Light Opera Works
Light Opera Works Second Stage
1420 Maple Avenue, Evanston IL
Runs October 2-November 6, 2011
Box Office (847) 869-6300; $27-42
Recommended
A classy night of music by Rodgers and Hart
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
Light Opera Works offers the best of the music of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in one entertaining review. The six performers covered a whopping 57 songs, mixing it up with selections such as “Blue Moon,” “Sing For Your Supper,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” and “The Lady is a Tramp.” The singers were excellent and the show well planned, with a concept by Richard Lewine and John Fearnley.
Although there were such a large number of songs represented in the review, the performers smoothly transitioned from one to the next. The first act felt a bit long, but the second act picked up with much more energy and the medleys of old favorites were accompanied by props and personality. Director and choreographer Rudy Hogenmiller, also artistic director of Light Opera Works, and music director Linda Slein have polished the works of Rodgers and Hart into a single cohesive show with plenty of variety.
The audience stood at the end for the charming performers, who wore tuxes or black dresses and sparkly jewelry. Altogether, this was a class act. The show is for ages 12 and older, and tickets are half price for guests ages 21 and younger. If you’re a Rodgers and Hart fan, this is absolutely a night you will enjoy.
"Starting Here, Starting Now" at Theo Ubique
By Devlyn Camp
Theo Ubique at No Exit Café is currently presenting a vibrant cabaret performance of Starting Here, Starting Now.
The Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire story-song show takes on a 1970s atmosphere, right at home as a show first produced in ’76. The three-person show about various forms of love is set around a single bed where they charmingly disco and try to entreat each other for attention. Hillary Patingre is particularly charming. She’s quite funny and quirky, and completely capturing in her solo “Autumn.” Equally entertaining, Stephanie Herman is a total joy. She’s confident, silly and smart.
The second act is made up of more meaningful solo numbers, still focused around stories and love. The wonderful performances, and fantastic directing by Fred Anzevino, prove that the best kind of theatre is non-spectacle theatre. While no judgment is held against the big glittering Broadway smashes headed into town, the little cabarets like Theo keep us aware of what really matters.
STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW
Theo Ubique at No Exit Café
Now through November 6th
Tickets $25-30, available at theoubique.org
or call (800) 595-4849
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Moby-Dick at Building Stage
By Devlyn Camp
When you step onto the Building Stage to cross to your seat, you’ve stepped onto the Pequod and out to sea with six dueling Ishmaels that tell the tale of Moby Dick and Captain Ahab’s chase for revenge.
The boat is backed by a chalkboard where the facts are written out throughout the show. The audience is in a sort of Moby Dick School, following the story as obsessively as Ishmael studies his strange captain. Above the chalkboard, three percussionists and several drums represent the ocean in fantastic music by Kevin O’Donnell. Proven here, if ever the sea should be an instrument, it would be drums. The musicians are incredibly quick and talented, and their performance is half the fun of the show.
Each cast member portrays all the members of the ship, passing the character with the costume piece. The boats taken out to sea are miniature ships and waves are played by handkerchiefs. This show is high-scale backyard playing with much better acting, and it’s actually rather funny, too. The play is so fun and moving that the language of the novel is hardly noticeable. It’s absolutely captivating.
With the smart directing of Blake Montgomery, the beautiful set, and welcoming, warm people of The Building Stage, this revamp of their 2006 production is a wonderful must-see to put on your calendar immediately.
Also, have you seen their ad? It’s hilarious.
MOBY-DICK
The Building Stage
Now through October 30th
Tickets $22 (Students $12)
available at www.buildingstage.com
or call (312) 491-1369
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Seven Less-Than-Scary Stories at Pastime
By Devlyn Camp
Clock Productions at National Pastime Theater is currently presenting “Seven Scary Stories.” As the title here suggests, this work is far from scary. In fact, they’re barely “stories.” Just “seven” pieces. In an attempt at a Halloween show, the simple, dull script hardly communicates feelings of trepidation or anxiety. The costumes are cheap, the jokes are lame, and the acting is less than average. After a bit, one might think this is an attempt at some kind of camp, like The Evil Dead or Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but it’s somewhere lost in between comedy and drama. The actors’ gumption is, of course, half-baked as they push through such an unsuccessful script by David Denman. There are plot holes, unlearned lines, and frankly, a complete Young Frankenstein rip-off. There comes a point in production when an artist must look at their work, admit it’s not right, and head back to the drawing board. This is that moment.
SEVEN SCARY STORIES
National Pastime Theater
Now through October 31st
Tickets available at www.npt2.com
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
The Amish Project at American Theatre Co.
By Devlyn Camp
Sadieh Rifai leads the one-woman show The Amish Project as seven different characters.
She enters in a side door, the outside light streaming ac
ross the blackened stage. She slides her apron on, ties her bonnet, and sets to work on the floor with a large piece of chalk. She’s a little girl drawing and explain her friends and family, the soon-to-be-traumatized victims of a non-fictional schoolhouse shooting from which the play is based. Her chalk childhood is juxtaposed against other characters’ adult issues.
Rifai changes characters so quickly and fluidly with assistance only from beautiful lighting changes. Her monologues are powerful and touching, even rather funny at parts. Various perspectives on the shooting that killed five girls open problems to Amish families that seem to wonder if secluding themselves could ever actually help avoid problems. The characters battle each other over their opinions of how to feel about the man that followed his urges, but also murdered the Amish girls.
Creepy and twisted, yet somehow spiritual, American Theatre Company’s production gets intellectual gears turning.
THE AMISH PROJECT
American Theatre Company
Now through October 23rd
Tickets $35, available at www.atcweb.org
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Burying Miss America at New Leaf Theatre
By Devlyn Camp
A world premiere, Burying Miss America is a one-act play about two siblings who attend the funeral of their mother, Nebraska’s Miss America.
The show is not about theatrics. In fact, it’s quite simple. The only lighting cue is at the top of the show when gorgeous lights brighten in the windows behind the casket. The rest of the set, the theater, is a normal funeral setting. The audience is seated around the sides of the room. I actually thought I had stumbled into a real funeral when entering the theater. The simple setting allows the play to focus on the story.
The beauty queen’s children are very plain, normal people. Her son, Boxer, is a trumpet player living in New York City, and her daughter, Jean, still lives in Nebraska raising her children. Their conversation examines their relationship with each other and with their mother, who may not have been the kindest woman when out of the spotlight. Boxer has returned home for the first time in a while to settle the will, but realizes he has other unsettled problems with his sister. Going home can be an experience that lifts a weight off one’s back, but can also open forgotten emotions.
New Leaf’s newest production is well written and well acted, and a recommended show to catch when you’re down in Lincoln Park.
BURYING MISS AMERICA
New Leaf Theatre
Now through October 29th
Tickets $15-25, available by calling (773) 980-6391
or at newleaftheatre.org
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
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