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.

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.

Lone(ly) Wolf

Wolf Play – The Gift Theatre

Wolf Play is being given its Chicago premiere this month at Gift Theater. It is the story of a young Korean boy who was adopted by American parents, but who, now that they have unexpectedly had a baby they thought they couldn’t, have ‘unadopted’ him. His new parents try build a bond with him, but it proves more complicated than they could have imagined.

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. 

“Beyond Therapy” with Eclipse Theatre Company

Second in the line-up for Eclipse Theatre Company’s Season of Christopher Durang’s work is the farcical comedy Beyond Therapy. Directed by Rachel Lambert, the play is set in the early 1980s of New York City. While the accurate set design and costume design is reminiscent of that time period, don’t let that fool you into thinking that this production is outdated. Au contraire, the absurd hypocrisies and contradictions found in the comedy of this play are still prevalent; they are just found in different groups of the population. As we watch clownish characters fling prejudices at each other as metropolitan 30 and 40 somethings of the 1980s, we can laugh at them as we recognize their logical fallacies (“He’s not gay, he doesn’t lisp!”)  as those held by less politically and socially aware today. 

The Scottish Play

Macbeth – Saltbox Theatre Collective

Macbeth is probably the most accessible of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The action and motivations are straight forward, and once the action gets going, it really doesn’t break until the end of the show. This week, Saltbox Theatre Collective mounts a production of this dark tale of ambition and betrayal, and the results show why this play is still produced so long after it first premiered.

“Strange Heart Beating” with Cloudgate Theatre

Cloudgate Theatre’s sophomore production is the World Premier of “Strange Heart Beating.” This dark, twisting tale is written by Kristin Idaszak, Artistic Director of said company, and is directed by Addie Gorlin. The production takes us into the fantastical realm of rural Midwest America, a place that is supposed to call to mind homegrown charm and eternal good manners. However, by following our heroes’ journeys, we unearth the prejudices and injustices that taint the white picket fences that line our nation. The play seeks to unravel, but instead the fabric of the play frays before our eyes. 

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. 

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. 

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

The Wizard of Oz – Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Since this classic movie first delighted children and grownups back in 1939, L. Frank Baum’s glorious fantasy has been a continual favorite. Whether on film, in print or live on stage, as it is at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this fanciful story, with its inspiring lesson about friendship, is one of the most beloved in children’s literature. Featured in this musical is known around the world. This road story, directed with spirit by Brian Hill and imaginatively choreographed by Kenny Ingram, is about how friends help, comfort and support each other. It also shows how experiencing new places can delight and educate, but ultimately reminds the traveler that, in the end, there’s no place like home.