Reviews Category
An Emotional Whiplash
The Winter’s Tale
An audience member who’s already familiar with William Shakespeare’s Romance, THE WINTER’S TALE, will find a lot to like in Invictus Theatre’s new, powerful production. However, a theatergoer attending this play for first time may experience something akin to an emotional whiplash. That reaction comes from the common perception that this theatrical piece, often labeled as a Problem Play, feels like two very different presentations staged as one production. Just remember, though, that Time heals everything and can often lead to happily ever after.
Read MoreBased on a True Story (about False Facts)
The Lifespan of a Fact is a witty, fast-paced, comic journey into the nature of truth; or rather factual accuracy versus the big Truth. Based on real events, the script by Jeremy Karekan, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell is written to send sparks flying in a thought-provoking debate about the meaning of truth, and exactly what amount of creative license belongs in a work of non-fiction. This production by Oil Lamp Theater, under the direction of Elizabeth Mazur Levin, undoubtedly achieves Levin’s goal of leaving audience members primed for discussion.
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Exceptional Performances Light the Darkness of Mental Illness in NEXT TO NORMAL at Waukesha Civic Theatre
Some rare musicals pull at your heart strings from the overture until the curtain call, and Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s powerful rock musical, “Next to Normal,” is one of them. Jenn Dobby thoughtful and intricate direction of Waukesha Civic Theatre’s production opens its exploration of the complexities of mental illness, family dynamics, and the pursuit of normalcy, with a wallop. The upbeat, almost jaunty “Just Another Day” introduces us to the Goodmans, “the perfect, loving family,” grappling with decidedly not-so-normal issues. The traumas of grief and the indignity of bipolar disorder are laid bare throughout this powerful show, but by the end of the first number, we’re so enthralled by the musical’s rocking sound and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, we don’t see the turmoil bubbling so very close to the surface.
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a play about final girls
it’s been ten years since everyone died
The press materials for this play, currently having its first full-length production at Open Space Arts, explained a few things that were new to me. First, there is apparently a cinematic term called the “final girl.” It refers to a trope that’s very common in almost every modern day slasher film. In movies such as “Scream,” “Halloween,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and countless others, these horror thrillers center around a group of young people being hunted down, brutally attacked and mercilessly slaughtered by a homicidal maniac. By the final reel, only one character has survived to confront the killer and thus tell the story. That individual is usually female and is referred to as the “final girl.”
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Absolutely Delightful!
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Your word is Delightful.
May I have a definition?
Certainly. “Giving great pleasure or enjoyment; highly pleasing.”
Can you use it in a sentence?
Paramount’s new production of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is absolutely Delightful!
In a junior high school gym, set in a fictional small town in America’s heartland, a group of 6 sharp middle school students battle for the regional Spelling Bee Championship. The event is overseen by a trio of quirky adults, including the Spelling Bee’s head moderator, Rona Lisa Perretti, a successful realtor and local celebrity for having once won the Spelling Bee several years ago, when she was a student. Because the musical has its roots in improvisational theatre, 4 eager audience members are selected to compete with the cast at every performance, thus no two shows are ever the same. The result is always hilarious, often unexpected and delightfully wise and wacky.
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Dreams Never Run On Time
Tell Me on a Sunday
Meet Emma, a recent immigrant to the United States. She’s a pretty, perky young English woman who’s arrived in New York City late one night, planning to move in with her new American boyfriend, Joe. That relationship suddenly sours when she discovers that she’s being used. Then Emma meets Sheldon, a famous film producer, who lures her off to the plastic existence of Hollywood. Bored and ignored in LaLa Land, Emma decides to return to the Big Apple. Back in NYC she meets a younger man who travels for a living. But no surprise, he also proves to be unfaithful to her. Emma’s final affair is a frivolous fling with Paul, a married man with two children. When Paul confesses that he intends to leave his wife for her, Emma suddenly realizes that the tables have been turned. Now it’s she who’s using men the way they’ve used her. Emma’s epiphany strengthens her drive to get her Green Card and leads her toward a new life of independence. Emma acknowledges this new attitude in an eleventh hour number entitled “Dreams Never Run Out of Time.” The audience leaves the theatre knowing that our heroine has learned an important life lesson and will survive.
Read MoreLa Bohème seduces at the Chicago Lyric Opera
The story of Mimí and Rodolfo falling in love in a garret in 19th century Paris, has captured the hearts of audiences since its debut in 1896. Puccini knew what he was about: the Opera was inspired by a hit play, La Vie de la Bohème by Théodore Barrière and Henry Murger, in turn the author of an earlier collection of short stories, Scènes de la vie de Bohème. Puccini believed in banking on a known hit. He was right. La Bohème is still one of the most popular Operas of all time, in fact, this is the 20th production mounted at the Lyric Opera since its inception in 1954.
This production is set in late 19th century Paris, right about the time the original production debuted. The set, designed by Gerard Howland brings the rooftops of a wintery Paris to atmospheric life. Washed in shades of blue and silver, the Eiffel Tower reaches for the heavens above the action, promising a future our doomed lovers will never see. The garret apartment of Rodolfo and Marcello is exactly the sort of shabbily romantic spot it should be, and the scenes at Café Momus capture the lively Latin Quarter perfectly. Director Melanie Bacaling makes good use of the supporting cast – the group scenes are a joyful counterpoint to the central tragedy.
In brief, La Bohème is the story of a group of “starving artists” living in Paris. Rodolfo, a poet, falls in love with sickly silk-flower maker Mimí. Painter Marcello has a tempestuous affair with escort Musetta. Both stories end as one would expect but love and laughter is shared along the way.
Rodolfo is sung by Samoan Tenor Pene Pati, who shines from the first note of his first aria. His soaring, powerful voice is filled with all the energy and passion of a young artist, seeking his muse. Hot-tempered Marcello is brought to life with the rich baritone of Will Liverman. Mimí is sung with the soft, pure tones of Soprano Ailyn Pérez, and Soprano Gabriella Reyes absolutely stops the show with her rendition of Musetta’s Waltz, arguably the most famous aria in the piece, or at least, the one you leave humming!
The supporting cast is equally strong. Ian Rucker as Schaunard and Peixin Chen as Collinne add levity, while keeping their characters grounded. Chen in particular has a lovely, heartfelt moment near the end. The chorus of young children, Uniting Voices of Chicago, are great in the Café Momus scene, but more importantly, clearly having a blast. The lightness they and the rest of the cast provide keep the tragedy from feeling overwrought.
One of the reasons La Bohéme has remained a foundational story in the Western imagination is how simple and easily digestible the opera is. At barely two and a half hours, it flies by. During the pre-Opera talk, Dr. Harris Saunders explained that Puccini enjoyed attending theater in languages he couldn’t understand, including several in English that went on to inspire compositions. That kind of attention to the more universal and easy-to-follow aspects of the dramatic arts is another reason La Bohéme has remained a timeless favorite. The score, whether you speak Italian or not, is composed to carry you along on the emotions of the characters. There isn’t a single moment that goes on too long, or a note that feels unnecessary. The movement of the plot is also easy to follow. The characters are all archetypes: The Poet, the Delicate Damsel, The Escort with a Heart of Gold, the Passionate Artist, the Care-Free Friends. The talented cast tells us everything we need to know with their bodies and their singing. If you are new to Opera, or want to introduce someone to it, this would be the perfect production.
Highly Recommended
Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia
Presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Shows run March 19, 22, 25, 28, and 31 and April 3, 6, 9 and 12. Tickets range from $42-$239. For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2024-25/la-boheme/or call 312.827.5600.
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.
To Be or Not to Be
Teatro La Plaza’s Hamlet
Ask anyone for the title of a play that everybody knows and it’ll most likely be HAMLET. And especially when narrowing the choices down to Shakespearean dramas, comedies and histories, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not at least heard of this tragedy. From the time you’re in high school, most everyone will have read, studied and probably seen at least one production of the play. This is, after all, Shakespeare’s most popular tragedy, and it offers a challenging role that every actor worth his salt aspires to play. That makes this production all the more noteworthy. Elegantly written and directed by the founder of Teatro La Plaza, Peruvian theatre artist Chela De Ferrari has created a most unique and unusual retelling of the Bard’s classic that’ll be remembered for a long time to come.
Read MoreWhat is That? Funny, Sexy and Deep
With a title like Pussy Sludge you wouldn’t be wrong expecting an erotic comedy that steps far over the line of the ordinary; and this production of Gracie Garner’s award-winning play handily delivers the sex and the laughs – often coming together – under the simmering direction of AVA CALABRESE GROB.
You might not expect, however, to be peeled from laughter into gasps of hope or heartache and back again.
Pussy Sludge is a darkly comic, erotic dreamscape of discovery and transformation, of wrestling with our nauseating, sludge-y self until we can (hopefully) stop mourning and break free from a self-imposed paralysis to live out in the open.
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The Same But Different
Elvis Presley Was a Black Man Named Joe
Jackie Taylor tells her audience that she loves Elvis Presley but not as much as she loves her little brother Joe. The multitalented Ms. Taylor, the founder and CEO of Black Ensemble Theater, looks back at the lives of her family with affection and nostalgia in this new revue. Thinking about her adoration of “Elvis the Pelvis,” Ms. Taylor notes a lot of similarities between her younger brother, Joe Taylor, and the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. During the 1950’s and 60’s both siblings were huge fans of the actor and international singing sensation, while growing up in urban Chicago. They saw all his movies and bought all his records. The two young people recognized that the sexy singer’s music wasn’t just infectious but offered an unusual mix of influences across color lines. And in this pleasant, sometimes touching, musical revue, we’re shown how Elvis Presley and Joe Taylor were, in many ways, the same but different.
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