A Wheels of a Dream Production

Ragtime

Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’ epic musical, with a book by Terrence McNally, is based upon the sweeping, historical 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow that depicts the challenges and changes that America witnessed at the turn of the century, set against a newly evolving style of ragtime music. Doctorow created a cast of fictional characters drawn from three different ethnic groups who interact with several real historical figures of the period. The result is a musical valentine to the American Dream that paints a colorful portrait of the nation on the brink of change.

Coalhouse Walker, a ragtime pianist from Harlem represents African Americans; Mother, the matriarch of an upper class suburban family exemplifies the affluent Caucasian group; and Tateh, a Jewish widower from Latvia typifies the masses of destitute European immigrants pouring through Ellis Island searching for a better life in America. Their stories all begin in isolation from each other, but eventually they intersect until, by the final curtain, the three groups have melded into one. These imaginary characters and their families exist along side of famous historical folks, such as Harry Houdini, Evelyn Nesbit, Booker T. Washington, Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan and other celebrities from 1906. Their journey toward change and understanding is what electrifies this much-accoladed musical (the 1998 Tony winner for Best Book, Score, Orchestrations and Supporting Actress), making it a popular choice for theatre companies the world over.

In a Dark, Dark Room

Northanger Abbey – Remy Bumppo

One of Jane Austen’s lesser known novels, Northanger Abbey was among her earliest works, but was only revised and published after her death by her brother in 1818. The story has been enjoyed as BBC and A&E televised versions, and there have been several other novels inspired by Austen’s work. Most notably are an updated young adult novel called Northanger Alibi, by Jenni James, and Margaret C. Sullivan’s sequel to Austen’s classic, There Must Be Murder. However, except for Michael Napier Brown’s dramatic adaptation, written 15 years ago for the the Royal Theatre of Northampton, Austen’s most theatrical novel ironically hasn’t appeared much on stage. With Tim Luscombe’s new adaptation, all the melodrama and romance found in Jane Austen’s parody of the gothic novel finally sparkles on the boards.

A Winner By a Nose

Cyrano de Bergerac – Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare Theater has been continually branching out each season to include international classical and noteworthy contemporary plays and musicals, in addition to those penned by the Bard. Edmond Rostand’s most famous work about a real-life French nobleman, poet and musician with an oversized nose is currently enjoying a lush production on CST’s three quarter-round Courtyard Stage. The play succeeds both because and in spite of its production elements.

Director Penny Metropulos, returns from Oregon Shakespeare Festival after her overwhelming successes here with “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” and her multi Jeff-honored “The Madness of George III.” Once again she partners with her Jeff Award-winning leading actor, Broadway’s Harry Groener, to play the title role, bringing new life and energy to Anthony Burgess’ translation of the Rostand classic. When Groener is the focus of this production the play is everything it should be. Groener, under Ms. Metropulos‘ guidance, delivers each line of poetry as naturally as if it were everyday speech. He mines every golden ounce of comedy and subtle humor from his portrayal, while still able to bring honesty to Cyrano’s moments of melancholy, loneliness and unrequited love. Beyond that, Mr. Groener also proves to be quite the accomplished swordsman, thanks to Rick Sordelet’s expertly devised fight choreography. In short, Harry Groener is the perfect Cyrano and should start dusting off a shelf for one more Best Actor Award.

Don’t Cross Mama

The Water’s Edge – Ashton Rep

When Richard pulls back the tarp revealing to his pretty, young companion Lucy an outdoor bathtub, his favorite part of the lake house his father built many years ago, the audience recognizes it’s significant for reasons yet to be revealed. Prolific playwright (“Mauritius”), novelist (Three Girls and Their Brother) and screenplay writer (“Harriet the Spy”) Theresa Rebeck has fashioned a modern retelling of the ancient Greek tragedy “Agamemnon” that’s both fascinating and horrifying, taking audiences on a tense journey of revenge. The classical work inspiring this play tells of the famous Trojan War hero who sacrificed his own daughter to appease the gods. Then, after several years abroad, Agamemnon returns home flaunting his new, young wife Cassandra and Clytemnestra (his first wife and mother of the slain daughter) eventually takes her revenge. As audiences witness Richard’s uncomfortable reunion unfold with his former wife Helen and their two children Erica and Nate, the storyline seems very familiar and we know that this is not going to end well.

A Wobbly Way Through Time

The Wheel – Steppenwolf

The premise is interesting. On a Spanish farm Rosa (Chaon Cross) is nervously getting ready to her wedding with Tomas (Demetrios Troy), under the mature guidance of her older sister, Beatriz (played by the wonderful Joan Allen). Suddenly their yard is overrun by peasant soldiers readying their makeshift army to defend against the French. This is just the first of many wars Beatriz will survive as she reluctantly takes charge of a young girl, a sickly little boy and a baby. Believing that if she can just reunite the girl with her father and hoping he’ll also take the other two children, Beatriz is sure she will be able to rejoin her sister at home and normalcy will once again be restored. But Beatriz is in for a two-hour, intermission-less journey through turmoil, time and place. She and her young charges will encounter and try to survive the horrors of every major war in history. In the end she will come full circle (hence the wheel metaphor) to where the play began, as if nothing has happened. Was this simply a dream or nightmare? Has stress or physical discomforts done this to her? Is the young girl in her charge magical, as many people seem to think? What is the meaning behind this adventure in a surreal Wonderland of terror?

Kindness of Strangers Dwells in the Suburbs

A Streetcar Named Desire

While miles away from New Orleans, JPAC has staged a very respectable production that brings the heat of Tennessee Williams’ 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama to Cicero. Ask any serious theatre goer for a list of the best American plays and this drama is sure to rank among his favorites. Indeed, next to “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Glass Menagerie,” “Streetcar…” is probably William’s best-known and most-produced play from a lengthy canon of scripts that continually proves popular with educational, regional and Broadway theatres.

Inspired by the playwright’s own family experiences and motivated by a trend away from melodrama and a rise of naturalism in the theatre, Williams paints a sad portrait of Blanche DuBois, a faded Southern Belle who falls from grace. Blanche travels from her lost family home in Laurel, Mississippi to spend time with her younger, married sister Stella in New Orleans. An addiction to alcohol and a strong preference for culture and civility mask Blanche’s deeply-rooted guilty secrets, as well as her steady descent into mental illness. She arrives at her sister’s shabby, steamy three-room apartment by way of a series of conveyances, most notably the titular streetcar named Desire. There she faces off against Stanley Kowalski, her sister Stella’s coarse, primal-driven husband who suspects that Blanche is hiding more than a few skeletons in that huge trunk she’s hauled with her. Witnessing this fierce battle waged between a woman trying desperately to survive through self-deception and literary-inspired romantic fantasies and a man motivated solely by his basic needs and animal instincts spells tragedy from the beginning.

Play on PigPen

Making the trek up north of Chicago can be a very daunting task for some. In fact, I’ve heard people tell me that anything past Evanston is practically Wisconsin. I am sure there are plenty even who do not dare to venture out of the city limits. However, for those of the adventurous nature, there is a story to be heard and it hails from the north in Glenco at Wrtier’s Theater.

The Old Man and the Old Moon (TOMATOM), written by PigPen Theater Company and produced by Writer’s Theater, is the tale of an old man and his duty to fill the leaking moon back up with light each night as it drips away. The old man’s wife leaves for an adventure and the old man is then forced to follow after his wife around the world. Once the old man finally arrives back home, he is then reminded of a promise he made to his wife on the day they met.

TOMATOM, is very much a classic tale but told in a modern way. With the use of puppetry, shadow puppets, re-imagined objects and music, it seems to me like it is the beginning of a new wave of storytelling, possibly musicals. I feel I can justify calling TOMATOM a musical tale because the music is propelling the story forward. It is more than just a play that has music in it. The music is indicative of what is actually happening in the tale. Ryan Melia, Alex Falberg, Matt Nuernberger, Dan Weschler, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen and Arya Shahi, all members of PigPen Theatre Company, each play a variety of instruments and characters showing much versatility and creativeness to the play. The music has a very Mumford and Sons feel to it. With the use of banjos, violins, irregular percussion pieces set to a driving beat, the music has very much a folk feel to it, which correlates directly to the folk like tale it accompanies. It was like watching a music video to an entire Mumford and Sons album.

Other than some minor flaws with the inconsistency of dialects, TOMATOM is a remarkably entertaining show. From the moment you walk into the theater you are immersed into the world of the play, being surrounded by a beautifully crafted wooden set and mason jar lighting that drops from the ceiling. The play has such a genuine quality to its foundation even the roughest of souls can sit back and let the players take them away into the world they have created.

**Highly Recommended**

Review by Dan Haymes

The Old Man and the Old Moon begins Septmeber 3rd 2013 at Writers Theater
Located 325 Tudor Court in Glenco.

Written by: PigPen Theater Company
Directed By: Stuart Carden and PigPen Theater Company

For more information on The Old Man and the Old Moon and other shows, please visit www.theatreinchicago.com

A Recipe for Following One’s Dream

To Master the Art

Be warned: do not attend this production on an empty stomach! And you don’t have to be a foodie; but, by the end of this exquisite production, you may become one. In a production that teases all the senses, audiences will not only laugh while learning how being an expatriate in 1950’s Paris influenced this famous cook, author and teacher, but will fall hopelessly in love with her, as well. In a remounting of TimeLine Theatre’s 2010 Jeff-nominated play (thanks to the newly-formed Chicago Commercial Collective, whose focus is on producing outstanding, quality area productions with a proven popularity), audiences have another opportunity to discover the woman that was Julia Child, her loving husband Paul, their family and inspirational friends, and how the famous French Chef followed her dream to create her culinary series, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

It is a Journey Up “The Mountaintop” at Court Theatre

By Lazlo Collins

Highly Recommended

“The Mountaintop” is a well-acted, sometimes surprising, and ultimately moving theater treat. The Court Theatre spares no expense for the Chicago premiere of this emotional mine filled journey of Martin Luther King Jr’s last hours.

Written by actress/writer Katori Hall, “The Mountaintop” delivers the eve of Martin Luther King’s assassination in bold delicious strokes; painting Dr. King in a more accessible light. Of course, Mr. King is an American dignitary, a Nobel Prize winner, and galvanizing political figure, whose virtuous church and family life shaped him as devoted saint. But like all men and women, behind closed doors, life’s day to day tasks can be challenging for those that have been moved toward exceptional lives in the public eye.