A Modern Version of a Familiar Myth

Eurydice

Writers Theatre opens their new season with Sarah Ruhl’s modern version of the familiar Greek myth of Orpheus in the Underworld. Growing up in the far Northern suburb of Wilmette, Ms. Ruhl wrote this very personal one-act as a tribute to her dear father, who had recently passed away from cancer. She recalled that her dad used to take Sarah and her older sister to Walker Brothers Original Pancake House every Saturday. While there he would introduce his daughters to a new word or two. Some of the words he taught Sarah would later became a part of her play.

The King of Barataria

The Gondoliers

Picture it: Not Sicily, but Venice, Italy, sometime in the past. A young woman suddenly and unexpectedly learns that she’s the heir to the throne. Oh joy, oh rapture! That is, except for the number of unbelievable complications that continually arise, in true Gilbert and Sullivan style.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

American Psycho

From the first lyrics that he utters in the opening number, “Selling Out,” the main character reels off a litany of high end brands he wears and products that he uses, the audience gets a pretty clear picture of Patrick Bateman. This is a most unique musical that says so much about the American Dream. Individual taste is different for everyone and it’s obvious that this eclectic show probably won’t appeal to everyone. “American Psycho” isn’t your traditional musical comedy, yet, truth be told, there’s a whole lot of dark humor wallowing in this gory production. 

Live Ammunition 

The Last Living Gun

The Last Living Gun is a work of theatre that demands, and rewards, patience.  The Impostors Theatre Company’s allegorical Western fantasy of two women dispatched to hunt down and retrieve the last gun in the world (for guns, and metal itself, otherwise no longer exist) begins in a deliberately awkward and ragtag style — seeming to be one of those off-putting zero-budget micro-theatre productions with painfully fake beards, awful thrift-shop costumes and acting that’s broader than the side of a barn.  

A Ghostly Voyage Awaits

The Flying Dutchman

There is no doubt that the Halloween season is upon us. You can already find pumpkins grinning and witches flying high over many a front lawn. The Lyric Opera seems to have tapped into this mania for magic and mayhem by opening their 2023-24 season with Richard Wagner’s German classic, “The Flying Dutchman.” This is a powerful, dramatic, ghostly opera in three acts, presented at the Lyric as a two hour and twenty minute one-act, just as the composer originally intended. The production is dominated by a brilliant orchestra, a spooky atmosphere, mysterious characters and a finale that’s open to interpretation. Theatergoers be warned: a ghostly voyage awaits you on North Wacker Drive.

A Bankrupt Enterprise 

One of the enduring images of the 2008 financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession was the sight of stunned and frightened former employees of Lehman Brothers toting cardboard boxes filled with family photos, office nicknacks and porcelain coffee mugs as they streamed out of Lehman’s New York headquarters on September 15 of that year, the date the fabled investment banking firm finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Their lives — and the lives of countless millions of people affected by the Great Recession (which, to be clear, was not caused solely by Lehman Brothers and by some definitions actually began with the earlier housing crash) — would never be the same.

Another Glass of Sherry

The Nacirema Society

Imagine a play that’s actually a clever mashup of a blithe British farce and an American comedy that addresses serious issues, like race, class and gender. Picture a laugh-out-loud play that’s set in Montgomery, Alabama during mid-1960’s, staged on a drop-dead gorgeous setting, clothed in beautiful period costumes, makeup and wigs, and starring a large, almost entirely female cast of Chicago’s finest African-American actors. This is just a taste of the banquet of delights that await the savvy audiences at the Goodman Theatre. 

Farm Aid 2023

Farm Aid 2023 is officially history. And what a history making night it was. The 38th Farm Aid proved to be one of the greatest since it began.

Farm Aid’s roots go back to 1985 shortly after the success of Live Aid. Bob Dylan, who performed at the event, mentioned doing a music event to help the farmers. Willie Nelson became involved and pitched the idea to John Mellancamp and Neil Young, and so was born Farm Aid,  with the first concert held in Champaign, Illinois. Thirty-eight years later, adding Margo Price and Dave Matthews to their board, the issue is still as important as ever, if not more so with Earth’s changing climate and greedy corporations looking to make a profit from factory farming. 

A Pragmatic Analysis

The Pragmatists

I make a practice of not reading about new plays — or plays unfamiliar to me — before seeing them, because I want to come to a performance fresh, without any preconceptions.  In some cases, this means not even reading the brief plot synopsis in the program; it’s the playwright’s job to tell us the story.  And I want to be surprised!