Once Upon a Time

Into the Woods

Just imagine, if you will, that Once Upon a Time the characters from your favorite childhood fairy tales all lived in the same neighborhood? Suddenly those familiar stories would begin to blend together as Cinderella, her Stepmother and Stepsisters, Little Red Ridinghood, Jack (of the Beanstalk fame), his Mother and their cow, Rapunzel and and the Witch, and other familiar characters, all interact in order to survive their everyday magical existence. Like us, every character has a wish, and those yearnings affect everyone around them. They all learn that they must journey into the forest, around tall trees, down shadowy paths, into deep ravines and back up into the sunlight in order to achieve what they want. But once upon a time there’ll be sacrifices and losses, both of love and of loved ones. 

Please God, I Need This Job

A Chorus Line

What makes a multi award-winning 1975 musical about dancers auditioning for a role in the chorus so popular and timely in 2023?  Well, the show is historically important, having run for an awe-inspiring 15 years on Broadway, sparking umpteen national and international productions, tours, films and books, plus receiving the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize. But more importantly, the musical has become a metaphor for every single person with a dream, as well as for anybody simply looking for work. “I really need this job. Please God, I need this job. I’ve got to get this job!” as sung by the entire cast during the opening number, embodies the very heart and soul of the piece. Amid our current dismal economic climate the same mantra can be heard repeated by millions of out-of-work Americans today.

Be the Hero of Your Own Story

Big Fish

Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre’s first production of 2023 has a lot more heart and soul than many of their flashier, more feelgood features of previous seasons. There’s certainly comic moments, and a whimsical, magical feel to the musical. But the story deals with a serious subject. It’s about the strained relationship between Edward and his son Will Bloom. When the musical opens young Will is about to wed his beloved fiancee, Josephine. We also discover that his father, Edward Bloom, has kept secret that he’s been seriously ill for a while and that his days may be coming to an end. 

Toni Stone

Keeping Your Eye on the Ball

Have You ever heard of Toni Stone? Don’t feel too bad because even award-winning playwright Lydia R. Diamond knew little to nothing about this important African-American woman. It wasn’t until Ms. Diamond read Martha Ackmann’s biography entitled Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone that she learned about this important Black female athlete. The book inspired the playwright to tell Toni’s story for the stage. So who was Toni Stone? Until this spunky, talented athlete entered the scene, baseball was completely a male-dominated sport. But Toni Stone changed that. She’s remembered as the first African-American woman—as well as the very first woman, ever—to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. But getting someone to hire her took determination on Ms. Stone’s part. Talk about keeping your eye on the ball!

WHIM

WHIM, at 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago, is an inventive interactive gallery experience and pleasurable bar. It’s very creative, from its rooms and wall hangings to its playful and clever drinks. Your senses are never at a loss – lots to look at and think about everywhere, all the time. The amount of energy and time that went into this attraction, one can tell, was immense- a true labor of love. There are many different rooms and areas to explore. Cozy, comfy chairs, and couches are inviting to contemplate all the objects one is surrounded by. Another room has a stage with karaoke happening. And, I’m sure there is more to come as this is a work in progress. Everyone was friendly and eager to please. It was an enjoyable, interesting feast of the senses, often dark and bizarre, nostalgic, kitschy, surreal, profound and thought-provoking, and most of all FUN!

Recommended

Reviewed by Janice Walczak

Politics is So Abstract

Andy Warhol in Iran

Holed up in his air-conditioned room in the Tehran Hilton, American pop artist, Andy Warhol, decides to escape the intense summer heat while on a 1976 trip to Iran. He’s come to this country to take Polaroid photographs of Empress Farah Pahlavi, the wife of the Shah, to use when painting her portrait. She’s commissioned Warhol to paint her likeness, like many other celebrities and political figures before her. His past pop art portraits had included such diverse names as Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Chairman Mao and, his most famous subject, Marilyn Monroe. This part of the play is based on true events, but what happens next is fiction.

Sixty percent Water

the ripple, the wave that carried me home

Told both in the “present,” actually in 1992, and the “past,” 1960’s Kansas, Janice plays a dual role. She’s simultaneously  the narrator of her story and the principle character, seamlessly sliding back and forth throughout the memories of her childhood and adolescence. The story Janice tells always revolves around water. She begins by confessing how, to this very day, she keeps a glass of water beside her bed to drink upon waking up in the morning. Janice hates the taste of water but she also realizes that it’s a necessity of life since, as she reminds us, our bodies are sixty percent water. And, as a child and teenager, she remembers how water was always at least sixty percent of her parents’ lives. 

Is It Nice?

The Birthday Party

At the top of the play, a reticent, middle-age man named Petey ambles into his house and sits down at the table, buried in his newspaper. From the kitchen serving window, his wife Meg calls out to whoever just entered, “Is that you, Petey?” At first he doesn’t respond; then, finally, he confirms that, yes, he’s back from work. She brings him his breakfast which is cornflakes, continually asking, “Is it nice?” He finally answers her. Then Meg brings in a surprise entree: fried bread. Again she asks, “Is it nice?” Her constant, repetitive questions are probably the same exchange of small talk that’s taken place every single morning of their married lives. But the broken record of questions evokes laughter, especially as delivered by the two talented, beautifully directed actors in this production. However, this ambivalent opening scene also sets the tone for the rest of this three-act play.     

All That Jazz and Much More

Chicago

“Ladies and Gentleman,” announces an ensemble member bathed in a spotlight, “You are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery—all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.” And then suddenly the stage becomes ablaze with sexy, bluesy music and a cast of brilliant performers, singing and dancing their hearts out, all ready to set this story in motion. In pure Brechtian style, the fourth wall is shattered and the audience becomes included in the telling of this cynical, satirical story. This is “Chicago”!

An Explosion of Talent

tick, tick…Boom!

Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of the powerful, popular hit musical, “Rent,” wrote this piece in response to a host of life-changing events: a lackluster reaction to his first New York musical workshop, his live-in girlfriend, Susan, had made the decision to leave him, and Mike, his best friend since childhood, confessed to Jonathan that he’d contracted AIDS and was dying. Larson was hearing the clock loudly ticking away as he was about to turn 30 years old. The young artist was having strong, nagging doubts about his own career choice in theatre. Larson was watching as his peers and those closest to him were either becoming more successful or simply moving on to more promising, lucrative venues. He felt frustrated that he was wasting away simply waiting tables while treading water as an artist.