Chicago Theatre Review
The Rat Race
Human Resource(s) – Theatre Evolve
Theatre Evolve’s second season premieres with a new play, Human Resource(s) by Sara Means. The focus of the show is on a team of sales reps who are told by their boss that whichever members brings in the most sales at the end of the quarter will get a promotion and whoever gets the least will be fired. Human nature being what it is, the three quickly devolve first into increased bickering and jealousy, and finally outright attacking each other, each hoping to win, or least be saved from the chopping block.
Read MoreFishing for Clues
The River – BoHo Theatre
In responding to Jez Butterworth’s play, and attempting to review this production, it becomes increasingly clear that this is a slippery critter to grasp. First of all, a writer won’t want to give away too much about this moody, poetic one-act. There’s the feeling of suspense and mystery here, perhaps even something akin to a ghost story, that shouldn’t be spoiled for future audiences. But then, and here’s the conundrum that there’s not much plot or character development available for the theatergoer to even grab onto. We find ourselves fishing for clues to help explain exactly what is going on in this unnerving psychodrama.
Read MoreOur Loved Ones Live On in Memories
If I Forget – Victory Gardens
In the Jewish religion, quite simply put, there is no heaven or hell. The spirit of a loved one who’s passed away remains as long as he’s being remembered by the living. But, asks Joey, the youngest character in this moving drama, what happens when there’s no one left who still remembers them? What if we forget?
Read MoreRacism, Homophobia and a Happy Ending
Sweet Texas Reckoning – Artemisia Theatre
The word that keeps coming to mind, while watching Traci Godfrey’s story about a family reunion in Texas, is “cliched.” The hour-and-forty-five minutes spent with these four characters offers glimmers of brilliance but ultimately feels like a special Pride Month movie on the Lifetime Channel. Had this dramedy been written by a playwright who could offer some honest, new insights into what makes people tick, especially in small, conservative towns, it would’ve been a far more honest portrayal. There’s a germ of a good idea here. But, in the hands of Horton Foote, Preston Jones or Tennessee Williams, this story wouldn’t be nearly as banal and stereotyped.
Read More“We Are Pussy Riot (or) Everything Is P.R” with Red Tape Theatre
Red Tape Theatre has closed their 15th season with Barbara Hammond’s We Are Pussy Riot (or) Everything Is P.R. Directed by Kate Hendrickson, the show recounts the true story of Pussy Riot, a collective of anonymous Russian activists, who stirred the nation with their 48-second performance of “Virgin Mary – Chase Putin Away!” in the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia. A show that had the potential to illuminate the story of a group of women whose actions were adjusted to fit the agenda of the patriarchy of the Russion Church and government was muddled by the contradicting use of narratives and the stumbling pace within the script, inconsistent performances throughout the ensemble, and a flood of auditory and visual elements. Noise must be made to bring awareness to causes, but how are we to permeate it through culture and history if we can’t discern and replicate the melody?
Read MoreTime to Get With the Times
The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe – Underscore Theatre
Just as free broadcast television was blamed for the weakening popularity of the motion picture and theatrical industries, the less expensive ticket to the more readily available silent films and early talkies is believed to have been the final blow that killed vaudeville. In former vaudeville venues, already established as entertainment palaces, motion picture projectors were being installed as early as 1910. Lured by more lucrative work, greater salaries, better working conditions, fame and fortune, many vaudevillian performers, such as Al Jolson, W.C. Fields, Fanny Brice and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, began jumping ship and heading off to Hollywood. In less than four years, a half century of vaudeville tradition was wiped out by the motion picture industry.
Read MoreGive Them What They Want
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – BrightSide Theatre
It seems unbelievable that this crackerjack professional theatre company, which only began producing plays and musicals in Naperville, back in 2011, is successfully completing its eighth season of quality entertainment. Over the past seven years, BrightSide has been dynamic. Incredibly, the company has reinvented themselves. They’ve upped their game, nurtured and increased their season ticket base and wisely added a fully-cast children’s production each season. With the new season on the horizon, another new addition to their already busy calendar has been announced: a concert version of another musical, presented with full orchestral accompaniment. This is a theatre that’s always moving and changing, continually learning what works best and growing with the times.
Read MorePlaying It the Company Way
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Music Theater Works
The bouncy overture winds down, the curtain rises and we find a young man in coveralls descending from above. J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious young window washer, is discovered reading Shepherd Mead’s tongue-in-cheek instructional book of the same name, while dangling from scaffolding above Madison Avenue. Narrated for this production by NPR news quiz host, Peter Sagal, the book progresses chapter-by-chapter, charting the recommended course for Ponty’s rise to power in the business world. Now, bear in mind that this how-to manual, a 1952 best-seller by Shepherd Mead, subtitled “The Dastard’s Guide to Fame and Fortune,” was written as a parody of the popular self-help books of that era. Between this book’s unfailing advice and Finch’s pluck and pizzazz, this likable kid is undoubtedly destined to rise to the top…or is he?
Read More“Ms. Blakk For President” at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Ms. Black for President – Steppenwolf Theatre
Steppenwolf has kicked off the early summer with a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience, Ms. Blakk for President, which brings the audience along Ms. Blakk’s run for United States President, an endeavor that started as an attempt to bring awareness to the AIDS crisis and queer issues and make it to the floor of the Democratic National Convention. Marketed as play, party, and campaign rally, the entire evening includes a pre-show party, art-displays, historical timelines, and a one-hour and forty minute long play that introduced the audience to Ms. Joan Jett Blakk, the drag name of Terence Alan Smith. Tina Landau directed while also co-writing the script with Tarell Alvin McCraney, who portrays the title character.
Read MoreIt IS an Honor Just to Be Nominated…
2019 Non-Equity Jeff Awards – Anthaneum Theatre
I’ve always liked the Tony Awards more than the Oscars, and it’s because of the speeches. They are just more fun. I think that is due, in no small part, to the fact that stage actors have more experience speaking in front of a live audience. But largely, I just always feel the passion more directly. Acting is not an easy life, and there’s something about seeing someone succeed at something they truly love that is compelling. That lesson was reinforced last night at the Jeff Non-Equity Awards, the regional theater awards for non-Equity shows.
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