In Caitlin Parrish’s new play THE BURIALS, Steppenwolf for Young Adults has found an informative and moving new play that tackles the realities of gun violence in schools with intensity and heart under the direction of Erica Weiss. Loosely based on the Greek tragedy ANTIGONE, THE BURIALS smartly addresses this topical issue from a personal and human perspective, which will allow school-aged audiences to engage with the material without ever feeling spoon-fed. THE BURIALS follows successful high school senior and social media lover Sophie Martin (the superlative Olivia Cygan), who has her world turned upside down when her younger brother Ben (a haunting Matt Farrabee) opens fire inside her school and kills 16 students and one teacher…using her father’s guns. In the wake of this incident, Sophie, her younger sister Chloe (Becca Savoy) and their father, Ryan Martin (Coburn Goss)—an extremely conservative junior senator running for office—must process the experience under intense scrutiny from the public eye. In the case of Sophie and Chloe, they must also face  their high school peers, who have been traumatized and some of whom look to the surviving Martin siblings to blame. When Mr. Martin decides to take a public stance advocating for the mandatory presence of guns in schools as a method of preventing future shootings, Sophie must decide if she will stand by her father—or if she will take a different stance.

Continue reading “Steppenwolf’s THE BURIALS Beautifully Portrays The Haunting, Heartbreaking Cost of Gun Violence in Schools” →

Yesterday afternoon, I had the joyous experience of watching a preview of the Chicago production of HAMILTON: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL. After listening to the soundtrack countless times, reading numerous articles, and generally submitting myself to the (much deserved) HAMILTON hype, I went into this experience with high expectations…and the Chicago production honestly blew me away. While there’s certainly nothing I can say about this brilliant musical that will reinvent the wheel, I can’t help but feel compelled to write my reactions to this magical theatrical moment like I’m running out of time. I will never, however, run out of love for #HamiltonCHI. Here’s a few thoughts on this non-stop show that offers 2 hours and 45 minutes of pure elation.

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Robert Askins’s fiercely hilarious, dark, and moving HAND TO GOD makes its Chicago debut in a sublime and visceral production at Victory Gardens Theater under the deft (but not sock puppeted) hand of Gary Griffin.

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Stephen Adly Guirgis’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning play BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, focuses on issues of racism and indignity that are searingly of this moment. But RIVERSIDE is, at its core, also rife with humor and heart.

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Delightfully quirky and darkly comic, BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL makes its Chicago premiere in this Griffin Theatre production with direction by Scott Weinstein. The Den Theatre proves an ideal venue for this strange and wonderful musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming. And Griffin Theatre’s ensemble delivers with vocal expertise and keen acting, milking the show’s material for maximum comedic value and audience delight.

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Broadway In Chicago’s engagement of THE SOUND OF MUSIC national tour makes for a pleasant and tuneful evening at this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. Under the direction of Jack O’Brien, this production teems with a lively and joyful energy. In Kerstin Anderson, O’Brien has found a stunning anchor for the the leading role of Maria Rainer. Anderson, a current undergraduate studying Musical Theater at Pace University, exudes optimism and youthful vivacity onstage. And from the moment she begins singing the show’s title song, it becomes evident that audiences are in good hands.

Continue reading “The Sweet SOUND OF MUSIC Fills the Cadillac Palace” →

In the opening moments of Nick Payne’s new play CONSTELLATIONS—now in its Chicago premiere in the Upstairs Theatre at Steppenwolf—the playwright presents audiences with an archetypal “Boy Meets Girl” story. But then that moment occurs again and again, each time playing out in a different universe. And thus, in a swift 80 minute run-time, Payne crafts the love story of Roland, a bee keeper (Jon Michael Hill), and Marianne, a theoretical physicist (Jessie Fisher). Each time Roland and Marianne “meet” in the first scene, the outcome varies—sometimes closely mirroring the first “universe” that audiences see, other times radically diverging from that first encounter. Over the span of the play, Payne plots seven sequences in Roland and Marianne’s relationship—from the awkward first moments to those of deep connection, heartbreak, and unimaginable suffering.

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American Theater Company’s production of the musical XANADU (based upon the flop of a film bearing the same name) bursts with infectious energy and non-stop fun. The ensemble radiates joy throughout the show’s duration. And while the 1980 XANADU film may have been unsuccessful, the movie’s soundtrack proved a smash hit—Jeff Lynne and John Farrar’s songs are all here, with a book by Douglas Carter Beane. And the cast delivers each of these famous songs with aplomb. Under Lili-Anne Brown’s spirited direction, the ensemble takes many a gleeful spin around Arnel Sancianco’s groovy roller rink.

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American Blues Theater’s triumphant LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS will have Chicago audiences clamoring to head downtown to Skid Row. This intimately staged production has a full sound (with music director Austin Cook leading a four-piece band, you can feel the vibrations of the bass in the floor) and provides an all-encompassing, fully entertaining spectacle. Grant Sabin’s set design presents a perfectly dilapidated Skid Row setting, with Mr. Mushnik’s decrepit, garish flower shop as the centerpiece—even some of the “bulbs” in the neon lights in the “Flower Shop” sign are missing, while the letters “L,” “O,” and “W” tellingly remain. And yet when ensemble members Jasondra Jackson, Camille Robinson, and Eunice Woods bust out onstage and begin the show’s title number as Skid Row’s “Greek Chorus” Ronnette, Crystal, and Chiffon, the immense joy in this production is deeply felt. This LITTLE SHOP fully inhabits the hilarious and heartfelt nature of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s exceedingly clever musical.

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For musical theater die-hards (like myself), Porchlight Music Theatre’s concert reading of CHESS—a three-night-only engagement as part of the Porchlight Revisits series—is simply delightful. CHESS debuted in London in 1986 (which is the version that Porchlight has chosen to stage, in its Chicago premiere) and then was retooled, rather unsuccessfully, before moving to Broadway in 1988. This obscure musical, with lyrics and book by Tim Rice (though where the latter’s concerned, there’s not much to speak of) and music by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, provides a great concert showcase for some very talented local Chicago actors. This sublime concert staging proves a logical vehicle for CHESS, which has an immensely complicated score but remains fuzzy plot-wise.

Continue reading “Porchlight Revisits CHESS Can Handily Declare Checkmate” →