The national tour of CHICAGO that arrived at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre Tuesday night has glimmers of the shine and glitz at the heart of this musical about Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly’s ruthless journey towards fame and notoriety—timely themes that have allowed the current Broadway revival to play on for two decades. But this touring rendition of Kander and Ebb’s musical about the bloodthirsty quest for celebrity (literally in the case of wannabe vaudeville star Hart and her Cook County jail counterpart Kelly) overall plays it safe. While the design elements for this production capture the alluring nightclub atmosphere, this CHICAGO needs more of an edge. William Ivey Long’s iconic black shimmering costumes add some sensuality in the wardrobe department, and John Lee Beatty’s set design creates a sparse cabaret space that seems glitzy underneath Ken Billington’s glamorous lighting. With music direction by Rob Bowman (who also conducts), CHICAGO’s orchestra sounds swell—allowing us to luxuriate in Kander’s score. Continue reading “Sleek CHICAGO Has Plenty of Polish But Lacks Grit” →

For Strawdog Theatre Company’s final production in its Broadway home, the company fittingly presents George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s 1930 comedy ONCE IN A LIFETIME—both play and production are rife with charm and sly winks to the audience. Director Damon Kiely’s choice to stage this particular Kaufman and Hart comedy is also an intriguing one. ONCE IN A LIFETIME chiefly concerns itself with the changes to the entertainment industry after the appearance of the first “talkie” (a film with spoken dialogue) and a frantic trio of three former vaudeville performers—May, George, and Jerry—who scramble to Hollywood hoping to strike it rich. And just as Jerry contemplates what these new “talkies” will mean for the future of the “legitimate stage,” so too do we now find ourselves on the precipice of immense change for the film and entertainment industry.

Continue reading “Strawdog’s ONCE IN A LIFETIME Offers Up Comedic Nostalgia” →

HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN Provides A Lighthearted, Sentimental Tribute to the Great Composer

In his one-man revue HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN, Felder pays loving homage to the famed composer who worked his way from Tin Pan Alley to Broadway to Hollywood and beyond. This revue showcases a number of Berlin’s greatest hits, including “I’ll Be Loving You Always,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and, of course, that ubiquitous holiday tune “White Christmas,” interspersed with biographical details about the composer’s life and career. Felder’s show allows audiences to revel in Berlin’s magnificent songs, many of which paved the way for the development of the American musical (though the rise of that art form ultimately posed a challenge for Berlin’s own career). The result is pleasant and entertaining, with some surprisingly touching insights into Berlin’s life—one of great success and acclaim but not without significant personal tragedy and, as a Jewish immigrant from Russia, discrimination.

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Court Theatre’s LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT Searingly Comes to Life

Eugene O’Neill’s blazing masterwork LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT introduces audiences to the enormously dysfunctional Tyrone family, who over the course of the play’s three-and-a-half-hour run time, completely and utterly destroy one another. O’Neill felt that LONG DAY’S JOURNEY was such a personal and exposing play that he wished to have it published fifty years after his death. And in almost every moment of the play, we feel the immense agony and suffering of this deeply troubled, addiction-riddled family.

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The Hypocrites’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE Displays A Powerful Shine

Upon entering the Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage to take in The Hypocrites’ production of THE GLASS MENAGERIE, I was immediately struck by the bottles upon bottles of breathtaking glass that cover Grant Sabin’s decrepit-yet-beautiful set. Like director Hans Fleischmann’s production itself (a remount of a production he originally envisioned for Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company), the set for this GLASS MENAGERIE both exhilarates yet also supplies a sense of foreboding. When Fleischmann (who also stars) takes to the stage as Tom Wingfield, he embodies the role of the vagabond dreamer in every way. In this staging ofTennessee Williams’ classic 1944 memory play, Fleischmann beckons audiences anew into the story—but his mangy hair, wild beard, and tattered attire (Mieka Van Der Ploeg’s costume designs are a treasure throughout) keep us slightly distrustful. Nevertheless, this GLASS MENAGERIE captivates throughout—and though this play has been around for 72 years, the material felt entirely fresh to this first-time viewer.

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Porchlight Music Theatre’s FAR FROM HEAVEN Presents A Woman’s Melodic Journey Towards Self-Discovery In 1950s America

Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of FAR FROM HEAVEN marks the musical’s Chicago premiere—the show debuted Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2013 and takes the titular 2002 Todd Haynes-directed film as its source material. And while this musical from composer-lyricist team Scott Frankel and Michael Korie was written three years ago, FAR FROM HEAVEN touches on issues of gender, sexuality, and race in 1957 suburban Connecticut that poignantly resonant with the present moment. At the center of the musical is Cathy Whittaker (the superb and stunning Summer Naomi Smart), a 1950s housewife and mother—decked out in Bill Morey’s outstanding period-authentic dresses and residing in Grant Sabin’s charming set. At the top of the show, she catches her husband, Frank (Brandon Springman) cheating on her—with a man. Stunned by this secret, Cathy is forced to confront the reality of what happens when her life cannot conform to the societal pressures and ideals coming at her from both the media and friends–a matter which is further complicated when she strikes up an unexpected friendship with her black gardener, Raymond Deagan (Evan Tyrone Martin).

Continue reading “FAR FROM HEAVEN at Porchlight Music Theatre” →