Items filtered by date: November 2007

Mike Royko is a seminal influence on—and expression of—Chicago culture. Even today, if many locals might not know who Royko was, millions across the country do—his column was syndicated in 600 newspapers. The Pulitzer prize-winning columnist published non-stop for 30 years, starting at the now defunct Chicago Daily News, moving to its surviving sibling Chicago Sun-Times, and finally going to the Chicago Tribune to escape working for Rupert Murdoch when the media titan acquired the morning tabloid.

Royko’s columns were both fearless in tackling those in power, and immensely funny. So is “Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago,” the excellent one-man show now playing at Chopin Theatre. “Royko” is the brainchild of writer and performer Mitchell Bisschop, whose script artfully draws from the spectrum of Royko’s work. Those columns were serious and wry, courageous and, occasionally, sentimental, but the subtext remained throughout—calling out injustice, and for righting wrongs, especially from the powerful and politically connected.

While Royko’s own words power much of the script, for Bisschop, building a dramatic storyline, and selecting from so much material, was probably the greatest challenge. And he has succeeded in spades. As a performer, Bisschop captures Royko the man, and we have no trouble buying in. While there isn’t much movement on the stage—we see Royko at his desk, and at the tavern—he was a writer and talker first.

Some of the scenes include multimedia production: split screen projections and videos from original source, or recreated with Bisschop playing Royko on camera in moments that wouldn’t have been captured. Or reading from his own writing, like the scene early on in which Royko questioned why Frank Sinatra was getting 24-hour Chicago police guards while in town, even as ordinary citizens fended for themselves on streets and subways.

Never one for understatement, Royko also cited Sinatra’s mob ties, said he punched an elderly drunk, and claimed Sinatra wore a toupee. That May 1976 column earned Royko an angry retort from Sinatra, which came in that period’s equivalent of a flaming post: a letter to the editor. Sinatra told Royko his sources were wrong, called him a pimp, and offered a $100,000 if he could prove he punched an elderly drunk. Sinatra also challenged Royko to pull his wig off.

A Chicago high school graduate with Polish and Ukrainian parents, Royko was funny, irreverent, and always remained a self-empowered voice for the average Joe on the street. Royko was a burr under the saddle of Mayor Richard J. Daley, who barred him from the City Hall pressroom. Royko’s best-selling 1971 book on Daley, “Boss,” was also banned at certain retailers in the city, but remains the definitive exploration of the Chicago democratic political machine at its time. Royko’s notoriety in the political class may be one reason we saw a packed house opening night, which included Royko’s son Sam, who ran for alderman last cycle, and former Illinois governor Pat Quinn, among numerous political influencers and forces. 

Royko wrote in a sophisticated yet colloquial style that embodied Chicago argot, the same language that succeeding generations of immigrants adopt as the influences of their native tongues dissipate. That speech is parodied on Saturday Night Live during the heyday of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi - “Da Bears” - the latter is a nephew of Royko. Like other journalists, Royko hung out at the Billy Goat Tavern, the subterranean Wacker Drive burger joint also made famous by Belushi.

Bisschop includes many key Royko-isms—his love of 16-inch softball; the fictional Slats Grobnik, an earthy tavern-dweller that voiced bald remarks even Royko dared not speak— and his ineffable characterizations of the Chicago political scene. Royko suggested Chicago change its motto from Urbs in horto (city in a garden) to “Where’s mine?” He noted the steadfast loyalty of Chicago politicians. “When someone takes a bribe here, they stay bought.”

At times he could soar, and Bisschop includes Royko’s column after the assassination of Martin Luther King, and exploration of the responsibility we all carry for harboring or passively assenting to the sentiments that led to the shooting. Another, about a woman running a dry cleaning shop that doubles as a neighborhood hangout, and is threatened by a national chain, is truly moving.

Royko’s influence was strongly felt by comedians and producers at a local humor factory, Second City, the Wells Street institution. That list includes Bisschop, and also Beth Kligerman, a producer of this Royko show who for 25 years was casting director and producer at Second City. (Also producing is actress Lecy Goranson, a Chicago-native and well-known for her role as the daughter Becky on the “Roseanne” TV series.)

Compared with other one-man shows, “Royko” has a tendency to be static. Bischopp perhaps could move around the stage a bit more. Some technical matters need adjustment. When we hear the other side of a phone conversation, the amplification overpowers the non-amplified Royko. Overall, director Steve Scott (more than 25 years with Goodman) elicits a strong performance from Bisschop, and blends the multimedia elements well into the production.

Highly recommended, “Royko: The Toughest Man In Chicago” runs through September 29, 2024 at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago.

South Pacific, with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, is undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite musical theater pieces. This beautiful, lengthy show features some of the most enduring and heartwarming classic Broadway hits of romance ever written, including “Bali Ha’i,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy,” “Happy Talk,” “Younger than Springtime,” and the heartbreakingly wistful “This Was Nearly Mine.”

Directed by Pat Henderson with musical direction by Jeremy Ramey, this MadKap production at Skokie Theatre managed to fit a large cast of talented players into a small space, telling a big story with many levels of relevance to today’s events. The musical explores themes of finding a second chance at true love later in life and the challenges of sexual and racial prejudice against women and Polynesians during wartime.

Most theater lovers have seen South Pacific at some point, but if not, the main plot revolves around Navy nurse Nellie Forbush, considered an old maid in the United States, who is sent to the South Pacific during World War II. There, she falls in love with a widower and expat from Paris named Emile De Becque.

Nellie Forbush is portrayed with great depth and emotional range by Willow Schneider. Schneider has a wonderful voice and is a talented actress. I truly appreciated her ability to capture both the responsible, respectable American professional nurse and the love-struck, happy young woman who has found true love later in life. Schneider really shines vocally, expressing the true excitement and joyousness of spirit in the songs “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.”

The character of Emile De Becque is wonderfully played by Tony Calzareta. Calzareta brings mature, compassionate energy to the character and his amazing singing voice to the classic songs “Some Enchanted Evening” and the heartbreaking “This Was Nearly Mine.” Calzareta truly conveyed the depth of love he found in this young woman—and nearly lost—during these songs and in the scene where Army officials try to get him to risk his life on a mission against the Japanese. He declares that nothing is more important to him than having her love now that he’s finally found her - not any war or request to endanger himself from any government.

Islander and trader Bloody Mary, played by Mariel Saavedra, was a delight with her rich, warm voice and motherly take on having to protect and, at the same time, try to marry off her young daughter to any soldier or islander who has enough money to take care of her. Mariel sang a great rendition of “Bali Ha’i,” the ultimate island siren song, and also “Happy Talk,” where she encourages her daughter and soldier boyfriend to chat about happy things they’d like to do together so that their dreams can come true.

Max Perkel as Lieutenant Joe Cable also displayed his vocal prowess in his segment of “Bali Ha’i” and his finely finessed performance of “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught”. 

Luther Billis, the fast-talking, somewhat sleazy purveyor of women and cigarettes who operates a secret laundering side-business, was artfully played by Andrew Buel. Buel managed to get some very funny takes in while also conveying the deep loneliness and hopelessness that a lower-level soldier must have faced while scraping by on an island in the Pacific without much respect for their lives. The entire supporting cast of nurses and soldiers had great voices too, and I thought they worked well together, bringing humor and energy to this wonderful musical classic.

I have to give special acknowledgment to the talents of the live musicians working as the orchestra for the play: Musical Director and keyboardist Jeremy Ramey and Andrew Millikan on the second keyboard. As soon as the overture for the play began, it was clear that the music for this production was going to be outstanding. Despite the small number of musicians on stage, I could’ve sworn there was a full orchestra hiding somewhere behind them at times. Ramey and Milliken are exceptionally talented musicians, and every note they played from the beginning to the end of the show soared with the deep romantic and dramatic emotions that a great production of South Pacific deserves. Their musical accompaniment was so captivating that I could have listened to them play the songbook all evening.

My only note regarding production value is that the stage setting could have been a bit more tropical and elegant, with a little more detail in the backdrops and set pieces. However, the creative team was resourceful in its staging considering the smaller stage area for such a large production, so that the aisles and stairs leading up to the stage were used effectively to expand the space.

All in all, the combined talents of this maturely cast production created a wonderful full night of entertainment with a classic, romantic, and enduring Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

I highly recommend you and your family attend this enlivening production, suitable for audiences of all ages! There is ample free parking across from and next to the theater.

For tickets and more show information, click HERE.

“This Is Our Youth,” with mesmerizing performances by Kason Chesky as Warren, Grayson Kennedy as Dennis, and Annalie Ciolino as Jessica, is still vital and fresh nearly thirty years after its Off Broadway premiere. Playwright Kenneth Lonergan set it in 1982 during the Reagen era, but these 48 hours in the lives of three dissolute young adults read fresh and vital today as it did almost 30 years ago.

Much of that is attributable to the outstanding performances of all three actors in Gwydion Theatre’s production at Greenhouse Theatre. Under the direction of Andrew Shipman, this trio really gives voice to Lonergan’s deftly drawn characters - locked in their personal traumas and immersed in the travails of their emergence from their upper middle class homes to independence. It’s just a snapshot - two days - during which the characters have some of their best and worst moments.

The two-act play is simple and straightforward: 19-year-old Warren has been booted from his house by his abusive dad, a driven businessman, and secretly lifts $15,000 of dad’s cash as he heads out. Arriving at his friend Dennis’s apartment, suitcase in hand, Warren is a dweeb and awkward, totally aggravating, and we soon side with the more dynamic and charismatic Dennis, who doesn’t want the risk of harboring Warren and his cash.

But Dennis relents, and hatches a plan for the hapless Warren to replenish the missing funds that he has carelessly spent along the way. Here’s how Buzz editor Ken Payne described it in the 2014 Steppenwolf production: a hair-brained scheme where they would buy some coke, keep some for themselves, cut it and then resell it for a profit exceeding the amount needed to replace the full fifteen thousand dollars.

Though I saw the 2014 Steppenwolf version of “This Is Our Youth,” which starred Michael Cera and Kieran Caulkin, I liked this version much, much better. Cera, in the Warren role, was a one-note actor, and Caulkin had nothing to play against - I really didn’t notice how good the script was. In Gwydion Theatre’s sterling production, we quickly learn that these young men have a neurotically abusive relationship.

Dennis is an ill-tempered drug user and purveyor; and Warren weathers a constant barrage of his demeaning put-downs and mean-spirited physical jousting.
When Dennis departs to carry out the scheme, we have a chance to meet Jessica, and Ciolino’s performance is outstanding. Her character allows the other dimensions of Warren’s personality to unfold, and we gain empathy andrespect for the two as more fully emotionally developed individuals, especially compared to Dennis.

Throughout the play, the conversations deliver the exposition and backstories effortlessly, another tribute to Lonergan’s script, and why this play resurfaces so frequently, and remains fresh and meaningful. The two-act run time is over two hours plus intermission. But it grips our interest throughout, and never really falters. Chesky’s Warren is onstage nearly throughout, and he delivers a remarkable performance, but Kennedy and Ciolino are every bit his equals. The energy required of Kennedy in the role of the manic, drug-altered Dennis, may be a formula for stage burn-out, but he carried it off admirably on opening night.

“This Is Our Youth” comes highly recommended, and runs through September 28 at the Greenhouse Theatre Center on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.

“The House of Ideas,” directed by Terry McCabe, is an aptly named recount of the rise of Marvel Comics and its two driving forces: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Marvel Universe has indeed become a dominating force in creative media, spawning blockbuster films, hit TV series, and a world of uniquely individual and even flawed superheroes that differ from everything that came before.

Lee’s role, which began as an office assistant at Marvel predecessor Timely Comics, evolved into that of editor, writing captions and balloon dialog for the comic book frames. Over time, he became a driving creative force, co-developing with Kirby the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four, and with various artists Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Black Widow.

This is the third part of playwright Mark Pracht’s “four-color trilogy” tracing pivotal elements in the rise of the comics industry. Having had the good fortune to catch Pracht’s stunning “Innocence of Seduction” last year (number two in the series) I was on the lookout for this final installment.

Brian Plocharczyk as Jack Kirby and Carrie Hardin as Roz Kirby, in “The House of Ideas.”

Familiar to millions around the globe from his cameos in Marvel movies, Lee is played here with complete panache by Bryan Breau. The chronological structure of the play traces the frequently contentious relationship between Lee and Kirby (played convincingly by Brian Plocharczyk). Kirby perennially felt his seminal contributions through art to forming comic characters, and the creation of worlds they inhabited was underappreciated by publishers, and by Lee.

Lee comes off as an inveterate and skillful self-promoter, and he was better able to garner credit for the comic works than Kirby - the creator of Captain America years before Lee was involved.
We see Lee and Kirby during WWII, and also meet publishers and businessmen with whom Lee and Kirby tussled for intellectual property rights as the comic businesses changed hands. We also meet their wives, strong-willed women who supported their husbands through thick and thin. The British-born Joan Lee (Kate Black-Spense) is much more calculating and inventive in giving Stan Lee guidance; Roz Kirby (Carrie Hardin) merely reflects Kirby’s anger.

In Act II, we see Stan Lee in gray pompadour and big glasses - the image familiar from films, and caricatured in his comic book essays, Stan’s Soapbox. While his relationship with Kirby ebbs and flows, a constant background tension, Lee is always on the make, moving forward to advance Marvel from comics to other media. As my companion at the show noted, the true power of the play is when these two egos of differing types but similar proportions collide, building the pressure against each other, bringing the tension from background, to subtext, and inevitably to climax.
In the end, a visual moment resolves the irreconcilable differences in these men: a photographer silently frames a photo of the two, and with a flash of a camera bulb, the pent up emotional struggle dissipates, and the audience experiences an emotional resolution.

Comics, along with banjo music, jazz, musical theater and mystery stories, is a uniquely American artform, according to science fiction script writer Harlan Ellison. “House of Ideas” gives a fount of comic book genius, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, their due. Recommended, especially for lovers of the comic genre, “House of Ideas” plays through October 6, 2024 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago

I think I’d better begin by answering some questions, starting with ‘WTF is the title of this show?’ to which I respond, the title actually is "[title of show]."

The play was conceived by a pair of artists in NYC, Jeff Bowen (Jonah Cochin) and Hunter Bell (Casey Coppess). Upon learning of the upcoming New York Musical Theatre Festival, they decide to write and submit a musical. There’s just a few problems with doing that: (1) the Festival is only three weeks away, and (2) they’re determined to write an original rather than an adaptation, but (3) they have no idea what to write about, or even (4) what to name their musical. Coming right down to the wire without a name, they end up using the space on the application form asking for [Title of Show] and name their musical [title of show].

Early attempts clearly illustrate that Hunter and Jeff truly do not have any idea what their musical should be about … not until they realize that their conversations about what to write are more interesting than what they’re actually writing! And thus it happens that these Two Nobodies from New York write a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical.

Shannon McEldowney (left), Jonah Cochin, Robert Ollis (at keyboard), Lexi Alioto, and Casey Coppess .

Jeff and Hunter ask their friends Susan (Lexi Alioto) and Heidi (Shannon McEldowney) to help, as well as Larry (Robert Ollis) to man the keyboard. The four converse and natter and brainstorm, kibitz, palaver and schmooze via a slew of hysterically funny songs, discussing the complexities of receiving money for art (is it success or selling out?) and the problems of loyalties vs. practicalities, learning unexpected lessons about themselves along the way.

I think you could call this a QueerMoot. Actually I don’t know if you could or not but I just did, so it’s done.

If you have any friends of the theatrical persuasion, you will find them depicted in [title of show] by Jeff, Hunter, Susan and/or Heidi; not surprising, as all four characters are (were?) (have been?) real people. I don’t know about Larry … we don’t get to learn much about Larry, who the Union prohibits from speaking any lines. But he sure knows his way around the eighty-eights!

The choreography by Britta Lynn Schlicht was lively and fresh, and wonderfully executed by the cast. It did, however, occasionally hinder hearing. I was ready to blame that on my rock-concert-impaired old ears, until my younger companion admitted having the same problem, from Casey Coppess in particular. I couldn’t tell if this was a problem with miking or with blocking, but I suggest both Director Jay Espano and Sound Designer Valerio Torretta Gardner take a look at this issue.

Props Designer Izadorius Tortuga and Scenic Designer Anshika Pathak wisely used restraint, keeping the set minimalist and letting the play tell the story. I have to give a shoutout for Aidan Lynn Smith, whose Lighting Design skillfully delimited separate scenes; and even louder shout to Projections Designer Joel Zishuk. His projections created an informative background for many scenes, but the piece de resistance was a kaleidoscopic panorama of the Playbill covers from a bazillion musicals!

The entire production crew was ably supported by Michael Lasswell (Technical Director / Scenic Design Consultant / My Favorite Bio Writer), Assistant Music Director Annie Liu, and Assistant Director Taylor Pasche. I once asked a theatrical friend ‘just what does a Stage Manager do, anyway?’, to which they responded ‘Everything.’ Kate Schnetzer assisted Julia Witty in doing Everything, and well.

[title of show] is running at PrideArts Theater at 4139 N Broadway, Chicago, through September 22 and comes recommended.

Though Larry Kramer did not live to see the end of the 2020 COVID-19 lock downs, no doubt his contributions to the 1980s AIDS outbreak inspired a new generation to demand accountability for what is widely regarded as a botched response.

Larry Kramer was known as a firebrand who often verged on offensive. His 1978 debut novel titled “Faggots” was a blistering satire of pre-AIDS gay life in New York City. His depictions of fellow gays as shallow and promiscuous earned him a negative reputation in the late 1970s scene.

By the time the AIDS crisis overwhelmed New York in the early 80s, Kramer was seen by many as cantankerous, but nonetheless his brash public appearances and relentless demand for social justice made him an iconic figure in the fight against AIDS.

Redtwist Theatre opens their newly renovated space with a revival of Larry Kramer’s 1985 play ‘The Normal Heart’. Ted Hoerl directs a sizeable ensemble cast to recreate Kramer’s semi-autobiographical story of the inception of one of the country’s first AIDS activist groups—Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

‘The Normal Heart’ begins with a gut-wrenching diagnosis that quickly drops the audience into the moment when AIDS first hit New York in the summer of 1981. Kramer establishes Ned Weeks (Peter Ferneding) as the main character spurned into action by the sight of his friends rapidly dying of an unknown disease.

Ned is inspired to become a leader for AIDS research by Dr. Brookner (Tammy Rozofsky) who sees patient after patient with the same mysterious, but lethal pathology. With his heart in the right place, Ned bickers incessantly with his fellow activists showing how messy progress can be.

Through it all, Ned falls in love for the first time, mirroring Kramer’s own search for love in an era where gay love was still in the closet. The central romance between Ned and Felix (Zachary Linnert) provides Ned a reason to keep fighting for acknowledgement from federal and local health agencies in order to fund research and a cure.

Performances are somewhat inconsistent in Redtwist’s revival, but the play serves to remind its audience of the truly outrageous mishandling of the AIDS crisis by Reagan-era politicians unwilling to help, or even dare say the word AIDS. Kramer’s anger is both palpable and justifiable in nearly every line, even if at times delivered a little melodramatically.

‘The Normal Heart’ is a searing indictment of the dangers of apathy. And that seems even more prescient as we head into an election in which brazenly absurd policies like Project 2025 are on the ballot.  Kramer was deeply disturbed by the Western word’s inaction during the Holocaust and saw many parallels during the AIDS crisis. While not exactly a pleasant subject matter, the world needs people like Larry Kramer to sound the alarm bells.  His play may not be as artful as Tony Kushner’s ‘Angels in America’ but its message is even more dire. In the near three hour run time, in a small theater, Kramer’s gripping script is impossible to shy away from, which is exactly what he intended.

Through September 29 at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W Bryn Mawr Ave. www.RedwistTheatre.org

“Network” at Invictus Theatre Co. is one fun, funny, exciting show. In this full-throttle Chicago debut at the WIndy City Playhouse on Irving Park Road, we get a powerhouse rendering of Lee Hall’s script.

Adapted to the stage in 2017 for a London production from the Oscar-winning 1976 screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky, the passage of nearly 50 years since the film version has made the stage version even more powerful.

Chayefsky used his television insider experience skillfully to create a rollickingly funny portrait of the follies of big media business. Hall also laces the script with damning indictments of the intersection of capitalism and big media news reportage that has exchanged integrity for ratings-driven content, debasing news, and forsaking the public trust. This angle makes “Network” even more timely today, the era when TV’s commentating personalities (and online streamers for that matter), untethered from factual information, have been in the ascendance.

We’ve also watched as these personalities crashed and burned, costing the media owners billions of dollars as they flame out amid defamation and libel suits.
In the case of the 1976 “Network,” with its amazing performances by Peter Finch as Howard Beale and Faye Dunaway as his ambitious producer Diana Christensen, the movie played as satire (though said to be based on a true story).

Five decades later with Invictus Theatre’s “Network,” we see a vivid portrayal of life imitating art. With a large cast and many moving parts—directed superbly by Charles Askenaizer—we meet news anchor Howard Beale (James Turano is positively magnetic), a network television anchorman who is fired for his declining ratings. When in one of his last few broadcasts he promises to kill himself on air, no one among the producers and directors notices. But the audience does, and his ratings skyrocket.

 In the control booth at UBS (l-r): John Chambers, James Lewis, Joe Sergio, and Anne Trodden. 

Calculating there is gold to be had, producer Diana Christensen (Anne Trodden is pitch perfect) convinces station exec Frankl Hackett (a deft performance by Joe Sergio) to reverse his edict to fire Beale, and instead give him his own show.

The news slot is then transformed from a me-too recitation of the day's top news, to ranting commentator Beale before a live studio audience on “The Howard Beale Show.” Suddenly sponsors are willing to pay millions and producers let Beale do and say whatever he wants. That is, until a global mega corporation moves to acquire the parent of UBS, and Beale attacks the prospective merger. This triggers even more hilarious outcomes as the big corporate brass intervene directly, bringing down the hammer on Beale in a come to Jesus moment complete with organ music and stained glass windows.

It’s all this and more, in the fast-paced setting of a television studio. What Chayefsky only imagined has now become the reality all around us, where the “talent” (as these on-air stars are known) have power over their corporate bosses - news ethics be damned. It is only when the tab for subjorning falsities for ratings gets high—think voting machine maker Dominion’s $787 million settlement with Fox News, or sex harassment settlements—that management reigns in the likes of Tucker Carlson, Bill O’Reilly, etc.

“Network” is a fantastic production, with convincing lights-camera-action of a television station, and even the audience called into the action. The control booth serves as a droll commentary on the action as we see the producer Christensen, exec Schumacher, producer Harry Hunter (John Chambers) and the Director (James Lewis) delight in Beale’s antics on air. A special shout-out to Lewis, whose mostly wordless role centers on his body language and reactions within the control booth—real acting!

Highly recommended, “Network” runs through September 29 at the WIndy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago.

Like the waves lapping along the shores of Lake Michigan, there is another wave that is hitting Chicago; a nostalgia wave. From high waisted jeans, bold neon colors, even scrunchies and side ponytails, the 1980s are riding high in Chicagoland. But it isn’t just Chicago. In the 2020s, the currents of the nostalgia wave have infiltrated every aspect of our culture from movie franchise remakes like Top Gun, to chart topping synthpop-new-wave hits like The Weekend’s Blinding Lights or Dua Lipa’s Love Again. And that same wave is riding high onto the theatre scene bringing a seminal cult classic film to life in the most spectacular way. Gen X and elder millennials buckle up and hold on tight, because we’re going Back to the Future – in musical form. And Back to the Future: The Musical has officially set its destination for Chicago in 2024.

Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical is adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and directed by the Tony Award®-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy® winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”), alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.”

When Marty McFly is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time- traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself... back to the future.

The most impressive aspects of this musical aren’t the songs or the familiar storyline but the sheer visual spectacle that is the DeLorean. Using an amalgamation of lights, sound, screens, and immersive and malleable stage designs, you follow the DeLorean has it travels through space and time, the sets seamlessly and breathtakingly transitioning from the 1985 to 1955 and back again. The clocktower scene alone had the audience sitting at the edge of their seats, wondering how the engineers, designers, choreographers, and illusionists pulled off such incredible feats. It was visually stunning and Broadway in Chicago never disappoints with its stage presentation and craft. 

For the nostalgic lovers of the movie, the classic storyline, witty one-liners, and your favorite characters are all here. For musical lovers, you’ll love the classic songs played throughout the play such as “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B Goode,” while tapping your toes to new musical numbers like “Gotta Start Somewhere,” “Pretty Baby,” “Something About That Boy.” For theatre lovers, Burke Swanson as George McFly and Zan Berube as Lorraine Baines, Marty’s parents, look identical to their film counterparts, down to the mannerisms, chemistry, and comedic timing, coupled with their vocal talents, you’ll be rooting for these two to get together faster at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Cartreze Tucker, who plays Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry, steals the audience’s attention with his vocal range and prowess and Don Stephenson who plays the incomparable Doc Brown will have you rolling with laughter with his lingering zingers while he cleverly breaks the 4th wall.

Like any good Doc Brown invention however, Back to the Future: The Musical was a bit glitchy. Technical difficulties like mics cutting out to music being so loud it drowned out the musical talent, ensemble actors simply marking their movements versus performing all out, and some lead actors not hitting their marks at all (or their notes), the musical’s second night definitely had some issues as it got going. But once the plutonium was installed and the flux capacitor was engaged following the first few musical numbers, the musical hit the magic 88 and was able to right the space time continuum. Despite these early challenges, this musical is well worth the trip for the special effects and illusions alone.

Back to the Future is a cult classic that is bound to make many more revivals in future nostalgia waves. With Back to the Future: The Musical now making its national tour, this musical is sure to be a crowd favorite and hopefully replace some outdated or antiquated musicals like The Music Man and Hello Dolly (don’t come for me musical thespians! I said what I said).

Back to the Future: The Musical is now playing at Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph St). Tickets are available at www.BroadwayinChicago.com. But just like the blip in time it only runs through Sept 1st so don’t miss your opportunity to ride the wave and go back to the future to experience this incredible show.

We are all lucky that we’ve gotten to live at the same time and in the same timeline as Stephen Sondheim, possibly the most influential and important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. From his most popular musicals — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Into the Woods, his lyrics for West Side Story — to his more obscure — Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies — he’s left a wealth of lyrically and musically rich songs for us to study and enjoy.

The Stephen Sondheim Tribute Revue, directed and produced by 4 Chairs Theatre founder Lauren Berman, showcases songs selected thoughtfully and with care from the catalog of the late, legendary composer, with a talented ensemble featuring Kaitlin Feely, David Geinosky, Lyndsey Minerva, Brian Member, Denise Tamburrino, and Michelle Tibble, accompanied on piano by Tyeese Braslavsky. 

The selected songs range from Sondheim’s early works, like 1962’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Anyone Can Whistle from 1964, even his very first musical Saturday Night, to his later, more well-known works such as Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George.

Pictured: Michelle Tibble and Denise Tamburrino

Each of the ensemblists has a clear, powerful voice, creating the perfect canvas for which to display the complex and varied works of Sondheim. Sondheim always emphasized the importance of trained, mindful vocalists throughout his career — he felt that singing should enhance acting, not the other way around. The emotion comes first, always, and the music and lyrics are there to prop up that feeling, take it out of time for a moment and examine it. These actors deliver on just that.

Highlights for me included ensemblist Denise Tamburrino’s solo performance of “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music. Possibly one of Sondheim’s most performed standalone songs, “Send in the Clowns” sardonically comments on the bad timing of love by a woman who’s experienced the ups and downs of it. Tamburrino’s rendition brings the right amount of restraint to the reflective song, letting the emotions on her face and pauses between phrases speak just as much as the lyrics.

Pictured: Brian Pember, Lyndsey Minerva, and Denise Tamburrino

Other highlights were the selections from Company (inlcluding the frantic "Getting Married Today" performed with tact by Lyndsey Minerva, Denise Tamburrino, and Brian Pember) and Into the Woods, Sondheim’s fairy tale-gone-wrong musical from 1987, which included two of the more moving, clear-headed tunes from the show: “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen”, the former sung by the whole ensemble and the latter by Michelle Tibble and David Geinosky.

And finally, another Sondheim gem is uncovered with Kaitlin Feely’s performance of “The Miller’s Son” from A Little Night Music, a song about fantasy and its clash with reality, one of many examples of Sondheim's songs that has stood the test of time and was, in fact, ahead of its time with its witty lyrics and shrewd observations of life.

As Lauren Berman writes in her director’s note, “There are musicals, and then there are Stephen Sondheim musicals.”

The Sondheim Tribute Review by 4 Chairs Theatre is playing at the Skokie Theatre - Performing Arts Center through August 18, 2024. Tickets can be purchased on the 4 Chairs Theatre website. 

It’s dark on the Neverland ship, and Molly, Prentis, Ted, and Boy are hiding in a corner – waiting for the coast to clear. As they huddle and watch, the four begin talking about dreams. All have experienced their fair share of hardships, but for the briefest moment, they look to a world of what could be.

Boy has been fairly quiet to this point – only following Molly with the promise of better food. However, at this discussion, he perks up, and whispers his dream aloud:

“The world will be so beautiful that no one will ever have to say sorry again.”

Many of us know the story of Peter Pan. The story of a boy who never wanted to grow up. All he wants is to fly around Neverland with the Lost Boys – fighting Pirates and finding adventure after adventure. The heart of the story is full of magic, and all the wonderful possibilities that come with a youthful energy and imagination.

Being a prequel to the famous tale (and based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson), Peter and the Starcatcher carries much of the same wonder. As Boy whispers his dream to the audience, you might find yourself reminded of that original story. Perhaps if you, like myself, grew up a fan of Peter Pan, you will even find yourself smiling and leaning in upon hearing the sweet innocence of the fantasy. Even in a moment where everything feels dark and uncertain, Boy, dares to dream – exploring a childlike wonder that so many eventually lose, but to which can be so fun to return.

Peter and the Starcatcher follows Boy (or later named Peter – played by Terry Bell), who is held captive on the Neverland ship with two fellow orphans - Prentis (Michaela Shaprio) and Ted (Brandon Acosta). When they meet Stardust Apprentice Molly (Shelbi Voss), their whole world is turned upside down. A quest for better food turns into an unexpected adventure when Pirates come on board – attempting to steal back a trunk full of precious stardust, which Molly and her father are sworn to protect. Drawn to Molly’s heroism, Boy takes it upon himself to protect this stardust at all costs – even if it means going toe to toe with Pirates and a terrifying ocean.

Directed by Nate Cohen, Paramount Theatre’s intimate production is intensely theatrical. Rick Elice’s play carries a storybook charm, with various forms of narration throughout and actors playing multiple roles depending on the needs of the moment. Sometimes actors step out of the action to narrate the next event, while other characters have moments of speaking in third person. Cohen and his team lean into the storybook feel – particularly in the collaboration between Scenic Designer Myra G Reavis and Props Designer Ivy Treccani.  The set is minimalistic, and primarily comprised of various objects one might find in a theater. Ladders, stools, sheets, and chairs are utilized in multiple ways to represent various locations – all moved by the actors themselves. The effect? The audience is witnessing the story unfold and reconfigure in front of them with each scene, creating the feel of being inside the storybook alongside the characters. We are invited to use our imagination alongside the performers to fill in the dots, and with the intimate feel of Paramount’s Copley Theatre space, you might find that this adds to the experience.

As many of us know, Peter Pan is full of magic, and Peter and the Starcatcher is much the same. Lighting Designer Jackie Fox utilizes gold fairy lights to create the illusion of stardust – creating stunning stage pictures throughout the production.

One such moment occurs towards the end of the first act. Boy asks Molly for proof of what stardust can do. If he is going to risk his life to save it, then he may as well know why. Begrudgingly, Molly takes out her stardust, and whispers the following:

“To have faith is to have wings.”

From there, the surrounding lights dim and the specks of gold brighten. Molly is lifted above by actors, and as we see her spread her arms, Boy looks up in pure awe. Voss and Bell play the moment wonderfully – particularly as Voss’ Molly enjoys the feel of proving Bell wrong when he doubts her abilities. Most impressive though, at least personally, is the way in which Cohen stages the magic. As we see Molly lifted above by her ensemble, we too are invited to use our imagination - to have faith.  From there, Cohen once again invites the audience to return to their own childhoods and enjoy the magic of storytelling and believing in the impossible.

Full of stunning performances and remarkable stage magic, Peter and the Starcatcher will leave you on the edge of your seat – eager for what’s next and wishing there was more beyond the final lights down.

Peter and the Starcatcher runs at Paramount Theatre’s Copley Theatre – 8 E Galena Blvd in Aurora  through September 1, 2024. See the Paramount Theatre Website for tickets and information.

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