Items filtered by date: November 2007

A thin, pale boy sits in his boxers at the foot of a small, twin bed when you enter the third floor of the Flat Irons Building.  He’ll be the narrator and key figure in the 90-minute story of technology, morality, and obsession.  It’s a frightening tale of internet manipulation that almost ends fatally, but what is most frightening is that the story is true.

Inspired by the 2004 Vanity Fair article, “U Want Me 2 Kill Him,” Carlos Murillo has penned a morality tale of how young neurosis and technology can collide to create a digital world as dangerous as our own.  In “dark play, or stories for boys” (written in lowercase like a lazy IM conversation), 16-year old Nick seduces his classmate Adam in a chat room using the gorgeous, perfect, and perfectly fake woman Rachel.  In real life, this woman had no body, but this fictional female is embodied in the play, reciting the lines of text as if she is a fully fleshed character.  Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Mosley’s staging is so engaging that you forget most of the dialogue takes place while characters sit at a computer screen.  Besides being compelling, frightening, and well-acted, “dark play” is an excellent example of how technological interactions which consume so much of our contemporary lives can be meaningfully staged using traditional theatrical conventions.

Just as thespians create characters to illicit emotion, so too does Nick craft a three-dimensional digital Delilah.  The difference, however, is that theatergoers are conscious of their manipulation.  They may suspend their disbelief, but they know they are merely players on a stage, a fact they’re reminded of come curtain call.  But there is no curtain call in the online roman in “dark play.”  The truth is only revealed after a nearly-fatal ending, which appears quickly in the play, and despite being the actual event, feels somewhat false.   Ironically, the strength of “dark play” is also its weakness.  The climax might be real, but it diverges so far from the play’s reality that the ending feels somewhat contrived.  It’s deeply ironic that a true ending feels false.

That said, the bulk of “dark play” is theatrical and entertaining, chronicling what a British prosecutor called “an Internet soap opera moving from one scene to another, each character and story line more fantastic than the last."  It’s a startling exploration of a young boy’s psyche, which is all the more frightening when you realize we are only a few keystrokes away from doing the same.

On April 9^th, 1947, a meeting took place that would change sports and society forever. Branch Rickey, the General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, is about to break the color barrier by calling up Jackie Robinson, who would be the Major League’s first black player and he is looking for support. The play takes place in a single hotel room where Mr. Rickey hosts renowned boxer Joe Louis, actor/activist Paul Robeson, entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Jackie Robinson himself. As the meeting progresses, the often heated debate to support the move to African American communities by the three influential leaders takes on many faces, as trust, what is best for the future of Jackie and the advancement of blacks in America, risks and motives are all challenged or reviewed.   

Finely directed by ensemble member J. Nicole Brooks, Lookingglass’ production of “Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting” has all the elements of a wholly entertaining play. The cast is exceptional. Simply put Larry Neumann, Jr. is superb as Mr. Rickey, Javon Johnson is heartwarming as Jackie Robinson, James Vincent Meredith is electric as the skeptical Paul Robeson, Ernest Perry is pure gold as Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Joe Lewis couldn’t have been played better than by Anthony Fleming III. Kevin Douglas also brings with him terrific comic timing to his character Clancy Hope, the awestruck bellhop. A lapse of interest never takes place in this dialogue driven production that easily holds the audiences attention for the entire 90 minutes.

“Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting” is significant. This powerful play is eye opening, warm and educational.  

“Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting is playing through February 19 at Lookingglass Theatre located in Chicago’s historic Water Tower Water Works (821 N. Michigan). For more information visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.    

Huge rock bands like Judas Priest are imitated all the time. Cover bands climb out of the woodwork to put together bad versions of the works of art by this iconic band. Some of them are just horrible, but others are quite amazing. Within the band Sin After Sin are five talented musicians that if you close your eyes, you think you are actually listening to Judas Priest themselves.

On a freezing cold January night, Sin After Sin took the stage around 10:00 P.M. at Bobby McGee’s (10139 S. Harlem in Chicago Ridge, Illinois). This group of professional musicians played the music of this great heavy metal band note for note. To enjoy this band you don’t have to be a fan of Judas Priest. If you truly enjoy music, these guys are musical entertainers.

For the real Judas Priest fans, this is a treat to see. These guys pulled out songs that Priest themselves don’t even do anymore. They will perform more from a diehard fan perspective than anything else. This is the most elite version of a cover band that could possibly ever exist and thankfully they are here in the Chicago area.

Each musician within this group is a show all by itself. The rhythm section is about as tight as you can get. With the thundering tree trunk fingers of Brent Sullivan on Bass, it locks with the timekeeper on drums, Ed Pukstis. The hard hitting drummer and the bottom end paint the canvas for the rest of the band to shine on.

Vocalist Steven Reimer nails the high notes like never seen before in any cover band. His range and sound is very wide and dynamic. The guitars are provided by two six string masters, Al Contreras and Briant Daniel. Both of these guys know all the ins and outs of their instruments and display it well within every song.

Songs that can be heard within a Sin After Sin show are; “Electric Eye,” “Dissident Aggressor,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Desert Plaines,” “Exciter,” “Starbreaker,” “The Ripper,” “Green Manalishi,” “Stained Class,” “Devil’s Child,” “Grinder,” “Diamonds and Rust,” “Breaking the Law” and many more.

There may have only been five guys on stage, but this band owes a lot of credit to the sixth man for the night, the sound man. The man behind the board had a very good ear for mixing. He even had a portable mixing pad so he could walk around the room and make adjustments depending on what he was hearing in the different parts of the room. He provided a very high quality level of sound for Sin After Sin and made this cold January night a party to remember.  

The band Sin After Sin is an awesome act to see in a live setting. They perform all the great songs of the band Judas Priest. This group of musicians will take a stage and completely and totally satisfy the heavy metal music fans in attendance. Any opportunity to see this band live should be taken. The heavy band Sin After Sin are truly “Metal Gods!” 

I was completely under the spell of this dazzling, tribute to romance and the magical vocal stylings of Frank Sinatra by Twyla Tharp in “Come Fly Away”, performed at the Bank of America Theatre. Twyla Tharp’s 15 amazing dancers bring to life the stories of four couples falling in and out of love with tremendous style and some of the best choreography performed by some of the best dancers I have seen on the stage in a long time.

If you are a huge Sinatra fan like myself, get ready to get drunk with pleasure and fully satisfied on this smorgasbord of his best recordings brought to life including: “Let’s Fall in Love”, “Witchcraft”, “I’ve Got a Crush on You”, “Teach Me Tonight”, “Body and Soul”, and “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”. Sinatra sings all the songs with music performed by a fantastic 20-piece plus big band, which really gave the audience the feeling of being in the nightclub with all the dancers.

I believe the best dancers are also fine actors who emote their characters’ inner life through their faces as well as their bodies. Tharp’s stunning dancers, all of whom are superbly trained in ballet and modern dance equally, exude a raw sexuality that is a treat for the eyes. Twyla Tharp’s choreography is expert at dramatizing the flirtation and complex emotions of falling in and out of love that Sinatra standards describe so well.  

I can’t recommend highly enough this winning combination of my favorite singers of all time, Frank Sinatra’s standards about love interpreted and brought to life by one of my favorite choreographers of all time, Twyla Tharp.  It’s like peanut butter and chocolate, two great tastes that taste great together!

“Come Fly Away” runs through January 22^nd. For more information, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.

In the Heights, winner of the 2008 Tony for Best Musical, follows three generations in the primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood of Washington Heights as they deal with issues of class, race, and assimilation.  It’s also really good.

Penned by musician and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda (who played the bodega-owner/narrator in the original Broadway production), In the Heights is a poppy, rappy, collection of songs filled with a carnival energy and carnal emotionality that resonate regardless of race.  While some jokes might be missed by EOL spectators (English as Only Language), the struggles of making it and what to make of it are universal

Usnavi, named after a ship his parents saw as they immigrated to the United States, welcomes us to his bodega, where he provides caffeine and empty dreams (lotto tickets) to his neighbors.  He’s sandwiched in between two other shops – a salon with stereotypically gabby stylists and a family-run cab company, whose owner and wife eagerly welcome their daughter back from her first year at Stanford.  Nina, who represents everything they came to America to achieve, returns to confess she’s lost her scholarship and is on academic leave.  The one who got out has dropped out.

While the first half-dozen songs of the show are mostly solo numbers, the clever lyrics, emotional music, and strong performances easily make up for a lack of variety. The touring cast is non-Equity, but their talent is non-arguable.  When a group number does appear – “96,000” (not the number of minutes in two months, but the number of dollars in a winning lotto ticket), the audience is captivated and the conflicting desires of the town come to a point.  While Grandma remembers the island and her difficulty of assimilating into the United States, Usnavi’s love interest Natalie who will do anything to get out.  These generational differences are more than teenage angst, and instead echo the cyclical rhythms of offspring turning away from their parents to create lives of their own.

While the second act takes second place compared to the first, there are several strong numbers.  However, they only reveal the slice-of-life quality to the piece.  The overall stakes remain low.  A pair of casual love stories and family drama make for strong individual stories, but combined they fail to elevate the 2.5-hour show to a place of profound emotional or narrative relevance.  Of course, I’d rather a musical attempt to accomplish much and slightly fail than succeed at the simple.  The accomplishment of preserving a historical moment in a neighborhood on the cups of gentrification outweighs any slightly out-of-focus narrative.  Also, it’s really damn good.

The lights are up on In the Heights at the Oriental Theatre through January 15.  More information at www.broadwayinchicago.com.

Dunanana. Snap. Snap.

Dunanana. Snap. Snap.

Dunanana. Dunanana. Dunanana. Snap. Snap.

The opening theme to the popular television series The Addams Family christens the overture of the new musical The Addams Family, playing this week at the Cadillac Palace in Broadway in Chicago.  After a pre-Broadway tryout in chicago with Nathan Lane as the horny patriarch Gomez, the production has been revamped and retooled and still plays on Broadway as the touring production visits its birthplace.

Each Addams is accounted for: the ghostly wife Morticia with a plunging neckline, the violent and pudgy Pugsley, the angsty Wednesday, and a whole slew of undead Addams that serve as the chorus.  The story they tell is a classic clash of families - Romeo & Juliet style, but with a quintessentially Addams twist.  The pale and ruthless Wednesday has found herself falling for a “normal” boy and is worried her family, especially her mother, will disapprove.  The macabre and the mundane clash at a large dinner that should showcase the morbid, twisted psyche of all things Addams.  But some over-characterization of the boy’s family distract from the titular family: the Mom speaks in poetry, the Dad has lost that loving feeling, and the Son has almost no personality, except for when it sets up a punchline for the Addams crew.  Rather than serve as a grounded juxtaposition to the Addam’s crazy, this invented threesome is bit too quirky and ends up fighting the titular family for focus.

Of course, this misstep might be forgivable if the show’s songs were tuneful and passionate.  But while the witty book deserves snaps, the songs in The Addams Family are more dunanana.  And I can put my finger on the it (or Cousin It).  Wednesday’s power ballad about being “Pulled in a New Direction” by love stands out as a song with emotion and a witty game to boot (as she sings, she tortures her brother by pulling his limbs in a new direction); but the other melodies, mostly unmemorable save the opening, tend to explain the plot rather than further it.  Lacking passion, the songs don’t build stakes or tension and end up flatlining  – which I suppose the Addams family would support.

A clever and witty book by the team behind Jersey Boys (Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, whose other credits include co-writing Annie Hall and work with The Walt Disney studios) saves the night from complete death, with plenty of punchlines that celebrate the macabre and backwardly dark family.  But a central plot device - a mysterious “game,” which turns out to basically be “take a shot, tell a secret” – utterly misses the mark.  While the game and song, “Full Disclosure,” might properly close the first act of Lysistrata Jones or Legally Blonde, the Addams Family should develop a game a bit darker than your average peppy sorority sisters.

At its Chicago opening night, The Addams Family attracted a fair share of families, as kids as young as seven sat up straight to watch torture and ghosts abound.  And I felt like a kid at points, truly enjoying some of the clever and humorous puppetry (Fester’s love dance with the moon stands out).  But while the production might be enjoyed by most families, I still expect big budget musicals to offer something more passionate and moving to theatre-goers than the even-keeled nostalgic romp that The Addams Family is.  Snap. Snap.

The Addams Family is altogether spooky at the Cadillac Palace through January 1.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

The Greeks, who gave us theatre and big, fat weddings, have always been a rich source of inspiration for contemporary culture makers.  From James Joyce’s Ulysses to Disney’s Hercules, the iconic gods and legends of ancient Greece have been re-imagined, rebutted, and redone by painters, philosophers, and playwrights.  Penelope, a new play from the pen of Irish writer Edna Walsh, draws upon these distant myths to create a visually arresting, intellectually stimulating, but emotional lacking piece of theater which entertains in fits and starts.

Ancient myth (and a black-and-white comic in the Steppenwolf program) tells of the warrior Ulysses, who wages war, wins it, and pledges to return home to his love Penelope.  In the ten years’ meanwhile, hundreds of suitors vie for her hand while her husband is away.  Walsh’s Penelope starts with the final four.  In a drained swimming pool, the last of the suitors – one in each of their 30s, 40s, 50s, or 60s – have set up camp and outwitted and outlasted their weaker competition.  The lounge chairs of suitors that have fallen before are haphazardly stacked in the corners of the pool, creating a sculpture-like symbol of failed love that looms throughout the piece.

The Speedo-clad men enjoy modern luxuries – a gas grill, potato chips, and a table full of alcohol and shot glasses – as they wait to make their daily plea to Penelope (the silent and stunning Logan Vaughn).  A blaring siren and red lights announce her entrances, as the suitors scramble to fix their hair and ready their remarks.  They beg - with spoken word and vaudeville routines – as she watches on a flat screen from her secluded loft.  Their pleas fall flat, but Fitz, the eldest suitor originally cast as John Mahoney and now played by ensemble member Tracy Letts, catches her attention.  Letts brings a boisterous energy to the weathered suitor, who hides his shyness in a book, but speaks with raw sincerity.

While none of the men are ultimately successful, it is their struggle and its universality that forms the shaky core of the work.  Despite the trappings of the contemporary – gas grills and potato chips – the ancient and eternal battles shine through: unrequited love, fierce competition, and the quest for friendship amidst it all.  A strong ensemble (Yasen Peyankov as the fiery Quinn, Ian Barford as the pained Burns, and Scott Jaeck as the chaotic Dunne) under the simple direction of Amy Morton bring powerful performances to the swimming pool floor.  But at its core, Penelope is more thought experiment than emotional journey, more clever than clear, and more brain than heart.

By play’s end, the audience has become a sort of meta-Penelope.  You watch the performances, but your interest ebbs and flows.  You appreciate the wit and devotion, but the recited words start to blur meld together.  In the end, you’re left waiting silently for something more, something truer to finally come home.

Swim with Penelope at Steppenwolf through February 5.  Tickets available at steppenwolf.org.

The Joffrey Ballet production of The Nutcracker ran for its 25^th season this year in Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. Having once seen The Nutcracker ballet as a child, I was delighted to have the opportunity to see this performance once again as an adult; and it certainly was a treat. The venue; The Auditorium Theatre, is an absolutely beautiful place to visit if you've never been there before. It's a very unassuming building from the outside, however,once inside the theatre, you can't help but awe at it's magnificent appearance. I'm not certain if this is the same venue I once saw The Nutcracker as a child, but, the theatre's beautiful gold curtains, adornment and interior decor did feel remarkably familiar to me once I sat down. My girlfriend and I had been anxious to see this performance for months, so were both very excited for the performance to begin once we arrived!

It's Christmas Eve, and Mayor/Mrs. Stahlbaum and their children (Fritz & Clara) are preparing for a wonderful holiday party to celebrate Christmas.  As the evening move's on the family's guests soon begin to arrive, and they've all come with a magnitude of gifts for the family to enjoy!  The last to arrive, is the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer, Fritz and Clara's godfather, and he has come with a plethora of gifts!  He's come with a variety of mechanical dancing dolls to entertain the guests with, and a wooden nutcracker in the shape of a soldier just for Clara.  Clara instantly loves her new toy given by her godfather, however in the mists of playing, Fritz and his friends accidentally break the nutcracker that Clara loved so much.  To make up for the broken nutcracker, Dr. Drosselmeyer takes Clara on a magical journey to see the Nutcracker Prince and all her toys come to life!  It's a classic story I remember clearly from my childhood, and in it's 25th season, the Joffrey's production of The Nutcracker is more fantastic then ever before! 

As I sat there watching the performance, I soon came to realize that as a child; you really cannot appreciate the subtleties and beauty that is ballet.  The graceful movements of the dancers, the perfected symphany of the orchestra and the passion that everyone has for their roll in the performance.  It is all very obvious to an audience.  After watching the performace, I can certainly appreciate the dedication that dancers have to ballet.  Just how do they stand on their tippy-toes so effortlessly!?  The jumping, twirling, and timing of the dancers is all so perfectly matched to the fantastic orchestra music.  To explain it into words does not even come close to how great the performance really was.  The orchestra, to me, was my favorite.  Everything from the oboes to the timpany can be clearly heard throughout the theater, and it was a real treat to hear live and in person.  This being the first time I had seen a ballet as an adult, I was really quite moved by the over all performance as I really did not know what to expect going into the theatre.  

I am very thankful I was able to experience The Nutcracker ballet again, as it was much more enjoyable experience from when I was a child.  I certainly am looking forward to seeing more ballet performances in the future.  The Joffrey's production of The Nutcracker is a wonderful show that I think is appropriate for all to see.  Though children may not appreciate the beauty of the ballet as much as an adult may; it is still a visually spectacular show that any child would love!  The Joffrey's production of The Nutcracker Ballet will still be showing through December 27th.  It's a great show to take a date to and an even a better show to take some family to.  It's the Holiday season, and a lot of family comes to visit.  So for all of you living in the greater Chicagoland area, I highly reccomend taking someone to see this production before it's too late! 

If you do happen to miss The Nutcracker ballet this year however, rest assured it will be back next year for it's 26th season in 2012 as Chicago is the true home for Joffrey's, The Nutcracker.

You can visit, www.joffrey.org for more information on the Joffrey ballet company, as well as performance and ticket information on future shows. 

Lisa Lampanelli really killed it from beginning to end during her sold out comedy concert at The Venue in Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino.

As she began her usual rant hitting on every race, sexual orientation, religion and minority group, she mentioned that the Hammond casino crowd of 3000 was “cute, not as ugly as she expected”, and called out for a show of hands on any Jews in the house. Seeing as I was in Hammond, Indiana, alone in an empty row reserved for reviewers - I was the only one who raised my hand.

“Oh great, only ONE Jew in the house!” she roared and mentioned that she would, “Appreciate a booking in CHICAGO!”

I absolutely love her appearances on the Comedy Central Roasts, where she has really set the tone and pace and her monologues are very memorable.

It's true she is one of the most insult driven comics out there, but it's also so obvious that she is doing the “Don Rickles - Mr. Warmth” thing by throwing the audiences' own prejudice and massive generalizations about all of these groups right back in their faces so that they can laugh at the sheer nonsense of hatred based on stereotypes. “As a professional comic, I only make fun of ethnic and other groups that I love- that's why you never see me making French jokes.” And on gays, “Gays love powerful, talented women, they just don't like their vagina's. If I saw a drag queen dressed as me I would be elated. It's like being inducted into the gay Hall of Fame - except the ceremony is in a Denny's men's room.”

Lisa shared a great example of the healing power of this type of comedy - when done right - about Zsa Zsa Gabor’s leg amputation earlier in 2011. When Lampanelli joked about the leg a little “too soon” for critics, Zsa Zsa sent Lisa a funny personal note back, saying how much she actually laughed and appreciated the attention at that difficult time.

Lisa recently met and married a great man - with great big balls apparently - because his nickname is Jimmy “Big Balls”.  A good portion of her hysterical set was devoted to describing his monstrous package. “Honestly, these freaking balls are disgusting, they're H-U-G-E!!!” I think this newfound love is the reason Lampanelli recently lost 30 pounds and seems well, a lot more “girly” and dare I say happy?  

At the end of the show Lampanelli announced that she will have her own show on Broadway next year and sang a show tune about not wanting to be “mean” anymore but I really hope she doesn't give up her astounding reign as the “Queen of Mean”. 

Women in general are so repressed and restricted from expressing anger, disgust and a vast array of  “socially unacceptable” topics in their daily lives. We all need Lisa Lampanelli's comedy to remind us it's perfectly okay to let off that steam, it feels great to let it out, especially if you can make it funny. Lampanelli has inspired this Jew to let out a little mean here and there too.

For more information on Lisa Lampanelli on tour: www.insultcomic.com. 

Most people have never been audience to a radio show, let alone a radio show set in the 1940s. Well, here’s your chance. Set in 1944 as a live broadcast at Chicago’s legendary Biograph Theater, spectators are able to capture an enjoyable and entertaining glimpse of yesteryear. American Blues Theater's “It’s A Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph!’ is original, fun and heartwarming, but most of all it is a true experience.

As we walk into the theatre there is already a festive feel in the room with the sound of singing as cast members are leading the participating crowd in holiday classics. Between songs it is explained to us how radio shows work. We are shown an overhead sign and instructed to be quiet when the “On Air” light is on and to applaud when we see “Applause”. Cast members rotate from the three microphones stationed up front, a couch in the rear a chair to the side and a piano. They are having pleasant conversations with each other and laughing, reminiscent of a holiday gathering while taking turns addressing the audience.

Once the show actually begins we are already acquainted with the cast and primed for more holiday fun. Soon after, the curtains are drawn, shutting out the outside world, the house lights are turned down and the story of “It’s A Wonderful Life” commences.

The story begins, like in the film, with a conversation in heaven between “Joseph” (James Joseph) and “Clarence” (John Mohrlein) discussing the life of “George Bailey” and his need for help. From there the play continues to follow the classic story, as we know it. Each cast member takes on multiple roles, barring Kevin R. Kelly who has his hands full as “George”, in which he does a stupendous job. Zachary Kenney is fantastic as brother “Harry”, son “Tommy”, bartender “Nick” and “Ernie”, everyone’s favorite cab driver, while Gwendolyn Whiteside handles to perfection the voices of “Mary” and “George’s” mother. Like the others, Dara Cameron is also terrific in handling multiple roles, as is James Joseph, especially as “Uncle Billy”. As truly wonderful as each and every cast member is in this production the sheer brilliance of John Mohrlein is a true jewel to behold. So spot on is Mohrlein’s impression of Lionel Barrymore’s “Mr. Potter” that it actually prompts occasional laughs of disbelief and joy from the audience.

Rounding out the sensational cast is Michael Mahler who mans the piano, but also takes on a few characters himself, and Shawn J. Goodie who handles the show’s Foley, creating genuineness to the radio show.

It’s even fun when the show pauses for commercial breaks. Customized corporate jingles are sung as a product or service is being pitched just as done in the 1940s. At this time messages are also read to the crowd submitted by other audience members.

The show ends in its tremendous feel good fashion and the audience is then invited to have cookies and milk with the cast. Fun, fun, fun - Can you say "Must See"?

For more information, visit www.americanbluestheater.com.

*Featured in photo - Kevin R. Kelly (left) and John Mohrlein