Items filtered by date: November 2007

In celebration of Pride month, the About Face Theatre has launched the world premiere of The Homosexuals by local playwright Phillip Dawkins.  Dawkins weaves a familiar tale of friendship, lost loves, and how that impact helps define our current selves. It's funny, heartbreaking, and oh so relatable… even for Breeders.

The play begins with Evan, played by Patrick Andrews, sitting alone at a skating rink.  He's strikingly handsome but, for a yet to be disclosed reason, appears discontent. That is until Peter makes his appearance. Peter, aptly played by Scott Bradley, is over-the-top, can't deny his love of musicals, and is perhaps tittering on the edge of being a stereotypically flamboyant gay man. Off the bat, the two men don't appear destined to be together. In sheer moments, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, their relationship unravels leaving only questions of why and how they got to this point. Thus begins the ten-year retrospective of Evan's comical yet dramatic life since venturing out of the closet and into the big city.

Starting in the present, the play works back to a party in the year 2000. Aside from being the dawn of a new millennium, it also marked the beginning of Evan’s journey as an openly out gay man and his introduction to the people who would have the largest impact on the person he becomes in the future. Director Bonnie Metzgar brilliantly transitions between years by having the character Evan be undressed, redressed, and having him move backwards to a compilation of pop songs.

Each scene cleverly introduces a friendship while tackling certain significant aspects of being homosexual. These topics run the gamete from the incestual nature of a group of gay friends to creating one’s own definition of what a gay person should be. As the clock rewinds, the layers of Evan are peeled back exposing his insecurities with himself and his overwhelming need to be loved and feel he belongs.

Catty one-liners, insightful perspectives, and a hag (Elizabeth Ledo) I wish to emulate made this performance truly enjoyable. Simply stated, the cast delivers wit, charm, and everything that makes a production worthy of a rave review.

Presented by About Face Theatre

Regular Run: Jun 18 - Jul 24, 2011

@ Victory Gardens Biograph Theater

2433 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Box Office: 773-871-3000

On an extremely hot day, straight out of Hades, concert goers gathered for the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee as they have done for a decade now. With only a thin layer of sun block on for protection, the area in front of the stage was filled up by young people flirting with potential sunburn from hell to see a fantastic band. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals took the stage in the afternoon and shocked everyone who was watching. They were just phenomenal!

From the beginning of rock and roll music, bands have made wonderful musical creations for the world to hear. They leave their stamp of art work out for everyone to experience. With Potter's recent top ten hit "Paris (Ooh La La)" it is quite apparent that they are really going to mark the world as their territory. As time slips by, we will find that Grace Potter & The Nocturnals have a lot to offer the music appreciators of the world. They absolutely rocked the hell out of Bonnaroo.

The confident Potter is a multi instrumentalist and showed off her talent through the set list despite the unbearable heat. The group of five musicians is one of the most talented groups of the day and it doesn't appear that they will be going away for a very long time. As they work in the footsteps of artists like the Kinks and James Brown, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals musical career will be something to watch as they rise to the top. They have had an incredible start and they really should be watched closely to see what tomorrow brings.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals have played Bonnaroo several times before. They have been playing the fest consistently for a few years now. The charge of energy that comes from this band as they perform live is amazing. They have power like the Stones and know how to add in some melodic moments that may somewhat resemble a Pink Floyd style. Everything blends together among the technical guitars, thumping bass, and rumbling drums. With the talented eye candy of Grace Potter at the helm, this band is going to be just huge.

The band waved and said goodbye at the end of their set and left the audience pleased with a fantastic show. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals entertained the crowd with some good quality music. While they wowed the audience, all of their hard work could be heard within their music. It was quite clear that this group has been influenced by all the cool musicians of the 60's and 70's. Whoever they were inspired by originally, it melts down into a real good group. The mix of the musicians in this band and their influences makes this a group that would be very hard to contend with in skill and over all coolness. This group is definitely going to be leaving a lasting impression for rock bands to come.

Unfortunately, with all the heat that was present in Manchester, it was really hard to enjoy the incredible display of talent that was unfolding right before your eyes. Music fans bobbed their heads as they wiped the sweat from their brow. They were drinking anything and everything in an attempt to beat the Tennessee heat and they were losing. With temperatures in the upper nineties, it was almost impossible to enjoy anything while baking in an oven. This group would have been great to see in a cool, air conditioned environment.

After the festival was over, the rumors of a rough crowd came out. Allegations of thefts happened throughout the camp grounds. As the concert goers enjoyed the music, thieves lurked around camp sites. The happy concert goers came back to their sites only to feel violated. Over the course of the four day music festival, apparently a few bad apples helped to spoil the bunch. Very sad and heartfelt reports came out that a young lady was raped during the event. It does appear that this festival that is being referred to as a “mini Woodstock” was not all rainbows and puppy dogs.

Teenagers were running around drinking Red Bull and Monster energy drinks, as they passed their joints acting a fool. Under a tent a young man smokes a pipe of opium as two girls sit next to him holding a baby as they smoke marijuana. All sorts of drug paraphernalia was on sale at the fest promoting the use of drugs to the crowd. Skimpy clothing was a way to keep cool, but some Bonnarroo attendees chose a much freer clothing option, nothing.

Within the mix of musical acts comes a very wide demographic that was attending this show. Racist statements were made about having an artist like Little Wayne playing the same show with bands like Buffalo Springfield. Comments about “Wiggers” and “Niggers” made for a stressful time for some and were completely unnecessary.

Tickets for the 2012 Bonnarroo festival are on sale now, but there are a lot of things to consider before making a purchase. There is a huge potential for the entire weekend next year to be a gigantic heat wave as it was this year. There is a chance that concert goers could be involved in a violent crime. If you are at all worried about the heat or you are just too old and civilized, this may not be the show for you. If you do miss it, you could be foregoing a chance to see someone who is just a musical superstar like Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. They’ll leave you singing “Ooh La La La La La La La.”  

The Nocturnals

Matt Burr - Drums

Scott Tournet – Guitar, Harmonica

Catherine Popper – Bass, Vocals

Benny Yurco - Guitar, vox

As The thunderstorm rolls through to Lord Rancour’s mansion, all the guests disappear unexpectedly one by one. But did the butler do it? “Something’s Afoot,” a campy, delightful musical comedy, running at Citadel Theatre Company in Lake Forest, tells the story of 10 dinner guests, who disappear one by one. But no one knows who murdered who!

Brilliantly directed by director Wayne Mell, he allows the characters to let loose and have fun with it. Talking with Mell, he told me, “This is the first show we’re doing in a new space. We used to be in a basement of a church. But with a show like this, we needed a much bigger space.”  Tightly choreographed by Marianne Brown and wonderful music direction by Nick Sula, the show was fun to watch.

Set in 1935, the show reminded me a lot of “Clue” meets “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” The cast blended tightly on such ensemble numbers as “Something’s Afoot,” “Suspicious,” and “Carry On.” Every actor was cast perfectly in their role including Debra Criche Mell (Miss Tweed), Dennis Murphy (Clive), and Kaitlyn Andrulis (Lettie).

The comedy relief came from Mario Mazetti, who played Lord Rancour’s nephew Nigel, and from the clumsy handyman Flint, played by Edward Kuffert. Sarah Breidenbach sounded beautiful as the naïve, but sweet Hope Langdon. Her song “You Fell Out of the Sky” was fantastic. Along with her lover Geoffrey (Christopher Davis), the two highlighted the show with their duets together.

Other great highlights of the show were Flint and Lettie’s hilarious duet “(Tiny Little) Dingy.” Other notable performances were from Ellen Phelps as Lady Grace Manley-Prowe, and Andrew J. Pond as the hysterical Col. Gillweather.

Walking into this theatre, I didn’t know what I was going to expect, but as I looked at the gorgeous set that made you feel like you were in a mansion, and the amazing special effects brought the house to life. I definitely recommend this show for anyone that loves British humor, and loves a great comedic farce. This truly lives up to that.

‘Something’s Afoot’

Citadel Theatre Company, West campus of Lake Forest High School, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays with one Wednesday matinee at 1 p.m. May 18, through June 5

$35/$32 for students and seniors.

(847) 735-8554 or visit www.citadeltheatre.org.

I love a good film festival for an exciting and enriching way to spend a few days working for Buzz Magazine in Chicago. Although a large festival like CineVegas, which lasted a full 10 days and had many glamorous parties and red carpets to cover can be exciting, a smaller festival in a quaint, spiritually rich town like Santa Fe can be just the remedy to soothe frazzled city nerves and enjoy some spa pampering while taking in great new and classic films.

2010 was the anniversary of Mark Twain’s death and the much-awaited release of Twain's autobiography for "Twainiacs". When I read that Val Kilmer was named the Honorary Chair of The Santa Fe Film Festival, I decided to attend and try to do the interview I had been planning for Val about his own independent film project on Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy while in Santa Fe.

I arranged my visit with the amazingly helpful and nice, Santa Fe Film Festival staff member, Gunther Maier, to cover the entire festival. This was a last minute decision and I was really lucky that La Posada, one of the most beautiful and luxurious spa hotels in Santa Fe agreed to provide the luxury accommodations for my three-night stay just 48 hours before my arrival.

As at any film festival there are just too many good films to see, and when you are in a beautiful destination like historic Santa Fe, you need to pick and choose which showings you can take in personally and which films to watch on DVD while you explore the shops, art galleries and local scenery. The following were my choices for this weekend:

THE ATHLETE (ATLETU)
Davey Frankel’s and Rasselas Lakew’s drama ATLETU tells the inspiring and incredible true story of Abebe Bikila, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in the marathon in 1960 and 1964. An Ethiopian, Bikilia was the first African to win a gold medal and the first repeat champion in the marathon. Bikila was later involved in a tragic car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. And thus, began the greatest struggle of his life. Told on film as a hybrid of travelogue, biopic and documentary. Bikila’s first Olympic triumph was unprecedented, but his athletic conquests after a paralyzing car accident only add to his legend and impact.

CATCH-22
Director Mike Nichols’ and screenwriter Buck Henry’s 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller’s scathing satire of life in the Air Force during World War II is the pair’s boldest cinematic display. A brilliant black comedy with an all-star cast including Alan Arkin, Bob Balaban, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Jack Gilford, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Paula Prentiss, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, Orson Welles.

LENNONNYC
Marking the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 30th anniversary of his death, Michael Epstein’s documentary LENNONNYC traces the experiences of John Lennon and Yoko Ono upon their arrival in New York City in 1971. After an initial heady period of music, politics, culture and creativity in their new home, a dark period followed for both Lennon’s career as well as their relationship. However, the intertwining of man, artist and adopted city righted itself before the musical legend’s untimely and tragic death.

THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER
Directed by the legendary Bertrand Tavernier and based on a short story by Madame de La Fayette, THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER is a French period romance set during the French Wars of Religion. As he experiences his own forbidden desire for the irresistibly beautiful and much-courted Marie, soldier-scholar Chabannes must also protect her from the dangerously corrupt court dominated by Catherine de Medici. Tavernier translates de Lafayette’s novel into a brilliant evocation of the tragic conflict between duty and passion. The film’s exceptional cast includes Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Gaspard Ulliel, Raphael Personnaz.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (LUNG BOONMEERALUEK CHAT)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is a fable about a tamarind and honey farmer named Uncle Boonmee who is slowly dying of kidney failure, and finds the ghosts of departed family members coming back to visit him. The film stars Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Thanapat Saisaymar.

It goes without saying that the highlight of the Santa Fe film festival screenings for me had to be the special 40^{th Anniversary Screening of the classic film, "Catch 22".}

It was a very special feeling to be enjoying and reacting to the brilliant performances in "Catch 22" on a BIG screen, while sitting just a few seats away from two of the film’s great stars, Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss.

I had just enjoyed a fantastic VIP festival brunch with them at Val Kilmer’s own Pecos River Ranch. Richard and Paula told me that neither of them had seen the film in well over a decade.

There were also a number of very interesting and informative film festival panels going on at various art galleries over the weekend. I chose to attend the one on Women Film Producers. I loved that the panels were held in art galleries so that I could multi-task and enjoy the fantastic array of local artists after the seminars end.

Festival organizer, Gunther Maier, drove me to Val’s Pecos River Ranch for the VIP Party and luncheon. It is about a half hour away from Santa Fe’s center and it is a beautiful drive. The Pecos River Ranch is really impossible to find if you don’t know it’s exact location, there is only one tiny sign at the end of the twisty, hilly, drive that leads to it to let you know that you have made it. I wouldn’t want to attempt this drive in the dark or in winter, when Gunther says few of the roads are plowed to clear snow away.

The land around the house on the drive up to it is very pretty, dotted with barns for the horses and cows.

We arrived before all the guests’ buses, so I was able to wander around a little and see the ranch and river in all its quiet glory. The main house looks very cozy and is not pretentious at all. It is a rustic yet modern adobe style home with two modest buildings connected by a great outdoor porch walkway. I loved that his caretaker’s dogs, came right up to me and plopped down at my feet for petting as I walked to the front door. I was missing my own dog back in Chicago and it was great to see dogs with so much beautiful out door space to play in.

Val had already called me to arrange a phone interview and let me know in advance that he would not be there for the festival party because he was on location shooting his new film by Francis Ford Coppola, "Betwixt Now and Sunrise." But I was still very excited to visit his home of over twenty years. I seemed to be the only guest at the festival party who knew in advance that Val Kilmer would not be able to attend his VIP luncheon, because as I clambered up the hill to the luxury outdoor restroom the fest had set up, Richard Benjamin asked me if Val was coming and looked so forlorn when I said he wasn’t.

The ranch house is lovingly decorated in a clean Southwestern style and is perfectly situated to take in panoramic views of the river and more than 6000 acres of lush wilderness belonging to the ranch that surround it on all sides. There is an adorable full sized teepee hut across the shallow part of the riverbed that children can play in.

It looked gray and rainy when we arrived but by the time lunch was served the sun started shining again and all of the guests had a wonderful, relaxed time wandering down the rocks to the riverbank, enjoying a glass of wine and a cigarette or pipe in the open air to the wonderful sounds of a superb Jazz trio.

The Santa Fe Film Festival VIP party was a great casual event for making new friends like Cynthia Canyon, the beautiful and accomplished owner and publisher of Trend Magazine, and meeting with all of the festival’s stars and long time supporters. Variety magazine also sent a writer to cover the VIP luncheon.

Kilmer’s many fans want to know when they will hear my interview with Val. When Val and I talked, I realized that the in-depth interview I had prepared about his film on Mark Twain, Mary Baker Eddy and the precepts of Christian Science, was premature as the project was still in the planning and fundraising stage. Much to my delight, because theatre is my professional forte’, Val asked me to assist him with his compelling one-man show about Mark Twain nationwide.

In his show, "Val provides a rare look into the mind of a true genius, whose stories are more relevant than ever. From politics, to death, love, money, watermelons, God, racism and cats no topic is left untouched. Doors open at 7, trouble starts at 8."

If his already packed film schedule will permit, Val is currently considering a weekend run here in Chicago that I have arranged for November of 2011. The working title for his play on Twain’s work is " I’m Your Huckleberry". Don’t you love it!

So if you are an avid Kilmer fan or traveling "Twainiac" and eagerly anticipating seeing his play you might want to visit him at his website or send him a tweet to let him know you will attend.

I highly recommend attending the next Santa Fe Film Festival in October of 2011 to everyone who enjoys seeing a great selection of film projects in a rich, and natural setting with all the amenities of a five star hotel and spa just footsteps away.

Check out my photo gallery of this event for more great photographs and video of my visit to the Santa Fe Film Festival, and the celebration at Val Kilmer’s Pecos River Ranch at www.flickr.com/photos/kimkatz.

For more information and to purchase tickets for The Santa Fe Film Festival 2011, visit www.santafefilmfestival.com.

For more information on Val Kilmer and his film project or live show about Mark Twain visit www.valekilmer.com and www.twaineddyfilm.com .

For more information on La Posada de Santa Fe Hotel and Spa visit their website at www.laposada.rockresorts.com.

La Posada has had many star visitors including Kevin Costner, Colin Farrell, Bill and Hilary Clinton, to name a few. The hotel is filled with gorgeous and valuable art and there is a delightful afternoon tea served to guests along with an in depth tour of the art and the hotel’s ghostly history. Yes, the beautifully renovated hotel has a delightfully rich history and is believed to be haunted.

The October weekend that I was there was unusually rainy and cold so I did not get to enjoy the pool and garden setting outdoor Jacuzzi very much but I was given the most incredible, gentle "Flowing Water" massage I have had in recent years by the gifted masseuse, Rita Bergmann. Rita is a childhood cancer survivor and is an accomplished master of the intuitive healing touch. Be sure to request and reserve her services way in advance just like stars, Kevin Costner and Colin Farrell have in the past. I followed this much-needed massage healing with a cup of organic tea and a restful steam in the Rock Resort’s Spa eucalyptus steam room.

The La Posada offers a free local destination shuttle van to it’s guests which turned out to be indispensable to me for attending the various film festival parties and screenings which were nearby but a little too far to be considered walking distance. Every driver I received for the shuttle, which I used at least five times a day, were super friendly and informative and really made me feel at home while traveling alone. Two of them even waited for me outside of restaurants or stores while I ordered food or bought groceries to take back to my suite fridge.

Every adobe room or suite at La Posada is very unique in size, shape, and bath amenities so I suggest you ask them to see two or three rooms before you decide, and ask for a newly renovated room if like me you must have a room with a spa tub and quick in/out access- no stairs, near the entrance of the lovely and rustic, sprawling resort.

You can tell this was put together by the best in the business.

Executive Producer Don Foster knew what he was doing when he came back home from California to present reality as only Chicagoland can provide. Rantoul & Die was a major hit, and it was beyond expectations when it showcased in Victory Garden's perfect theater space.

They call it Victory Gardens for all the right reasons. It is absolutely an amazing place to see a play, both of this size, and of it's caliber of casting. You leave feeling so fullfilled and relieved. This was definitely a victory for the whole team.

There's those Broadway shows ( big, a little spaced out, a little untouchable and disneyesque, tinny, distant ) and then there's that Biograph Theater magic that Victory Gardens brings to life that makes Chicagoland and the American Blues Ensemble the best there could possibly be. This juicy ensemble is not only filled with people who, as you're sitting in the audience and don't realize, are all over the place, on television, just unbelievable caches of performances, and you get to sit right there, like a casting director yourself, so close, and just eat them up.

This is not a pitch by the way. Rantoul and Die was excellent!

Chicago theater does not get any more physical and stimulating than this. It actually got so real several times I felt like I was in my own family's kitchen in the 70's when all sorts of shit hit the fan.

( Francis Guinan )

All of the performances in Rantoul and Die were perfect for their scripting. According to that real dark comedy aesthetic that opitimizes Chicago and what's really going on inside our deep seeded mentalities of disappointment on any front, Francis Guinan had the part that really made you connect with the overall frustration of the story, the rah rah let's get down to business "bullshit", and setting itself. He said it; not me.

Don Foster is the Executive Producer of this great and sad poetic look at the unrequitted demise of many people in life. Don is also a Producer of Two and a Half Men. His witness of living in the far end of Illinois, along with passionate story-telling talent, led to this sordid muse of what a strange fk'd up group of losing souls might be going through in those otherwise left for ill standalone middle of nowhere scenes, of which Illinois most definitely has. I have witnessed such realities. Illinois is quite a world.

Francis plays a dragged down, bottled up, sexually enraged, lonely and ready for destruction man, and boy did he do it right. Throughout the play his physical and vocal projections couldn't really get any more real without somebody actually getting hurt. That's what we like to call a serious Chicago play.

Plays are supposed to make you feel and become part of the whirlwinds and dimensions it's stories aim to penetrate you with. Televisions can only produce a shy, one-dimensional cringe only for the weak and anti-social.......but the likes of Victory Gardens Theater and Francis' energy in Rantoul and Die make you want to eat your own teeth and chew off your fingers. Lucky enough to catch it at the end of it's run; I could've seen it several times. It just makes me want to see everything at Victory Gardens.

( Cheryl Graeff )

Now we get to the retention of this whole story. The muse. There are tones in this play; then, there are resonnant energies that serve to remind you just how active the whole story is. What level of quiet mad insanity is bubbling under the complete need to scream holy hell.  Cheryl happens to represent one of the most perverted reminders of what sex can do to violate the innocense of a far-removed culture that otherwise should never be affected by or represent the adulterated images of money and sex, and in this case also a lack there of.  When you start reading into Cheryl's character a little bit you discover that she plays both sides of the coin wonderfully. This is how you begin to appreciate the creative casting, amazing talent, and true genius of both play and player alike, not to mention the creators who had the genius to pull it all together at a level as strong as this.

When it's revealed that she has gone through something a lot of women happen to suffer, and her explosion of over-positive and endearing closeness starts falling into the darkness that is Rantoul and Die, you understand so much more about human nature, and just how fragile the balance is. Her performance was over-the-top fantastic on all fronts and charming beyond repair.

( Kate Buddeke )

This woman gives another meaning to the phrase "kiss me kate". She really portrayed what was at the center of Foster's topic of "behind closed doors" problems. Kate plays a woman who tries to make right by following her lost dream of a realtionship. She little tries to "settle down" with someone from her immediate surroundings, and only after being pitted between both of her dark sides does she have a revelation, that lasts all of about 20 minutes. If you don't know somebody like Kate's character, then you don't live in good old America, as it was, as it passed, as it was lost, you just don't know the human condition.

Kate did an exceptional job of portraying a woman who uses adversity to fight herself out of a dead end that never ends. Tantamount to what I would imagine is a lifetime cocaine habit full of Saturn height highs that knows when the gravity drops the hell is going to melt your eyes out, so the carnage must go on...unfortunately is appears as if Kate's character has taken too many bumpy rides and the options are running out. She actually consoles herself against her angry trails by clinging to a vegetable, in this case her husband, who just so happens to shoot himself in the head after his insecurity becomes all too real.

( Alan Wilder )

Now here's the poor guy that gets to suck up all the carnage offered by Rantoul and Die. Meet the man who shoots himself in the head. Why? Well...he's the person in the middle of nowhere that would possibly never have a female companion in his world, and really you wonder if any talking bag of sympathetic flesh would do to satisfy his motivated need to sit around with doritos on the carpet, all the while recalling bizarre memberances of dead animals parts in the refrigerator.

When he is dumped on and left for trash he decides to end it all, but, as his character might as well have been, he ends up a bandage wrapped vegetable anyway, consciously or unconsciously witnessing the unraveling of a bunch of eventual truths that reveal the true grit of the story that is Rantoul and Die as a depiciton of such other lost distant small towns with dimming existences and dirty nail devilish circumstances.

The only thing he is really lucky about in the story is the otherworldly and oddly sexual connection Cheryl's character gives him as the mutilated innocense she is forced to carry under her rimmed glasses and insane happiness forces her to connect with the simplicity of his mortal injury.

Amercian Blues Theater Ensemble and Victory Gardens Theater in association with Don Foster really hit this one of the head. The casting of this idea was superb. And the room was beyond appropriate.

There are very few places you can embrace such an intimate and impactful setting as at Victory Gardens. And...you might find yourself sitting in the audience with television producers as this is the perfect way to digest, absorb, and enjoy any and every play.

This is where the serious people play.

For more information visit

http://www.americanbluestheater.com

Also go to:

http://www.victorygardens.org

When it comes to theaters in Chicagoland, there are the big, and the small, but there are very few that hold the magic that is the historic Biograph theater, and they all know it.

"Congratulations to Don Foster and this exceptional cast for what is certainly one of the most genuine pieces of human theater I have ever seen. Extraordinary!"

 Excellent!

Bravo.

Since it’s opening in 1994, the Porchlight Music Theatre has been entertaining thousands of excited theatregoers. They’ve staged forty-nine productions, including five world premieres. And in a now modern day, where most people rarely see or have maybe never seen a musical/play, I was thrilled to see this musical.

Based off of the 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, by Margaret Landon the story portrays the experiences of a British schoolteacher (Anna), who is hired by the King of Siam as part of his drive to modernize the country of Siam. The relationship between the King and Anna is grossly conflicting; as well as by a love that neither of them are able to express. Anna and he king is a wonderful story about cultural differences and of forbidden love. The story of the King and I has been so popular that it was turned into a full motion picture in 1956 starring the great Yul Brynner and again in 1999.

After seeing the show, my first thought was that the show came off to a slow start. However, this musical production was a real treat and I did enjoy myself. It was humorous, fun and once the story picked up; my attention was completely diverted on stage.  Actress Brianna Borger, who plays Anna, really stood out in this musical. She was lively, excited, has a beautiful voice and she plays her role incredibly well.   Although all the actors and actresses have a wonderful singing voice, I enjoyed when she sang ”Hello, Young Lovers” the most.   Actor Wayne Hu, who plays the King of Siam however, was my favorite character of the show. Hu plays The King with plenty of enthusiasm and is also quite funny in parts of the play. His tone of voice and facial expressions throughout the play made his character quite enjoyable.   Over all, I think that all of the performers did a magnificent job; notably Kate Garassino who played Lady Thiang, and especially the young actors/actresses throughout the production.

It takes more than a few good actors/actresses to put on a great show and I think Porchlight threatre hit the nail on the head with this musical.   I would very much recommend seeing this wonder musical playing how through June 4^th at Stage 773 in Chicago, Il. Visit www.stage773.com or www.porchlighttheatre.com for show and ticket information.

A play-within-a-play requires double duty for a reviewer.  “One Last Kiss,” the play-within-the-play in this theatrical Russian nesting doll, is a painful 1930s melodrama with cartoonish characters and outdated dialogue. (As one character quips, you know a play will be bad when three people wrote it.) “Stage Kiss," however, is a smart new comedy from the poetic pen of Sarah Ruhl, a play with the heart of a poem about the logistics of love and that sloppy, slobbery line between performance and reality.

A mid-career actress known only as "She" arrives unpreprared to an audition.  She spills open her purse and hasn't read up about the show, but the director doesn't seem to mind.  Theater doesn't boast a lot of jobs for women too old to play Juliet and too young for Lady Macbeth, so they're both grateful to have found one another.  She arrives at the first rehearsal to learn the role requires considerable stage kissing (nothing out of the ordinary), and that the leading man is a former lover of hers (not ordinary).  Both or the actors are now partnered - She with a husband in finance and He with a girlfriend in kindergarten (teachin in kindergarten) – so the pair begin to professionally navigate the tricky terrain of pretending to be in love all the while remembering when they were first in love. Soon, the mechanical motions of the kiss trigger the biological emotions of the forgotten flame. Scientists have long shown that the upper lip is one of the most sensitive parts of the body – second only to a lower piece of anatomy – so it’s no surprise that 288 kisses (9 kisses a show, 8 shows a week, and a 4-week run, math courtesy of She’s financial husband) sends the pair into a stroll down Lovers and Memory Lanes.

Todd Rosenthal’s proscenium-stage-within-a-proscenium-stage perfectly illustrates the shifting worlds of performance and reality our star-crossed lovers exist in . Backstage at an unnamed theater, the wooden tiles of the floor intersect reddened brick that bears the faded letters “THEATER.” As the rehearsal process begins, wall pieces descend (and occasionally wobble) to construct the pastelled parlor of the play-within-a-play. When the leading lady and man leave the stage and head to an apartment, hidden windows in the brick illuminate. Reality and performance become just a matter of lighting. While most of his recent designs have been expert domestic sites (i.e. Martha and George’s book-filled home in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and the transparent tiers of the Weston estate in “August: Osage County”), he proves he can handle what lies out of sight for an audience - backstage rehearsals with yoga mats and high-rise apartments with pull-out sofas.

Kevin, the understudy, is next in the pecking order to lock lips with the actress.  He manhandles her, staring into her eyes like a tiger ready to eat its prey.  His inability to perfect the kiss is attributed to him being “not straight.” In a role that could easily be played as a flamboyant gay light on his feet, Jeffrey Carlson exists rather on stage like a boulder, heavy and clunky with each step. Lightness is left to the Director (expertly played by Ross Lehman), who bounces between his chair and the actor’s sides like a miniature Robert Falls. His fierce encouragement of the actor’s choices and suggestions - hold the cigarette like this, kiss her like this, shake her like this – sent laughs of recognition throughout the opening night crowd.

One thing the director can’t show the cast is the key to a healthy, long-term relationship. In a play with many roles, there is no clear role model for a healthy relationship. A passive-aggressive Midwestern kindergarten teacher can’t find her soulmate, the daughter of an actress and a finance worker walks in on mom schtupping the leading man. Romantic pairings seem to be made at random. X with Y, Y with Z, and Z with QRST. Eventually, one should be work...right?

“Marriage is about repetition,” the husband says to his wife, She. “Romance isn’t about repetition.” Just as an actor must go through the motions each night – whether with the thrill of opening night or the still of an undersold Saturday afternoon matinee – what shines through is there commitment. The rush of an opening night and of a first kiss fade quickly, and the steady rhythms of a four-week engagement or forty-year marriage take center stage.  Whether passion or commitment will rule our lives is a choice left up to each actor on this terrestial stage, but the playwright does reveal one pair that are true soulmates: Sarah Ruhl and the Stage.

"Stage Kiss" plays at the Goodman Theatre through June 5.  Tickets available at: http://www.goodmantheatre.org/

Filled with anger, love, confusion, despair, and what makes you happy, Spring Awakening goes through all that. With music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, this rock musical is an adaptation of the controversial 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind. The play deals with teenagers in Germany discovering their sexuality. The original play was banned in Germany due to its portrayal of abortion, homosexuality, rape, child abuse and suicide.

First of all, one thing that bothered me going into the theatre with this show is it’s not as intimate as it is on Broadway. Spring Awakening was meant for a small theatre to add the intimacy for the audience to appreciate with this show, and the Cadillac Palace didn’t really do it. One thing I did like was that the audience can sit on both sides of the stage during the show. I thought that’s really cool, since you can see everything up close, and feel like you’re in the show. The set design was really cool and the lighting as well. The band, though, really rocked it under the music direction of Casey RT Graham.

The story is about teenagers discovering their sexuality. The character of Melchior, played by Christopher Wood, I felt was very weak. I didn’t feel he had the energy and the passion that Melchior should have. Coby Getzug, who played Moritz was phenomenal. He was actually my favorite person in the show. Moritz is confused about his feelings and doesn’t understand them, so he goes crazy, and tries to kill himself. Elizabeth Good was a great Wendla, as was Courtney Markowitz who was a nice Ilse. Other notable performances were from Devon Stone (who played Hanschen) and Daniel Plimpton (Ernst).

There were a couple things that I liked about this show having never seen it or read the story. I liked the characters, especially the relationship between Melchior and Moritz, and Melchior and Wendla. There were a couple scenes, though, that were rough to watch, like Wendla asking Melchior to beat her, both of them simulating sex on stage, and Hanschen’s onstage masturbation scene. By the events going on in this show, this is not one to bring your children to. I would recommend 17 years and up, because of the subject matter, it can be a little rough.

The love story of Melchior and Wendla is a bit odd, along with the character relationships with the adults, and the mixed emotions between the male students and the immature adolescent behavior. Though when Wendla asks her mother how babies are made, the mother hesitates and can’t tell her. Well that’s stupid to do, knowing she could get pregnant and have an abortion. The parents should have been more aware of their children’s activities and behaviors.

Spring Awakening is a great show overall. The music and lyrics are fantastic. If you think you can take the material, definitely see it. If not, then this is not the show for you. If this show was in another theatre, I think it would be a lot for enjoyable. But for what it was, it was a good show.

If there's one thing that I can say about J M Barrie's Peter Pan at the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North, is WOW!  Having grown up with this all too familiar story, I was quite pleased to see that the threesixty theater company was able to bring this timeless classic out of the movies/books and onto a stage in way that both adults and children can enjoy.  Having been my first assignment with buzznews.net I was slightly nervous to be writing about what is virtually considered a children's story. Never the less, I was excited as a child myself; to head downtown to see Peter Pan live, in a way I have never seen. The show takes place in an unassuming looking tent just next to the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North building, however the tent itself is actually custom built and must travel where ever the production may go.  The reason for this? The inside of the tent houses the biggest spectacular of the show; a 360-degree, thirty-three foot convex video screen that virtually makes up the ceiling of the tent.  This incredible screen projects beautiful animated backgrounds and scenery that are integrated into the show.   It's like living in an animated film!  This, along with the actors being able to  "fly" above our heads throughout the play, made this play a truly unique experience.  This was not just a play, but an “awfully big adventure,” as Peter Pan would say.  In my complete amazement of this show, I could only imaging how special this was in the eyes of all the children there that night.

Actor Ciaran Joyce, who plays Peter Pan, was to me the most memorable character of the night. Ciaran Joyce does a fantastic job portraying what has been a traditionally female role in theater and it is clear to see why he was chosen for this role.  Joyce plays Peter Pan with such enthusiasm and he really knows how to make Peter Pan come alive. All the wonderful actors and actresses in this show however, are what really made this play a great experience.  Joshua Holden, who is the lead puppeteer in this show, brings an unexpected twist to the show by bringing to life the animal roles of the story.  Like all the actors and actresses of this show, he is a very talented man! If you’re looking for a great night out, in a beautiful city to see a play unlike you’ve ever seen before, I highly recommend seeing this show. I enjoyed it more than I had even expected! Visit http://www.peterpantheshow.com/venues/chicago for ticket prices and information. The show runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including a 20 minute intermission and ticket prices range from $35-$125 depending on if you are purchasing children or adult tickets. Catch this show before it moves on to another city!