Items filtered by date: November 2007

Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Company! The new, gender-swapped revival, that is.

Known more for his fully scored, more epic musicals like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim packs a big punch in this unconventional little musical about the dichotomy between single and married life — and it’s as fresh and funny in the 2020s as it was when it premiered in 1970.

Company is hilarious and moving in equal measure. It’s human and messy, yet gloriously refined through Sondheim’s music, lyrics, and storytelling.

Arguably the first musical surrounding a concept instead of a plot, Company opens a Pandora’s box exploring all the trade-offs between being married and being single. The songs and scenes detail the pros and cons of both marriage and bachelorhood, with everything tied together and grounded through the character of Bobbi — played with charisma and vulernability by Britney Coleman — the lone bachelorette in a sea of partnered-up friends, who’s about to turn 35 and is still waffling over what she wants out of life.

The North American Tour of COMPANY. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

In the 1970 version, Bobby is a bachelor. In this gender-swapped revival, which premiered in London’s West End in 2018 and on Broadway in 2021, Bobbi is a bachelorette. Both versions are entertaining, enlightening, and have insightful things to say about love. While the 1970 version was, undoubtedly, ahead of its time, the revival brings a modern touch — and a slight Alice in Wonderland flair — that connects the characters to today’s audiences.

The topic of, or should I say battle between, singledom versus settling down is endlessly mineable. Bobbi likes being single because it’s carefree. But after spending time with her married friends, she wonders if she’s missing out on something. Then again, after seeing her friends’ seemingly happy relationships hit rough patches, Bobbi appreciates again the merits of being single.

There’s a song at the top of the show called “Sorry/Grateful”, sung by Bobbi's married friend Harry, explaining how he views marriage. “You’re always sorry / You’re always grateful / You’re always wondering what might have been / Then she walks in”. It’s a wistful, reflective number that speaks to the dissatisfaction we’re apt to feel no matter what side of the fence we’re on.

Derrick Davis as Larry, Judy McLane as Joanne and Britney Coleman as Bobbie in the North American Tour of COMPANY. Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

The ensemble is strong in this production. The characters of Bobbi’s married friends carry the show as much as Bobbi does. Their conversations and quips about relationships show the true, full, colorful spectrum of married life. The scenes of Bobbi chatting with her friends feel like one-act plays (and, in fact, they kind of are; Sondheim took one-act plays by playwright George Furth and partnered with him to create Company) and show the upsides, downsides, and ridiculous sides to partnering up with someone for life.

Some of the better-known songs include the frantic “Getting Married Today”, sung at breakneck speed by the hilarious Matt Rodin, while experiencing cold feet before his wedding; the instantly recognizable “Ladies Who Lunch”, the 11 o’clock number made famous by Elaine Stritch in the original Broadway production and sung with conviction by the fabulous Judy McLane on this tour; “Another Hundred People”, which serves as a love letter to the chaos of social life in New York City; and “Being Alive”, where everything Bobbi has learned throughout the musical is elegantly summarized.

Don't miss this clever, unique, and truly funny production of one of Sondheim's best.

Company is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre at 151 W Randolph St. through November 12, 2023. Tickets at the box office or at BroadwayinChicago.com.

I doubt anyone would contest the appeal of a feel-good musical for the post-pandemic, pre-election, peri-MAGA year of 2023, and "Brigadoon" is just that: a feel-good show with overtones of fantasy and romance.

The story has two NYC businessmen wandering astray on a hunting trip in Scotland and happening upon the village of Brigadoon – a most peculiar village, as Act One makes increasingly clear. Tommy Albright (brilliantly played by Conor Jordan) and Jeff Douglas (Zachary Linnert), despite their friendship, are about as different as two men could be. Tommy has, to all appearances, a perfect life: perfect job, perfect fiancée, plenty of money and seemingly without a care in the world. Still, Tommy feels there’s something missing, and yearns to find he-knows-not-what. Jeff is more settled as dogged bachelor and tenacious tippler . He meets Tommy’s dreams with staunch rationality: Jeff believes only in what he can see, hear, feel, taste … like that.

They get lost trekking through the Scottish highlands and, though the map shows no settlement nearby, they follow the sound of music to find a group of men and women preparing for the wedding of Charlie Dalrymple (Luke Nowakowski) to Jean MacLaren (Susannah Harvey). Perhaps the wedding is the reason they’re dressed so queerly? for everyone is garbed in traditional Scottish dress … traditional for 1747, that is! The people speak oddly, with mysterious references to getting the wedding over before ‘the miracle’.

Jeff, more than a little inebriated, wants only a chance to sleep it off, which Meg Brockie (Madison Kauffman) eagerly offers. She leads him into the heathered hills, but once there reveals she has no intention of letting him sleep, delightfully expressed in the song “The Love of My Life”.

Meanwhile, Tommy’s eye has been caught by the beautiful Fiona MacLaren (Sarah Obert) and he insists on accompanying her as she goes to gather The Heather on the Hill. I trust I won’t be accused of a major spoiler by revealing that they fall in love; their duet It’s Almost Like Falling in Love is one of the show’s best-known songs.

Still, as Jeff points out, there are things that need explaining, and Fiona takes them to the eccentric Mr. Lundie (cleverly played by Timothy Wolf), who explains that in 1747 the town, to avoid being hexed by a traveling troop of sorceresses, was placed under a very special spell: the village of Brigadoon exists for but a single day every century; when the populace goes to bed at the close of that day they don’t awaken until 100 years in the future. And there’s a major catch: nobody can leave Brigadoon or the entire populace is doomed – kind of like Hotel California expanded to the scope of Jonestown.

Performances were universally superb. The voices of all principals – Sarah Obert (Fiona), Luke Nowakowski (Charlie), and Isa Ramirez as Maggie Anderson – were strong and true, particularly Sarah Obert’s clarion soprano. I single out Madison Kauffman (Meg Brockie) for her astonishing enunciation of some wickedly rapid lyrics without her tang getting tungled even once. And I single out Conor Jordan (Tommy) because, even in a comprehensively magnificent cast, his splendid performance stood out as exceptional. Not eclipsing the others, mind – that can create problems – but I found Jordan’s singing, acting, and dancing to be extra-specially special. [Yeah, I usually have a favorite in every cast – so sue me.]

The cast surrounding these principals was equally gifted: Stan Austin as Stuart Dalrymple, Bob Sanders as Archie Beaton with Will Leonard playing his son Harry; Susannah Harvey playing Fiona’s sister Jean MacLaren and Kent Joseph as their father Andrew. Timothy Wolf was an adorably discombobulated Mr. Lundie. The rest of the villagers were Jane Ashton (Delaney Good), Maggie Anderson (Isa Ramirez), Frank (Jimmy Hogan), and Kate (Anna Marie Abbate), with Adam Raso covering Sandy/Angus. The Ensemble added breadth and depth: Emma Jean Eastlund, Theresa Egan, David Geinosky, Dee Kimpel, Olivia Russell, Alex Villasenor, and Swing Renee Dwyer. It’s a big cast and I wish I could comment on each individual but have to settle with unanimously stunning.

The performers were brilliant; unfortunately much of the production tTeam didn’t quite meet their standard. Stage space was limited, but I’m accustomed to the really small stages of the storefront theatres I love, and Scenic Designer Ann Davis made clever use of the space, complementing the action of the play with multiple levels and alternate entrances. Not so much though with Props Designer Emmett Wickersham, who allowed some serious anachronisms: in the very first scene I was jolted by Tommy carrying a canvas duffel prominently emblazoned with the Ralph Lauren Polo label.

Hair, Wig and Makeup designer Alice Salazar, with Assistant Melanie Saso, did a nice job with some remarkably hirsute characters, but the wardrobes created by Costume Designer Jazmin Aurora Medina and Assistant Kristen Brinati were … meh. Scots clan plaids are distinctly singular and mean something; it’s not just a form of checkered cloth, and the kilts and flyplaids for "Brigadoon" were not authentic. Speaking of flyplaids, I understand the rationale for securing it twice – the dances are quite vigorous. Scotsmen manage, though … and I was very disappointed to catch a glimpse of inauthentic dress (or, more properly, undress) under the kilts. As for the girls, their dresses were pretty, but in no way memorable. Design is all about minutiae and details, and these fine points were neglected in "Brigadoon."

"Brigadoon" demanded a cast well-versed in three domains: acting, singing, and dancing, with the latter two dependent on Sound Designer Vija Lapp and Music Director / Conductor Michael McBride’s 7-piece orchestra. On the whole it was grand, supporting but not overwhelming the cast, though I do wish McBride had found a bagpipe. Lighting Designer Andrew Meyers skillfully evoked the shifting environments, from bright celebration to nubilous mystery.

The fights were well choreographed by Amber Wuttke, likewise the work of Intimacy Choreographer Elena Patterson; and the Scots dialect, Coached by Kathy Logelin, was spot-on. Sasha Gerritson Directed, and her Assistant Clayton Cross was also Choreographer. His dances were superb, incorporating elements of the Scottish fling and the Strathspey travelling step into each ceilidh throughout the show – presumably influenced by the consulting Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers. Dance performance was magnificent, sustained by Dance Captains Anna Marie Abbate and Isa Ramirez. Kudos to all collaborators, and of course laurels for a wonderful cast of dancin’ fools!

And speaking of collaboration: raves and plaudits for Stage Manager Allison Gonzalez. She and her Assistant Ethan Colish deserve recognition as authentic Cat Herders for bringing this show off! [BTW, have you seen this brilliant cat herder clip? It was a halftime ad for some long-ago Superbowl).

"Brigadoon" is emblematic of the Golden Age of musicals, in which all three domains – acting, singing, and dancing – play key roles. Prior to the 1920’s musical theatre was still evolving from variety shows, which might include singers, magicians, acrobats, and other divers offerings – Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan demonstrating ‘finger language’ was popular. Over time these disconnected acts took shape as vaudeville and revues, where the variety of acts had a central theme. The Jazz Age, 1920’s through 30’s brought operettas to the stage, produced by the likes of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and teams like Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

In the Golden Age of Musical Theatre, 1940’s thru 1950’s, Lerner & Lowe joined their contemporaries in producing book musicals – plays where songs and dances were fully integrated into a serious dramatic story, aimed to evoke genuine emotions, with fully three-dimensional characters performing songs and dances motivated by situation and character. Some outstanding examples of book musicals include “My Fair Lady”, “West Side Story”, and “The King and I”. Into this welcoming environment Lerner and Loeb brought "Brigadoon."

The 1960’s-‘70’s saw a major shift in style, as is to be expected in such turbulent times. Experimentation with rock musicals like “Hair” accompanied social commentary, as in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “A Chorus Line”. Stephen Sondheim flourished in this pre-contemporary era, as did Kander and Ebb and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The millenium seemed to turn back into more comedic offerings, and we’ve yet to see what the 2020’s will bring.

Me, I like dramas focusing on social issues but in general I hope for a strong swing toward original works that experiment with alternative genre.
How about you? Where would you like to see musical theatre turn? For today escapism is appropriate, and "Brigadoon" delivers! "Brigadoon" runs through November 12 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Laugh-out-loud funny, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” from an award-winning script by Robert Busch, is an entertaining domestic comedy in the vein of Neil Simon, very Jewish New York humor. MadKap Productions, which has moved to the Skokie Theatre with this show, has given it a top-notch treatment, with an elegant, very finished set—an expensively furnished co-op apartment on Riverside Drive in Manhattan.

There we find Marjorie Taub (Julie Stevens) suffering mightily on a settee, from a headache brought on by angst over whether her intellectual aspirations (she spends all her time attending heady lectures, museums, and reads Nietsche and Herman Hesse) are all for naught. “I’m just a peasant from the shtetl," she says. "I should be plowing the earth.”

All the while her sympathetic doorman, Mohammed (Ravi Kalani) is installing a designer light fixture he pulled from storage while uttering supportive counters to Marjorie’s self-loathing whines. Her woes are increased by her aging mother, Frieda (Amy Ticho), who lives down the hall, but visits constantly to moan about her bowl movements in graphic detail, between cutting remarks that buttress Marjorie’s self-hatred.

The allergist, Dr. Ira Taub (Peter Leondedis), recently retired and living a self-congratulatory life of helping student doctors, and indigent allergy sufferers in the inner city, tries to comfort Marjorie as well. But it is the arrival of Lee (Aimee Kleiman), a long lost childhood friend, that throws a monkey-wrench in this reliably operating den of neuroses. Directed by Goodman-alum Steve Scott, all this angst-ridden suffering is delivered with line after line of humorous commentary and throwaway jokes.

But as its vaguely Chaucerian name suggests, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” is at bottom a morality tale. After a crescendo of crises brought on by Lee, who squats in the apartment and turns out to be quite a gifted grifter, we get a resolution capped with a summary of the moral of the show. So the core of the comedy is dampened a tad in moments when it departs from the humor, to level a dose of somewhat heavy handed preachiness.

Don’t get me wrong, this script is good, and the performances earnest and skillful, with Aimee Kleiman as Lee a cut above (she reminded me of Julie Louis Dreyfus in Seinfeld). But overall the pacing seems slow, and the cast labored over lines that might be funnier if delivered faster and more off-hand. In comedy, it’s all in the timing. Set design is by Wayne Mell (he also does promotion and the house was full), with lighting by Pat Henderson, and truly excellent costumes are by Wendy Kaplan, who also produces the show for MadKap Productions.

Nominated in 2000 during its two-year Broadway for three Tony Awards (it won a Drama Desk Award), “TheTale of the Allergist’s Wife” is a good play well-delivered. It runs through Nov 19, 2023, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm, with one Wed. matinee on Nov 15 at 1:30 pm at the Skokie Theatre, a renovated 1912 movie house that is a gem of a performance space.

“Young Frankenstein,” a live stage musical version of Mel Brooks hysterical 1974 comedy film, is an absolute hoot in its new production at Chicago’s intimate Mercury Theatre on Southport.

WIth priceless comic bits, great costumes, dancing, and singing that is notably excellent, “Young Frankenstein” is underpinned by a bullet-proof script adapted from the movie, which in my estimation is Mel Brooks’ funniest.

If you haven’t seen the film, then you will especially be in stitches in this spin-off of the classic 19th century Mary Shelley tale Frankenstein’s monster, a cadaver brought to life with disastrous consequences. Mel Brook’s version brings us the American grandson of Dr. Frankenstein (Sean Fortunato)—also a medical doctor—who travels to Transylvania on inheriting the castle and infamous laboratory that generated the original monster.

This musical at the Mercury (like Brooks’ film) spoofs the three 1930s Frankenstein films, with their overheated melodrama and exaggerated horror.

“Young Frankenstein” happens to be the Chicago premiere of a 2017 London version, revised from the Broadway musical of 2007. The recount of so many hilarious moments from the film are extended by the music and dance. The score is a satisfying pastiche of some classic showtunes. “There Is Nothing Like a Brain” for example, samples South Pacific's “There Is Nothing Like a Dame” In parts, with other musical motifs patched in too.

What is most astounding, though, is how good the singing, dancing, and musical performances are at this Mercury Theater production. Soprano Isabella Andrews, who plays Dr. Frankenstein’s voluptuous lab assistant Inga, brings an operetta-worthy voice; and likewise mezzo-soprano Lillian Castillo, who plays Dr. Frankenstein’s uptight fiance Elizabeth. And still they are as funny as all get out.

Also notable: bass-baritone Jonah D. Winston as Inspector Kemp, a Strangelovian character with a wooden arm, and leg, and flawless comic timing. (Winston’s 2021 performance was galvanizing in Theater Wit’s Mr. Burns.) Even the Monster (Andrew McNaughton), limited to howls and moans when faced with fire, turns out to have a remarkable voice, in a show-stopping number at the end.

Particularly entertaining are the roles of the housekeeper, Frau Blucher (Mary Robin Roth), and the hunchbacked Igor (Ryan Stajmiger), garnering incredible laughter with their many signature punchlines and bits. Even the wigs (Keith Ryan) deserve a nod. After all, the Bride of Frankenstein wig transformation for Elizabeth, following her tryst with the Monster, is a key visual punchline.

One tiny quibble: the special effects for The Monster’s lab transformation could use a bit more lightning bolts and smoke. Running through December 31, “Young Frankenstein” at Chicago’s Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport is a must-see event. But be warned: once may not be enough!

It’s hard to imagine a time in which Edward Albee was considered an “emerging” playwright, but his first play, ‘The Zoo Story’ failed to impress New York producers in 1958. Of course, the play has since gone on to become a classic and is currently being revived by new-to-Chicago Gwydion Theatre Company.

Edward Albee always felt like something was missing from his two-character, one-act play about a man whose peaceful afternoon reading in the park is disrupted by a seemingly unstable young man. In the early 2000s, he eventually wrote a prequel called ‘Homelife” and the two plays are usually performed as ‘Edward Albee’s Home at the Zoo.’ Albee would eventually restrict the performing rights for ‘The Zoo Story’ in favor of the complete play.

In the years since Albee’s death, his estate has eased up on some of his more stringent demands when it came to performance rights. As such, Gwydion’s revival is a somewhat rare opportunity to see Albee’s text performed as it was originally conceived. Though, it’s fairly clear why Albee added a first act to this odd little play.

It should come as no surprise that this play, like many of his others, is linguistic gymnastics relying heavily on good casting for cohesion. Thankfully this production is in good hands with Bob Webb as distinguished Peter and Grayson Kennedy as stark, raving Jerry. Under Morgan Wilson’s direction, the play leaps off the page and becomes a story with a rhythm you can follow.

Sparse staging really turns the focus onto the back-and-forth power play between Jerry and Peter and ultimately asks the question: what do either of these characters really want? Albee doesn’t necessarily make that so clear, leaving it up to the audience to come to their own conclusions. Both Kennedy and Webb spar well off one another in what actually feels like fairly modern dialogue, despite some outdated mid-century turns-of-phrase.

It's not often you get to see ‘The Zoo Story’ as it was originally produced, and it’s always exciting when a new theater company opens in Chicago. If this production is any indication, the future looks bright for Gwydion Theatre Company.

Through October 15 at Greenhouse Theater Center. 2257 N Lincoln Ave This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In the two hundred (and five) years since Mary Shelley jolted to life her eponymous mad scientist and his monster and set them loose, Frankenstein has invaded just about every cross-section of culture. Motion pictures, of course. And literature. Sitcoms and cereal. And, based on the late Liam Scarlett’s production of the romantic novelist’s tale, now "Frankenstein" has found the stage of the Joffrey Ballet for a beautiful reimagining of the heartbroken doctor and the heartbroken creature he creates, one that embraces Shelley’s gothic 19th century original.

Like recent literary reimaginings by the Joffrey (at its old home at the Auditorium Theater), Anna Karenina and Jane Eyre, the set and stage are beautifully done—scenic and costume design by John McFarlane for the Scarlett production. The Joffrey’s staging—by Kristen McGarrity, Laura Morera, and Lauren Strongin, and Joe Walsh—nicely incorporates the ballet’s “new” and cozier home at the Lyric Opera; while the Auditorium’s scale and gravitas might have added their own touches to such a production, the Lyric and the Joffrey are a great match. Gothic scientific projections—programmed by Troy Fujimura—set the feel (which I guess one could call “steampunk,” but doing so might trivialize the vibe. Yet, it’s not all doom and gloom and bloody surgical theaters here, as we also spend much time in happier, more comfortable days with the Frankenstein family at their estate.

Jose Pablo Castro Cuevas, in the lead role of Victor Frankenstein, nicely straddles these two worlds, as his character grows up in one and longs to go to the next—in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Frankenstein, played by Miguel Angel Blanco—Cuevas’ Victor falls in love with the adopted orphan Elizabeth, played by Amanda Assucena, a favorite in past Nutcracker productions, as well as the title character in Jane Eyre. Cuevas and Assucena make a fine couple, as do Blanco and Anais Bueno, in the role of Alphonse Frankenstein’s wife and Victor’s mother, whose sudden demise gives the story its direction, sending Victor off to medical school determined to reverse death.

But before Victor goes to school and begins to amass the knowledge with which he’ll wreak his timeless monster on our world, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Christine Rocas as the Frankenstein family’s governess and Jeraldine Mendoza (another Joffrey favorite from Nutcrackers past) as her daughter, Justine. Both bring life to their roles, and I couldn’t take my eyes off either.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the production’s musical score, by Lowell Liebermann for the original, played by the Lyric Opera Orchestra and conducted by Scott Speck. The music brightens the story when needed, but even more hints at the doom to come, and the gloom always lurking.

And now, on to the anatomy theater at Ingolstadt University, where the doctor creates his monster and where the story creates its mythology, now two centuries old. Devastated by his mother’s death in childbirth, Victor leaves these loved ones (and his newborn baby brother) behind to study medicine. Here, in the same manner he towers over 1893 Chicago each Christmastime for the Joffrey’s Nutcracker as that production’s empresario, Dylan Gutierrez looms over his youthful pupils in the round, the stern and statuesque Professor Waldman.

It is here in the anatomy theatre, fueled by heartbreak, exuberant with youth, and armed with the burgeoning science of the looming industrial revolution, where Victor Frankenstein fashions his monster. The set and pyrotechnics (by Gateway Pyrotechnic Productions) rival the scale in any Hollywood Frankenstein of yore. And the monster, slippery and scarred, is given a grace and humanity many of those silver screen adaptations neglect. Jonathan Dole wonderfully plays the role of the Creature—confused and contorted, a counterfeit creation in a world it can never understand or be understood by. He is there, and then he is gone, and upon his return, we are ready to be horrified, brokenhearted, and amazed by the Joffrey Ballet’s 21st century reimagining of a centuries-old tale of horror, heartbreak, and amazement. See it at the Lyric Opera, now through October 22.

Well suited to the season, Rough House Theater brings its third annual edition of a macabre puppet show, “The House of the Exquisite Corpse III,” to the Merle Reskin Garage Space at the Steppenwolf Theatre campus on Halsted Street in Chicago.

The one-hour immersive experience gathers audiences in groups of 13, who are ushered in at 15 minute intervals to view a half-dozen 10-minute puppet performances. An emcee warns ticket-holders of foggy settings, and gore ahead—but presumably the squeamish would not choose to attend in the first place.

Each clatch of audience members are guided to the individual viewings, set behind canvas partitions or plasterless lath walls, into which peep holes have been riven or torn at a variety of heights and of differing shapes. Puppets are designed by manipulated by black-clad marionettes perform in the various settings.

At each of the six locations you don headphones to listen in to the puppets’ voices, and the background music and sound-effects, carefully matching to the live action of the puppet. The whole series was inspired by the book “Our Homes and How to Keep Them Healthy,” published in 1883 by Robert Brudenell Carter.

The first, to give newcomers a feel for it, is entitled “The Difficulty of Proof in Arsenic Poisoning Cases.” In a memorable performance, it features a young woman, bed-ridden with a hacking cough, being encouraged to sip tea by an arm intervening from the background.

After several healthy draughts of the steaming liquid, which only seem to worsen her condition, she fumbles with a 1930s radio console, stopping to hear various news reports of murders by poisoning, or antique recordings of classical music. You will have to attend to see her outcome, but know that the other settings shift in time and and setting, but maintain the disquieting tone, some with added gore and unpleasantness—a perfect prelude to Halloween!

Performers include Pablo Monterrubio-Benet and Grace Needlman, Lee and Sam Lewis, Corey Smith, Claire Bauman, Chio Cabrera and Jacky Kelsey, Justin D’Acci and Sion Silva, Ken Buckingham, and Felix Mayes and Kevin Michael Wesson. Process directors are Claire Saxe and Mike Oleon.

“House of the Exquisite Corpse III” runs through October 29 at Steppenwolf’s Merle Reskin Garage Space, 1624 N. Halsted in Chicago. It’s highly recommended, though not for the faint of heart certainly not those under 14.

*Extended through November 4th

We all know him—the Jazz King—the legend who single-handedly transformed music with a trumpet, gravelly voice, and his big dazzling smile. Louis Armstrong is the man who made us and still makes us desire a Wonderful World. As soon as I heard of the new Broadway-bound musical, "A Wonderful World," would have a short (through October 29) pre-Broadway run at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, I canceled my original plans and jumped in a cab to Randolph Street.

There, as the blue clouds fade and the curtains part, you meet Louis Armstrong’s four wives who sing and dance as they tell you about their old Satchmo. The play quickly transitions you into Louis Armstrong’s humble beginnings in the South. You travel back in time to the early 1900s in a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong sees his Jewish adoptive father, Mr. Karnofsky, with a cart full of miscellaneous items, and among them is an old trumpet. Louis begins to play and blows Karnofsky away. The show then takes you on his journey as he rises to his title as the “Jazz King.”

Before you know it, you’re whisked away into the prohibition era of the roaring 1920s in the Red Light District called “Storyville” in the heart of New Orleans. The Land of Sin is introduced to you by Armstrong’s first wife, Daisy Parker, who shows you the world of sex, booze, and jazz through dancing and singing. The costumes blew me away with glittery flapper dresses, pinstriped waistcoats, and flat caps.

You learn how Armstrong began his music career in a band called Fate Marable touring on a steamboat in the Mississippi River. At first, Armstrong’s voice was soft and not the voice we all know. This left me to wonder if they cast the wrong actor for the part. Then I quickly was surprised by a dramatic voice change and came to learn that Armstrong’s voice was damaged by his first jazz tour on the Sidney steamboat. The actor’s voice transition was remarkable. He nailed Louis’ warm raspy voice as if it was second nature to him.

The musical carries on as you watch Armstrong shuffle his way through four different wives, multiple skeezy managers, endless tours, and the challenges of racial inequality as a black man in the United States. The show takes you all over the map from New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Queens, New York, with set designs embracing all parts of the United States.

Louis’ life story gets you tangled with mobsters, behind bars in jail, and in music clubs as he plays and sings jazz music. The show captivates you as you reach a critical point in history when the Little Rock Crisis unfolds and Armstrong watches African American children be verbally and physically abused by white Americans for attending desegregated schools.

In response to the chaos, the show breaks your heart with a solemn performance of Louis singing the famous Fats Waller song, “Black and Blue.” Louis Armstrong grows angry and finds himself in a difficult place that could potentially end his career as racial tensions rise. Leaving you to wonder how he will make it through as he balances his passion for jazz and his demand for justice.

Cadillac Palace Theatre is the perfect location for this musical. The theatre opened in Chicago in 1926, just four years after Louis Armstrong moved to Chicago to play jazz music with Joe “King” Oliver. The lobby of the theatre is very rich looking with large gold mirrors and white marble. Every seat was filled in the 2,300-seated auditorium.

The stage accommodates a multi-level set with a spiral staircase and decorative wrought iron railings adorning the stairs and balconies. You seamlessly travel from place to place as the set quickly transforms into a swanky jazz club, a jail cell, the bright lights of the Windy City, and a movie set in Hollywood. The variety of stage props including suitcases, band sets, sofas, and a large office desk quickly glide on and off stage in the blink of an eye.

You feel as though you have traveled back in time and see what it was like to live in America in the 1920s and experience each decade until the early 1970s. Thanks to Toni-Leslie James, the costume design accurately changes with each decade from the dropped waistlines and feathers of the 1920s to the full skirts and sportcoats in the 1950s. It’s also worth mentioning Cookie Jordan’s phenomenal wig and hair design that flows beautifully throughout the musical.

Directed by Christopher Renshaw and conceived by Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine, "AWonderful World" is a hit musical that is an absolute must-see. The perfectly written storyline steadily moves you through Louis Armstrong’s life through song and dance as he pursues a wonderful world through blue notes, scatting, and sheer perseverance.

Out of the 26-member cast, the true star of the show, James Monroe Iglehart embodies Louis Armstrong. He nails every Louis Armstrong gesture and even has a similar smile. It’s almost as if he was resurrected and brought before our eyes with his magnetic charm, musical genius, and unforgettable voice.

This musical had the daunting task of creating music and sound that would closely resonate with the sound of Ambassador Satch’s musical perfection. I feel that it’s safe to say, that this show answered that call with a talented live jazz ensemble and Annastasia Victory’s and Michael O. Mitchell’s flawless music direction. Every cast member sang beautifully and hit every note with perfection. And as they sang they danced away in rhythmic dances around the stage.

There are a variety of dance styles like the Fox Trot and the Boogie-woogie. Each move was on point and added that razzle dazzle we all crave in a musical.
Despite some of the hardships the characters face in the musical, the show lightens it up with some comedic flare. I found myself and the crowd laughing often with some suggestive jokes and witty clap backs. At one point, Louis Armstrong’s character breaks the fourth wall and asks for the audience’s participation in singing one of his famous songs.

The opening show ended with a standing ovation and loud cheering from the crowd. Many people had Big Dipper smiles on their faces and were sharing their amazement at the performance. One crowd member, Ashley Josey said, “I literally could not stop watching. It was so inspirational.” Outside the theatre, my heart felt warm as I watched one audience member dancing and scatting his way across the crosswalk. I gotta say, I think even Pops would be proud of this wonderful, wonderful show.

‘A Wonderful World’ produced by Vanessa Williams opened on Friday, October 13th, and will run until October 29, 2023. Showtimes are 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The runtime is 2 hours and 40 minutes with a brief intermission. Tickets range from $11 to $101 depending on seats. Located at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago at 151 W Randolph Street, drinks and snacks offered at concessions and can be brought into the auditorium. There are also a few items for sale at the merch station including a mug, t-shirt, pin, and more.
Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.louisarmstrongmusical.com/

There could not have been a better site than Chicago’s Epiphany Center for a one-night performance of a truly moving work—”Soldier Songs,” a one-hour cantata with libretto and score composed by David T. Little.

This sweeping reverie on the internal life of a soldier, from boyhood through mature adulthood, expresses the inexpressible feelings a man experiences in a life under arms, and as a veteran after.

"Soldier Songs” left me deeply affected, moved to uncertainty, with feelings I struggle to express. It follows the arc of one male soldier’s experience of the military, starting from a childhood infused with hero worship of idealized soldiers as superheroes.

Those feelings are still at play as the boy, now a teenager, enlists for a period to end at age 26. It is during this time that this soldier encounters the reality of deadly battle, and his own role, in the fields of war. And finally, the Soldier, now an adult, watches his own son travel the same path, dying unfortunately in mortal combat.

Its opening minutes incorporate voice recordings of veterans of five different wars, punctuated by low-key musical accents. As the recruit ultimately encounters live battle, the music is more tempestuous. More bits of those voice recordings interject throughout. And over this, the powerfully expressive baritone David Adam Moore relates Little’s songs bringing his entire body to action, enacting emotively the lyrics of each phase of this Soldier’s life.

Laid out in three stages—Child, Warrior, Elder—Soldier Songs leaves us with Soldier experiencing the insufferable loss of his own son in battle. The poignance of Moore’s interpretation of Soldier’s anger and loss is among the most outstanding expressions I have heard of male vulnerability and emotional loss.

Backed by a chamber orchestra directed by Lidiya Yankovskaya, with sound design by Garth MacAleavey, the company includes Jeff Yang on violin, Matthew Agnew on cello, Gene Collerd on Clarinet and percussion, Jennie Oh Brown on flute/piccolo/percussion, and Jonathan Gmeinder on piano and synthesizer.

The libretto itself is based on the words of veterans. Supertitles guide the audience as the sections of the work unfold, letting us know. During the child's youthful imaginings, for example, “Boom! Bang! Dead!” the Soldier sings “If I get shot, I’ll just start over,” revealing his naivete as he launches into horrendously violent speech, knowing neither the meaning nor implications of his fantasy of fighting.

As a teen enlistee, Moore sings, “I signed a paper yesterday that until I’m 26 I belong to the government,” and Moore registers a shift in the Soldier’s character, an inkling something has changed. Part 2, begins with Warrior: Still Life with Tank and iPod,” and we learn he listens to heavy metal music to maintain his rage in battle. The underlying music is also infused with overtones of the genre. He sees “old friends, high school friends, marching in fatigues, death machines on their shoulders.”

The experience and resulting trauma of live battle follow, soldiers evaporate under fire, visible only as “blood dripping from the leaves,” as once voice over has it. “A ghastly scene without the action hero,” Moore sings. “Someone yell ‘Cut!’” But of course, no one does. This is the real thing.

Little says he was driven to this work with the realization that his entire generation has never known a time when the U.S. is not at war. And yet, “Soldier Song” is not an anti-war screed, but simply an honest expression of the toll of war on an individual Soldier.

And the setting at Epiphany Center for the Arts was so perfect. This monumental 1885 Episcopal edifice was converted into a $15 million, 42,000 square foot center for the arts in a $15 million project begun in 2017. The main sanctuary, with pipe organ and interior walls intact, has a benign patina of aging paint and religious iconography. Only as I left the venue did I look at the back wall opposite the performance stage, to see the giant words still legible in the peeling paint: “And on Earth, let there be peace.”

One can only imagine the angst for Chicago Opera Theatre’s producers when just over a week prior to the performance soloist Nathan Gunn had to withdraw from the performance for a family emergency. But by the grace of the opera gods, and a one-day waiver from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, baritone David Adam Moore flew to Chicago and saved the show. (Moore is currently working at the Metropolitan Opera for the house premiere production of Jake Heggie's “Dead Man Walking.” In watching Moore’s performance, I was struck by how completely he gave himself up to the role, and wondered how he could be so good on such short notice. Only later did I learn that he has performed this work before, including a definitive recording. 

Chicago Opera Theater moves on to the Harris Theater for the Chicago premiere of Shostakovich's "The Nose" on December 8 and 10, 2023. takes the stage in December at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. In January 2024, at the Studebaker Theater it will present Huang Ruo’s "Book of Mountains and Seas" in collaboration with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and Beth Morrison Projects. In April, again at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, it presents Vanguard composer Gillian Rae Perry and librettist Marcus Amaker's "The Weight of Light," then back to the Studebaker Theater in May to conclude its season with the world premiere tour presentation of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's "Before It All Goes Dark," based on a story by Chicago music and arts journalist Howard Reich, commissioned and presented by Music of Remembrance. 

Maybe it’s good for a theater reviewer sometimes to be … befuddled? Disquieted? Stupefied? Certainly my companion was. He’s not new to things theatrical, but has seen little of Chicago’s signature storefront ‘tiny black box’ theatres that I love so much. So Redtwist Theatre's "Wolves" was a pretty strenuous piece to cut his teeth on!

"Wolves" is presented as "a gay re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood." This description is decidedly misleading; "How Her Hood Got So Red" might be closer. The script is by Steve Yockey, who served as co-executive producer for "Supernatural," a Netflix series. Yeah, "Wolves" fits right in with that. So do not attend "Wolves" thinking ‘fairy tale’ (and for god’s sake do NOT take the kids!). The only real tie to Little Red is the axe hanging prominently on the wall. If you faint at the sight of blood you’ll miss half the show. Just sayin’.

Let me introduce the guys: Ben (Joshua Servantez) has recently moved from a small town to the big city, a transition that has elevated his neurotic anxieties to a truly alarming level. It doesn’t help that his ex-lover Jack (Gardy Gilbert) has moved in as a roommate / friend … and you know how well that sort of arrangement tends to work, especially when they have disparate views on what ‘ex’ means. We get much of this backstory from the Narrator (Monique Marshaun) who, with a snap of her fingers, stops the action mid-syllable and saunters onstage for appraisal, elucidation, and explication, including her ever-more-probing exegesis of the guys themselves.

Here’s how the story unfolds. Narrator has been trying to get Ben a little better acquainted with reality, but you know how it is with anxiety – logic truly doesn’t help. At length he just crawls into bed and pulls the covers over his head. Jack appears, resplendent in black lace bodystocking, black leather harness, and an adorable red velvet … what was that? Not a hoodie, not a cloak … let’s go with "abbreviated hooded frock." (I simply must interject an impassioned plea for Costume Designer Madeline Felauer to make one of those for me!)

Gardy Gilbert (Jack) and Joshua Servantez (Ben) in "Wolves" from Redtwist Theatre

So now here’s Jack, dressed to the nines and looking thoroughly delectable. He tries to sneak out of the apartment but Ben wakes and they embark on a deranged folie au deux: Jack wants to go to the bar but Ben insists it’s dangerous. There are people … no, wolves … out there in the dark, and they’re sure to rend Jack limb from limb. Ben offers orange chicken, Netflix, Yahtzee – anything! But these tempting alternatives work about as well as you’d expect with a guy who’s in the mood to get laid. [Ben offers that as well – remember those disparate views I mentioned? – but that’s a no-go too]. Our sympathies vacillate between Ben, who’s authentically (if psychoneurotically) terrified; and Jack, who’s now thoroughly frustrated on several fronts.

Jack finally makes it out the door, leaving Ben to obsess over wolves in the dark. The Narrator commiserates and eventually manages to get him back into bed and a fractious sleep.
He is (thank god!) still sleeping when Jack returns with his trick (Michael Dias), whom he insists on calling Wolf. A truly hilarious scene follows – Jack makes inept advances but is preposterously ambivalent about jumping Wolf’s bones, in yet another case of distinctly disparate views! Ben wakes up (naturally) and has the predictable reaction, particularly when Jack introduces his new inamorato as Wolf. At length Ben goes reluctantly back to bed.

If I go any farther I’ll start running into spoilers. Suffice it to say that, unlike Little Red Riding Hood, the carnage is not the final outcome but just another plot twist. [Note: The theatre considerately marks the seats where you might get splashed.]

The production was truly awesome. The set is the first thing you notice of course, and Scenic Designer Rose Johnson left plenty of room for the (considerable) action: one couch, one drinks cart, and one bed (in a weird little alcove festooned with red streamers), and that’s it. Oh, no, wait: there’s also an axe. With Costume Designer Madeline Felauer they’ve created a totally dichromatic production – everything, but everything, is red and black. And I’d be remiss not to repeat kudos to Felauer’s costumes. Ben and Wolf were dressed normally (in black and red), but Narrator Marshaun was gorgeous in a teensey weensey little black dress and stiletto heels. And as for Jack … Gardy Gilbert gave Felauer a stunning canvas to work with, and she made him stone scrumptious.

They all acted as good as they looked, truly! – but I have to give a hefty dose of the credit to Lighting Designer Piper Kirchhofer for helping to set the emotional tenor of each scene. It ain’t easy to light that tiny black box, but she managed famously! Same goes for Music Director Philip Matthews and Sound Director Angela Joy Baldesare; together they gave us just the right aural backdrop. Just out of curiosity, I wonder how often in their career Props Designer Evy Burch has had to provide an actual bucket of blood (for Mashaun to drizzle and dapple and dump).

I regret to say that the violence wasn’t always convincing. It may have been my perspective, off to extreme stage left, but I think Fight & Intimacy Director Courtney Abbott still has some work to do. Mind, my bar is set high – just last week I saw Duchess of Malfi, and the Babes with Blades rival Quentin Tarantino for gratuitous gore!

I’ve already said all four actors were superb, but I’m not going to just leave it at that. Servantes (Ben) was masterfully neurotic – he’ll probably have to get over a few tics behind this role! Narrator was a challenging part, but Marshaun was perfect, and super-funny! Gilbert (Jack) managed the ultra-rapid badinage masterfully, and Dias (Wolf) simply rocked my world.

"Wolves" is perhaps one of those hybrid pieces: it’s comedic but not a comedy; it’s about love and sex but it’s not a romance; tragedy doesn’t really fit either, and calling it slasher would be oversimplifying. Yockey braids all these genre together into a droll, poignant, blood-curdling whole.

The "Wolves" script is all about timing: one must act at exactly the right split second to keep the duologues surging along at breakneck speed: Ben and Jack had a great many ultra-rapid exchanges with never a bobble. And the abrupt finger-snap stop-actions giving Narrator the floor were executed flawlessly. That kind of precision is only possible with exceptionally skillful direction. Luckily, WOLVES was directed by Dusty Brown, with Assistant Kezia Waters. Brown is awesome, and they did their usual splendid job with "Wolves."

FYI, Brown is also Redtwist’s artistic director, so look for lots of good stuff from Redtwist this season. Their next production, Larry Kramer’s iconic NORMAL HEART, is almost sold out already, despite its not even having definite dates yet! Redtwist has a grant from City of Chicago for renovation, and will put on a new face and extra amenities without sacrificing its signature little black box vibe.

My increasing cognizance of all that’s happening behind the scenes has given me special appreciation for the Stage Manager, and my hat’s off to Raine DeDominici. "Wolves" was a complicated show. What does a stage manager actually do? Everything.’"Wolves" could have been total bedlam; would have been, without DeDominici’s extraordinary guidance and governance. Kudos, kudos.

In summary: do not buy tickets to "Wolves" if you’re looking for a pleasant, relaxing evening. Expect to leave "Wolves" feeling bewildered, rattled, stunned, disquieted … and awestruck. One final caveat: when I left the theatre I was really glad it’d been a matinee and the sun was still shining. In fact, I’m going to try to limit myself to matinees for a while. There’s "Wolves" out there in the dark.
"Wolves" plays at Redtwist Theatre through November 5