Items filtered by date: November 2007

When my husband announced that his company holiday party this year was 80s themed, my first thought was that it had been done before. I’d donned enough leg warmers and sported enough side ponytails at enough parties. My second thought was why not the 90s? Surely in 2023 people want to worship another decade? But when I read Chicago was getting American Psycho: The Musical, I dug out my favorite oversized blazer and headed to Wicker Park to watch the book-turned-movie-turned-musical that encapsulated and glorified the very decade I dared to criticize..

The cast was led by the showstopping talent of Kyle Patrick as Patrick Bateman, the stylish and sadistic center of American Psycho. Patrick’s performance was riveting, one couldn’t take his eyes away from him. He perfectly captured Bateman’s devilishly attractive and hypnotic presence, pulling you in with his charm and wit, turning psychotically evil effortlessly before falling back into his charm. The range Patrick displayed as Bateman was nothing short of breathtaking. The murderous chemistry between Patrick and John Drea as his nemesis Paul Owen was haunting and electric, their bravados embodying the 80s and their fight staging choreography scarily convincing. The play was accompanied with an indulgent soundtrack with original numbers like “Cards” and “Not a Common Man” along with seminal 80s bangers Everybody Wants to Rule the World and of course Hip to Be Square. You were dancing in your seat along with the cast.

The play was set appropriately on a cat walk, white business cards adorning the path, the cast using the cat walk to seamlessly transition from the Tunnel nightclub Tunnel, to the gym, to the office, to Paul Owen’s apartment, the entrances draped cleverly with white tarp. The choreography, directed by Breon Arzell, was nothing short of art. Arzell was able to take extremely difficult and violent scenes and make them hauntingly captivating. In one particularly sexually violet scene (read the book or watch the film if you are curious about this referenced scene), an adonis-like Patrick puppeteered two women, played by Emily Holland and Quinn Simmons, through a series of graceful movements, simulating a sexual throupling without being obscene, and navigating the violence with dignity, masked through the art of dance. Such scenes were made to be very effective thanks to Kokandy's incredibly talented Intimacy Coordinate Kirsten Baity and Fight Choreographer Kate Lass. 

(left to right) Kyle Patrick and John Dreain Kokandy Productions’ Chicago premiere of American Psycho: The Musical

The book-turned-movie-turned-musical has real staying power. Comments Director Derek Van Barham,  It’s horror, it’s satire, it goes for the guts and getsinto your head. And it’s all tinged with that David Lynchian unease of ‘What is actually happening?’ Extending that question of uncertainty into the live experience, we’re playing with what we show vs. what we don’t show, what you see vs. what you think you saw. A lot is going to be left up to the audience.” American Psycho: The Musical has many themes that are still applicable and relatable today. If I concede that the musical glorifying the 80s is still relevant and significant in 2023, then by proxy the 80s are still relevant and significant today, meaning I must find neon bangle earrings to match my leg warmers this holiday season…

Kokandy Production's American Psycho: The Musical runs through November 26, 2023 at The Chopin Studio Theatre (1543 W. Division St., Chicago). Tickets are available at https://www.kokandyproductions.com/american-psycho/.

*Extended through December 10th

“You might cry, you might not,” says playwright Sarah Ruhl in the show notes of Writers Theatre’s revival of her 2003 play ‘Eurydice’. Under new Artistic Director Braden Abraham, there’s a youthfulness in both casting and staging that feels like a big breath of fresh air for the Glencoe theatre company. Sarah Ruhl’s whimsical dialog appeals to a childlike sense of wonder and her bittersweet version of this classic story may unlock parts of yourself hidden away by grown-up practicalities.

We all know the Greek mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice in which a man tries to bring his beloved bride back from the dead with the sound of his music. If he can avoid looking back at her, she can follow him out of the underworld. Easier said than done.

Sarah Ruhl’s play borrows the names and framework of the Greek tragedy, but her quirky adaptation is aimed at a modern audience. In the twenty years since this play was written, Sarah Ruhl has become a regular fixture of contemporary theatre and has been shortlisted for the Pulitzer. Her unique style of balancing small-scale spectacle with arrestingly poetic observations about life is what continues to make her work popular with audiences.

‘Eurydice’ is immediately endearing because of the well-honed aesthetic created by Braden Abraham and scenic designer Courtney O’Neill. Minimal staging makes big moments like an elevator that rains all the more theatrical. Solid casting, especially in the lead roles, makes this production even more loveable.

Sarah Price plays the title character with Kenneth La’Ron Hamilton as her Orpheus. The pair are impeccably styled by Danielle Nieves. Chic fashion combined with great chemistry, it’s nearly impossible to keep your eyes off. Price is perfectly charming throughout and shows a lot of range. Her co-star is equally compelling and together they make a good case for enduring love.

There’s a line in the play at Eurydice and Orpheus’ wedding in which she says, “Weddings are for fathers and daughters.” With that idea in mind, Ruhl richly draws Eurydice’s father into the underworld, and they get to reconnect in the afterlife. These are some of the play’s most emotionally charged moments. John Gregorio plays the role of her father barefoot and vulnerable in a way that men of a certain age are rarely written. It’s here that Ruhl veers from the source material and allows this play to really be an examination of her own life.

As the playwright said, you may cry, you may not, but you will leave with a romantic feeling. Between the spectacle created on stage and the full swath of emotions illicited by the cast, there’s a lot to unpack. Sarah Ruhl’s play has aged well and it’s exciting to see one of her earlier works done to such incredible standards at a theater not far from where she grew up. Writers Theatre’s production feels like a full-circle moment in this decorated playwright’s career.

For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

GRACE -- “Let me try to explain something to you. The Nacirema Society is not a social service group nor a political organization. Our challenge and our joy is to celebrate the best of us, not by giving scholarships and financial assistance, but by recognizing the fact that there are some of us who don’t need it [a beat}. Who has never needed it." - From the script, "The Nacerima Society..."

Commissioned by The Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 2009, “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of their First One Hundred Years” comes to The Goodman Theatre thanks to the association its Artistic Director, Susan V. Booth, has with playwright Pearl Cleage. Chicago theatergoers cannot be happier. “The Nacirema Society Requests….” is a laugh out loud spectacle.

As some may have noticed “Nacirema” is simply “American” spelled backwards. Cleage borrowed the term from a satirical essay by Horace Miner, an anthropologist. Miner believes what one culture does and believes to be normal, others may see as unusual. Cleage feels African Americans have been forced to adopt values and norms of white society to survive and this process of assimilation has come at a cost.

Montgomery, Alabama, 1964 conjures up feelings of dread for African Americans. The play is set 10 years after the Montgomery bus boycott, and there are freedom rides into the deep South, challenging segregation. African Americans, under the tutelage of Dr. M.L. King Jr., are gearing up for a march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights. But to Grace Dunbar, doyenne of the exclusive Nacirema Society, nothing is more important than its upcoming 100-year celebration ball. That set-up, in and of itself, begs one to laugh.

From the moment we meet Grace Dubose Dunbar, portrayed brilliantly by the exceptional E. Faye Butler, we know we must mind our manners. She is a high strung, outspoken, aristocrat. For a glimpse into her personality, one need only to remember Dunbar rhymes with bourgeois. She’s in the midst of preparing her granddaughter, Gracie, brought to life wonderfully by Demetra Dee, for the debutante ball organized by the Nacirema Society.

Assisting Grace is her dearest friend and fellow society member, Catherine Adams Green, played with an air of affluence by the talented Ora Jones. Catherine, being sure her grandson, the dashing Eric Gerard as Bobby Green, will propose to Gracie, has planted a story of their engagement to the local society papers. Gracie and Bobby have absolutely no intention of marrying, but out of respect for their grandmothers, they play along with the charade, at least until after the ball. Marie Dunbar, Grace’s Daughter-in-law and Gracie’s mother is aware of Gracie’s intentions and fully supports her. She is played by Sharriese Hamilton with strength and honesty.

Janet Logan, a reporter, played with steely resolve by Jaye Ladymore, will be covering the Debutante Ball for the New York Times. She will be the houseguest of Grace Dunbar, creating an extra layer of anxiety for Madame Grace to get everything just right. As if having a reporter from a major newspaper breathing down her neck weren’t enough, the daughter of the Dunbar’s late former maid, Alpha Campbell Jackson, a devious portrayal by Tyla Abercrumbie, is in town with her daughter Lillie Campbell Jackson, a lovely turn by Felicia Oduh to settle a family affair. Everyone gets more than they bargained for.

In a non-verbal role Shariba W. Rivers nearly steals the show as Jessie Roberts, the maid of Grace Dunbar, proving once again, there are no small roles.

The dual set for this production can only be described as a conspicuous display wealth. Arnel Sancianco, set designer, did a visually amazing job of creating a 1960’s upper middle-class home. There is a great room with a crystal chandelier hanging in the center. The furnishings are noticeably french, with several seating areas. There is a set of stairs leading to a library that is just as opulent as the rest of the home. The home of the late Lillie Campbell is just as impressive in its scope, a 1960’s working class kitchen with colored refrigerator and matching cabinets. Costume design by Samantha Jones was gorgeous. I can tell she likes working in this era. The jewel toned dresses were fabulous.

Cleage's is work is known for its sharp wit, and insightful commentary. “The Nacirema Society” shows her ability to combine humor with social critique. It is a thought-provoking look at the dynamics of a specific segment of African American society all wrapped up in a romantic comedy. Lili-Anne Brown did a fantastic job directing this situational comedy, she keeps the ball and the tension in the air, and despite the running time, makes us forget about the worries in the world, exactly what a comedy should do.

“The Nacirema Society” runs through October 15 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

There is a Pearl Cleage festival in Chicago. Most of the events are free. You can get details at https://www.goodmantheatre.org/event/pearl-cleage-fest/

A smash hit in London and New York, "The Lehman Trilogy" is now on stage in a definitive production at TimeLine Theatre. Written by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power, and co-directed by Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling, it's easy to see why this Tony-winning tale of an unimaginably successful Bavarian immigrant family has enthralled audiences. (The run has already been extended through November 26 at Broadway in Chicago's Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place). 

Lights up on a stage covered in boxes, desks, chairs, phones, and screens, the whole space resembles a giant office (due to Collette Pollard’s smart design). Henry Lehman (played brilliantly by Mitchell J. Fain) stands at the edge of a platform, spotlight on his face. He addresses the audience, re-telling the character’s arrival to New York from Bavaria in third person, in a lyrical style that resembles a novel. The whole play is structured as such: the actors do more telling than showing, and narrate the action before embodying it, creating a sort of Brechtian distance between stage and audience. This seems to work in the plays favor, for the most part, as the narration is infused with humor, poetry, and information.

Soon enough, the actor embodies the first Lehman brother to arrive in the United States, gains an accent, and compares America to a music box. As a twinkling melody begins to play, Henry Lehman steps down and begins to set up his first shop in Alabama.

Shortly after, the two other brothers come into the picture. Henry becomes the head of the trio, while Emanuel (Anish Jethmalani) is described as the arm, and Mayer (Joey Slotnick), the youngest, works as the middleman between them. We watch the brothers negotiate and grow their business, adapting to an everchanging America, going from fabric to cotton to banking. The three actors play not only the brothers, but every other costumer, partner, wife, and child- sporting an impressive array of accents and physicalities. Each character has quirks of their own, which helps engage the audience and balances the amount of narration. Phillip, for instance, who is Emanuel’s son, is particularly comical. A neurotic boy from a young age, it is clear that he is destined to lead the Lehman Brothers Corporation. The audience laughs as a 16-year-old Phillip negotiates eloquently with United Railways, as his father watches aghast.

The design certainly helps bring the show to life, lights and sound and costume working together to take the audience on a journey that spans over a century. The simplicity of the set, lights, and sound, generally more suggestive than prescriptive, allows time to move forward fast, actors to shapeshift in the blink of an eye, and progress to hit the world of the play like a cannonball.

In a visually astonishing sequence, the American civil war is recreated on stage, through the simple use of explosion sounds, flickering lights, and papers thrown high into the air. This level of theatricality, along with the fascinating family dynamics and exploration of assimilation and loss of culture, lets the play move away from lecture and towards entertainment.

It comes as no surprise that capitalism is intertwined with all aspects of our daily lives, but seeing a group of men sitting around a table and deciding to introduce the idea of marketing onto American society, and to make buying an instinct rather than a need, that realization becomes more obvious than ever. Both a short history of 20th century American economy, and an intergenerational story of a Jewish family working towards the American dream, “The Lehman Trilogy” is highly recommended for any theatre lover with an interest in historical work. 

Timeline Theatre's production of "The Lehman Trilogy" runs through November 26 at Broadway in Chicago's Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. 

"Duchess of Malfi" is another winner from Babes with Blades Theatre Company, a troupe I have loved for 20 years. As part of its core mission, Babes With Blades uses stage combat to "tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy." Stage fighting is an interesting vehicle for social justice; the mere existence of an all-woman stage fighting company is a statement in itself.

Another reason I love Babes With Blades is the consistent excellence of their work. I’ve never seen a bad production. John Webster's Jacobean-period play "Duchess of Malfi," written in 1613, is also set during that period, an age characterized by corruption and immorality in the upper classes of society. Major themes of Jacobean drama included injustice, religious conflict, and questioning of the social order. Both tragedies and satires were popular. "Duchess of Malfi" is a little of both.

The plot has numerous convolutions but the basic theme is: the widowed Duchess (Carrie Hardin), a woman of noble character as well as birth, loves her humble steward Antonio (Clara Byczkowski). Her brothers Ferdinand (Shane Richlen), and the Cardinal (Carlos Wagener-Sobrero) vehemently oppose any remarriage of their sister—for obvious dynastic and estate purposes—and they hire ex-con Bosolo (Maureen Yasko) to spy on the couple. The lovers—no fools they—suspect chicanery, and Antonio dispatches his cherished friend Delia (Hazel Monson), to Rome, there to meet with Delia’s friend (and ex-lover) Julia (Carina Lastimosa), who is the Cardinal’s current mistress.Surely she can winkle out what the dastardly duo is up to.

One can see how this imbroglio is destined inevitably to end in the sort of carnage that The Babes do best. 

But let’s discuss the production first. The crew of "Duchess of Malfi" includes no specific vocal coach, but the players mastered Webster's "anfractuous" (to use an 18th century word) and highly convoluted language. But here the problem is not the language but the script itself. Playwright John Webster is besotted with his own voice. Shakespeare’s ornate language never loses track of the story, but Webster has a lamentable tendency to throw in superfluous verbiage simply because he can, resulting in a nearly inscrutable script.  

Director Hayley Rice and Technical Director Line Bower made shrewd use of the limited stage area to tell the story. Adroit blocking created narrative sketches through cunning placement of individuals and groups. Scenic Designer Marcus Klein and Props Designer Meg X. McGrath brought the story to life with minimal but eloquent objects. I had a bit of pregame instruction in lighting; enough to let me know Lighting Designer Laura J Wiley used them adroitly. The special lighting of the first murder was both powerful and poignant.

Fight Choreographer Maya Vinice Prentiss, with Assistant Stephanie Mattos and Fight Captain Hazel Monson, collaborated to make each fight purposeful. Intimacy Designer Jennifer L Michelson with Intimacy Captain Shane Richlen made every touch, every kiss, tell its own story. The effectiveness of Sound Designer Kiera Battles’ music is best described by saying I didn’t hear it; it simply wove itself into and through the action. This production would have been an ordeal for any but the best Stage Manager. Happily, Esau Andaleon rose to the challenge magnificently.

I’ve saved my fave for last: Jennifer Mohr’s costumes were absolutely sensational! Elizabethan Burlesque is the best descriptor for her masterful compilations of velvet trunkhose, starched linen ruffs, and brocade doublets with fishnet stockings and high-heeled boots. And Bosolo’s hair! – I can’t describe it, you’ll just have to go see it for yourself. The overall effect was garish, incongruous, disquieting – and perfect!

Best of all, of course, were the actors, who acted through the script so effectively that words were barely necessary. Yasko (Bosolo) absolutely rocked my world -- not surprising, as her 10 years with BWBTC have given her prodigious expertise on and behind the stage. Richlen (Ferdinand) underwhelmed in the first act but Act Two gave him the material he needed to shine. I absolutely loved Monson as Delia, that devoted friend. Wagener-Sobrero’s Cardinal was the only time I’ve seen a Bible wielded as a weapon! and not just a bludgeon, mind.

I loved absolutely everything but the play itself, which would definitely have benefited from judicious editing. But Webster has been dead four centuries so rewrite is a no-go. It takes a genius to make a mess into a masterpiece, and the Babes totally nailed it!

Very highly recommended, "The Duchess of Malfi" runs through October 21 at The Factory Theatre, 1623 W Howard Street in Chicago.

Ahoy matey! Climb aboard Lyric’s thrilling, new-to-Chicago production of Wagner’s ‘The Flying Dutchman’ This spooky, nautical classic opens the 2023/24 season and is a perfect way to kick off the Halloween season. While short by Wagner standards, this two-and-a-half-hour opera is performed without intermission, but the cinematic score and dazzling theatrics make the time sail by. This Dutchman leaves its audience spellbound all the way through the final curtain call.

Despite its fantastical elements, ‘The Flying Dutchman’ might be one of Wagner’s most straightforward and easy to follow operas. Based on a century’s old myth, ‘The Flying Dutchman’ spins a yarn about a ghost ship doomed to sail the sea for all eternity unless the supernatural captain can have the true love of a mortal maiden. When the Dutchman suddenly appears on sea captain Daland’s ship offering riches for his daughter Senta’s hand in marriage, an eeriness starts to creep into the port town where Senta awaits her father’s return. If the Dutchman can have Senta’s unwavering love, he can remain mortal and bring about his sinister plans on land.

What’s always striking about Wagner’s operas are how much they sound like today’s movie scores. Though sung in German with English subtitles to guide you, there’s something immediate about the way Wagner’s score conveys emotion. A creepy plot paired with abundant full-cast choruses all add up to an exciting and suspenseful final act.

Dialed-up vocals up under Christopher Alden’s direction really pay off. Part of what keeps people coming back to the same operas time after time are the beautiful moments of song that seem almost fleeting amidst something as sprawling as an opera. Such moments are plentiful too many to count in this production. This is especially true of Tamara Wilson as Senta. Not only can the Chicago native sing to the rafters, but she can also act. The same can be said of her co-star Tomasz Konieczny as the Dutchman.

When an opera takes place on the sea, staging is crucial. Kudos to the cast for doing this entire show on a diagonally slanted stage. Allen Moyer’s vision is more or less minimalism with touches of the old school. The ghostly wedding alone is worth spending two hours in the dark for. Each act though similarly staged provides an uneasy sense of suspense to match Wagner’s haunting music.

Some operas are just plain fun and ‘The Flying Dutchman’ much like Gounod’s ‘Faust’ is a devilishly good time. Wagner’s classic has a little bit of everything and it’s here you start to hear the beginnings of what would become musical theater as we know it today. An enormously talented cast of singers along with reliably sumptuous staging will have audiences under its spell and wondering where the evening went.

Through October 7 at Lyric Opera of Chicago. 20 N Upper Wacker. www.lyricopera.org (312) 332-2244.

“Sanctuary City,” Steppenwolf’s latest production by Pulitzer-winning playwright Martyna Majok ("Cost of Living") takes us somewhere audiences likely haven’t been before—deep into the emotional experiences of undocumented American immigrants.

“Sanctuary City” may seem confusing at first. A series of quick cut, apparently repetitive scenes take place on a bare stage with a boy, B (Grant Kennedy Lewis) offering shelter in his mother’s apartment to a girl, G (Jocelyn Zamudio), who climbs in a window and ultimately into his bed, but just for warmth. We eventually learn that these young innocents have been school chums since third grade, when they arrived as minors with their mothers. Neither mothers nor B and G have permanent resident status.

Through these brief glimpses Majok establishes the depth of a growing bond between the two and soon enough the play comes into its own, with B and G now 17. After his mother abandons him to return to her homeland, somehow B ekes out a living and finishes senior year, while G’s path takes a turn for the better - her mother is naturalized, and citizenship is conferred on her as well. Yet G spends most of her time at B’s place, for she is a refugee as well from her immigrant mother’s abusive boyfriends.

As the two mature, Majok explores the stresses in daily life imparted by living in the netherworld of undocumented citizens. But that is only a backdrop to the challenges meted out by life in general, which goes on for both into young adulthood. When Henry {Brandon Rivera) enters the action as B's love interest, Majok gives us an intense exploration of a love triangle. Through twists and turns, Henry and G spar in gripping fashion over who has the greater claim on B.

This is playwriting of the highest order, and the performances by Zamudio and Rivera are deft and sensitive. But we experience B's pain through the remarkable performance by Lewis. One scene early on, where G surprises 17-year-old B with a cake for his seventeenth birthday, brought me to tears. Understated, mostly silent, with imagined props illuminated only by a cigarette lighter, it's his first one alone. No joy, just tears.

Again and again B feels the pangs of abandonment by his mother, his marginalized status in a gay relationship, his career dreams dashed as he is chained to menial work, and the uncertainty of where his relationship with G will go. 

Majok has accomplished something more in “Sanctuary City.” These are fully dimensioned characters, and their lives are interesting, quite aside from the issues around residency status. While many of us have sympathy for the plight of undocumented residents in the U.S., Majok humanizes them, bringing us to identify with their life struggles. And in so doing, she really shows why we would care for these individuals—and we gain the realization that each and every undocumented citizen also has a story that is compelling and worthy of our concern.

In “Sanctuary City,” we have three star actors, and a fourth - Majok’s script, brought amazingly to life by Steph Paul in Steppenwolf’s wonderful in-the-round Ensemble Theater. The scenic design by Yeoji Kim goes from minimalist to fully furnished as sets rise and lower in the second half.

“Sanctuary City” comes highly recommended. It runs through November 18 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago.

I have seen “Blues for an Alabama Sky” several times, all very good productions. However, the production by Remy Bumppo in the intimate space of Theater Wit was sublime. 

As soon as you walk into the theater, you are transported to an apartment building on iconic Lenox Avenue in the heart of Harlem in the 1930’s. The production design is truly remarkable. Lauren Nichols’ depiction of a Harlem tenement complete with fire escape and two apartments on each floor, encapsulates the essence of tight-knit living in New York City. The meticulous attention to interior details provides valuable insight into the lives of its occupants.

This setting is beautifully enhanced by Becca Jeffords’ carefully crafted mood lighting and Ricky Harris’ evocative 1930’s musicscape. Set against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance and the opening salvo of the Great Depression, Pearl Cleage’s poignant play masterfully weaves together themes of love, loss, ambition and social change. Each character is searching for their identities and places in the world. They all experience love whether romantic, platonic or familial and the sacrifices made for love. They experience loss but are never defeated.

More than anything, they dream. They dream big dreams and they have the tenacity to bring them to fruition. Cleage created multi-dimensional characters, put them in proximity, sat back and
let them live. The characters are truly the heartbeat of this production.

Tiffany Renee Johnson, evoking a young Diana Ross, fully embodies the role of Angel. She exudes a magnetic charm, begging everyone to love her but unable to reciprocate the love she so desperately needs and wants. Pearl Cleage, we extend our gratitude for crafting the character of Guy Jacobs. Breon Arzell brings this role to life with grace and authenticity, resisting making him a stereotype.

Delia Patterson who works tirelessly to introduce family planning to Harlem is played by the talented Jazzlyn Luckett Aderele. Aderele’s vocal nuances and gestures transport us seamlessly to a time when women were just learning about agency over their bodies. Edgar Sanchez last seen by me in Goodman’s production of “Toni Stone” disappears into the conflicted persona of Dr. Sam Thomas, showcasing a depth I had previously overlooked. He proves himself capable of portraying a mature, distinguished man with flair.

Ajax Dontavius, last seen in American Blues production of “Fences” as Cory, transforms himself to become Leland Cunningham, the broken, dogmatic paramour of Angel. Dontavius lays bare every facet of this intricate character, leaving the audience captivated.

In Director Mikael Burke’s steady and capable hand, not only do these characters live, they soar. We are introduced to five very different, complex people as well as a host of era specific luminaries such as Langston Hughes, Margaret Sanger and Adam Clayton Powell, they are all real people. Cleage’s dialogue is authentic and resonant, tackling issues of race, gender, and sexuality with sensitivity and intelligence. The plays intersectionality of identity is particularly relevant.

Remy Bumppo’s “Blues for An Alabama Sky” is a triumph. It is a powerful commentary on the human condition. It invites introspection and reflection on our own dreams, aspirations and sacrifices we make to achieve them. It challenges us to confront the complexities of love, friendship, family and societal expectations. This play is a must see for anyone who craves entertaining and thought-provoking theatre.

Also notable, there is a Pearl Cleage festival in Chicago. Most of the events are free. You can get details at https://www.goodmantheatre.org/event/pearl-cleage-fest/

"Blues for an Alabama Sky" runs through October 15 at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago.

With a powerful script by Jim Cartwright and knockout performances by every cast member, Filament Theatre’s “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’” is a must-see. Set in the 1960s at a seaside village in northern England, this play about a young woman, LV (Emjoy Gavino), sequestered upstairs in her tidy bedroom, listening to her late father’s voluminous LP vinyl collection of popular chanteuses of the era that were his favorites of his—Edith Piaf, Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland and others.

Downstairs her mother, Marti Hoff (Alexandra Main), a raging alcoholic, usually wearing last night’s heavy makeup and jewelry, flails through the chaotic mess, screaming up the stairs for LV to turn it down, then collapsing on the cluttered couch. The dilapidated domicile features sketchy electrical, which frequently shorts out in showers of sparks. Yet when the power goes down, the music continues and we are treated to a revelation: LV can perfectly mimic the divas she has listened to for hours. And let me say you will be blown away by Emjoy Gavino’s singing.

Central to the achievement, or any performance of this script, is the musical capabilities of LV. How there can be found actors like Gavino who can act, and mimic perfectly a range of divas—her Billy Holiday is unbelievably convincing—well this is the magical mystery of theater and what separates us spectators from those conjuring the spectacle on the other side of the footlights. (Vocal consultant is Jessie Oliver.)

(from left) Ben Veatch, Alexandra Main. Watson Swift, Julia Rowley and Emjoy Gavino

Directed impeccably by Devon de Mayo and Peter G. Anderson, Gift Theatre has mined “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” for all its dramatic worth. Largely a story of unresolved grief, and how in this case that grief is addressed, is the core of the play. It's a bit like a mash-up of "Glass Menagerie" and :Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf." As Marti Hoff, Main launches into Cartwright’s soliloquies for a very unhappy person, making them soar compellingly, and in convincing Northern British dialect. (Kudos to Dialect Coach Adam Goldstein.) As the villain of this drama, Main’s performance as Hoff earns our sympathy even as we despise her behavior.

(from left) Emjoy Gavino and Martel Manning

LV’s escape from this toxic environment comes through the offices of telephone installer Billy (Martel Manning), a suitor whose bashful advances are a perfect match for the reticent LV (it stands for Little Voice). Manning’s performance is nuanced and compelling.

Emjoy Gavino in Gift Theatre's 'The Rise and Fall of Little Voice' at Filament Theatre

Two larger-than-life characters also figure large in the action: the stage promoter Ray Say (Ben Veath) and the impresario Mr. Boo (Watson Swift), who each turn in outstanding performances. These two engineer a public performance by LV at a local club, and it's a smash—but it causes LV to crash emotionally.

We mustn’t overlook Sadie May (Julia Rowley), Marti Hoff's silently slavish drinking and dancing buddy. Rowley captures the essence of a character living vicariously through another.

From set design (Hannah Clark), costumes (kClare McKelaston) props (Lily Anna Berman), this production of “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” will bring you on your feet cheering. Running through October 15 at Filament Theatre, 4101 N. Milwaukee in Chicago, it comes highly recommended. Reach the box office here.

I happen to like theatre that has topical and social significance. If you do too, then Idle Muse Theatre's production of "Jane: Abortion and the Underground" is a must-see!

The women's organization Jane developed from feminist thought, with a 1960’s ‘women’s lib’ group centered at the University of Chicago, which was a flashpoint for student political action – you know, the good ol’ days.

As young radicals battled racism, poverty, and the Vietnam War, women began getting fed up with their "brothers" still expecting them to cook, take notes at meetings, and copulate. (A prominent activist during the period, when asked, "What is a woman’s position?" replied' “Prone.”) Women encountered significant pushback: How could they waste their time on this girly stuff when there were so many important issues out there? But the women of Jane recognized that women are disproportionately impacted by all these issues. Injustice works by limiting a person’s autonomy, their ability to shape their own future; to achieve parity women must have autonomy over their bodies.

The play "Jane" is structured around writer Paula Kamen’s history of the Jane organization, beginning with author Kamen (played by Laura Jones Mascknin in voice-over) interviewing Heather Booth (played by Jillian Leff), a key person in the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union and one of the Jane organization's founders. As Heather begins relating Jane’s history, other actors appear and the stage morphs into fictional vignettes of the group's history, interspersed with monologues lifted verbatim from Kamen’s interviews with hundreds of the women (and one minister from UC) who ran, used, aided and abetted this feminist collective named Jane.

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" leads us through the evolution of Jane, the service organization. It started when Heather was asked to help a friend find a doctor (male, of course) for an abortion. Word spread – god knows there was need! – and soon Heather was getting too many calls to manage alone. She united fellow feminists to form a group known officially as the Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation or simply Jane. Initially, Jane did simply counselling, directing the women to male doctors, but the fees were out of reach for many of the women who called Jane. Worse, some doctors expected (or simply helped themselves to) sexual favors.

From left: Elizabeth MacDougald, Aleta Soron, Jillian Leff, Catrina Evans and
Caty Gordon in JANE: ABORTION AND THE UNDERGROUND from Idle Muse Theatre
Company now playing through October 15 at The Edge Theater Off-Broadway.

In 1971 Jane learned that one of their most-used doctors lied about his credentials -- he wasn’t a doctor, but a Vietnam medic. In a dazzling leap of courage they recognized that if he could perform an abortion safely, so could they. Between 1969 and 1973 (with passage of Roe), Jane had provided abortions for 11,000 women, primarily low-income women who could neither travel to where abortion was legal nor pay a local physician.

The staging of "Jane" was an ingenious and very effective way to demonstrate the organic nature of Jane’s development, from a favor to a friend to a counselling service, expanding to accommodate up to twenty women daily, and finally including members of Jane as active abortionists. Scenic Designer Wynn Lee created an evocative set: a student apartment, with other locations realized through projected images and cinematics (by Laura J Wiley, assisted by Baylee Speer and Britany Pearson on Lights), while Sound/Music Designer LJ Luthringer kept us rooted in the 1960/70’s with Ledd Zepplin, the Beatles, Santana, and the like. Tristan Brandon managed the many props, including a massage [operating] table.

Morgan Manasa directed the cast of 11 (many playing multiple parts) with Technical Director Line Bower. Rosie Kooi was Stage Manager with Assistant Beth Bruins. Costumer Designer Elizabeth Monti provided convincing apparel for the entire cast  Ruth (Jennifer Mohr), Nancy (Jamie Redwood), Judith (Meghann Tabor), Alice (Elizabeth Macdougald), Jody (Kristen Alesia), Micki (Catrina Evans) and Lory (Aleta Soron); for housewife Sunny (Caty Gordon) Monti unearthed a perfectly hideous 1960’s housedress! Doctor C (Troy Schaeflein) needed only a white coat and (startling in 2023) a cigarette, with Reverend Parsons (Joel Thompson) in buttoned-up black.

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" is an impressive piece of theatre that I highly recommend for everyone. In addition to the excellence of script, actors, and crew, my recommendation of "Jane" is based in politics; 2023 is a dangerous time for women’s autonomy. Mobilizing people to defend that autonomy is critically needed. I also have an intense personal attachment: My godmother Betty Roberts was a member of Jane, and helped me get an abortion with Jane in 1970. I was 16.
 
"Jane" is a terrific experience. I learned a lot, I recalled a lot, and I got a whole lot scared for tomorrow’s women ("The Handmaid’s Tale"?). I’m proud of how Illinois is managing the issue so far, but not every pregnant woman can travel to Chicago for their abortion, especially with time being so much of the essence. A first trimester abortion is less risky than a tonsillectomy or wisdom tooth extraction, but every additional week increases both the risk and the cost. Young peoples’ attitudes are nothing like they were in 1969, and I don’t know how many women like Heather and Ruth are out there. If things go really bad in November 2024 we’ll need a new Jane, even here in Illinois. To the barricades, Sisters!

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" runs through October 15 at The Edge Off-Broadway and comes very highly recommended.