Items filtered by date: November 2007

From the moment the sisters along with Mother Abbess sang “Maria” in one of the show’s earliest numbers, I knew I was in for a special performance. Their voices soared through the theater with a magnificence beyond what I had hoped. And when Mother Abbess (so richly performed by Susan Moniz) sang the final line in the song, “How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand”, it nearly brought tears to my eyes – just the beauty in her voice and the compassion within her words.

Paramount Theatre is currently taking on one of the most timeless musicals ever created in stage history in Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music”. And though many excellent renderings of this musical have come through Chicago over the past several decades, I can only imagine that this production would join the others among the best produced, casted and performed. From its majestic sets that seamlessly change from scene to scene to its large catalog of masterpiece musical theater numbers, this production wows the audience one scene after another.

The Sound of Music is based on the 1949 memoir penned by Maria von Trapp The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. The story was first staged on November 16^th, 1959 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre before being released as a film in March of 1965 where it won just about every award imaginable, taking off internationally thanks in part to memorable performances by Julie Andrew and the late, great Christopher Plummer. Taking place in 1938 Salzburg, Austria, its story revolves around Maria, a wannabe nun that might not be quite ready for life in The Abbey. Wanting her explore life again on the outside before committing to sisterhood, the Mother Abbess sends free-spirited Maria to serve as a governess for the widowed Captain Georg von Trapp, a retired naval officer, where she would care for his seven children. Georg is strict and has distanced himself from his children since his wife’s passing. His children now answer to whistles and march as though they were in the military. Maria becomes intent on not only breaking through to the children (who are now on their seventh governess) but also connecting them once again with their father whom they once knew much more closely. While doing so, unexpected feelings emerge between Maria and Georg. At the same time, Nazi Germany is spreading throughout Europe, Austria being no exception. The beloved country was being annexed by Hitler’s dark empire. But Georg is a devout Austrian and refuses to serve under the Third Reich. So, then the story also becomes one of escape.

For a Sound of Music production to work well, Maria must be cast well. And in Paramount’s production, they have done just that. Alicia Kaori is extraordinary. She gives us a Maria who is playful, warm, understanding, loyal, devoted, brave and adventurous. She brims with confidence when needed yet occasionally wrestles with her doubts. Kaori’s vocals are also impressive - her range is remarkable.

The remainder of the cast is superb.  As mentioned prior, Susan Moziz excels as Mother Abbess though excellence is also found in Christopher Kale Jones’ portrayal of Captain Georg von Trapp. He does a great vocally but also in capturing the captain’s exacting behavior while showing his vulnerability and his need for love again. With a cast so large, the standouts are plentiful. Included in that group would be Julia Aragon as the eldest von Trapp sibling, Liesl – one of the show’s highlights being her and Rolf’s (Michael Harp) rendition of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”. Stephen Schellhardt as Max Detweiler and Nellie Shuford as Baroness Elberfeld are both quality additions and take on their roles with much aplomb. The children are fun to watch as their talent should not be overlooked, as well as the production’s ensemble roles.

Every aspect seems to have been taken in consideration while creating this production. The sets, massive and detailed, take us inside the von Trapp home so much that we, the audience, almost feel we are invited guests during the party scene and concert goers during the Sazburg Music Festival. The costumes are rich and painstakingly precise, giving the production an element of authenticity at every turn.

If you are already familiar with the story and are looking forward to hearing to hearing such classics as “Do-Re-Mi”, “Edelweiss”, “So Long Farewell”, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” or its exhilarating title track, “The Sound of Music”, you will not be disappointed. If you’ve never seen the film or staged production before, you will undoubtedly become a fan.

Adeptly directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, this incredible production of The Sound of Music is being performed at the Paramount Theatre through January 14^th. For tickets and/or more show information click here.

Highly Recommended!

As we left the theatre my companion said, “I’d give that an A- if I knew what the heck we just saw.” From the mouths of Friends!

THIS IS NOT A PIPE is a compilation of several genres packaged together into a 2-hour production. Each of these moieties are excellently performed, though I had trouble piecing it all together into a whole.

Ellyzabeth Adler^sh/h, Chicago Danztheatre’s Executive Artistic Director, with Assistant Director Hannah Blau^sh/h, choreographed and directed THIS IS NOT A PIPE; you can’t tell me “That Is Not Multi-Tasking!

The show begins with the all-female cast dressed in identical business suits and bowler hats – all but one, who floats about in a gauzy white 1920’s gown and enormous leghorn hat. Oh yeah, many of the actors don’t enter the stage on foot. The first half-dozen entrances are made slithering gracefully on the floor of the center aisle.

Oh, and by the way, nobody speaks. We’re nearly ten minutes into the show before one of the bowler hats says “Molly?”, followed by a lovely exhibition of … what?  Geometric dance? Gymnastic pirouettes? Balletic castelling? with various bowlers emitting infrequent yips of “Molly?” “Molly!”

The action is really launched when Dr. Freud (Jenise Sheppard^th/th) takes the stage in dapper [male] evening dress, wielding a cane (which, no doubt, Is Not A Cane) and reciting passages from the writings of her male doppleganger Sigmund. Sheppard has an awesome stage presence and held me transfixed. They play ‘Red Light/Green Light’ with the ensemble, pointing the cane and barking “Nein!”, at which the person selected freezes until the next dancer is “Nein!-ed”, while continuing their soliloquy of Freudian maxims, unsurprisingly dominated by the word ‘penis’.

The final quarter hour of the action I found beautiful to watch but just as difficult to reconcile with the other sections. Adler defines her mission as taking “the works of Sigmund Freud, Rene Magritte and the birth of modern psychology… apart to question identity, sexuality, womanhood and dream interpretation, while bringing some of Magritte’s images to life’. This is quite a diverse and arduous task, and I didn’t quite see it realized, though the production certainly achieves a dream-like quality throughout.

I already said this, but it deserves saying again: every segment is superbly performed. Costumes are brilliantly designed, particularly as several quick changes occur onstage. Stripping is more than just taking off your clothes! but they pull it off, Sheppard and all twelve dancers: Angel Page Smigielski^th/th, Courtney Reid Harris^sh/h, Emma Parssi^sh/h, Julie Peterson^sh/h, Keila Hamed-Ramos^sh/h, Kristen Secrist^sh/h, Laura Sturm^sh/h, Lila Rubin^sh/h, Mary Iris Loncto^sh/h, Mia Hilt^sh/h, Morgan Van Dyne^th/th, and Wannapa P-Eubanks^sh/h.

Joshua Paul Weckesser^h/h and Joe Griffin^h/h do very well with light and sound design, especially given the technical constraints of the venue. Adler designs the set, with EC Brown^sh/h responsible for the original 2006 bird backdrop, Naomi Flores^sh/h for Rose Construction, and Matthew Gregory Hollis^h/h doing Photography. The remainder of the crew includes Managing Director Carly Davis^sh/h, Community Engagement Director Naomi Flores, and Gabrielle Foreman^sh/h as Stage Manager and Assistant Production Crew.

Kudos to all for a unique and very absorbing evening!

Through November 19^th, in the Auditorium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

My favorite writer of all time is Tennessee Williams. He was born into a dysfunctional family in Mississippi 1911. Most of his plays revolve around family dynamics.  My favorite play of his, and of all time is “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. It is an exploration of life, of death, of unrequited love and sexuality, but most of all, it’s about mendacity. The whole play is centered on various family members lying to each other, and in the case of one character, to himself.

“Cat” was written, and it takes place in the present, which would be 1955. A lackluster screen adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman was done in 1958. While beautiful to view , the movie sanitized the script, taking out the scandalous details, leaving an easily digestible movie for 1958 audience. It has none of the heart or the scandal of the play and Mr. Williams hated it.

I had mixed emotions with MadKap’s production at Skokie Theater. I loved the sound effects and felt they were well-designed. The set was a different story. I liked the hanging moss indicating a southern locale. I would have liked to see more order in the netting surrounding the set. It was extremely thick in certain places and seemed to be thrown onto the backdrop. I understand what the designer was going for. With a little help from the lighting designer this could have been an impressive set, as it is now, it is just functional. The furniture in the bedroom did not suggest a wealthy southern family of means. The vanity was a table with a tablecloth thrown over it, the chaise lounge was a pale gray color, the liquor cabinet was a 1980’s stereo system without the stereo. All these items should assist in telling the audience who these people are.  Set design for this show doesn’t begin and end with a brass bed.

The characters in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” are complicated. They have big personalities and even bigger emotions, but so much more than that, they are real people. They shouldn’t be reduced to goofy accents and characterizations.  Reid Harrisson O’Connell plays older brother Gooper and Emilie Yount plays perpetually pregnant sister-in-law Mae. O’Connell wore an oversized suit, a rare miss in an otherwise excellent costume design by Beth Laske Miller. I never got the impression Gooper was a successful lawyer. O’Connor played at the character. His body language gave H.S. student trying to play older. His big scene in the third act came off as comical. Yount as Mae fared slightly better. I wanted to see more variety in her characterization….more cat, less bitch.

I love what Kent Joseph did with Big Daddy Pollitt. He showed us all sides of this cancerous and cankerous plantation owner. In him we see parallels between himself and Brick.  Like Brick, he believes himself to be surrounded by dishonesty. Also, like Brick, he views his marriage as a sham, and feels nothing but disgust for the woman whom he married. The difference between he and Brick is Big Daddy is being lied to, while Brick is lying to himself.  Joseph gave us an honest portrayal of Big Daddy and he was equally yoked with Ann James’ Big Mama. Hers was a loud, tender, and touching performance.  A joy to watch.

I wish Caleb Gibson matched the energy of Kent Joseph. I couldn’t get past a weird accent he used. It was a cross between Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle (who, incidentally, was gay) and Foghorn Leghorn. A dialect coach would have served this production greatly. Act two of the play is the heart of the drama. We learn the problem with Brick, and Big Daddy learns of his problem. The language is very important. It is not the time to break down sobbing. Gibson, while trying to convince his father he is not “a sissy”, is incoherent because of his crying. We miss a lot of information. It was an issue of over-acting in some places while underacting in others.

Sarah Sapperstein did an amazing job as Maggie the cat. She is strong yet vulnerable. She gives as well as she takes. She is determined yet utterly feminine. We could have asked for more onstage chemistry between Gibson and Sapperstein but her Maggie was one point nonetheless.

I recommend everyone see “Cat on A Hot Tin Roof”, after all, this is Tennessee Williams. The world has changed so much since the 50’s. Writers such as Donja Love, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Jonathan Larson, Tony Kushner as well as others, owe so much to Williams. I owe so much to him; he kept me reading and learning.

“You two had something that had to be kept on ice, yes, incorruptible, yes!--and death was the only icebox where you could keep it....”
― Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Through 11/20: Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM; also Wed 11/16 1:30 PM, Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln, Skokie, 847-677-7761, skokietheatre.org, $38 ($34 students/seniors)

What did you do during the 2020 lockdown? Many people I know took on a special project – learning to bake bread, or writing a novel. Me, I took a literary antiracism journey. From the classics like Malcolm X, Bayard Rustin, WEB DuBois, and James Baldwin to more contemporary thinkers – TaNehisi Coates, Ibram X Kendi, Robin DiAngelo, Ijeoma Oluo – over the long months of lockdown I immersed myself in antiracism theory. The genre I (obviously) could not explore was theatre, and it’s gratifying to see so much antiracism woven through 2022-23 Chicago’s theatre season.

It absolutely blows me away that TROUBLE IN MIND, written by Alice Childress in 1955, incorporates all the concepts I read about modern Critical Race Theory. Dozens of the ideologies presented by these brilliant scholars – societal racism, privilege, internalized inferiority, white fragility, microaggressions – all these concepts are right there in TROUBLE IN MIND. Childress understood it all in 1955; she put it all out there in books and on stages, and nobody was listening. Takes my breath away.

Timeline Theatre, with their strong company, long experience, broad resources and culture of excellence, presents us with a superlative production of this incredible play. At the interval my companion and I were debating which was finer – the script, the acting, or the production – and at the final curtain we were still unable to single one out.

‘The play’s the thing … wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King’, and TROUBLE IN MIND catches our consciences with a play-within-a-play, showing the actors, director and production assistant at the initial read-through of Chaos in Belleville, an anti-lynching Southern drama. Tim Decke h/h plays director Al Manners,  a domineering egomaniac who brags that they’re producing an authentic and far-reaching social commentary. Shariba Rivrsh/h is brilliant as Wiletta Mayer, the lead (in both plays), who offers unsolicited instruction to neophyte John Nevins (Vincent Jordanh/h) on how to ingratiate himself to the white director. Sheldon Forrester, wonderfully played by Kenneth D Johnson h/h, an old hand at being a Black actor in a White field and scorns Wiletta’s obsequious tactics. Tarine J Bradshawsh/h is Millie Davis, more concerned with physical appearances than with anyone’s behavior. White castmates Judy Sears (Jordan Ashley Griesh/h), Bill O’Wray (Guy Van Swearingenh/h) and grizzled stagehand Henry (Charles Stranskeyh/h) are foils against this Black-on-Black controversy. Adam Shalzih/h plays flunkey stage manager Eddie Fenton in the uncomfortable role of agreeing (mostly) with the Black actors but subject to Manners’ despotism.

The substance of TROUBLE IN MIND is Wiletta’s own antiracism journey. She begins by talking the ‘you gotta be what they want’ talk, but ultimately finds herself unable to walk that walk. Manners is arrogantly confident that with Chaos in Belleville he’s PRODUCING the last word in social commentary – thereby, of course, proving himself a superior antiracist [sic]. Wiletta, keenly aware of the bigotry between the lines she’s called upon to speak, is ever more impelled to challenge Manners’ vision and direction … and inevitably to challenge Manners himself.

As I said, TROUBLE IN MIND illustrates countless facets of racism, including police brutality, affirmative action, and intersectionality. Wiletta and Millie recognize the sexist agenda in Manners’ ‘darlings’ and ‘girls; they are keenly mindful of his ‘hands-on’ approach to directing pretty blonde Judy, the sole white woman. Sisterhood trumps color, and they cross racial lines to protect the girl from Manners’ predation.

Unsurprisingly, TROUBLE IN MIND was no more popular in 1950’s American theatre than are Wiletta’s critiques of Chaos in Belleville. We see multiple intersections between TROUBLE IN MIND, Chaos in Belleville, and Childress’ real life.

Raised during the Harlem Renaissance, Childress was a crony and peer of such luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Noble Sissle, Ethel Waters and Paul Robeson. She co-founded the  American Negro Theatre, and she left us a rich body of superb work, much of which languished unappreciated for decades. TROUBLE IN MIND, now justly considered one of the great plays of the 20th Century, waited 66 years to be produced on Broadway. An early attempt was abandoned when Childress refused to make changes that producers felt would make the work ‘more palatable’ – yet another ironic confluence.

Production of TROUBLE IN MIND definitively meets Timeline’s high standards. Mica Cole is Executive Director; Artistic Director PJ Powers calls OJ Parson “Director extraordinaire”. In the program Powers quotes from the eponymous lyrics:

Trouble in mind, I’m blue

But I won’t be blue always,

‘cause the sun’s gonna shine

In my backdoor someday

Caitlin McLeodsh/h is Scenic designer; Christine Pascualsh/h and Megan E Pirtlesh/h design costumes and hair, respectively. Brandon Wardelh/h creates terrific effects with light design, augmented by Christopher Krizh/h Music and Sound. Miranda Andersonsh/h is Stage Manager; Gianni Carcagnoh/h is Production Assistant and Covid Compliance Officer. Martine Kei Green-Rogerssh/h is Dramaturg, with Assistant Deron S. Williams h/h. Dina Spoerlsh/h is Dramaturgical Display Designer – which I believe makes her responsible for the wonderful historic exhibits and portraits in the lobby … thank you!  My thanks to all of you for this amazing production.

*Extended through December 18th

What first made its mark on Broadway ten years ago in November 2012, has now become a traditional holiday play for theater goers to attend – when it comes to town. Based on the mega-popular film, A Christmas Story: The Musical is regularly being mounted by theater companies come November for families to enjoy. Already well-equipped with the humor, timeless plotline and loveable characters from A Christmas Story, the musical adds to that by bringing in a massive selection of numbers written by Pasek and Paul (book by Joseph Robinette) that make this a big stage event that is sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit. And while so many films or TV shows don’t really translate to the live stage, A Christmas Story: The Musical does.

Based in Small Town, Indiana, the story revolves around a family in 1940, Ralphie Parker specifically, wonderfully played in this production by Kevan Newman (also played by Keegan Gulledge in alternating performances). Christmas is around the corner and all Ralphie wants is the Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun. But whenever he brings up the BB gun to anyone, he is promptly shut down and told “You’ll shoot your eye out,” repeatedly his hopes are dashed, but Ralphie can still dream. Ralphie gets a brainstorm when his teacher, Ms. Shields (fantastically played by Jenna Coker-Jones) hands out an assignment for her class to write an essay on what they would like for Christmas. Simple, Ralphie will write about the Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun, and everyone will be so impressed his parents will have no choice but to gen him the gun. Well, not so simple as a series of hilarious sequences take place and Ralphie’s Christmas plans are not looking so certain.

At the same time, Ralphie’s father cast as The Old Man and brilliantly played by Lorenzo Rush, Jr., has finally won a prize for his relentless efforts at a crossword contest (thanks mainly to the help of his wife deftly played by Sara Reinecke). The prize might not be close to the generous cash awarded for the top spots, but it’s a prize – and it’s his prize, and he couldn’t be prouder of his tacky lamp of which its base is that of a show girl’s leg. He places it so it is displayed in the home’s from window and he is the envy of his neighbors.  

That lamp is just one more reason for holiday cheer in the Parker household.

The dynamics of Ralphie and his family 1940’s living is just so enjoyable to watch and the surrounding characters in this funny musical have so much to offer. Seasoned actor, Kevin McKillip, narrates the story as a grown up Ralphie looking back and reminds us why he considered one of the finest stage performers in the Chicago area. His timing is impeccable. And going back to Coker-Jones, she is most certainly another one of the show’s standouts, while Lorenzo Rush, Jr. is a thrill to watch in just about every scene he is graces us with – and, wow, his singing voice!

Performed in the round at Marriott theatre, A Christmas Story: The Musical is a holiday hit that has it all. From its nonstop laugh out loud scenes to its big, colorful song and dance numbers to its warm and moving story at its core that centers around family, this is a sure-fire treat to add to this Christmas season’s to do list.

A Christmas Story: The Musical is being performed at Marriott Theatre through January 1^st. For tickets and/or more show information click here.

The title alone is the tip-off that “The 125th Anniversary Jubilee” from The Conspirators is out of the ordinary—an irreverent show that is both laugh-inducing and thought provoking.

“Jubilee” consists of a sampling of skits from The Conspirators past performances, as well as “imagined” skits from an impossibly distant past before the troupe was founded, including a 19th century riff on Sherlock Holmes revolving around the old saw, “Do you have Prince Albert in a Can.” Another piece, a supposed 1945 skit, ‘Harry Truman's Fitful Night’ finds Truman struggling to express to Americans the enormity of the nuclear holocaust at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We witness Truman irked that the Bhagavad Gita line, “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” was already taken, used after a test detonation by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. So laughs are both highbrow and lowbrow.

These and other samplings, wrapped around a lengthier one-act French comedy of manners from 1898, make the evening a good introduction to the unique approach The Conspirators use. Known as “The Style,” it is based on a mix of classic Italian Commedia del Arte, Kabuki (actors are heavily made-up), and with a dash of Bugs Bunny. The exaggerated delivery, punctuated by drum rolls from an onstage percussionist, leads the audience to savor the lines—giving them added impact.

The core of the show, the one-act play by a French commentator, author and playwright Octave Mirbeau, is a send-up the social foibles of his time, a Moliere-esque comedy of manners, set at a town council debating what to do about an outbreak of typhoid fever at a local military base. The parallels to our ongoing battle with the Covid pandemic are unmistakable as we witness the council heed the advice of a medical professional who is a “plague denier” and then vote to do nothing, later turning 180 degrees when the disease inevitably strikes a favored member of one of their own bourgeoise.

For first-timers at a Conspirators show, the musical numbers that open the show may seem to come from left field, but very quickly the magnetic qualities of the unique format will draw you in. Written by Sid Feldman and directed by Wm. Bullion, the show draws also taps Monty Python and SNL material.  “The Conspirators’ 125th Anniversary Jubilee Featuring the Ineptidemic” left me laughing, and looking forward to the next 125 years.

The show runs through November 19 at Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. Visit https://www.conspirewithus.org

The Twenty-Sided Tavern is a funny, lively, and very interactive theater experience based on the game Dungeons & Dragons that was first published in 1974 and soared in popularity in the 1980s. And thanks to its devoted following, the fantasy role playing game that takes its players on epic journeys through multiple worlds is still popular today and has countless versions available. In fact, the game has even developed its own culture – thus, the Adventurers. Nerd heaven indeed.

But alas, I am one of the people who never played Dungeons & Dragons and wondered if The Twenty-Sided Tavern would be enjoyable to me or even comprehensible given the complexity of the rules. Well, as an outsider, I am happy to say that even though I didn’t have the thrills that most of the diehard D&D fans in the audience clearly had throughout the night with every roll of the die, I did find myself caught up in the excitement and was able to catch most of the great improv humor that cast member/creators were putting out. 

Thanks to Gamiotics software that combines with live theater, audience members are summoned to roll the die and/or choose a character either of which can change the direction of the show. The play, co-created by Sarah Davis Reynolds and David Andrew Greener Laws (DAGL), brilliantly (and often hilariously) takes audience members on various voyages based on audience participation. The fact that the show is different every night definitely adds to its drama, and I love that show goers are encouraged to keep their smart phones on to vote to figure out word puzzles and play along with the cast! 

Head writer DAGL has along with Reynolds come up with an idea that has met its time to blossom. That idea is now manifested on Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse Stage.  

Reynolds and DAGL not only created this funny production, but they also participate as key players on the stage – Reynolds as the Tavern Keeper and the latter as the Gamemaster. DAGL is extremely funny in his role as headmaster and really is the heartbeat of the entire show. He's got great comic timing and can riff with the audience without skipping a beat. The entire revolving cast has a good lively energy, some clearly a bit more experienced at comedic improv than others. 

The well-designed set puts experienced gamers and curiosity-seekers like me right smack in the middle of a fantasy world, adding to the whole other realm experience. The glowing colorful digital backdrops lend to an inviting ambience that helps pull attendees into an adventure like none other.

Filled with riddles, puzzles and a sorcery and sword-laden adventure that is steered by audience participation, the production not only keeps one intrigued, but it also keeps one laughing and laughing and laughing. As one not at all familiar with the fantasy role playing game, The Twenty-Sided Tavern also offers a glimpse of the D&D phenomenon and why it has garnered so much appeal throughout the years.    

By the end of the show, I truly understood what makes this game so fun and that is the experience of community and at the fun of self-expression and role playing combined with friendship and imagination. Dungeons & Dragons is all about being yourself and unapologetically showing all your wonderful nerdy sides – and The Twenty-Sided Tavern captures that so very well. Although this is not your usual theater experience and it is not a play per say with the usual scripted plotline and established characters, it is a unique and fast-moving night of wonderful entertainment that D&D enthusiasts will probably want to experience more than once. 

Whether you are a seasoned D&D participant or someone who is familiar with the game’s name but has no idea what it is really about, this show is sure to entertain. 

The Twenty-Sided Tavern is being performed at Broadway Playhouse through January 15^th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.   

I’m not a devotee of the comedic genre and wouldn’t ordinarily choose this show. But I am a devotee – and a fervent one! – of Babes with Blades. With PLAID AS HELL the Babes, as always, bring it off. Written by Cat McCaysh/h and directed by Christina Casano/h, PLAID AS HELL takes four friends on their annual camping weekend to a remote cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin. But don’t be misled –  this is not Little House in the Big Woods! Laura might do OK in this gang, but Ma would definitely look askance.

The central character Cass (Reagan Jamessh/h) is hoping to promote her new girlfriend Jessica (Ashley Yatessh/h) with her old friends Kelly (Alice Wush/h) and lifelong BFF Emilie (Cayla Jonessh/h). Alas for Cass! not only does Emilie choose this weekend to disclose her longtime love for Cass, a serial killer has eluded the local police! Well, not technically a serial killer, Kelly annotates; this guy’s only killed two women, and to be serial you need three. 

Art is so educational innit?

PLAID AS HELL is a lighthearted frolic, pretty much devoid of anything approaching social significance.  It’s just fun, making no pretense of being anything but slightly-raunchy entertainment. In this it succeeds heartily.

The acting is first-rate, particularly in the occasional silent bits. There’s definitely a lot going on inside each woman’s head!  Cass is engrossed in her emissarial mission, Jess is intimidated at being an interloper cloistered with this close knit clique, Emilie is teetering between bereaved and begrudging, and Kelly is bummed at being plunked in the middle of this foolish fray.

But they’re all making a valiant effort and, abetted by beer, they’re just starting to have fun when the radio Interrupts Regular Programming with a Special Announcement: a murderer may be loose in the woods. And so it goes from there, through all the lurches and twists of the horror genre, with queer notes tossed in for spice.

The set designed by Erin Gautille sh/h is simple, easily converted from indoors to out- with a couple of shoves. Costumes (Jennifer Mohrsh/h) are a bit more elaborate; for four dykes in the woods, they change clothes nearly as much as in As the World Turns! Meg X McGrath th/th manages ba-jillions of props, from a 12-pack of Pabst to a four-foot-long ax. Fight and Intimacy Director Maureen Yasko sh/h, with Assistant Kate Lass sh/h, have plenty of opportunities to display the fighting and fornicating finesse we expect from the Babes with Blades. The production crew as a whole -- Devon Hayakawa Any (Assistant Director), Anna Schultz-Breef sh/h (Lighting Design), Line Bower th/th (Technical Director), Faith Roush sh/h (Production Manager), Roxie Kooi sh/h (Stage Manager), and Tab Mocherman th/th (Covid Compliance Officer) – works together seamlessly.

Quintessential queer ribaldry, PLAID AS HELL is Babes with Blades at their peerless prurient prime!

RENT opens with three slides projected one-by-one onto a billowing curtain:

rent noun

a payment made periodically by a tenant to a landlord in return for the use of a building 

rent verb [past tense of rend]

to tear apart, split, or divide an object or community

rent noun

a musical production that’s delighted audiences for 25 years!

The show continues as a home movie, jerky and inexpert, until the curtain is drawn back to reveal the entire ensemble performing “Rent” – and, as they say, ‘The crowd goes wild!’

Director Adrian Abel Azevedoh/h uses this sort of projection devices cleverly throughout the show, a very effective innovation that adds a quality of … well … boheme to the entire production.

Playwright Jonathan Larson h/h, inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Boheme, wrote the music, lyrics, and book for RENT in the early 1990s; it premiered on Broadway in 1996. Despite some anachronisms (answering machines?!), RENT withstands the test of time. Over 25 years it has become a cultural phenomenon, and its core agenda – homelessness, gentrification, community – remains fresh today. Fresh, yes, and pervasive on 2022 stages – it takes an outstanding production to make these ubiquitous themes stand out. Fortunately, Porchlight Music Theatre delivers.

The cast is superb. Both cast and production crew are extensive, so I’ll refer the reader to the webpage for details I may inadvertently omit. Outstanding in the cast are the main characters, beginning with Mark Cohen (David Morelandh/h) and Roger Davis (Shraga D. Wasserman th/th), with Maureen Johnson (Lucy Godínezsh/h) playing opposite Joanne Jefferson (Teressa LaGambash/h). The pairing of Tom Collins (Eric Lewish/h) and Angel Dumott Schunard (Josh Pablo Szaboh/th) has incredible chemistry, and Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III (Abraham Shawh/h) is a perfect mustache-twirling villian, particularly in his treatment of Mimi Marquez (Alix Rhodesh/h).

Laura Savage’ssh/h choreography uses the ensemble -- TJ Tappsh/h (dance captain), Bridget Adams-Kingsh/h, Naphtali Curryh/h, Leah Davissh/h, Chris Khoshabah/h, Nik Kmiecikh/h, and Brennan Urbi h/th -- creatively throughout, particularly when in backing lead singers. Rather than leave the ensemble simply standing behind the leads, Azevedo applies Savage’s choreography to stage interesting little sub-scenes behind the primary action. This couldn’t be done without a wonderful set featuring multiple levels and niches by Scenic Designer Ann Davissh/h, and lighting design (Maggie Fullilove-Nugentsh/h, Josiah Croegaerth/h) that accentuates the multiple creative groupings.

Dr. Michael McBrideh/h directs and conducts the music performed by guitars Jakob Levi Walshth/th and Cesar Romeroh/h, with Marcel Bomfimh/h on bass and Lior Shragg playing drumsh/h. Gregory Graham h/h (costume designer); Rowan Doe th/th (properties designer); Kirsten Baityth/th (intimacy designer);  Deborah Blumenthalsh/h (dramaturg); Frankie Leo Bennetth/h (producing artistic associate); Alex Rhyanh/h (production & operations director), and Michael Weberh/h (Artistic Director) complete the superb production crew.

So … what else is terrific in RENT? Godínez’s Over the Moon is simply adorable, and she shines again in Take Me or Leave Me with her and LaGamba battling for the microphone. Szabo’s Angel totally won my heart (I’m a sucker for a man in eyeliner!), and I choked up over Lewis’ reprise of I’ll Cover You. The huge smiling picture of Angel sent me back in time: I was a psychiatric resident at Rush during those pre-HAART, pre-testing days of AZT and terror. My familiarity with the Plague caught some anachronisms in the script that others might not see, but that’s really a measure of just how iconic and robust RENT is.

But enough about me!  Speaking of Eric Lewis, he, Godínez (Maureen), and Wasserman (Roger) stand out as extraordinary vocalists. Whether in solo or with other singers, these three voices dominate. That’s not necessarily a positive, as they can overshadow their castmates at times. Like Cassie in A CHORUS LINE, a performer that’s conspicuously better than the others can be a little awkward. That’s the kind of problem you sort of want to have, but still …. Similarly, the love story between Wasserman and Rhode (Mimi) would have played just fine but for its variance with the enchanting chemistry between Collins and Angel; again, the extraordinary can make the excellent appear ordinary.

There were a couple of production snafus: the curtain didn’t pull smoothly, and there were occasional mic issues, but these are clearly opening-night glitches and will be ironed out as the run continues.

I have to acknowledge here that I feel secure in offering these critiques specifically because the show is so terrific! I noticed these snags, but none detract from the charm, the artistry, the glamor that is RENT.

*extended through December 11th

You know that breathless moment of silence after the curtain falls and before the applause begins? That moment doesn’t happen often, and it always indicates a truly extraordinary performance. That silence occurred Sunday night as the stage of AMERICAN SON at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre went black: we all sat stunned for just a moment before erupting into a standing ovation.     

AMERICAN SON was written by Christopher Demos-Brown in 2018 but in today, post-George Floyd et al, it’s even more relevant and impactful. The plot is simple: a bi-racial teenager has had some sort of run-in with the police. His parents, separated only a few weeks, meet at the police station seeking information about their child. In this charged atmosphere the estranged couple confront the dissolution of their marriage and the challenges of raising a biracial son in a privileged community.

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Artistic Director Tim Rhoze directs AMERICAN SON with compassion and finesse. The theatre has no actual curtain, giving us ample time to examine the set designed by Rhoze with Technical Director Evan Sposato.  Nondescript institutional furniture is rigidly arranged against a striking backdrop of abstract graphics painted in grey tones with ominous splashes of red.  Huge enigmatic faces have a distinct tribal vibe, infusing every word and movement with racial significance.   

It's a small cast and all four actors are superb. Michael Manocchio brings a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability to the role of Officer Larkin, whose unenviable task it is to placate the parents with meager scraps of sketchy information.  The mom describes him as ‘a low-level flunkey who’s not too bright”.  His subconscious racism is transparent to us, as in his fumbling attempt to bond with the father by “speaking badge to badge” while sweating it out until the all-knowing Detective Stokes turns up. 

Detective Stokes, impeccably played by Darren Jones, finally arrives, positively bristling with authority but without much additional information. Though he maintains his rigid professional preeminence with the frantic parents, occasional glimpses of well-concealed humanity unavoidably break through.

The central characters are the parents, Scott (Darren Andrews) and Kendra (Alexandra Moorman). Andrews plays Scott as the prototypical affluent White Male, reeking of privilege and self-importance. Scott believes his marriage proves he’s unprejudiced, but his subliminal racism inevitably breaks through with words like ‘uppity’. Yet Andrews’ treatment of Scott’s vulnerable moments are equally credible and satisfying. There is a lovely scene where Scott and Kendra review the issues they agree on – Thelonious Monk and sex, basically. Scott is not likeable, but we can’t help being moved as he tenderly recalls the happiest day of both their lives: the day their son was born.   

I saw Alexandra Moorman a month ago in What to Send Up When It Comes Down” at Lookingglass. She was phenomenal there, but as Kendra she purely took my breath away. At several points, starting with the first five minutes of the play, Moorman is alone, and fills the stage with her consummate presence. She maintains this aspect throughout, managing to enrich the other performances without eclipsing them. I noted this same quality in What to Send Up: a troupe production, but Moorman’s genius can’t help but show.  Her light will penetrate any bushel … and besides, she’s gorgeous! 

The production crew is vital in creating such an awesome production. Director Tim Rhoze and Technical Director Evan Sposator both double as co-Set Designers. Name coincidence is good for David Goodman-Edburg and David Goode as Lighting and Sound Designers, respectively. Bria Walker is Dramaturg, Production Stage Manager is Barbara Reeder, and Lynn Baber costumes the characters with penetrating character discernment.

I don’t often add VERY to my rating, but AMERICAN SON is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED