Items filtered by date: November 2007

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.

The Nederlander Theatre erupted in thunderous applause as the lights went down on the triumphant return of “Hamilton” to Chicago. Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical, finishing a successful run in Anchorage, Alaska, delivered an electrifying performance that left the Chicago audience in awe of its scope and magnitude. Chicago lifted “Hamilton” on its broad shoulders and has no intention of letting it down.

"Hamilton" is a masterclass in diversity and talent. Under the skilled direction of Thomas Kail and choreography of Andy Blankenbuehler, a diverse cast brings the story of Alexander Hamilton to life with passion and energy. Pierre Jean Gonzalez commands the stage with his charismatic presence and powerful vocals, more than ably supported by a talented ensemble that includes Deon'te Goodman as Aaron Burr, Nikisha Williams as Eliza Schuyler, Marcus Choi as George Washington, Lencia Kebede as Angelica Schuyler, Jared Howelton as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Eddie Ortega as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, Tyler Fauntleroy as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton and King George is played by Neil Haskell.

Company of 'Hamilton' at James M. Nederlander Theatre

Seeing the production for the third time, it’s hard not to make comparisons. I felt Goodman’s Burr was a tad bit passive and slow to anger in the face of Hamilton’s slights. Choi’s Washington was a commanding and inspiring figure. He brought a sense of dignity and gravitas to the role. “One Last Time” was as much a tearjerker as “It’s Quiet Uptown”. Williams’ Eliza is a beautiful and heartbreaking character. She brings a sense of grace, strength, and vulnerability to her interpretation. Howelton’s Lafayette/Jefferson was big and energetic, a joy to watch. I missed the chemistry and affection between Lauren and Hamilton, a minor detail, but still noticeable.

The ensemble cast is outstanding, delivering stunning performances in both the vocal and dance numbers. The choreography is inventive and exhilarating, seamlessly blending hip-hop, jazz, and ballet to create a unique and visually stunning performance. The show's musical score, which blends hip-hop, R&B, and traditional Broadway music, is also a highlight. The songs are catchy, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant. Miranda has said hip hop is the "heart and soul" of Hamilton. He has incorporated elements of the genre throughout the show, from rapid-fire rapping to the use of samples and beats. Some of the specific hip hop artists that have influenced Miranda include The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, and Eminem.

Stephanie Jae Park, Ta_Rae Campbell and Paige Smallwood in 'Hamilton'

Hamilton is a truly unique musical that draws on a wide range of musical influences. Miranda has said that he wanted to create a musical that would be "new and fresh, but also familiar and accessible." He has certainly succeeded in doing so, and Hamilton has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed musicals of all time. I personally think it should be required reviewing for history classes. Learning American history has never been so entertaining.

Hamilton is a powerful and moving musical, teaching viewers many important lessons. It is a story about ambition, perseverance, forgiveness, the power of storytelling and of course, to never throwing away your shot.

When: Through Dec. 30

Where: James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.

Tickets: $42.50+

Info: Broadwayinchicago.com

Digital lotteries will begin each Friday and end the following Thursday for the upcoming weeks performance - 

www.broadwayinchicago.com/hamilton/ham4ham-lottery-details-2023/

For tickets and/or more show information visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/hamilton/. 

Arthur Miller’s perennial classic, ‘A View from the Bridge’, is revived in a faithful production at Shattered Globe Theater. Under the direction of Lou Contey, a cast of familiar Shattered Globe ensemble and a few new faces bring this powder keg of a tale to their stage for the first time since the 1990s.

Every few years, a landmark production of ‘A View from the Bridge’ comes—Chicagoans will remember Ivo Van Hove’s arresting production imported by Goodman in 2017. However, if that’s the only version you’ve seen, you owe it to yourself to see it staged in the way Arthur Miller intended.

Though it wasn’t exactly a smash hit when it debuted on Broadway in 1955, it was through subsequent rewrites and notable revivals that ‘A View from the Bridge’ became nearly as popular as more seminal Miller works like ‘The Crucible’ and ‘Death of a Salesman.’ Perhaps it’s produced so often because its themes surrounding immigration and prejudice remain relevant.

‘A View from the Bridge’ is about a longshoreman, Eddie Carbone (Scott Aiello), and his wife Beatrice (Eileen Niccolai), and their adopted niece Catherine (Isabelle Muthiah). Life is great for the working-class Brooklyn family until their distant relatives from Italy come to stay with them illegally. When a relationship starts to bud between immigrant Rodolpho (Harrison Weger) and Catherine, Eddie’s inappropriate affection for his niece is called into question.

This play has always been a star-turning vehicle for actresses playing Catherine. Scarlett Johanson and Brittany Murphy both took home Tonys for the role. However, Shattered Globe ensemble member Eileen Niccolai’s compelling performance as Beatrice brings the part of the pseudo-cuckolded wife into sharper focus. Niccolai’s Beatrice is vulnerable and needy; she knows her husband isn’t perfect, but he’s all she’s got. Ultimately, she’s the victim of this tragic story. There’s something so fragile about Niccolai’s interpretation.

Inventive staging by Shayna Patel puts the play in a set that looks like a boxing ring. It's a fitting locale for a play so centered around violence. The narrator is a lawyer and interjects an almost inhuman sense of foreboding doom about the Carbones throughout the play. In his view, and perhaps Miller’s greater view, society is so dysfunctional that it leads the lower classes to duke it out at the bottom. Unlike ‘The Crucible,’ Miller points out that having your name respected in the street is just machismo, especially when you’re not respectable.

Themes of toxic masculinity, immigration reform and family abuse are sadly more relevant now than in the 1950s, and the enduring popularity of ‘View from the Bridge’ should inspire activism.

Shattered Globe is one of Chicago’s best and longest-running storefront theatres and it’s easy to see why. Their briskly paced production of ‘A View From the Bridge’ is wonderfully acted, beautifully staged and very traditional. If you like classic American plays, this is the one to see.

Through October 21 at Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit. 1229 W Belmont, Chicago IL 60657 | 773-975-8150

A CHORUS LINE is one of my all-time favorite shows and, having recently reviewed MadKap / Skokie Theatre’s production of HAIR (and loved it), I arrived at the theatre in a very pleasant state of anticipation. And hey! CHORUS LINE actually exceeded my high expectations!

HAIR is, as everyone knows, a musical; so is CHORUS LINE, but it’s even more a dance production, an added challenge for any company. Short answer: choreographer Susan Pritzker did a phenomenal job. The ensemble dancing was tight and coordinated, with excellent utilization of available space. Set Execution by Scott Richardson and Barry Norton optimized that available space by remembering ‘all that’s really needed is the Music and the Mirror’, and Dance Captain Ben Paynic (who also plays Larry) led them brilliantly. Patti Halajian’s costumes were thoroughly authentic and timeless. And I loved her bio, which informed us that ‘she lives alone in a big, haunted house with her 3 cats and 6 sewing machines, all of which demand her constant attention.’ I personally live with only one of each, and they demand constant attention, so I can’t imagine how Patti manages – but she does, she does!

There are always opening-night glitches in the sound system, but I know Sound Technician Brian Bedoya will have the microphones working perfectly by the next show. And speaking of sound, massive kudos to Music Director Jeremy Ramey and Sound Designer Chris Cook. The musical score is the soul of CHORUS LINE, and this production nurtured that soul so tenderly. Master Electrician Maddy Shilts and Lighting Designer Pat Henderson’s lighting worked beautifully to illuminate the dancing and coordinate it with the music. The cast as a whole was magnificent, and Stage Manager Ayla Sweet excelled in bringing this complex and ambitious work to triumphant fruition.

I saw CHORUS LINE on a Broadway stage way back in the late ‘80’s, but I’ve listened to the soundtrack a hundred times. There were some terrific dramatic scenes that aren’t on the soundtrack, providing lovely moments of ‘I didn’t know (or remember) that!’ I assume most folks are also more familiar with the score than the stage production, so I’ll praise the cast individually via the songs.

We begin with I Hope I Get It, instantly showcasing the creative work of choreographer Pritzker and Director Wayne Mell, with Assistant Miranda Coble. As the actors file onto the stage, they appear to be milling about aimlessly, but actually they’re following complex and very well-thought-out ensemble choreography, setting the ambiance. Casting Director Zach (played by Sean M.G. Caron) introduces the 18 characters by having each step forward with their name, birthplace, and age. Nobody just rattles off the data (these guys are actors remember?), and we get our first sense of each person: e.g. Sheila (Erin Renee Baumrucker) establishes herself as a vamp who’s just turned 30 and is “really happy about it” – yeah.

But Zach wants more, and he begins asking people to relate a bit about themselves, particularly what brought them into dance.  The answering songs alternate between playful and poignant: “I Can do That” by Mike (Tyler Meyer) is followed by the more unsettling And, with Bobby’s (Maddy Shilts) ‘uniqueness’ [read: queerness] getting him abused in school and Richie (Khnemu Menu-Ra) admitting “There ain’t no scholarship to life!”.

Next is my personal favorite: At the Ballet, an exquisite and lyrical song about childhood pain. Sheila (Erin Renee Baumrucker) admits “life with my dad wasn’t ever a picnic”; Bebe (Rae Robeson) insists “different is nice but it sure isn’t pretty”, and Maggie (Emma Drazkowski – who is, incredibly, a new graduate – you go girl!) poignantly recalls “… and I’d say, ‘Daddy I would love to dance’”. All three concur that “I was happy … I was pretty … I would love to” … At the Ballet. My companion and I couldn’t resist lip-syncing along. And Drazkowski’s soaring triune “at the ballet … At the Ballet … At the Ballet!!!” was thrilling! Brava!

Kristine (Madison Jaffe-Richter) and her husband Al (Ben Isabel) [who was brilliant as Margaret Meade in HAIR] warble out Sing, a deadal duet very well executed. Menu-Ra (Richie) launches the company into a wonderfully convoluted performance of Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love. We hear painful adolescent confessions from Greg (Trevor Hendrix) and Mark (Jason Sekili) while Judy (Whitney Marie Wolf) wails “Tits! When am I gonna grow tits?!” Marcela Ossa Gómez performs Diana’s Nothing, and next, who doesn’t love Dance 10: Looks 3? Val (Lili Javorka) dishes up a grand slam.

Tension between Cassie (Sarah Sapperstein) and Zach (Sean M.G. Caron) detonates into Cassie’s pivotal solo, The Music and the Mirror. Sapperstein’s voice was awesome! [more about that later – just let me finish the score]. The initial performance of One was brilliantly choreographed and directed, with sections muted to hear Cassie & Zach talk, then the company returning to full voice.

An accident during the Tap Combination spurs Zach to ask the unforgiveable question: “what will you do when you can no longer dance?” Everyone insists, of course, that they’re always going to dance, but ultimately Diana (Gómez) gets real, and her sublime solo draws the company into the gorgeous What I Did for Love. Finally, the spectacular reprise of One featured the entire company, including Vicki (Elizabeth Bushell), Connie (Madelynn Öztaş), and Don (Chandler Paskett). It was totally splendiferous, and though I noticed Paul’s gold lamé hat slipping down over his eyes, Luis Del Valle never missed a step.

When writing a positive review – and I give CHORUS LINE five stars! – I always look for something to criticize, to provide balance, so here’s my criticisms.

Granted, it’s not easy to find an actor who’s both dancer and diva: when casting Cassie does one choose a dancer who can carry a tune, or a singer who can follow choreography? In Music and the Mirror Sapperstein demonstrated a spectacular set of pipes! but she needed markedly – noticeably! – simplified choreography. Cassie being too good a dancer to dance in a chorus is a key plot point; Music and the Mirror, the only extended solo dance routine of the show, simply doesn’t bear that out. 

An important aspect when displaying any artwork is the frame. In dance, one speaks of the danseur providing a frame for the ballerina; his lifts can make her appear weightless or like a sack of groceries. One must select the proper frame to enhance a beautiful photograph or painting: using a sleek polished chrome frame for an ornate neoclassical painting creates an aesthetic disharmony – a marvelous frame mismatched with magnificent artwork. Zach’s essential role in CHORUS LINE is to frame the work, but I experienced aesthetic disparity between Caron and A CHORUS LINE – a splendid artwork enclosed in a pleasing but disharmonic frame. On the soundtrack I love Zach’s exultant peals of “Five, Six, Seven, Eight!”, proclaiming his passion for music, for dance, for theatre. This passion is critical to Zach’s character, and to the spirit of the show, and I simply did not feel that passion from Caron’s Zach.  This stellar production deserves a concordant frame.

I love CHORUS LINE, and (above paragraphs notwithstanding) I love MadKap’s production of it – I will keep a close eye out for MadKap / Skokie productions!

A CHORUS LINE runs at Skokie Theatre through the weekend of October 8 – a nice long run – leaves you no excuse not to see it!

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

*Author note: I could not have written this review – nor most of those preceding! – without the knowledgeable and insightful help of my companion Eva Hare. Their encyclopedic cognizance of the modus operandi (as well as modus vivendi!) backstage has enriched my life as well as my reviews.

A CHORUS LINE  originally conceived, directed, and choreographed by Michael Bennett, 1975. Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-choreographed by Bob Avian.

Fall into the blazing ring of fire that is Johnny Cash’s scorching song catalogue at Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash at Drury Lane Theatre. Part biography, part music revue, and all entertainment, Ring of Fire will take you on a nostalgic, country music-filled journey through the life, times, and songs of American treasure Johnny Cash.

The original 2006 Broadway production of Ring of Fire lasted only 47 performances, likely because it was riding the coattails of the popularity of the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix, and the Broadway musical treats the same story and songs more shallowly and lightly. Drury Lane Theatre brings back this production in a new context, in a new decade, maybe when we need and miss the country music icon more than ever.

Erik Hellman, Roy James Brown, Ron E Rains, Elleon Dobias, Michael Potter. Photo by Brett Beiner

The modest hour and 45 minute run time consists mostly of music, impressively played live by the six-person cast and band, which was one of the biggest highlights for me. Ron E. Rains portrays an older Cash, narrating the story and exchanging meaningful glances with the younger Johnny, played by Michael D. Potter, as he goes through life making music, headlines, and mistakes. 

Using Cash’s songs, small costume and set changes, and short bits of dialogue, the show takes you through Johnny Cash’s life, from his childhood growing up on a farm, to hitting it big in the country music scene, to his drug addiction, to meeting his soulmate June Carter. 

Aja Wiltshire, Michael Potter. Photo by Brett Beiner

The only complaint I could see one having about the show – and maybe why it didn’t last long on Broadway – is how briskly it skims over the rich life story of Johnny Cash. It feels more like a musical review than a traditional musical. It’s even reminiscent of a similar musical, Million Dollar Quartet, about a recording session at Sun Studios with Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis that had a home in Chicago for many years in the early 2000s. If you like the music, you’ll be happy. But if you want a more traditional musical with plot and character-driven songs, this may not be the show for you.

Johnny Cash fans will love hearing both hits and deeper cuts from the Cash catalogue, like “Big River”, “Straight As in Love”, “Cry Cry Cry”, “Hey Porter”, “I Still Miss Someone”, “Five Feet High”, “Daddy Sang Bass”, “Get Rhythm”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, and dozens more. Female voices also shine with Aja Wiltshire as a brassy and sassy June Carter and Elleon Dobias as Cash’s heartbroken first wife Viv.

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash is playing at Drury Lane Theatre through October 22, 2023. Tickets can be purchased on their website.

It’s hard to imagine now, but in 1954, the U.S. Senate began investigating publishers of comic books, tapping psychologists who linked a rise in juvenile delinquency to comics depicting lurid stories and violent criminals. The nation was perhaps primed for the investigation, as the move came during the Senate’s ongoing McCarthy era pogrom against suspected communists during the Red Scare.

“The Innocence of Seduction” recounts this inconceivable (maybe not given book ban efforts today) but true story, and so delightfully and with such panache that you will be completely entertained. WIth a passionate cast of 15 players, and an inventive script by Mark Pracht (who also directs), each scene opens much like a panel in a comic book. This is Pracht’s second work in a projected “Four-Color Trilogy” about the illustrated periodicals and is the opener for City Lit’s forty-third season.

We meet real characters from actual comic book publishers, including Entertainment Comics’ William Gaines (played with gusto by Sean Harklerode), and his counterparts from St. John Publishing (Archer St. John is played by John Blick.)and Quality Comics. Key individuals in the saga are accompanied by their true-life, fleshed out backstories, which in the 1950’s made them vulnerable to compromise by background work done by J. Edgar Hoover’s minions at the FBI. 

Among these are Matt Baker (Brian Bradford), a Black closeted gay artist of romance comics, and Janice Valleau (Megan Clarke), creator of a women detective comics and artist behind the Archie Comics spin-off “Veronica and Betty.”  Representing expert psychologists connecting comics to social ills is Dr. Frederic Wertham, also a real life figure, whose commentary is interjected in vignettes very much like a comic book panel. Played so very well by Frank Nall, Dr. Wertham’s scenes gradually move from restrained scientific commentary to ever more dire rants and ultimately, darkly comic interjections.

Notable in the production are a 1950-styled big-screen for presenting comic images—credit to G. "Max" Maxin IV for Scenic, Lighting and Projection Design. Exceptional work was done by Beth Laske-Miller (Costume Designer), Petter Wahlbäck (Composer and Sound Design), Alison Dornheggen (Violence and Intimacy Design), and Jeff Brain (Props Design).

“The Innocence of Seduction” shows how, as politics entered an arena in which it didn’t belong, the public responded to this newly contrived hot-button issue, with comic book burnings blossoming in towns around the U.S. Playwright Pracht has packed it all in this work, and we meet Senators Robert Henrickson (Paul Chakrin) and Estes Kefauver (Robin Trevino), as well as jurist Charles Murphy (Chuck Munro), who was appointed the first arbiter of what could pass muster under the comic book publishing code.

Comics long bore the mark of that era, a self-policing censorship program evident on the covers of everything from Superman to The Thing through 2011: the Comics Code Authority seal of approval. Today we have abandoned fears of what at the time was deemed a threat to society. The code forbade the use of “horror or terror” in comic titles and banned the depiction of “walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism.” Now societal backlash is whipped up by politicians over "wokeness, " Black history, and LGBTQ education. 

Pracht shows us that Judge Murphy’s thumbs up or down was at times capricious and idiosyncratic - as formalized censorship always is and must be. The comic-styled program for the show draws a connection to the surge in attempts to banned books, including graphic novels, in schools and libraries today.

While aspects of the various personal human dramas play out in overdrawn melodrama, perhaps this is in keeping with the subject as well. Regardless, this is a highly recommended show, which runs through October 8 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr in Chicago.