Displaying items by tag: Aaron Holland

Chicago is well-known for its hidden gems: speakeasies hidden behind working laundromats, restaurants located down darkened alleyways, and even theatres located in basements and converted houses. One such innocuous playhouse resides in a small, transitioned home studio, just west of the Uptown neighbourhood. Like any hidden gem in Chicago, looks can be deceiving, and the hyper-intimate 25-seat theatre that is Open Space Arts is playing anything but small as they put on the Chicago Premiere of DORIAN.

DORIAN is a thrilling, queer-forward remix of Oscar Wilde’s timeless tale, brought to life in this bold and visually stunning stage adaptation by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Owen Horsley. In a world obsessed with beauty and power, what happens when someone is given the chance to remain perfect—forever? This modern interpretation dives headfirst into vanity, desire, and the danger of refusing to age, illuminating the darkest corners of our obsession with self-image and fame. DORIAN fuses gothic horror, biting satire, and cabaret flair into an unforgettable night of theatre.

Similar to the space it was performed in, DORIAN, directed by Aaron Holland, is one of those surprise gems woven into the fabric of the city’s neighbourhoods. The play dramatises the story of Oscar Wilde’s novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY in the present-day club scene, where Dorian, the main protagonist, Basil, an artist who idolises Dorian, and Henry, the aristocratic antagonist, gallivant around late 1800s London in search of art, beauty, and just a smidge of hedonism. The minimalist-maximalism of the Open Arts Space is expertly utilised by the play’s performers, Luke Gerdes as Dorian, Bosie, and others, Anthony Kayer as Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde and others and Brian Kulaga as Basil, James, and other characters. The three performers bring the hedonism and exuberance of Wilde’s Victorian London to the modern stage with wickedly witty dialogue and a reverence for the late author. DORIAN juxtaposes THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY alongside the historical record of Wilde’s prosecution and conviction for the “gross indecency” of his relationship with the much younger Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in 1895, at the height of his literary success. The two stories intertwine beautifully, with plenty of camp and sass like The Victorian Homosexual Quiz, blended with respect and reverence that Wilde himself would applaud. The performances of Gerdes’ Dorian and Kayers’ Wilde are shockingly tender, perfectly capturing the drive and desire for beauty and youth that both the author and fictional protagonist sought in Victorian London.

DORIAN is as relevant and relatable today as it was in Victorian times. The play features many of the same challenges, vices, and themes that modern-day audiences can relate to. Told with poetic prose and perfectly picturesque poses, this production is a rare gem in the Chicago theatre scene. Just as our protagonist, Dorian Gray, or the author himself, Oscar Wilde, would do, we must covet and hold on to our Chicago gems, appreciate and admire them. Youth, beauty, art, and productions are all fleeting in their world, and DORIAN is no different. DORIAN will play through December 14 at Open Space Arts (1411 W. Wilson, Chicago). Tickets are $30 and are on sale now at www.openspacearts.org.

"A place where nobody dared to go

The love that we came to know

They call it Xanadu

And now, open your eyes and see

What we have made is real

We are in Xanadu

A million lights are dancing

And there you are, a shooting star

An everlasting world and you're here with me

Eternally"

I want to go to there - and this wonderful cast and crew at American Theater Company took me all the way!

I'm not like the other critics who like to tear down the original movie starring Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly and some poor actor who resembled Andy Gibb whose name I can't remember because I never saw him again! Oh yeah, Michael Beck. No, I’m in the minority that LOVED Xanadu when it came out.  

To a theater geek like myself who also danced with a dance troupe (in leg warmers) and studied painting and drawing, this is a fantasy love story consisting of an artistic Queen of the Arts, the Demi God, “Kira”, who fulfills her own need to create art while helping the mortal she has fallen in love with, Sonny Malone. Timing is everything as she successfully pulls Sonny out of a suicidal depression just after her arrival to help him achieve his dreams, which was the PERFECT romantic expression of what I dreamed my life would be (minus the roller skates).

I saw Xanadu a few years back at The Broadway Playhouse and this production succeeds in every way that one did not. 

First of all, the staging thanks to director Lili Anne Brown and scenic design by Arnel Sanciano, place the audience in the round of what appears to be the actual roller rink/empty building where much of the film took place in. The set is complete with a disco ball overhead flooding the room with the lights and sounds of the 80's in a fun and involving way.

Then there are the voices - the two leads Kira/Cleo played by Landree Fleming and Sonny Malone played by Jim DeSelm are absolutely dead on GREAT singers. It is refreshing to see the role of Kira played by an actress who has the singing chops to pull off Olivia Newton John's star quality voice and is able to capture the romance of the character that should still be present amidst poking fun of her. 

Landree Fleming not only hits the highest high notes, she infuses them with the same "magical” quality that Olivia Newton John delivered and she did it without the aid of a sound booth and full orchestra. Landree is not only super funny in the role, she is a great physical comedienne and got laughs out of every sad little shrug of her shoulders and comically delivered line. This is partially in thanks to her hilarious over-emphasized Aussie accent to make the joke without necessarily making her character into a joke. 

Another thing that I LOVED about this production, which really caught the hugely optimistic 1980's message with amazing love songs by ELO like "Strange Magic", "I’m Alive", and John Farrer’s "Magic", is that even though they captured the campiness by casting several of Kira's sister Muses as men, Jim De Selm chose to play the role of Sonny as straight man all the way through, creating a believable romance unlike other productions of Xanadu I’ve seen. When I saw the touring production years ago with the Sonny character played as a flamboyantly gay man who could never realistically fall in love with Kira no matter how beautiful she was, it not only took the flash and jazz out of the great campy gay humor, it also took all of the wonderful jokes and truths about hetero love and flattened them out into a joyless, hopeless mess.

Every single muse in this production has their own flair and style, and fantastic singing skills. For example, when Muse Melponene’s (Karla L Beard) very first notes came out of her mouth - I knew we were going to be in for a treat of great singing all around. Hanah Rose Nardone as Muse of Music Euterpe, James Negrud as Muse Terpicore and Daniel Spagnuolo as Thalia are three obviously classically trained, highly skilled dancers who ALSO delivered delicious comedy throughout whether executing a perfect pirouette or any other form of modern dance thrown in to celebrate the 80's.

Aaron Holland is also a bright spot in this production. Holland is simply hysterical in his dual roles as white afro-wearing Zeus and as building owner/investor Danny Maguire – and he too, like the rest of this talented cast, delivers vocally. 

Samantha C. Jones does a fantastic job with the perfectly period funny, yet still SEXY, campy stylish costuming, designed for many, many quick changes as some of the actors play multiple roles from beginning to end.

I could go on and on about the entire cast and the great six-piece live band that is also implemented into the show in a wonderful way.

For a highly enjoyable way to spend an evening with good music and heavy bouts of laughter, American Theater Company’s Xanadu would be tough to beat. In the lobby after the show I heard another woman discussing the show excitedly saying, "Girls Night out!!! We are going to all come and see this together!!" 

Her comments personify the exact joy and thoughts I was having as I left the theater. This truly musically gifted production is so much fun, so true to the romance and high artistic ideals we all had entering the 1980's, ideals and hopes for a rainbow future of the Arts that were completely squashed throughout the decade. 

This uplifting and exuberantly romantic production of Xanadu makes you glad you were alive to experience a simpler time and still come out swinging in support for ALL of the Arts including painting, singing, dancing and humor- a full 36 years later!

Perfectly blended with its poking fun at the 80’s, use of catchy music and romantic overtones, I highly recommend Xanadu. In fact, catch it more than once if you can. But do yourself a favor and watch the movie first so that you can truly appreciate its parodic humor.

Xanadu is currently being performed at American Theater Company through July. Tickets start at a very reasonable price of $30. For more show information, visit http://www.atcweb.org/.