Displaying items by tag: Global Visionaries
Review: Joffrey Ballet's Global Visionaries at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
The Joffrey Ballet closes its 2016-2017 Season with Global Visionaries featuring works of international ballet visionaries: Russian born choreographer Yuri Possokhov with The Miraculous Mandarin, Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman with Joy, and Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa with Mammatus.
The show opens with sexy, dark The Miraculous Mandarin. It’s a disturbing tale of a girl forced to act as a decoy by thugs, luring men into her room, only to be robbed and kicked out. The girl (immensely talented dancer Victoria Jaiani who moves with otherworldly grace and can possibly express just about any emotion with her body or even a subtle turn of the head) seduces men with her beauty, and then turns them over to her “friends” who finish the job. The wealthy mandarin (wonderfully performed by Yoshihisa Arai) is her last victim. He is cool and composed, like a Kung Fu master, but falls hard for the girl, and refuses to let go of her even when her deceitful nature is reveled to him. There’s nothing abstract about this performance: there’s an engaging plot, and all seven characters are extremely well developed; the brutality of the Chinese man’s murder is quite uncomfortable. Set to Bela Bartok’s score composed in 1918-1919, this “pantomime grotesque” was based on a magazine story of that time. Premiered November 27, 1926 in Cologne, Germany, it caused a scandal and was subsequently banned on moral grounds. Yuri Possokhov has created this work specifically for The Joffrey Ballet in collaboration with Cleveland Orchestra, which premiered in March 2016 in Cleveland. This is the Chicago premiere with Chicago’s own Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Joffrey Music Director Scott Speck providing live accompaniment on stage.
Here comes Joy! Alexander Ekman’s piece is original and playful, its delightful silliness reminiscent of a circus show. It opens with the stage brightly lit and slippery, crowded with dancers acting like happy children on a playground: they run and slide around, walk upside down, dance and act out while wearing suits. When prompted, everyone strips down to flesh colored underwear and things get even less serious. There’s a pack of gorgeous female ballerinas dropping their shoes on the floor in unison, like some bratty toddlers. They are childish and gracefully feminine, all at the same time. A very young audience member sitting next to me (she was around four-years-old) found the sketch very entertaining: she laughed the entire time. Joy is a ballet/ mixed media of sorts, with voice narration and the dancers having speaking parts. It’s unexpected, whimsical and energetic; a pure joy. Set to a mix of modern music featuring selections from Grammy-nominated Brad Meldau Trio, experimental rock band Django Django, Tiga’s pop hit Shoes, and Moby.
The final part of the event, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa‘s Mammatus, is a stimulating twenty-minute abstract piece featuring twenty dancers in a series of ensembles and duets. Right away, there’s a thunder on the stage, then the music begins ("Weather One" by composer Michael Gordon). The music is sharp and urgent, the frantic forceful strings giving it that old world quality. The costumes (designed by Dieuweke Van Reij) are stylishly black, enveloping dancers’ hands and making them look animal or bird-like. The dancers’ movements are precise and fast, there isn’t much emotion here, just breathtaking fluidity of ever changing shapes and positions. Towards the end, a dance pair clad in all white comes in; their dance is sensual and full of grace. Is it possible that the contrast between the colors and the styles of dancers allude to the duality of our reality: the good and evil, the light and darkness, the emotion and thought?
Joffrey’s Global Visionaries is being performed at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University: April 26-May 7, 2017. For more show information, or to purchase tickets, click here.
Midsommer Flight to present free production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, June 28 – August 4 in six Chicago parks
17 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreMidsommer Flight, a company that has brought free performances of Shakespeare's plays to Chicago Park District parks since 2012, will…
LEAGUE OF CHICAGO THEATRES HIGHLIGHTS SUMMER 2024 PRODUCTIONS
14 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreChicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays…
Token Theatre to produce new play directed by Emmy winner Alan Muroaka
14 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreToken Theatre, Chicago's Asian American theatre company, announces the company's first full production, ZAC EFRON, written by Artistic Director David Rhee, co-written by Managing…
Review: Murder in the Cathedral at City Lit Theater
14 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI arrived at City Lit Theater’s MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL expecting a heavy, serious, doubtless thought-provoking but rather intimidating major…
Porchlight Shares Dates and Parks for its Free, Summer Concert Series: BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD, June 6 - August 6
13 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatrePorchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, now in its…
Dance and Sing to the Beat of Life with ‘Last Stop on Market Street’
13 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewDespite the fact that I have never read the Newberry Award-Winning children’s book called Last Stop on Market Street, I…
'Poor People! The Parody Musical' is rich in laughs
12 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI’m amazed that it’s been 18 years or so since I first saw a Hell in a Handbag production. Though…
Review: The Thanksgiving Play at Steppenwolf Theatre
10 May 2024 in Theatre in Review“Together we created this nothingness,” says Audrey Francis in Steppenwolf’s production of Larissa Fasthorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’. Hot off its…
Bramble Theatre Company presents Festival of Unfinished Work June 26 - June 30
10 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreBramble Theatre Company, is proud to announce the third annual Festival of Unfinished Work at the new Bramble Arts Loft located on the second…
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD coming to James M. Nederlander this Fall
10 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production…
Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist
09 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreChicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist, an immersive and captivating experience of illusions, puzzles, and cryptology, written and performed by renowned magician…
Steep Theatre Announces Two New Shows for '24
09 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreSteep Theatre will be back on stage in 2024 with two new productions that continue the company's tradition of bringing…
"Boy Genius" Orson Welles meets "War of the Worlds" author H.G. Wells in world premiere WELLS AND WELLES, based on true events
09 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreIn 1940, the 25-year-old Orson Welles, previously known as a stage and radio actor, had achieved widespread fame for his…
1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE to commemorate the arrival in America of the first African slaves and examine the peoples' progress since then
07 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewFleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer…
One Fine Show: Beautiful The Carole King Musical dazzles Paramount Theatre
04 May 2024 in Theatre ReviewsGrowing up our radio dial was tuned to one channel, K-Earth 101. In Southern California that station was the oldies,…
'Judgment Day' a Top-drawer Production That Will Leave You Laughing, and Maybe Changed for the Better
03 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewCrowds will flock to see “Judgment Day,” having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. While many…
Panther In the Sky – “A Moving Tapestry of Grief and Hope"
02 May 2024 in Dance in ReviewIn "Panther in the Sky," playwright Lani T. Montreal masterfully weaves a tapestry of grief, resilience, and redemption through the…
IDENTITY PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS FIRST INTL COLLAB May 17 &18 “Lights/9”
02 May 2024 in Upcoming DanceA collaboration of Chicago dance and Germany lighting sculpture live on stage About the Program: This program, set within an…
PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE OF DEATH BECOMES HER, 25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF MAMMA MIA!, AND THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY START TODAY!
01 May 2024 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago is excited to announce the pre-Broadway World Premiere of DEATH BECOMES HER is now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre…
Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' at The Edge Innovative… radical… courageous… confusing
01 May 2024 in Theatre in ReviewBlue in the Right Way audaciously chose for their inaugural production a 400-year-old play, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, written in 1621…
Red Theater's 'Hamlet' at The Edge Off Broadway - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are… hilarious!
28 April 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI think my favorite thing – well, one of my favorite things – about Wyatt Kent’s take on HAMLET is…
Review: Joffrey Ballet's 'Midsummer Night’s Dream' at Lyric Opera House
26 April 2024 in Dance in ReviewFrolicking season is upon us once again and Joffrey Ballet welcomes summer with the return of Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s…
Eerie, Human Mystery In Captivating ‘Jump’ by Shattered Globe Theatre
26 April 2024 in Theatre in ReviewAs the audience takes its seats we are greeted by an atmosphere of foreboding, a trestle bridge girder to the…
Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre
25 April 2024 in Theatre in ReviewDirector Chuck Smith returns to Goodman with another major August Wilson revival–“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”. This is the second…
THE GIFT THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2024-25 SEASON
25 April 2024 in Upcoming TheatreThe Gift Theatre is pleased to announce its 2024-25 season featuring Suzan-Lori Parks' masterpiece Topdog/Underdog directed by Shanésia Davis and the world premiere of Cygnus by Susan Soon He…
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD TO PLAY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO'S JAMES M. NEDERLANDER THEATRE SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 – FEBRUARY 1, 2025
25 April 2024 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production…
Cast and production team announced for BrightSide Theatre production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, June 7-23
25 April 2024 in Upcoming TheatreFull cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre's upcoming production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the rock opera that…
Chicago Opera Theater presents Chicago leg of the world premiere tour of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s newest opera Before It All Goes Dark May 25 & 26 at the Studebaker Theater
23 April 2024 in Upcoming TheatreChicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, closes its 50th Anniversary season presenting the final performances of…
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre announces 2024 season - celebrates local artists and two of the most significant Black female writers of the past 50 years
23 April 2024 in Upcoming TheatreTim Rhoze, Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, has announced the company's 2024 season of four productions. The season will open with…
Comedy & magic collide in RIDICULOUS! with David Williamson, May 16-June 30 at Rhapsody Theater
23 April 2024 in Theatre in ReviewDavid Williamson, regarded as one of the top magicians in the world today, makes his Rhapsody Theater debut with Ridiculous! Known for his tours…
Latest Articles
-
Midsommer Flight to present free production of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET, June 28 – August 4 in six Chicago parks
Written by Buzz Center StageMidsommer Flight, a company that has brought free performances of Shakespeare's plays to Chicago Park District parks since 2012, will present a fully staged ROMEO AND JULIET - one of the Bard's most popular tragedies - as its 2024 free Shakespeare… -
LEAGUE OF CHICAGO THEATRES HIGHLIGHTS SUMMER 2024 PRODUCTIONS
Written by Buzz Center StageChicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays and musicals, as well as comedy, dance, festivals, and more. To highlight these productions, The League of Chicago Theatres is publishing its Summer…
-
Token Theatre to produce new play directed by Emmy winner Alan Muroaka
Written by Buzz Center StageToken Theatre, Chicago's Asian American theatre company, announces the company's first full production, ZAC EFRON, written by Artistic Director David Rhee, co-written by Managing Director Wai Yim and directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Muraoka ("Sesame Street"). ZAC EFRON plays at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells St, June 20-July 21,…
-
Review: Murder in the Cathedral at City Lit Theater
Written by Sarz MaxwellI arrived at City Lit Theater’s MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL expecting a heavy, serious, doubtless thought-provoking but rather intimidating major work of literature. By the end of the performance, I wanted to rush out, buy the book and read it…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.