Displaying items by tag: Jack Chylinski

Lifeline Theatre today announced the cast and crew of its upcoming rock musical world premiere, LOKI - THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR, with music and lyrics by George Howe, book by ensemble member Christina Calvit, developed with and directed by ensemble member Heather Currie, running May 3 - June 14, 2026 (previews April 24 - May 2) on the Rogers Park theatre's stage at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. Tickets ($45) at www.lifelinetheatre.com. 

Welcome to the greatest rock 'n' roll show not on Earth! LOKI arrives at Asgard, bringing chaos, comedy, and three monstrous (maybe) children. LOKI tangles with Odin, Thor, and the mysterious Freya; each with their own agenda; their own secrets—but all paths lead to one eternal question: In an us vs. them world, can we envision a new mythology? 

"After many years of work and even more years of hoping, getting to premiere LOKI - THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR at Lifeline Theatre truly feels like a homecoming," said playwright Christina Calvit. "This is a company that believes in bold literary adaptation, and this piece lets us blow the doors off mythology in the most thrilling way."

"The story may be hundreds of years old, but it plays like a warning for our time," added composer George Howe. "At its heart, it's a riotous rock spectacle. But underneath the glitter and gods, it's an exploration of how power corrupts, how fear divides us, and whether we're brave enough to imagine a new mythology."

The production features Jack Chylinski as the god Loki, with Scott Danielson (Odin), Janelle Sanabria (Freya), Peter Gertas (Baldur), Keenan Odenkirk (Thor), Kate McQuillan (Sigyn), Grace Reidenauer (Hel), Anthony Kayer (Fenris), Avery Thompson (Middy), Kelan Smith (Norn 1), Kara Olander (Norn 2), and Alek Boggio (Norn 3). Understudies are Mack Alexander, Jake Elkins, Felicia Niebel, Annalie Ciolino, and Travis Shanahan. 

The production team includes George Howe (Composer / Lyricist / Music Director), Christina Calvit (Playwright), Heather Currie (Director), Kelan Smith (Co-Music Director), Lindsay Mummert (Scenic Designer), Saskia Bakker (Props Designer), G. Max Maxin IV (Lighting Designer), Aly Amidei (Costume Designer), Emily Hayman (Sound Designer), Sheryl Williams (Fight Choreographer), Devin Meseke (Production Manager), Erin Galvin (Stage Manager), Harrison Ornelas (Technical Director), and Avery Spellmeyer (Lighting Supervisor).

LOKI - THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR

Music & Lyrics By: George Howe

Book by Christina Calvit* 

Developed With and Directed By: Heather Currie*

Cast: Jack Chylinski as the god Loki, with Scott Danielson (Odin), Janelle Sanabria (Freya), Peter Gertas (Baldur), Keenan Odenkirk (Thor), Kate McQuillan (Sigyn), Grace Reidenauer (Hel), Anthony Kayer* (Fenris), Avery Thompson (Middy), Kelan Smith (Norn 1), Kara Olander (Norn 2), and Alek Boggio (Norn 3). Understudies are Mack Alexander, Jake Elkins, Felicia Niebel, Annalie Ciolino, and Travis Shanahan. 

Production Crew: George Howe (Composer / Lyricist / Music Director), Christina Calvit* (Playwright), Heather Currie* (Director), Kelan Smith (Co-Music Director), Lindsay Mummert (Scenic Designer), Saskia Bakker (Props Designer), G. Max Maxin IV (Lighting Designer), Aly Amidei* (Costume Designer), Emily Hayman* (Sound Designer), Sheryl Williams (Fight Choreographer), Devin Meseke (Production Manager), Erin Galvin (Stage Manager), Harrison Ornelas (Technical Director), and Avery Spellmeyer (Lighting Supervisor).

* denotes Ensemble Member

Dates: May 3 - June 14, 2026 (Previews April 24 - May 2, 2026) 

Schedule: Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Run Time: Approximately 2 ½ hours with one intermission

Location: Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave.

Tickets: General Admission: $45 (Preview: $30; Opening $55))

Military, student, and senior discounts available

Box Office:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 773-761-4477

Whenever I review a theatre company for the first time I get a bit of "first date nerves", especially when a suburban company (unabashed City snob, c’est moi) is doing such an iconic show. The stakes were even higher cos this was my first time seeing HAIR – I was a little too young in 1968 and somehow never got a chance in the intervening years (never mind how many).

Skokie Theatre Company proved I was in good hands. The cast members greeting guests on the street set the mood, and I was charmed when Woof (Sam Hook) blew me a kiss from the stage. And then Dionne (Niki-Charisse Franco) began to croon the opening bars of ‘Aquarius’ and I relaxed. I knew I could sit back and enjoy the show.

HAIR includes copious profanity, overt drug use and full-frontal nudity, but there was so much MORE to love! Let’s start with the music: several of the songs, from ‘Easy to be Hard’ and ‘Good Morning Starshine’ to the iconic title song are still around today, but I hadn’t realized how very many songs are in Hair: 27 in Act One alone, and all wonderful: ‘Donna’, ‘Hashish’, ‘Colored Spade’, ‘Air’, and the fabulous ‘Initials’. And who knew HAIR had an actual plot? The cast was enormous: nine principals plus five in The Tribe – and each better than the last.

I could say HAIR was flawless, but that would set you wondering just how much of the Kool-Aid I drank; besides, there were a couple of teensy flaws. Sound Designer Chris Cook needs to make some small adjustments with the microphones -- for the most part the soloists came through, but I missed much of Crissy’s (Bridgett Martinez) solo. Mind, this sort of readjustment is routine for first-weekend performances, and my sitting in the front row may have been part of the problem.

Scenic Designer Scott Richardson and Props/Set Decorator Barry Norton wisely kept it simple: the tie-dye background effectively recalled the era, and multiple levels gave Director Derek Van Barham (with Asst. Directors Miranda Coble and Brennan Urbi) plenty of options for staging. Urbi, as Movement Asst, did a hell of a job with nearly continuous dancing and cavorting; good job he had the aisles to expand into. Beth Laske-Miller’s costumes were spot-on, evoking the flower-child tie-dyed-hippie-freak symbols of protest. She accentuated the principals just enough to distinguish them without dissociating them from the Tribe as a whole. And I loved the pansexual vibe that Intimacy Director Christa Retka achieved. Overall, the mood was effervescent, unselfconsciously joyous and totally infectious: we were all drawn into the Tribe.

I love seeing shows with this companion cos I learn so much from them. In one of my early I reviews I asked them, “Just what does a Stage Manager do?” Their reply: “Make certain every person and every prop is in exactly the right place at precisely the right time.” Their guidance let me appreciate what a phenomenal job Stage Manager Amanda Coble did with HAIR. Keeping a cast of 14 on cue through every moment of a 90-minute first act (and the 2^nd act as well); staging, with Musical Director Jeremy Ramey, a total of forty songs, at least 36 of them ensemble pieces … she pulled it off without a bobble.

My companion’s standard for Light Design is ‘if you notice the lighting, they’re doing it wrong.’ Lighting Designer Pat Henderson met, even surpassed this standard with a basic kit used to full advantage. She utilized every possible source of illumination, stage lights, house lights and spotlights, using one particular center-stage spot super-effectively. I loved Musical Director/Conductor Jeremy Ramey’s brilliant idea of placing Shraga Wasserman (Berger) and Joey Chelius (Claude) in the band during Sheila’s (Alexandria Neyhart) solo ‘Easy to be Hard’, bringing the men into the scene and the song without choreography or lines.

Okay, what am I forgetting? Director … stage manager … music … intimacy … aha! The cast!

In a word, ridiculously talented. Okay, that’s two words, and they aren’t mine but Julie Peterson’s (Jeanie), but I’m totally with her on this, for both cast and crew. There was not one single weak voice in the cast, not one. I saw Shraga D Wasserman play Roger in RENT and, though I wrote a ‘Highly Recommended’ review, I remember that Wasserman’s talent outshone the rest of the cast, making for a slightly unbalanced production. No such problem here! Wasserman’s Berger was as good or better than their Roger in RENT, but the cast of HAIR was so stellar that their genius fit in seamlessly. That face of theirs! like living Silly Putty, so incredibly mobile.

I already mentioned that Sam Hook (Woof) stole my heart when he threw me a kiss, and my infatuation grew with his every appearance on stage. It’s hard to believe he’s still a student; I hope he stays in Chicago so I can follow his career.

Claude (Joey Chelius) had perhaps the heaviest dramatic role and his acting was most definitely up to it during the hallucination sequence and the finale. Hud (Justice Largin) was gorgeous and ‘I’m Black’ was a brilliant piece. I already mentioned that Niki-Charisse Franco as Dionne wowed me with her opening performance of ‘Aquarius’, singing with near-operatic potency. The other three principal women, Sheila (Alexandria Neyhart), Jeannie (Julie Peterson), and Crissy (Bridgett Martinez) had equally powerful voices. Ben Isabel was absolutely hilarious as Margaret Meade.

Which leaves The Tribe: Jonah Cochin, Jack Chylinski, Cristian Moreno, Chevy Dixon Saul, and Hannah Silverman. I reiterate: there was not a single weak performer! Jonah Cochin stood out for his delightfully bawdy contribution to ‘Black Boys’.

HAIR revived a lot of old memories for me, both good (dyeing my own love beads) and not-so-great (nightly body counts on TV). The rebellions of the 60’s/70’s shaped what American culture is to this day, and HAIR captured it all: peace and protest, music and drugs, love and fury. In 1969 HAIR was the counterculture’s manifesto. Today it’s a documentary, and a must-see!

MadKap Production's HAIR is being performed at Skokie Theatre through July 30^th. For tickets and/or more information, click here.