Displaying items by tag: Keith Kupferer

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Chicago's only professional theater that seeks to advance women through the power of storytelling, announces additional performance dates for  the world premiere of Jeff Award winning playwright Alex Lubischer's Pivot, directed by RTE Member Hallie Gordon.  The original run dates, February 12- March 21, 2026, are sold out and are available through a waitlist only. Added performances are March 25-April 4, 2026, with the best availability April 1-4, 2026.

The 30^th Season takes place at Rivendell's home, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago. Tickets are on sale at www.RivendellTheatre.org; (773) 334-7728. For placement on the waitlist for sold out performances, call the box office, (773) 334-7728.

The cast features ensemble members Keith Kupferer (George), Tara Mallen (Anne), Ashley Neal (Kara), and Glenn Obrero (Doug) with David Stobbe (Levi /Fr. Matt/ Ryan).

The creative team includes Eric Slater* (Asst. Director) Jackie Penrod (Scenic Design), Janice Pytel* (Costume Design), Diane Fairchild* (Lighting Design), Joyce Ciesil (Sound Design), Andres Fiz* (Projections Design), Tanya Palmer* (Dramaturg), Kristi Martens (Production Stage Manager) and Pat Fries* (Artistic Producer)

*Denotes Rivendell Ensemble member

"There is no better way to launch our 30th Anniversary Season than by bringing longtime ensemble member Hallie Gordon back home to helm another world premiere featuring so many members of our gifted ensemble," comments Artistic Director Tara Mallen. "Alex Lubischer has given us a play that's gutsy, provocative, deeply human – and perfect for Rivendell. Pivot brings the largely invisible and often underrepresented voices of the rural community to the forefront, illuminating the experiences of midwestern farmers, and highlighting both the challenges they face and the essential roles they play. As we celebrate three decades of championing complex stories that offer fresh perspectives, I am filled with gratitude for the artists and audiences who've helped build Rivendell — and looking forward to this vibrant new chapter."

The Riv Pass is available for only $95 and includes a ticket to each of the three shows, plus invitations to special readings and events. Riv Pass holders may attend each production as many times as they'd like and special benefits, including reserved seating, are available. While the Riv Pass is non-transferable, purchasing the Riv Pass for as a gift is encouraged. The Riv Pass is available at (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org.

Pivot production sponsors are Cathy and David Dixon. Rivendell's 30th Anniversary Season is sponsored by Sharon I. Furiya.

FACTS

PIVOT
A world premiere by Alex Lubischer
Directed by RTE Member Hallie Gordon
February 12 – April 4, 2026

This world premiere by Alex Lubischer (Bobbie Clearly, You Deserve to be Here), a Chicago-based, Jeff Award-winning playwright originally from rural Nebraska, is directed by longtime Rivendell Ensemble member and current Senior Associate Director at the Olney Theatre Center Hallie Gordon (Eat Your Heart Out, Dry Land, Cal in Camo) and featuring ensemble members Ashley Neal, Keith Kupferer, Glenn Obrero, and Artistic Director Tara Mallen with Eric Slater as Assistant Director. 

All Kara wants is a giant wedding reception and a solid three-year crop rotation plan for the farm. But when her wedding plans blow up in her face, Kara is prepared to upend the entire town of Milton, Nebraska to fight for the future that should have been hers.  Save the date for this dark comedy about getting your way, making a scene, and father-daughter dances to the Chicks.

Dates:

Previews: February 12-21, 2026

Thursday, February 12 at 8pm

Friday February 13 at 8pm

Saturday, February 14 at 8pm

Sunday, February 15 at 3pm

Thursday, February 19 at 8pm

Friday, February 20, at 8pm

Gala Opening: Saturday, February 21 at 7pm

Press Opening: Monday, February 23 at 7pm

Regular Run: February 26 - March 21, 2026

Thursday - Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays at 4pm

Added Performances: Sunday March 8 at 3pm (International Women's Day)

and Mondays, March 9 and March 16 at 8pm (Industry Performances)

EXTENSION DATES:

Wednesday, March 25 at 8pm

Thursday, March 26 at 8pm

Friday, March 27 at 8pm

Saturday, March 28 at 4pm and 8pm

Wednesday, April 1 at 8pm

Thursday, April 2 at 8pm

Friday, April 3 at 8pm

Saturday, April 4 at 4pm

About the Artists
Alex Lubischer (Playwright) is a queer Midwestern writer, born and raised on a farm in Nebraska. He lives in Rogers Park, Chicago. His plays include Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout Theatre Company, Steep Theatre, Jeff Award Winner: Outstanding New Play), Pivot (Yale School of Drama, GPTC New Play Conference 2024, Shelterbelt Theatre, Angels Theatre Company, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), You Deserve to Be Here (Goodman Playwrights Unit commission; Roundabout Theatre Laura Pels commission, The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting - Longlist), Do Wasps Have Desires? (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Weird Kids (Haven Chicago), The Quonsets (Yale Cabaret, co-written with Majkin Holmquist), and Survey No. 5 (House of International Theatre, Copenhagen).

Lubischer is a former Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence at Roundabout Theatre Company. He has developed new work at Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, Page 73, The Orchard Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Victory Gardens Theater, First Floor Theater, The Understudy, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has been a semifinalist for the P73 Playwriting Fellowship and a three-time finalist for the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.

Current screenwriting projects include Big Dave, an hour-long TV pilot co-conceived with Danilo Gambini—Hyperobject Industries is attached to produce—and three features: a 90s-set boy band movie for Division Global and Sappho Screen; an original thriller, Evildoers; and a bi coming-of-age dark comedy, The Deep End, co-written with Hanna Kime.

He teaches playwriting at DePaul University and Bramble Theatre in Chicago. MFA: Yale. BA: University of Southern California.

Hallie Gordon (director), a longtime ensemble member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, has directed Eat Your Heart Out, Dry Land, and Cal and Camo for Rivendell and is currently the Director of Artistic Development at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Hallie is formerly the Artistic Director Steppenwolf for Young Adults & Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf. Hallie has directed the following for Steppenwolf Theatre: HIR, The Rembrandt, the world premiere of Animal Farm, The Book Thief, along with To Kill A Mockingbird, the world premiere of The House on Mango Street, and Harriet Jacobs, adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond. A new premiere of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, also adapted by Lydia R. Diamond, which won a Black Excellence Award from the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago. This production was also transferred Off-Broadway to The New Victory Theatre. For Writers Theater, Smart People and Eclipsed for Northlight Theatre, and has directed staged readings for The Goodman Theatre, Timeline Theatre, Chicago Dramatists and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. And is the recipient of The Helen Coburn Meier & Tim Meier Achievement Award.

Keith Kupferer (George) can currently be seen in Alex Thompson and Kelly O'Sullivan's Ghostlight which premiered at Sundance in January 2024 to rave reviews and was released by IFC Films nationwide last summer. Keith has received widespread praise for his "powerhouse performance" (Deadline Hollywood) and has garnered multiple prestigious end-of-year nominations from the Gothams and Independent Spirit Awards, was the recipient of Best Actor in a Comedy by the Satellite awards and named the "2025 Chicagoan of the Year In Film" by the Chicago Tribune.

A veteran of the stage, Keith has appeared at Chicago's most prestigious theaters including Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Victory Gardens, Writer's Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Northlight Theatre, A Red Orchid and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He is a founding member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, now celebrating its 30th anniversary and performed in the critically acclaimed premieres of A Mile in the Dark, The Cake, American Wee-Pie and Cal in Camo (Jeff Award for Supporting Actor). Other notable theater credits include Support Group for Men, God of Carnage, and Sweat (Goodman); The Seagull, The Great Leap, The Qualms, Good People, and Middletown (Steppenwolf); Hillary and Clinton, Never the Sinner and Appropriate (Victory Gardens); West Side Story (Lyric Opera) and the world premiere of The Humans (American Theatre Company).  

Film credits include Ghostlight; Widows; The Dilemma; Dark Knight; Public Enemies; The Express; Stranger Than Fiction; Road to Perdition; Finding Santa; Fred Klaus; The Last Rites of Joe May; and The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton. TV credits include The Bear; Emperor of Ocean Park; Better Call Saul; Empire; Chicago P.D.; Betrayal; Crisis; Chicago Fire; and Detroit 187. Keith is represented by the Gersh Agency and Fusion Entertainment.

Tara Mallen (Anne), producer, actor, director, is the Founder and Artistic Director at Chicago's award winning Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. She is a 3Arts William Franklin Grisham Awardee, a 2024 Impact Award winner from the Chicago Foundation for Women and a Volunteers of America Silver Star Award. In 2024, Tara appeared alongside her husband, Keith and daughter, Katherine in Alex Thompson and Kelly O'Sullivan's film Ghostlight, premiering at Sundance in to rave reviews and released by IFC Films nationwide. Most recently she was seen onstage in GORGEOUS (co-production between Rivendell and Raven), directed the sold-out, critically acclaimed world premiere Wipeout for Rivendell and played "Aunt Lizzie"in Rivendell's smash-hit production Motherhouse as part of their Jeff Award winning ensemble. In 2018, she won a Jeff Award for "Actor /Principal Role" for her portrayal of "Della" in The Cake. Other stage credits include The Luckiest (Raven Theatre - Jeff Nomination – Supporting Actor); the world premiere of Lynn Nottage's Sweat (Arena Stage); Rivendell's world premiere productions of Laura and the Sea, Look, We Are Breathing and Rasheeda Speaking among many others; and How Long Will I Cry at Steppenwolf Theatre. Since Rivendell's inception in 1996, Tara has produced and acted in over fifty productions. She received a Joseph Jefferson award for "Supporting Actress" for work in WRENS and was also a part of that production's Jeff winning "ensemble". She was nominated the following year for "Actress in a Principal Role" for her work in My Simple City.

Screen credits include Steven Soderbergh's Contagion; The Last Shift (Sony Pictures); The Emperor of Ocean Park (MGM+); Dark Matter (Apple TV); Empire (Fox); Boss (Starz); Chicago Fire (NBC); Doubt (CBS/Sony Pictures); Chicago P.D.(NBC); Sense8 (Netflix) and the independent feature FOOLS. She plays a leading role in Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson's soon-to-be-released film Mouse. 

Tara co-conceived and directed the world premiere of Women at War, directed the Jeff nominated Midwest premieres of The Electric Baby, 26 Miles (co-production with Teatro Vista); Fighting Words; Psalms of a Questionable Nature; Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue (co-production with Stageworks/ Hudson); and the brief and brilliant Shady Meadows by Lisa Dillman as part of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival.

Ashley Neal (Kara) has appeared with First Floor Theater; Killing Game, The Nether, and Red Handed Otter with A Red Orchid Theatre; Cal in Camo, Scientific Method, Alias Grace, and many others with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, where she is an ensemble member and the resident casting director. She has also worked with theater companies including Griffin, Steep Theatre, Redtwist, Remy Bumppo, and many more. TV credits include Chicago Fire, PD, and numerous commercials. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where she is now a professor, as well as teaching at The School at Steppenwolf.

Glenn Obrero (Doug) has appeared with Rivendell in Scientific Method and Wipeout. Some Chicago Theater credits include: The Great Leap (Steppenwolf Theatre), 20K Leagues Under The Seas (Lookingglass Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Timeline Theatre), Ironbound (Raven Theatre), and A Tale of Two Cities (Shattered Globe Theatre). He's also worked in Regional Theaters such as Peninsula Players Theatre, Kitchen Theatre, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Film and TV Credits: Chicago Fire (NBC), Next (FOX), and When Cats Fly (Upcoming Feature Film). He is a Casting Associate of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and is represented by Gray Talent. Group.

Eric Slater (Asstistant Director), a member of Rivendell since 2005, has appeared in Rasheeda Speaking, The Tasters and Cal in Camo. Some Chicago credits include: Support Group for Men, Feathers and Teeth, Smokefall (Goodman Theatre); The Doppelganger (an international farce) (Steppenwolf Theatre Co.); What the Butler Saw, Fen (Court Theatre); Hand To God, Tiny Beautiful Things (Victory Gardens); Small Jokes About Monsters (16th Street Theatre); Off-Broadway: Juvenal Players (The Kitchen); The Dudley's: A Family game! (Theatre for a New City); Our Greatest Year (Kraine); Original cast of Gloryana (Workshop Production, The Public Theatre); Cyanocitta (The Beckett / Theatre Row). Film: Widows, Coming To You. TV: "Fargo", "Chicago Fire". Eric is also a contributing writer for The Neugents with the North Carolina Writers Project.

David Stobbe (Levi /Fr. Matt/ Ryan) is a founder of The Tramp Collective and an ensemble member of Avalanche Theater, David's Chicago credits include the premiere of PRO-AM (First Floor Theater), Marie Antoinette and The Magical Negroes (Story Theater), and Ophelia in Space (The Tramps). Regional credits: Waitress (Paramount Theater) Oaken in Frozen (Fulton Theater), The Big Bopper in Buddy Holly (Marriott Lincolnshire), Pap/King Silas (Mercury Theater). He can be seen in John Mossman's "Good Guy with a Gun" on Apple TV+.

About the 30^th Season

Rivendell is celebrating three decades of groundbreaking, women-centered storytelling with new works that embody its legacy of centering women's voices, sparking crucial dialogues and advocating for women. This season is both a celebration of Rivendell's award-winning past and an invitation to experience the bold narratives shaping the future. The 30^th season of new plays continues with:

DO SOMETHING PRETTY
A world premiere by Melissa Ross

Directed by Jessica Fisch
May 2 - June 7, 2026 

Written by Melissa Ross (The Luckiest, Thinner Than Water, Nice Girl,  A Life Extra Ordinary) and directed by Rivendell favorite Jessica Fisch (The Firebirds Take the Field, I Want to F**king Tear You Apart), this world premiere production marks RTE "junior" member Katherine Mallen Kupferer's Rivendell debut. 

Summer of 1992. The United States is in a recession. Arkansas governor Bill Clinton is about to run for president. Kurt is married to Courtney. Yo MTV Raps is on the television. And Zach Morris is the only kid with a cell phone. 

On a hot August night in a small Massachusetts town. The last few weeks before school starts. Three teens try to navigate their way through the murky path to adulthood. Phoebe wants to grow up. Jason wants Evie. And Evie just wants to get as far away from everyone as she possibly can. ​                                                           

BONNIE'S LAST FLIGHT

A World premiere written by Eliza Bent
Directed by RTE Member Devon de Mayo
September 11 - October 17, 2026

Bonnie's Last Flight is written by Eliza Bent, former New York playwright produced throughout the country, now a Northwestern University faculty member, and is directed by longtime RTE member Devon de Mayo (Scientific Method, Laura and the Sea, The Tasters), Director of Performance in Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago.

It's Jan's retirement flight. Everyone knows, except for Greig, Jan's best friend and coworker of many years. As Greig waxes nostalgic, Jan worries about life post- retirement. LeeAnne, a klutzy newbie flight attendant with a dark past, must avoid her ex on the plane while Captain, a waggish pilot with a weakness for Bloody Marys, is caught in a love triangle. Erik, the co-pilot with a heart of gold, can't get a word in edgewise. Presiding over the flight is the OG of travel: Mark Twain.

In a comedy set on everyone's least favorite mode of transit, we must reckon with our crew's dreams and regrets and ask ourselves: What does it take to really start living?

The Folded Map Project 

In Development

Rivendell's immersive and collaborative devising process continues with the The Folded Map Project, a groundbreaking play created in collaboration with artist, activist and 2026 MacArthur fellow Tonika Lewis Johnson.

Led by a dynamic team of writers, performers, designers and community advocates, to engage with real-life stories from Tonika's transformative Folded Map Project, highlighting the divides in Chicago's neighborhoods. This past summer, the artist team convened in partnership with University of Chicago's Performance Lab for a session that culminated in a public sharing of the work-in-progress script. 

Rivendell's aim for the Folded Map is to produce a fully realized theatrical production, inspired by the Folded Map Project, creating a pathway to social justice for all who experience it.

About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble's 30^th Anniversary Campaign:

The 30^th anniversary marks a pivotal moment for Rivendell and the company is meeting that moment by launching a special fundraising campaign. As part of this campaign, the RTE Board is hosting a series of specially curated events to commemorate and underwrite Rivendell's role as an important platform for new women's voices.

Rivendell is the leader in new play development for women playwrights and a major platform for emerging writers and artists as the only women-focused Equity storefront theatre in Chicago. The company has earned 16 Joseph Jefferson awards and nominations in our 57-production history. In an average year, we serve about 200 artists and 3,500 audience members, partner with other theatre companies both in Chicago and nationally, practice direct audience engagement, and perform extensive community outreach initiatives.

For more information about Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, visit http://rivendelltheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; ArtsWork Fund: TERRA Foundation for American Art; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Bayless Family Foundation; Driehaus Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; and The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

“Henry Johnson,” David Mamet’s new play running at the vintage Biograph Theatre, is like many of his works, enigmatic and demanding of his audience. With Mamet one must pay close attention to the dialog, packed with foreshadowing and reveals. Miss a line or even a word, and you’ll miss out.

This focus on the dialog is the essence of what Mamet’s works are about - plumbing the interior workings of the characters, as they face their lives. It also allows Mamet to examine in depth the forces at play in any human interaction, which in my take the playwright sees as transactional.

Expectations were clearly high for the Midwest premier of “Henry Johnson” by the Pulitzer winning Chicago playwright (“Glengarry Glen Ross,” “American Buffalo”) and screenwriter (“The Untouchables,” “Hoffa,” “The Postman Always Rings Twice”).

The biggest letters are Mamet’s name on the marquee at the Biograph. This is Victory Gardens Theater's home, where it is celebrating 50 years with this show. Its legendary founder, Dennis Zacek, takes executive producer credits on the production.

The promise of a rare new stage work by Mamet (as well as its planned release this summer as a film starring Shia LeBoeuf) drew a strong team of pros as well:
Directed by Edward Torres (co-founder of Teatro Vista), it stars Thomas Gibson (TV’s “Criminal Minds”), Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”) as a prison guard, Al'Jaleel McGhee (“A Soldier’s Play” Broadway tour) as Mr. Barnes and “Chicago PD” character Daniil Krimer as Henry.

“Henry Johnson” has what people come to David Mamet for - the thinking script, the demands on audiences to fill in the dots, the mystery, the unexpected reversals. For me, what is most intriguing about “Henry Johnson” is how Mamet explores a character, Henry, a beta male who is readily susceptible to being dominated by alpha male personalities.

It opens as Mr. Barnes, Henry’s boss, questions him on his unusual request: to find a job for a parolee that Henry once knew in college. McGhee’s Barnes digs into Henry’s motivation, asking him “What attracted you?” Henry’s answer: “He had this power over women,” relating how he could pick up women in bars and go home with them easily.

Barnes is hard driving, suggesting to Henry that he is under the spell of this one-time college buddy (who never appears in the play), now a convicted felon. Barnes gets Henry to state he is not physically attracted to this guy, just under his thumb.

Henry can accuretly relate back to Barnes his assessment of him - that Henry is putting the welfare of a past friend ahead of the interests of the company. Henry can hear it, but presumably he is so much in thrall to this “friend” he cannot be persuaded to discard him.

“You saw him after college?” Barnes asks.
Henry: “Before he went to prison.”
Barnes: “He was grooming you.”

The unseen friend was also a steady winner in card games, inexplicably lucky. Barnes ventures that the other men, also dominated by the friend’s charisma, let him win. “They were paying him rent.” In my experience, this is really how the dynamics of unhealthy male social hierarchy can work. When Barnes asks what he thought about his friend’s conviction, Henry replies, “I had no opinion. I thought it was my responsibility to have no opinion.”

In an abrupt change of scene, we now find Henry newly arrived at a prison cell - Barnes caught him embezzling, presumably for this unseen friend, and the audience must conclude he’s been convicted. Henry’s cellmate, Gene (Thomas Gibson) digs into Henry enough to determine his untoward fealty to his friend. Then he lectures him continuously, and Henry offers only desultory replies. As with Barnes, Henry is able to relate back to Gene, “You think my interest {in him] is an addiction.”

The setting shifts to the prison library, and the guard in charge is played by Kupferer. And then finally, a climactic scene, also in the prison library, where Mamet ties up the story for us, in a shocking end..

True to Mamet, the dialog doesn’t lead us through a plot - but an examination of where the characters are emotionally at key points along a timeline. Abrupt shifts in the setting are unexplained - Mamet expects us to figure it out, and we like him for that - but he’s not giving much to go on in each quadrant of the play: an inquiry in an office; a prison cell; a prison library; and a closing setting that spoiler concerns will leave undescribed.

The script seems less a play, than an extended treatment for a screenplay. The dialog  is less compelling than Mamet’s signature works, which take a lot of rehearsal to refine the playwright’s intended cadences. Kupferer and McGhee come closest to getting this down. With all that, it’s Mamet, and so “Henry Johnson” comes highly recommended. It runs through May 4 at Victory Gardens Theater.

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/!

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” repeats James Seol in Lauren Yee’s new play “The Great Leap” now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre. Jesca Prudcencio directs this modern twist on the Dickens classic “A Tale of Two Cities”, which divides its action between 1980s San Francisco and Beijing. 

“The Great Leap” refers to a period of social revolution in China beginning in the 1950s that spilled over into chaos by the late 1980s. Yee’s play is based on a series of real life basketball games in which her father played on behalf of America in Beijing during the 80s. Her father, much like the main character Manford, was a basketball star of San Francisco’s Chinatown. From this bit of personal history, Yee creates a fictional friendship match between USF and Beijing which culminates in the height of the Tiananmen Square protests.

Manford, played by the indefatigable Glenn Obrero is a fast-talking basketball wunderkind from the streets of Chinatown. He convinces down-on-his-luck coach Saul Slezac (Keith Kupferer) to bring him to Beijing for a high-profile rematch between the two countries. Slezac is the standard cocky American who credits himself for bringing basketball to China eighteen years prior when he trained the Republic of China coach, Wen Chang (James Seol). Though the game is coined a friendship match, the stakes are high for both coaches as well as Manford who has limited post-high school options. 

For many theater-goers, plays about sports can be a snooze, but Yee’s play is rarely just about basketball. “The Great Leap” is a history lesson about a revolution in China that failed. Many of today’s teenagers are entirely unaware of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the famous image of the man with bags in front of a tank. The playwright uses basketball as an allegory for the communist party’s tension with the west. 

Performances and production run strong here. Those with only a lukewarm interest in sports will be dazzled by the theatrical vision Jesca Prudencio has for this show. The basketball choreography creates a sense of excitement in the brightly lit set by Justin Humphres. It’s not often that a major house has an entirely Asian American cast (with the exception of Keith Kupferer). It is on the stellar and inspiring performances by James Seol, Glenn Obrero and Deanna Myers that this play hinges. Though Kupferer gets most of the laughs as the crass American coach through which Yee pokes fun at her own Asian American heritage. James Seol establishes himself as the main character with a performance that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. 

“The Great Leap” comes at a relevant time in history. As we observe the 30th anniversary of the June 4 protests, Yee asks us if diplomatic relations have improved or degraded. An ongoing trade war between the two nations as well as uprisings in Hong Kong are food for thought. As complex as the social revolution was, Yee’s play uses hindsight to suggest it was a simpler time, or at the very least a time of great hope. 

Through October 20 at Steppenwolf Theatre. 1650 N Halsted. 312-335-1650

It’s a tough time to be a straight white male. Playwright Ellen Fairey returns to Chicago with a new play called ‘Support Group for Men’ now running at Goodman Theatre. Fairey’s work was last seen in Chicago when the now defunct Profiles Theatre produced her smash hit ‘Graceland’ in the mid-00s. Directed by one of the city’s foremost directors, Kimberly Senior, this of-the-moment play is certain to hit home for locals.

‘Support Group for Men’ isn’t exactly a winning title, but it does fit the bill. In it, four men of various ages and ethnicities meet weekly to discuss personal problems they’re having. Fairey took the idea from a real-life friend of hers who told her about a support group he went to for lonely men. Without that piece of info from the playbill, this scenario would seem somewhat unplausable. That said, how sad that there are so many lonely people out there that don’t seek company?

Fairey sets her four characters in Wrigleyville. There’s tough guy Roger (Keith Kupferer), new agey Brian (Ryan Kitley), sensitive Delano (Anthony Irons) and token millennial Kevin (Tommy Rivera-Vega), but it’s the entrance of Alex (Jeff Kurysz) in drag that changes the course of the evening. While most of the dialogue is topical and relevant, the jammed-in Chicago references ring very false. Suburbanites may appreciate the cultural shout-outs but really, how many locals actually go to Weiner Circle?

This is not to say the play is bad. Fairey’s characters discuss the things in everyday pop culture that are so fluid for the young, but so confusing for the middle-aged. Her points about middle-aged men feeling winnowed out are devastating. It almost answers the question of “why do people commit mass shootings?”

Roger is established as the main character and his monologue about the realization of middle age and the feeling of being invisible is heartbreaking. Keith Kupferer is perfectly cast for this role. When the Chicago stage needs an everyman, Kupferer is the guy for the job. There’s a toughness to his look, but a wealth of sensitivity just below the surface.

This is a comedy and though it does try to reach for depth, it often comes up empty. The problem here is that Fairey isn’t saying anything that hasn’t already been said better by other writers. Though, it is important for mainstream, suburban audiences to see themselves in a play. If they can’t relate, then how can a play make them see the world differently? Fairey’s play is a light-hearted referendum on male privilege and it’s easier to swallow a little criticism with some comedy. Is this a play everyone in America needs to see? No, but it’s a play that has themes everyone in American should be discussing.

Through July 29 at Goodman Theatre. 170 N Dearborn. 312-443-3811

“The Legend of Georgia McBride” written by Matthew Lopez, is an adorable and entertaining piece brought to sexy, vibrant life by an exquisitely multi-talented cast of characters. 

The play is set in a dusty part of the Florida panhandle at a run-down club called Cleo's owned by Eddie played with great irony by character actor Keith Kupferer. 

After night in and night out with an unsuccessful Elvis act, Eddie has allowed his cousin "Miss Tracy Mills" (Sean Blake) to bring her two man/woman drag show to the club in the hopes of salvaging his nightclub income. 

Sean Blake is amazing and seems born to play this role. Blake gets the most laughs and the most oohs and aahs with each stunning costume change or drag number and absolutely steals the show.  Miss mills also brings with her another drag queen of the highest order but one with a serious drinking problem named Rexy. 

Rexy played by Jeff Kurysz is hysterically funny in this role and does double time as Casey’s landlord and friend, a straight married man with children. Kurysz did so well in this transformation, it took me halfway through the play to realize this was the same person playing tow completely opposite roles and that was only because I thought I saw just a hint of blue eye shadow left over during his quick change from drag queen to local roofer!

The lead role of Casey is played with real charisma and fantastic dance abilities by Nate Santana. Casey has been trying to eke out a living doing his Elvis impersonation at the club but do to waning interest in his act has been demoted to bartender to make room for the new drag show. His wife, Jo (Leslie Ann Sheppard) has informed him she is pregnant and must give up his dreams of playing Elvis in order to support the family. The couple works well together, presenting a believable dynamic and we are easily able to root for them.

In the end, Casey learns to become a successful drag queen (after reluctantly doing so originally when asked by Eddie after Rexy is passed out drunk just before her number) and fulfills his artistic talents in this way. Just watching Casey’s transformation from Elvis impersonator to slovenly, broken down bartender to show-stopping drag queen is worth the price of admission and Santana does so with great communicative eyes and terrific physical comedy skills. 

Is drag just performing? No it is not as Rexy later explains to Casey, who thinks it's as simple as performing a show - it is a protest. There is much more to drag than eye shadow, glitzy dresses and fake boobs. It is a way of life, something to take your lumps for and definitely something not for "pussies". 

The set which slides back and forth to become their shoddy apartment and the dressing room of the bar is a little confusing and doesn't quite give the intimacy to either environment that it deserves. However, the lighting (JR Lederle), sound (Kevin O’Donnell), amazing costumes (Rachel Laritz), fabulous wigs (Penny Lane Studios- WOW!) and funny props by Bronte DeShong and yummy choreography by Chris Carter more than make up for that distraction. 

I highly recommend this laugh a minute feel-good comedy with several smashing dance numbers about making your dreams come true "right where you are with what you've got to work with" for the whole family to enjoy. 

“The Legend of Georgia McBride” is being performed at Northlight Theatre through October 22nd. More show information can be found at www.northlight.org.

Following the lives of Charlotte and Jonny, The Mystery of Love and Sex cleverly explores a variety of subjects including sexual identity, race, political correctness and family undercurrents. Charlotte and Jonny have grown up together and have become the very best of friends. Charlotte is a white girl who had lived with her parents, her father Jewish and her mother converted, while Jonny, an African American had lived with his mother just next door. 

The story starts off with Charlotte and Jonny living together while attending college. They wonder if their longtime friendship can develop into something more. The two are stressed when Charlotte’s parents, Howard and Lucinda, come by for dinner unsure of what they might think of their living relationship and their possible future together. Howard, a  successful crime novelist accused of writing with racist and sexist overtones by Jonny ("Why are all black men able to dance? Why are most found victims women with no clothes on?"), is direct, concerned and, at times, a bit skeptical. “What is this? Like Bohemian?” He says referring to the couple’s table setting. It doesn’t help matters that Charlotte and Jonny are serving just salad and bread. But we quickly see how much Howard cares for both his daughter Charlotte and Jonny, who he considers his son, despite his oft coarse exterior. 

As the story progresses, Charlotte and Jonny show trepidation in pursuing a future together even questioning their own sexuality. Howard and Lucinda, who consider themselves liberal parents, just want their daughter to be happy. We are then taken on several plot twists and turns in both Howard and Lucinda’s marriage and the lives of Jonny and Charlotte that keep the story highly engaging.

Keenly directed by Marti Lyons and smartly written by Bathsheba Doran, The Mystery of Love and Sex provides four main characters that are each appealing in their own ways. The interactions between the four is fulfilling, as it is humorous, touching and true to life. Doran’s story is that of love, whether it be unconditional or the lengths taken to find it. It is a journey into life’s most sought after desire and a tribute to accepting those for who they are.  

"I have had the pleasure of following the impressive rising careers of playwright Bash Doran and Director Marti Lyons for the past few years and I am delighted to find a project that suited both their considerable talents so perfectly," says Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.

Hayley Burgess leads the way as Charlotte with a bold performance in her Writers Theatre debut. Charlotte has many layers that are revealed throughout the play and Burgess gently takes the audience by the hand into her character’s depth one step at a time. Best friend and confidant Jonny is well-played by Travis Turner who is also able to play up to the complexities in his role with much aplomb. Lia Mortensen is just fantastic as Lucinda, delivering her witty lines to perfection and getting several laughs in the way her character struggles to quit smoking. Cast in the role of Howard is Keith Kupferer. However, Kupferer had taken ill and was unavailable for the performance I had attended thrusting Mark David Kaplan into the role, who is simply remarkable. Kaplan steers his role with grit and finesse offering the clear predictability of Howard’s stereotype, but is also able to throw in a handful of surprising moments filled with a genuineness than can catch us off guard. Kaplan and Mortensen are terrific as Charlotte’s parents, bringing forth plenty of funny exchanges and throwing several well-timed darts at each other.

There is a lot to like in Doran’s The Mystery of Love and Sex from its tantalizing script to its well-executed performances. The play delivers a solid message in a uniquely crafty way that is entertaining from beginning to end. 

Recommended. 

The Mystery of Love and Sex is currently running at Writers Theatre (325 Tudor Court, Glenview) through July 2nd. For tickets and/or more show information click here. 

*This play contains frontal nudity.

Apparently thrill-killing isn't a new sign of the gradual breakdown of society. John Logan's historical thriller "Never the Sinner" explores the trial of wealthy, local killers Leopold and Loeb in what was once hailed as the crime of the century. Director Gary Griffin brings this story to life in an exciting new production at Victory Gardens Theater. 

Logan's wordy script has the potential to be really dull, even with the gory details. That's not the case with this quick-moving production. Set against a minimal set draped in peacock damask, Griffin's staging makes the telling active. Each twist and turn in the tabloid drama is accented by slick reporters. The cheeky headlines pose the question whether there's profit in crime? And if so, who benefits from a court room sideshow? Certainly not the victim. It also serves to underscore that in America, we're all just rubber-neckers happy that a crime didn't happen to us. 

A play like "Never the Sinner" is really only as strong as its Leopold and Loeb and luckily they’ve got two great actors. Japhet Balaban plays the part of introverted Nathan Leopold and he's unnervingly creepy. His attention to diction is a wise character choice. While Loeb technically carried out the crimes, Balaban's Leopold has the Norman Bates-type aloofness that most serial killers tend to possess. Jordan Brodess' Loeb balances the rage and panache which likely serves Logan's point that some people will sink to deplorable depths for fame in America. 

The true surprise of this story is their country lawyer Darrow played Keith Kupferer. Kupferer is known for his "every man" roles, and this show will prove a high point for him. Of course the knee-jerk reaction to brutal murder committed by two remorseless college boys makes us demand the ultimate penalty: death. Logan uses this real-life instance to debate the ethics of the death penalty. In high profile cases up to this point in history, rarely was the philosophy of capital punishment ever questioned. Even in our times it’s a hard question without an easy answer. Ultimately Logan uses this shlockey murder trial to ask the audience, is killing in the name of justice, just? 

Through December 6th at Victory Gardens Theater - 2433 N Lincoln Ave.