Displaying items by tag: American Blues Theater

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, presents the Chicago premiere of Artistic Affiliate Charles Smith's Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith. Capping off Blues' 2024-2025 season, Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues is a comedic and thoughtful tale brought to the stage by the creative team behind last season's successful The Reclamation of Madison Hemings. Running May 23 – June 29, 2025, tickets to Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues are on sale now through the American Blues Theater box office, www.americanbluestheater.com, (773) 654-3103. The press opening is schedule for May 29, 2025 at 7:00pm.

Pompey is an aging white vaudevillian; Jet is a Black teenager. Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, they show us how basic needs and emotions transcend barriers of race, religion, and age. Don't miss Ensemble member and veteran TV star Dennis Cockrum's ("Shameless") return to American Blues Theater in the role of Pompey, along with Ensemble member Dawn Bach (Marsha), Justin Banks (Jet) and James Sherman (Ollie).

Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside comments, "We're thrilled to produce another collaboration between Charles Smith and Chuck Smith. Working with these two legends has been a dream for us. There is a palpable excited around American Blues as we welcome back Ensemble member Dennis Cockrum to our stage to help bring this wonderful play to life."

The creative team includes Charles Smith* (playwright), Chuck Smith* (director), Shayna Patel* (scenic), Jared Gooding* (lights), Lily Walls* (costumes & wardrobe supervisor), Rick Sims* (co-sound), Warren Levon* (co-sound), Tyson Carter (properties), Wilson Cain (dramaturg), Richard Lundy* (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (facilities manager & ME), Nate Walczyk* (production manager) Tom Daniel* (technical director), and Chris Walls (audio supervisor).

*Denotes an Ensemble Member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues.

About the Artists

CHARLES SMITH (playwright) is a proud Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater. Plays include The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, Objects in the Mirror, Free Man of Color, Knock Me a Kiss, The Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, Freefall, The Gospel According to James, Jelly Belly, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Les Trois Dumas, Denmark, Sister Carrie, The Sutherland, Black Star Line, Takunda, Cane, and City of Gold. His plays have been produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, The Acting Company, People's Light, The New Federal Theatre, Penumbra, Crossroads Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Weissberger Theater Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Westcoast Black Rep., Robey Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, Independent Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, the HBO New Writers Project, the International Children's Theater Festival in Seattle, and The National Black Theatre Festival.

He has been commissioned by Cleveland Play House and The Acting Company, and has received multiple commissions from Victory Gardens, Indiana Rep, and Goodman. He received the 2024 Kesselring Prize for Playwriting for his play, The Price of the Ticket. Other awards include a Joseph Jefferson Award, a John W. Schmid Award, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, the Illinois Arts Council Governors Award, the Joyce Award, the Cornerstone National Playwriting Award, The National Black Theatre Festival's August Wilson Playwriting Award, Princess Grace Fellowship, the Theodore Ward National Playwriting Award, two Black Theatre Alliance Awards for New Work, the NBC New Voices Award, and numerous other AUDELCO, Jeff, NAACP, and Black Theatre Alliance award nominations.

He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, one of the founding members of the Playwrights Ensemble at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Presidential Research Scholar in the Arts and Humanities at Ohio University and has taught playwriting at Northwestern University, for the Prague Summer Program in Creative Writing in the Czech Republic, and for the Center for Dramatic Art in Groznjan, Croatia.

CHUCK SMITH (director) is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater where he directed Leroi Jones' Dutchman, Flyin' West, & The Reclamation of Madison Hemings. He is a member of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees and is a Goodman Theatre Resident Director. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida. Goodman credits include the Chicago premieres of Pullman Porter Blues; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Race; The Good Negro; Proof and The Story; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, where it won the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Direction; A Raisin in the Sun; Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, Two Trains Running and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; Objects in the Mirror, Having Our Say, Ain't Misbehavin' the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Vivisections from a Blown Mind and The Meeting.

He served as dramaturg for the Goodman's world-premiere production of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. He directed the New York premiere of Knock Me a Kiss and The Hooch for the New Federal Theatre and the world premiere of Knock Me a Kiss at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater, where his other directing credits include Master Harold... and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine and Eden, for which he received a Jeff Award nomination.

Regionally, Mr. Smith directed Death and the King's Horseman (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Jitney and Gem of the Ocean (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), The Story (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and The Last Season (Robey Theatre Company). At Columbia College he was facilitator of the Theodore Ward Prize playwriting contest for 20 years and editor of the contest anthologies Seven Black Plays and Best Black Plays. He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay "Crime of Innocence" and was theatrical director for the Emmy-winning "Fast Break to Glory" and the Emmy-nominated "The Martin Luther King Suite".

He was a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company, where he served as artistic director for four seasons and directed the Jeff-nominated Suspenders and the Jeff-winning musical Po'. His directing credits include productions at Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Roosevelt University, Eclipse Theatre, ETA, Black Ensemble Theater, Northlight Theatre, MPAACT, Congo Square Theatre Company, The New Regal Theater, Kuumba Theatre Company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 2019 he received an Honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater Governors State University and has received lifetime achievement awards from The African-American Arts Alliance of Chicago, the League of Chicago Theaters and the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. He is a 2003 inductee into the Chicago State University Gwendolyn Brooks Center's Literary Hall of Fame and a 2001 Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year. He is the proud recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 Award of Merit presented by the Black Theater Alliance of Chicago.

DAWN BACH (Marsha) – has been a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater since 1993. Dawn has appeared in numerous Blues productions over the years, including Catch-22, A Stone Carver, On the Waterfront, A Lie of the Mind and Dark at the Top of the Stairs. She served as musical director/composer for Medea and wrote original music for Toys in the Attic, for which she received the After Dark Award for outstanding original music. She has hosted and narrated numerous industrial films and has appeared on the stages of Lifeline, Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Bailiwick, Next, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Northlight (Cowgirls, Smoke on the Mountain) and Goodman Theatre (A Christmas Carol). A long-time student of the late Mary Ann Thebus, Dawn is also a trained singer and violinist.

JUSTIN BANKS (J'Taurius, aka Jet) – is thrilled to make his premiere at the American Blues Theater. Recently, he wrote and performed in The Second City's Bob Curry Fellowship production, The Minority Report: What Had Happened Was..., and understudied for The Second City's Black By Popular Demand. Justin is also a former contributing writer for "The Onion." He studied Meisner and Viewpoints at Black Box Acting Studio's "The Academy" and is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University. He is represented by Gray Talent Group.

DENNIS COCKRUM (Pompey) has been a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater since 1988. Shows at Blues include: Bad Moon, written by founding member Rick Cleveland; Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill; On the Waterfront by Budd Schulberg with Stan Silverman; Tobacco Road by Jack Kirkland; readings for The Commons series. BROADWAY: Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan. REGIONAL: Dead End by Sidney Kingsley (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles); Lincoln Park Zoo by Richard Strand (Geva Theatre, Rochester, NY); God of Isaac and Mr. 80% both by James Sherman (Victory Gardens, Chicago); Jefferson Citation recipient for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (Court Theatre, Chicago); FILM: Uncle Buck, Code of Silence, The Package, Murder by Numbers, Desperate Measures, Extreme Movie, Glimmer Man, Downeast, Gangster Squad, Inherit the Wind, Hail Caesar! TELEVISION: Chicago Med, Malcolm in the Middle, American Dreams, Cheers, Pretty Freekin' Scary, NCIS, Uncle Buck, Star Trek (Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise), Firefly, King of Queens, Bookie, and seven seasons as Terry Milkovich on Shameless.

JAMES SHERMAN (Ollie) originally from Chicago, was a theatre student at Illinois State University in the 1970s. He began his professional career with The Second City in Chicago and received an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University. Living in New York in the 1980s, James studied acting with Uta Hagen for five years and had his first professional production as a playwright. He was a founding member of the Playwrights Ensemble of the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater and had thirteen plays premiered there. He is the author of many plays including Magic Time, The God of Isaac, Beau Jest, Jest a Second!, Romance in D, From Door to Door, Jacob and Jack, The Ben Hecht Show, and Chagall In School. James' plays have been published and are regularly produced by theaters throughout the United States and have also been seen in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Poland, South Africa, China, and Korea. In the summer of 2008, James wrote and directed the movie of his play, BEAU JEST, starring Lainie Kazan, Seymour Cassel, and Robyn Cohen. James currently teaches classes in Improvisation and American Comedy at DePaul University and Columbia College of Chicago He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America. jamessherman.com

Fact Sheet

Title:                           Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues

Written by:                Charles Smith

Directed by:              Ensemble Member Chuck Smith                      

Featuring:                  Dennis Cockrum* (Pompey), Dawn Bach* (Marsha), Justin Banks (Jet) and James Sherman (Ollie).       

Creative Team:            Shayna Patel* (scenic), Jared Gooding* (lights), Lily Walls* (costumes & wardrobe supervisor), Rick Sims* (co-sound), Warren Levon* (co-sound), Tyson Carter (properties), Wilson Cain (dramaturg), Richard Lundy* (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (facilities manager & ME), Nate Walczyk* (production manager) Tom Daniel* (technical director), and Chris Walls (audio supervisor).

*Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater

Dates:                        May 23 – June 29, 2025

Schedule:                   

Wednesdays: 2:00 PM (June 4 &18) & 7:30 PM (May 28 only)

Thursdays: 7:30 PM

Fridays: 7:30 PM

Saturdays: 3:00 PM (June 7, 21, 28) & 7:30 PM (except June 7 & 21)

Sundays: 2:30 PM

Location:                    American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Ticket prices:              Previews: $25; Regular Run: $45; Opening night with reception: $60

Box office:                   Buy online at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

Public Programming and Special Events

American Blues Theater is excited to offer audiences even more ways to engage with artists, neighbors and the larger community through its two programs The Commons and @Home Accessibility Series.

The Commons features readings, live concerts, open mics, game nights, town halls and more at American Blues. The @Home Accessibility Series features readings, live concerts, and town halls from the comfort of home via Zoom. For the most up-to-date programming schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.americanbluestheater.com. Additional programming will be announced throughout the season.

The upcoming schedule for The Commons series follows:

Piano Man

Performed by Ian Paul Custer & Friends

Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM

An intimate concert featuring Ensemble member Ian Custer performing the hits from Billy Joel, Elton John, Ben Folds, and other male singer/pianists.

Sounds of the Soul

Gospel Music's Anthem of Freedom

Featuring vocalist Marquetta Jackson

Monday, June 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Powerful gospel songs of resilience, hope, and triumph that celebrate freedom.

My Amazon Diary

Written and Performed by Rick Cleveland

Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Founding Ensemble member Rick Cleveland shares his comic and heartfelt journey through Hollywood, mental illness, and 20 years of online purchases.

The upcoming schedule for @Home series follows:

Inclusion & Allyship

Anti-racism Workshop with Belonging Specialist Tania Richard

Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

Continuing work of the anti-racism movement, Belonging Specialist & Artistic Affiliate Tania Richard helps attendees with their journey.

Rubber Banned Book Club – Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl

Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

Featuring readings from The Definitive Edition of The Diary of a Young Girl by Ensemble member Dara Cameron and guest artist Atlie Gilbert.

Blues Views – The Artists of Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues

Tuesday, June 24 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

A discussion with playwright Charles Smith, director Chuck Smith, and actors Dawn Bach, Justin Banks, Dennis Cockrum, and James Sherman.

About American Blues Theater

Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards). American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic diverse stories that ask the question: "What does it mean to be American?"

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2024, the theater and artists received 239 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. 

“No man is a failure who has friends,” is to film what “God bless us everyone” is to literature. Frank Capra’s 1946 film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is as close to an American retelling of ‘A Christmas Carol’ as anyone has ever gotten.

Though the film has been a Christmas classic for nearly 80 years, the stage version has become its own tradition for many theatergoers during the holiday season. It’s likely you can find a production of the stage version in practically any town in the country during December, right next to ‘The Nutcracker.’ For those unfamiliar, the stage version is traditionally performed as a “live radio broadcast.” Meaning, the actors play voice actors performing a “live” production of a radio play, including old-timey sound effects.

American Blues Theater has been bringing this tradition to Chicago for 23 years! They’ve turned their new permanent home on Lincoln Ave into a quaint, 1940s era radio studio for the month. Audiences get a glimpse into the past and in addition to learning the true meaning of Christmas, they’ll see how radio dramas were produced. 

An all-around great cast led by Brandon Dahlquist and Audrey Billings brings the story of suicidal, down-on-his-luck George Bailey to life in a quick, charming 90-minute production. The cast will certainly help you get into the spirit with a few rounds of Christmas carols before the show gets going.

What really works about this interpretation of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is that it gets right to the point. Parts of Capra’s black and white film feel a bit drawn out, and that can distract from the heartbreaking and bittersweet moments in the script. Here, emotion is mined in a more immediate way. However, for those who have not seen the film, this version is pretty easy to follow.

Whether you’ve seen ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ once, or 22 times, each year American Blues Theater makes it feel new. Year to year faces change and little embellishments are added, so that it always feels fresh for a new generation.

Through December 22 at American Blues Theater. 5627 N Lincoln Ave. (773) 654-3103.

I’ve often said despite the larger houses producing August Wilson plays, they tend to work better in intimate spaces. After all, Mr. Wilsons’ inspiration came from intimate settings. He would write in bars, cafes, restaurants, and other places where his characters would be right in his face. He would often write long hand and sometimes on napkins to make himself invisible as a writer. It was important for him to catch the dialect, the accents, and the energy of his characters. Mr. Wilson began his career writing for small theaters, schools, and community centers where space was at a premium.

American Blues minimalist production of “Fences” under the direction of Monty Cole is powerful, bold, and beautiful. I love when theaters take chances. No guts, no glory….and there is plenty of glory here.

To contain the largest of emotions within boundaries, Scenic designer Yeaji Kim has created a huge, whitewashed fence reaching the heavens on both ends of the playing area. On the north end it appears to still be under construction. On the south end there is a door leading into the house while when closed is unnoticed. There are 5 cushions for players to be seated when they are not on stage. There are 60 chairs in total on either side of the playing area. It’s akin to a baseball field. The characters are so close you can count the beads of sweat on their brow, their emotions so big, no regular sized fence was going to hold them in.

We get up close and personal with Troy Maxson. Kamal Angelo Bolden’s Troy was not encumbered by anyone who previously played this role. This Troy was much more complicated than I’ve ever seen, FULL STOP. At varying times, this Troy showed love, he showed anger, he showed fear, he was a child, he was a monster, but most of all he showed a vulnerable side. It’s the vulnerability the audience connected with. Despite his ugliness, his meanness, and boorish ways if we look deep into his eyes, we see a man hurt. We see a man who values work more than education. In those rare moments of silence, we see what could have been, and our hearts ache for him.

Playing opposite Troy is the hard-working Rose, his wife of 18 years. She knows this man; she has built her life around him. She soothes over his relationships with his sons.  She is the heart and soul of this family. She cooks, she cleans, she loves. She is saint like in her patience with Troy until she isn’t. We see mini eruptions until it grows too much to control until she loses herself or does she find herself.  Shanesia Davis’ beautifully understates Rose until she can’t anymore. It is some beautiful theatre having a front seat to her emotional build.

A man like Troy Maxson needs all the support he can muster, and no one does it better than his friend and confidant, Bono, engagingly played by Martel Manning. No one could question Troy about his dalliance except Bono. Manning brilliantly steps into the lion’s den and raises the issue. I loved the way his mannerisms changed when talking to Troy about “that gal”.

Troy’s two sons born a decade apart, to two different women are Cory, energetically played by Ajax Dontavius and Lyons, the charismatic William Anthony Sebastian Rose II. Troy treats both men the same the only difference is Cory lives in his home, so he has more control over him.  He verbally abuses Lyons. Special shout-out to Charlie Baker, the Fight & Intimacy Director. Unbelievable stagecraft. The fights and intimacy looked awful real. I almost ducked when Cory was swinging the bat.

Rounding out this family is Gabriel, Troy’s brain damaged brother, played with wonderful control by Manny Buckley. I loved how tight and controlled Buckley played Gabriel. He played the character with great respect for brain damaged people without forfeiting characterization. Gabriel sees what we can’t see. He feels what we can’t feel. Buckley expressed this perfectly.

Stephanie Cluggish’s costumes suggested the times. I especially like what she did with Rose’s funeral outfit. Very inventive.

This production had an air of spirituality, of otherworldliness, I’ve never seen before. This was largely the result of Jared Gooding’s lighting design.  It worked beautifully

In Wilson’s N.Y. Times obituary, he is quoted as telling the Paris Review: “I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans. For instance, in ‘Fences’ they see a garbageman, a person they don’t really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy’s life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman’s life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives.”

Yeah right, let’s hope this is true. In any case, American Blues Theater and Monty Cole has put these characters on full display with all the fury and might deserving of them and a weary America thanks you.

“Fences” runs through Aug. 6 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. For tickets visit americanbluestheater.com or phone (773) 975-8150.

I came into the American Blues Theater for its Chicago revival of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story a bit apprehensive. See, I’m a Buddy Holly superfan. Seriously. I’ve got a couple tattoos inspired by the rock legend, I once even wrote an entire novel about him (which nobody can or will read…not just yet), and I know his story and his music about as geekily and obsessively as a guy could. So, having a special spot in my heart for this legend who’d been gone for decades by the time I came along, I’m often very critical of cultural (mis)representations of Charles Hardin Holley, including a traveling tour of the same show I saw back in college.

Partly my apprehension is because of the many things that the show (and the 1970s Hollywood biopic that jumpstarted the career of Gary Busey) gets factually wrong. Thing is, most biographical jukebox musicals do the same for their subjects, as they need to manufacture drama and condense a life’s story (even a life cut as short as Buddy’s). But mostly it’s because every portrayal I’ve seen of Buddy falls into the same trap that other impersonations do. They all rely on caricature, on the obvious, instead of something that’s more fulsome and true.

But I promise you, rock ‘n’ roll fans, that the American Blues Theater’s current production of Buddy skirts these traps, instead providing an honest and beautiful portrayal of Holly’s lifework, while also showing the audience a rollicking good time.

The key to the show, of course, is Buddy. Playing the part of the young Texan is Canadian Zachary Stevenson. A veteran of this show (and others, including Million Dollar Quartet, from the same era), Stevenson knows the material and the man. It shows from the get-go, as Buddy’s early vocal and guitar performances are hesitant, if youthfully energetic. That youthful energy is kept up for the whole show (a must, since Holly was just 22 when he died), but Stevenson also gives us a Buddy who comes into his own as a singer, a songwriter, a guitarist, and a man. And while the twang and hiccups he includes in Buddy’s performances are there, as they must be, he doesn’t rely on these tics and tricks. Instead, Stevenson’s Buddy has a warm, beautiful voice, and serenades us (and his castmates) with tender ballads, as well as toe-tapping rockers. This Buddy isn’t just an impersonation with a drawl and a pair of black-rimmed glasses hastily slapped on. Zachary Stevenson’s Buddy is a labor of love.

But the rest of the cast, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, labor lovingly, as well. The theater’s intimate, and the performers all play their instruments and sing their songs up close and in view of the audience. Shaun Whitley (himself a veteran of Million Dollar Quartet, with almost 2,000 performances as Carl Perkins under his belt) holds down the Crickets’ low end, slapping the upright bass (and even riding it at one point!), while also providing vocal harmonies and even playing violin on a couple softer numbers. The Crickets’ drummer is played by Kieran McCabe, who provides the groove and youthful energy. A fourth Cricket is played by Michael Mahler, who is also the production’s music director, directing the rest of a ridiculously multi-talented cast.

And that cast really does everything, from playing the important roles in Buddy’s life to playing the soundtrack of his life. Liz Chidester lights up the stage whenever she’s on it, first as Vi Petty, the wife of Buddy’s producer, tickling the keys of a celeste on Buddy’s beautiful “Everyday,” before adding boogie-woogie piano on several songs, and energetic dancing to several more. Derek Hasenstab plays the part of Vi’s husband Norman, but also picks up the bass and the guitar for many other songs. Molly Hernandez is alluring as she plays Maria Elena, the woman who enjoyed a whirlwind romance with Buddy and a tragically short marriage to him, as well. And Vasily Deris and Cisco Lopez are right on as the two stars – The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens – who accompanied Buddy on his final tour and on that final flight that ended in an Iowa cornfield in 1959.

Those famous names you probably know are not the only talent to grace the American Blues stage, however. It seems that all of the cast are multi-instrumentalists and very talented vocalists. Ian Paul Custer spreads the news as Buddy’s early champion, DJ Hi Pockets Duncan, while also playing the saxophone and piano. Chuckie Benson and Kiersten Hodgens get the crowd jumping and shouting at the famous Apollo Theater before an early and iconic Crickets concert there. And Ann Delaney, Daniel Riley, and Lauren Vogel round out this exceptional ensemble, playing multiple roles, singing acapella doo-wop, and helping tell Buddy’s story and play his songs.

And it’s those songs – from early Western numbers like “Blue Days, Black Nights” and “Rock Around Ollie Vee” to Buddy’s hits “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggy Sue” and “Oh Boy” to later more mature fare (mind you, all of this output and growth was done in less than two years, a fact the show hammers home) such as “Words of Love” and “Raining in My Heart” and “True Love Ways” – that best tell the Buddy Holly Story. A story of talent and tragedy. A story of youthful rebellion and musical growth. And, as the last of those tunes shows when Stevenson plays it solo on an acoustic guitar for his pregnant wife on their living room couch before he leaves for his fateful final trip, it’s a story told warmly and lovingly and truthfully.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is being performed at Stage 773 through May 26th. For more performance information, visit americanbluestheater.com. 

*Now extended through September 15th

Having read that Six Corners was the “third in a loose Cop trilogy” by playwright Keith Huff, I was concerned that not seeing the first two stories (A Steady Rain and The Detective’s Wife) would lessen my experience. But from the moment I entered the theatre the stage was set, both literally and figuratively.

Thanks to the realistic set design, I was transported from a theatre to the Six Corners Police Precinct to watch this mystery unfold. The use of lighting to move the story between locations was especially effective as it simulated the fluorescent lights of the police station or the dimly lit bench at the bus station. The incorporation of a moving wall, however, was too complicated and not essential. That it failed during the show causing a disruption should be a signal to the creative team that it should be removed rather than risking another distraction. In my opinion, the pacing improved without it.

The opening scene brought the precinct to life, as we looked in on Detectives Nick Moroni (Peter DeFario) and Bernadette Perez (Monica Orozco), two burnt-out cops feeling the stress of failing marriages, being absentee parents, and being cops; not to mention the sexual tension between them. With a fast-paced verbal exchange full of both insults and empathy, it was clear that these two detectives were not looking forward to another late night dealing with the murder of a CTA employee. Relying on ethnic stereotypes of a chest-beating macho Italian and a fast-talking fiery Latina switching between English and Spanish, the actors’ portrayals were at times cartoonish as they overacted to earn some laughs. I assume this was intentional direction, and not the actors taking license.

In subsequent scenes we join the detectives as they investigate the crime by interviewing the only two witnesses, Carter Hutch (Manny Buckley) and Amanda Brackett (Brenda Barry), as their stories slowly unravel. Are these two witnesses really just strangers in the wrong place at the wrong time? Can they convince the detectives (and the audience) that they truly were Good Samaritans? Buckley and Barry portrayed their characters with emotional honesty and integrity. They were believably sympathetic as they displayed a nervousness and uneasiness that you might feel after witnessing a murder. Barry stood out to me for her portrayal of the struggling pregnant late-night waitress.

Intertwined with the murder investigation, we see a backstory develop as the show travels back in time. We are at the bus stop where an 8-year-old girl, Katie Yates (Lyric Sims), is alone after being separated from her mother. She encounters a stranger, a transient, BJ Lyles (Byron Glenn Willis) who she innocently befriends. Sims’ portrayal of 8-year-old Katie Yates was perfectly on point bringing an innocence to the child that felt real. While Willis adeptly portrayed transient BJ Lyles as a sympathetic character, he still gave the audience reason to mistrust his character as he got eerily close to the vulnerable child.

As the Backstage Guide reveals, the writer is influenced by CPD’s reputation for disregarding civil rights, inequality in treatment of female police officers, the blue code of silence, and the lack of public trust.

Throughout the story, the writer subtly weaves in evidence of unconscious bias and inherent racism. At the same time, he develops characters who are outwardly sympathetic even as their faults, deceptions and corruptions are exposed.

In spite of my criticisms, I enjoyed and am recommending this play, directed by Gary Griffin. The story line is well conceived and presented. More importantly, the subtext is both thought provoking and relevant.

Winner of the Edgegerton Foundation New Play Award, American Blues Theater’s production of Six Corners by Keith Huff runs at Stage 773 through March 24, 2018. 

Most of us have seen Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” at some point in their lives. Whether a Holiday tradition or by happenstance as television stations run their yearly marathons, there’s a very good chance you have experienced the heartfelt 1946 film classic starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. We have since seen many stage adaptations, from live radio broadcasts to large scale productions. In American Blues Theater’s “This Wonderful Life” written by Steve Murray we get an entirely different spin on this definitive piece of Americana as American Blues founding member James Leaming boldly takes on each character in the film himself in this brilliant one-man show.

For the small percentile of those who are not familiar with “It’s A Wonderful Life”, the story revolves around George Bailey during the late 1930’s through early 1940’s, taking place in the small town of Bedford Falls. The evil Mr. Potter runs the biggest bank in town and has most of its residents and small business owners in the palm of his hand. The only person to stand in his way is Pa Bailey, George’s father, who runs a small building and loans company where people can obtain funds for housing without paying exorbitant interest to Potter. George has high expectations for himself and plans to see the world while working for National Geographic once he finishes high school. After his stint around the world, George would return for college and proceed to live to his fullest potential. George’s life then takes another turn for the better when he meets Mary, his true soul mate. Though his father wants George to take over the building and loans one day, George is adamant that he wants to pursue bigger things and rejects the offer.

All is well for George until his father dies, leaving the building in loans in a state of flux. George agrees to take over temporarily, but soon finds he is needed permanently much to his chagrin. Married to Mary with a handful of kids, life is still fulfilling for George until the bank calls a loan and the money is missing. Instantly put into state of desperation, George comes to the realization that he is better off dead than alive after summing up his life to the worth of a life insurance policy. It is then that Clarence, an angel from Heaven, is sent down to help George get back on track. George wishes he was never born and Clarence grants that wish showing George what life would be without him in Bedford Falls. George is shown the positive affect that he has had on so many people, eventually seeing that he had a pretty wonderful life after all. It becomes a Christmas to remember when George's friends rally to his aid.

So that’s the gist of it.

It is a story over humanity overcoming hopelessness, a story of giving and the importance of friends. After all, as Clarence says, “No man is a failure who has friends.”

In “This Wonderful Life” James Leaming is nothing short of brilliant as he retells the famous classic, acting out each character from beginning to end. Throughout, Murray’s script adds a healthy pinch of additional humor that takes occasional jabs of the film in a fun-loving way. With a handful of very creative props and a backdrop that displays images of the story, Leaming is able to successfully pull off each character he tackles (especially his Mr. Potter and George Bailey) to give the audience a cohesive, engaging and highly entertaining theatre experience. Leaming’s ability to shift from character to character so effortlessly and so convincingly is a testament to his fine acting skills. Whereas one moment he seemingly channels the deep seeded bitterness and craftiness of Lionel Barrymore’s Mr. Potter, his ability to so quickly change gears to become the warm, likeable George Bailey or scatter-brained Uncle Billy is simply impressive.

This play is Jeff Recommended for good reason as Leaming’s performance is something to behold. Whether you’ve seen “It’s A Wonderful Life” via film or stage, it is unlikely you’ve seen a unique version such as this.

Skillfully directed by Carmen Roman, “This Wonderful Life” is highly recommended as a holiday treat the whole family can enjoy.

“This Wonderful Life” is being performed at The Edge Theater (5451 N Broadway) in Edgewater and is running through November 26th. For more show information visit www.americanbluestheater.com.

Never has a play about journalism, the presidency and Cold War with Russia seemed more relevant than now. And The Columnist, performed by The American Blues Theater at Stage 773, is all of that and more. In a story that could have easily been set during today’s heated political environment, The Columnist is a scintillating tale of family, power, betrayal and personal struggle.

Written by the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning author David Auburn and directed by Keira Fromm, The Columnist is based on real-life journalists Joe Alsop (Philip Earl Johnson) and his brother Stewart Alsop (Coburn Goss). Once a power writing duo, the play begins with Joe, now one of America’s most influential columnists - both feared and beloved, caught in a revealing and compromising position in a Moscow hotel.

That affair and its consequences runs like an undercurrent throughout the entire play as we see Joe battle for power, his ideas on what American exceptionalism entails and how the president (both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson) should achieve it no matter the costs. We also see his struggle to keep his private life separate from the illusion he creates for the public.

Johnson is exquisite and brilliant in the role of Joe Alsop and very capably humanizes such a towering political figure of the time.

Joe is a man who loves his country and family with equal and blinding passion but in the rapidly changing world of the 1960’s, against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, his inability to see beyond his own beliefs pushes away those closest to him. He manages to alienate even some of his most ardent admirers and colleagues.

However, despite the growing distance between Joe and his family – his perfectly cast, dutiful and charming wife Susan (played by the equally charming Kymberly Mellen), his precocious stepdaughter Abigail (Tyler Meredith) and his sincere and loyal brother Stewart, what is conveyed even at some of his lowest points is how much they still love him despite his many flaws.

Stewart and Abigail are perhaps two of Joe’s most pivotal relationships. Several key moments come when they both show not only how much they understand him, as well as what drives him, but also their acceptance of the contradiction of his public figure and private life. This understanding and acceptance comes even though they often disagree with his passionate defense of the war as well as his methods of squashing the dissenting views of fellow journalists. Both Goss and Meredith play their roles with such depth and nuance that it’s easy to feel their characters’ compassion for such a complex man.

The ability of Auburn to delve so deeply into these relationships and to keep the plot moving at the fast pace of an intriguing spy novel is impressive. Also, very impressive and effective is the staging and the way several of the more dramatic moments are highlighted, especially during transitions. After several poignant and emotional scenes, having Joe stand in a single spotlight as the darkened set changes behind him is a powerful effect, and whether intended or not, is a reflection of the often-tumultuous changes happening in his life.

The creative team for The Columnist: Joe Schermoly (scenic design), Christopher J. Neville (costume design), Jared Gooding (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Alec Long (props design), Sarah E. Ross (production manager), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), Sara Illiatovitch-Goldman (dramaturg), and Dana M. Nestrick (stage manager), does an amazing job of enhancing an already powerful script and showcasing as Joe says: “human intercourse at its sublimely ridiculous.”

Highly recommended

American Blues Theater’s The Columnist runs through April 1, 2017, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont. Tickets are available in online at americanbluestheater.com.