By Deidre O’Connor

Directed by Joe Jahraus

Jailbait Hooks Audience

In this Midwest Premiere, Diedre O’Connor has written a charming, very clever coming of age story where all of the characters — the obviously adult males as well as the winsome teenage girls – grow and gain in maturity.

From the moment the play opens and Claire quickly hides her Teddy Bear under her pillow so that Emma, who has come to spend the night, will not see it, we know that these two girls — emerging from childhood — are chafing at being merely 15. We watch them preen and pose, apply makeup and prepare to pass for 21 in order to spend a social evening at a “club.”

Emmy, played with delicious verve by Zoe Levin, is a sex pistol. Wise – or seemingly wise beyond her years – hers is the voice of experience, determined to lead her friend astray.   Rae Gray presents a Claire that is perfect as the shy, insecure, young friend, only too willing to follow. Both girls exemplify youth, beauty, inexperience, and a touching bravado.

Tonight will be their night. (Or will it?)

The same situation – the voice of experience tempting a willing but hesitant partner – is echoed in the scene between the two, 30-something men.  Eric Burgher, who captures all the painful nuances of a man damaged by a recent romantic breakup, plays Robert.   His aggressive buddy Mark, vividly portrayed by Shane Kenyon, pushes him to move on in his life, to enjoy distraction, to come to the “club.”  Here is another successful seduction, priming our expectations for the meeting between the two pairs: the lovely, dolled up nymphets and the potential predators who will believe they are of age – and behave accordingly!

The characters play off against each other – and against our original expectations.  None of them is as one-dimensional as they originally appear. The facades are stripped away – and to say more than this would be a spoiler.

Playwright O’Conn0r explores the longings of youth, the hopes of rekindling love, and the meaning (or meaninglessness) of casual sex with clear, decisive dialogue and perceptive plot twists, and, under John Jahraus’s skilled direction, the fine cast does justice to her work.

Recommended

Beverly Friend

friend@oakton.edu

Date Reviewed: September 1, 2010

For full show information, check out the Jailbait page at TheatreInChicago.

At Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway, www.profilestheatre.org, (773) 549-1815, tickets $30-35 ($5 discount for seniors and students), runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. through Oct. 17, running time 85 minutes without intermission. Open seating. Parking is available for $10-$11 at 4100 Clarendon (one block east of the theatre at the corner of Clarendon and Belle Plaine).

By Brian Friel

Directed by Terry McCabe

At City Lit Theater

Brilliant early Friel work well acted

Seeing a seldom mounted two part early work from famed Irish playwright Brian Friel is a fine way to start off the fall theatre season in Chicago.  Director Terry McCabe has cast well for this two part work.

Act One, “Winners,” is the story of two teens madly in love who meet on a hill above their town to study for their final exams. Since Mag (Catherine Gillespie) is pregnant, the couple is to be wed in a few weeks. Instead of studying, the couple reveal to each other their hopes, fears and dreams. This lyrical one-act is marvelously written and wonderfully acted. Catherine Gillespie is the charming, precocious and wild-eyed girl determined to be the center of attention. We easily grow to love her.  Once Gillespie slows down her speech a tad, we’ll be able to more easily understand her. Joey deBettencourt, as Joe, deftly plays the optimistic, book-loving youth determined to both be a model husband and a math teacher.  deBettencourt skillfully imitates many of the teachers and adults in their lives.  The two narrators interject the story’s sad detains.

In act two’s  “Losers,” Friel takes a farcical look at a middle aged couple’s attempt to deal with an invalid mother who uses her saintliness as a weapon to control her daughter. Walter Brody, as Andy Tracy, narrates how he tried  to win Hannah (Maggie Cain) as his late-in-life bride. Both lovers lust for sex but Mrs. Wilson’s nimble timing with her bell always slows them down. Friel mocks the stifling effects of family respect for elders and the power of the Catholic religion to control people.  We understand Andy and Hannah’s being controlled by duty and religion. These scenes are funny and empathetic. Brody steals this act.

Lovers is a fine early Friel work that aptly depicts Northern Ireland in the 1960′s where family and religion dominated society. We love these characters.

Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: August 31, 2010

Jeff Recommended

For full show information, check out the Lovers page at TheatreInChicago.

At City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL, call 773-293-3682, www.citylit.org, tickets $25, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, running time is 2 hours with intermission, through October 3, 2010

JEFF EQUITY AWARDS

NOMINEES

The 42nd Annual Jeff Awards ceremony honoring excellence in professional theatre produced within the immediate Chicago area will be held on Monday, October 25, at Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. A pre-show Appetizer Buffet will run from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and the Awards Ceremony, directed by Michael Weber, will begin at 7:30 p.m., with a Reception immediately following. Musical numbers featuring cast members from nominated musicals and video segments from nominated plays will be included in the Jeff Awards ceremony, emceed by luminary actors Deanna Dunagan and Felicia P. Fields. The evening is black tie optional and the public is cordially invited to attend.

Advance purchase tickets, which include the ceremony and the pre-show buffet, are available through the link on our website: $75 (or $55 for members of Actors’ Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and The Dramatists Guild of America) plus a $2 online purchase handling charge. Please note: there are no refunds.

For ticket purchases, go to: TICKETS

Jeff Equity Nominations – 2009-2010

NOTE: “X” marks this editor’s pick to win

PRODUCTION – PLAY – LARGE

“The Brother/Sister Plays” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

“The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

“The Illusion” – Court Theatre   X

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” – Court Theatre

“The Mystery of Irma Vep” – Court Theatre

“A Streetcar Named Desire” – Writers’ Theatre

PRODUCTION – PLAY – MIDSIZE

“Abigail’s Party” – A Red Orchid Theatre

“All My Sons” – TimeLine Theatre Company   X

“The Farnsworth Invention” – TimeLine Theatre Company

“‘Master Harold’…And The Boys” – TimeLine Theatre Company

“Tobacco Road” – American Blues Theater

PRODUCTION – MUSICAL – LARGE

“Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre

“Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

“The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre

“Hairspray” – Marriott Theatre

“Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

“Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

PRODUCTION – REVUE

“The Absolute Best Friggin’ Time of Your Life” – The Second City e.t.c.

“Low Down Dirty Blues” – Northlight Theatre

“Oh Coward!” – Writers’ Theatre   X

ENSEMBLE

“Abigail’s Party” – A Red Orchid Theatre

“Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre   X

“The Brother/Sister Plays” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

“The Farnsworth Invention” – TimeLine Theatre Company

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” – Court Theatre

“Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions

“The Wedding” – TUTA Theatre Chicago

NEW WORK – PLAY

Kristoffer Diaz – “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

Michael Golamco – “Year Zero” – Victory Gardens Theater

Andrew Hinderaker – “Suicide, Incorporated” – The Gift Theatre

Jim Lynch – “The Tallest Man” – The Artistic Home   X

Bruce Norris – “A Parallelogram” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

David Schwimmer and Andy Bellin – “Trust” – Lookingglass Theatre Company

Craig Wright – “Mistakes Were Made” – A Red Orchid Theatre

DIRECTOR – PLAY

Nick Bowling – “The Farnsworth Invention” – TimeLine Theatre Company

David Cromer – “A Streetcar Named Desire” – Writers’ Theatre

Sean Graney – “The Mystery of Irma Vep” – Court Theatre

Tina Landau – “The Brother/Sister Plays” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Shade Murray – “Abigail’s Party” – A Red Orchid Theatre

Charles Newell – “The Illusion” – Court Theatre

Kimberly Senior – “All My Sons” – TimeLine Theatre Company  X

Edward Torres – “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

DIRECTOR – MUSICAL or REVUE

Jim Corti – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

Jim Corti – “Oh Coward!” – Writers’ Theatre

William Osetek – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

Marc Robin – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre

Marc Robin – “Hairspray” – Marriott Theatre

Rachel Rockwell – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Henry Wishcamper – “Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY

Desmin Borges – “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

Brian Dennehy – “Hughie/Krapp’s Last Tape” – Goodman Theatre  X

Rob Fagin – “The Farnsworth Invention” – TimeLine Theatre Company

Erik Hellman – “The Mystery of Irma Vep” – Court Theatre

Tracy Letts – “American Buffalo” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Nick Sandys – “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Michael Shannon – “Mistakes Were Made” – A Red Orchid Theatre

Chris Sullivan – “The Mystery of Irma Vep” – Court Theatre

ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE  – MUSICAL

Quentin Earl Darrington – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions

James Harms – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre

Max Quinlan – “Jesus Christ Superstar” – Theatre at the Center  X

Alan Schmuckler – “Sugar” – Drury Lane Productions

Joey Slotnick – “Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY

Tracy Michelle Arnold – “Private Lives” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Cassandra Bissell – “Mary’s Wedding” – Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Janet Ulrich Brooks – “All My Sons” – TimeLine Theatre Company

Kirsten Fitzgerald – “Abigail’s Party” – A Red Orchid Theatre  X

Natasha Lowe – “A Streetcar Named Desire” – Writers’ Theatre

Lia Mortensen – “The Hiding Place” – Provision Theater

Allison Torem – “Trust” – Lookingglass Theatre Company

ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – MUSICAL

Holly Ann Butler – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

Cory Goodrich – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Heidi Kettenring – “I Do! I Do!” – Theatre at the Center

Marissa Perry – “Hairspray” – Marriott Theatre

SOLO PERFORMANCE

Mary Beth Fisher – “The Year of Magical Thinking” – Court Theatre X

Dael Orlandersmith – “Stoop Stories” – Goodman Theatre

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – PLAY

Allen Gilmore – “Sizwe Banzi is Dead” – Court Theatre

Francis Guinan – “A Guide for the Perplexed” – Victory Gardens Theater

Tom Irwin – “A Parallelogram” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Timothy Edward Kane – “The Illusion” – Court Theatre

Nick Sandys – “Twelfth Night” – First Folio Theatre

Lindsay Smiling – “Blue Door” – Victory Gardens Theater

Michael Patrick Thornton – “Suicide, Incorporated” – The Gift   Theatre   X

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – MUSICAL

Mark David Kaplan – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions

Peter Kevoian – “The Christmas Schooner” - Theatre at the Center

David Lively – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Adam Pelty – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – PLAY

Janet Ulrich Brooks – “When She Danced” – TimeLine Theatre Company   X

Cindy Gold – “Awake and Sing!” – Northlight Theatre

Rebecca Spence – “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Stacy Stoltz – “A Streetcar Named Desire” – Writers’ Theatre

Wandachristine – “The Old Settler” – Writers’ Theatre

Natalie West – “Abigail’s Party” – A Red Orchid Theatre

Jacqueline Williams – “The Brother/Sister Plays” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – MUSICAL

Rebecca Finnegan – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

Heidi Kettenring – “Hairspray” – Marriott Theatre

Valisia LeKae – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions

Barbara Robertson – “Yeast Nation (the triumph of life)” – American Theater Company

Paula Scrofano – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions   X

ACTOR IN A REVUE

Mississippi Charles Bevel - “Low Down Dirty Blues” – Northlight Theatre

Rob Lindley – “Oh Coward!” – Writers’ Theatre   X

Gregory Porter - “Low Down Dirty Blues” – Northlight Theatre

Sam Richardson – “Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies” – The Second City

ACTRESS IN A REVUE

Christina Anthony – “The Absolute Best Friggin’ Time of Your Life” – The Second City e.t.c.

Felicia P. Fields - “Low Down Dirty Blues” – Northlight Theatre

Kate Fry – “Oh Coward!” – Writers’ Theatre   X

Sandra Reaves-Phillips - “Low Down Dirty Blues” – Northlight Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN – LARGE

Jeffrey Bauer - “A Guide for the Perplexed” – Victory Gardens Theater

John Culbert – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” – Court Theatre

Kevin Depinet – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Kevin Depinet – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

Collette Pollard – “The Illusion” – Court Theatre

Todd Rosenthal – “A Parallelogram” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Walt Spangler – “A True History of the Johnstown Flood” – Goodman Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN – MIDSIZE

Aimee Hanyzewski – “Of Mice and Men” – Oak Park Festival Theatre

James Leaming – “Tobacco Road” – American Blues Theater

Timothy Mann – “‘Master Harold’…And The Boys” – TimeLine Theatre Company

Angela Miller – “Jeeves in Bloom” – First Folio Theatre   X

Inseung Park – “The Hiding Place” – Provision Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN – LARGE

Jacqueline Firkins – “The Illusion”- Court Theatre

Nancy Missimi – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre

Tatjana Radisic – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

Alison Siple – “The Mystery of Irma Vep” – Court Theatre   X

COSTUME DESIGN – MIDSIZE

William J.  Morey – “Into the Woods” – Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago   X

Sarah E. Ross & Kristin DeiTos – “Tobacco Road” – American Blues Theater

Emily Waecker – “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Mikhail Fiksel – “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

Joshua Horvath and Nick Keenan – “The Illusion”- Court Theatre  X

Joshua Horvath and Ray Nardelli – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”- Court Theatre

Ray Nardelli – “Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale” – Lookingglass Theatre Company and Silverguy Entertainment

SOUND DESIGN – MIDSIZE

Victoria Delorio – “Mary’s Wedding” – Rivendell Theatre Ensemble X

Mikhail Fiksel – “War With the Newts” – Next Theatre Company

Nick Keenan – “End Days” – Next Theatre Company

Miles Polaski – “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”- The Gift Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN – LARGE

Brian Sidney Bembridge – “Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale” – Lookingglass Theatre Company and Silverguy Entertainment

John Culbert – “The Illusion”- Court Theatre

Jesse Klug – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

Jesse Klug – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Jesse Klug – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

Lee Fiskness – “End Days” – Next Theatre Company

Jesse Klug – “Yeast Nation (the triumph of life)” – American Theater Company

Keith Parham – “The Farnsworth Invention” – TimeLine Theatre Company   X

Jaymi Lee Smith – “Mary’s Wedding” – Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

CHOREOGRAPHY

John Carrafa – “Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre

Tammy Mader – “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – Drury Lane Productions

Marc Robin – “The Drowsy Chaperone” – Marriott Theatre   X

Marc Robin – “Hairspray” – Marriott Theatre

ORIGINAL INCIDENTAL MUSIC

Alaric Jans – “The Hiding Place” – Provision Theater

Lindsay Jones – “Richard III” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater   X

Henry Marsh – “Twelfth Night” – First Folio Theatre

Ray Nardelli and Joshua Horvath - “The Long Red Road” – Goodman Theatre

Ray Nardelli, Andre Pluess and Josh Horvath - “Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale” – Lookingglass Theatre Company and Silverguy Entertainment

Jesse Terrill – “The Wedding” – TUTA Theatre Chicago

MUSIC DIRECTION

Roberta Duchak – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions

Doug Peck – “Animal Crackers” – Goodman Theatre

Doug Peck – “Cabaret” – Drury Lane Productions

Doug Peck – “Oh Coward!” – Writers’ Theatre   X

Robert Reddrick – “Nothing But the Blues” – Black Ensemble Theater

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION

Bridges Media – Multimedia Design – “Trust” – Lookingglass Theatre Company

Sage Marie Carter – Projections Design – “Ragtime” – Drury Lane Productions   X

Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi – Circus Choreography and Movement Direction – “Icarus” – Lookingglass Theatre Company

Nick Sandys - Fight Choreography - “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

David Woolley – Fight Choreography – “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” – Victory Gardens Theater i/a/w Teatro Vista…Theatre With a View

By Conor McPherson

Directed by Matt Miller

Produced by Seanachai Theatre Company

Exceptional storytelling propels McPherson’s The Weir

Seanachai (Shawn-uh-kee:  Gaelic for storyteller) Theatre Company loves to tell  Irish ghost stories and Conor McPherson’s The Weir is a fine example of that art form. Director Matt Miller has assembles a terrific group of actors  deftly sporting rich Irish brogues (dialect coaching by Barbara Zahora). Utilizing a expert Irish pub set (design by Robert Groth and Jennifer J. Thusing), we meet a fifty something single auto mechanic show owner, Jack (Brad Armacost), whose thirst knows no boundaries. He helps himself to a pint while the thirty something single pun owner, Brendan (Brad Smith) cleans the rural pub.

In rural Ireland, circa 1997, the pub was the main social institution. Patrons come to quench their thirsts and socialize. Jim (Jeff Christian), Jack’s handyman drinks a ‘short one’ while joining Jack and Brendan with the latest area gossip that tells about their mutual friend Finbar (Kevin Theis) who is escorting a woman from Dublin around the area.

We get a glimpse into the lonely characters’ lives whose need to be heard and connect with one another is fueled by the drink. When Finbar brings Valerie to the pub, she becomes the center of attention. At Finbar’s instigation, Jack starts telling a ghost story from 1911. This is the first of several wonderfully scary Irish ghost stories deftly told first by the engagingly skillful talents from Brad Armacost–who is Chicago leading Irish actor.

The mood gets eerie as the local struggle to impress the enigmatic Dublin woman. The drinks keep pouring throughout. The stories continue as Jack tells about when he dug a grave for a child molester. Finbar gets into the ghost story spinning with a story of how and why he quit smoking.  The reference to the supernatural abound in these stories. The drinks keep coming.

When Valerie tells her heart wrenching story about seeing her dead child, the mood become sadly  sympathetic toward Valeria.  These stories intoxicate us with their compact and chilling detail told so passionately by the fine cast. Both haunting and funny, the eerie play demonstrates the transcendent quality of rural communities. It emphasizes our basic need for acceptance. The stores bind these folks forever.

With Valerie’s  horrible story, the empathy of the four villagers becomes a binding element that gives this strong work its humanity and heart. What comes across so well in McPherson’s great writing is the genuine warmth exuded from the five actors. This play will make you feel good to be a part of human race as you share the basic goodness of people. We feel their pain, their loneliness and their desire for acceptance while they poke fun at each other as only the Irish do.

This is a movingly powerful drama that is a tribute to the depth of the human spirit. Seanchai Theatre Company’s production if filled with terrific performances led by the brilliant work from Brad Armacost. This is marvelous Irish storytelling.

Highly Recommended

Tom Williams

Date Reviewed: August 29, 2010

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

For full show information, check out The Weir page at TheatreInChicago.

Jeff Recommended

At The Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox, Chicago, IL, www.seanachai.org, tickets 22 – $26, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, running time is 95 minutes without intermission, through October 3, 2010

By: Jennifer L. Mickelson

Directed by: Tara Branham

Lincoln Square Theatre

Jennifer L. Mickelson seems to have a knack for channeling Sophocles. She wrote The Last Daughter of Oedipus, to satisfy her own curiosity on the fate of Oedipus’s last surviving daughter, Ismene. By no means am I an expert in Greek tragedies, but after a bit of research before seeing this show, I found myself very intrigued with Mickelson’s idea. You may want to do the same before seeing this production, or reading this review.

Sophocles wrote three interwoven tragedies; Oedipus Rex, Oedipus the King, and the final installment, Antigone. Antigone is the younger sister of Ismene, and is killed by her uncle Creon. With only two members surviving in the Oedipal “bloodline,”  we have been waiting 2,452 years for a theorized status update on this cursed kingdom. That’s where Mickelson comes in.

We find Ismene, played by Kimberly Logan, on a quest to find out how to dismantle the curse of her family and to release Thebes from her Uncle Creon’s tyrannical grip. Accompanied by her free servant Zeva, played by Eleanor Katz, Ismene goes on a pilgrimage to seek advice and guidance from an oracle. Constantly haunted by the ghosts of her relatives, Ismene is driven mad with guilt and rage, however is persevering in her quest to redeem her family and her people.

Performed by the Babes with Blades, an all female “combat” theatre group, The Last Daughter of Oedipus is served well by this “no nonsense” cast of women. (They are two men in this show, but relatively inconsequential) “The Babes” handle swords, and kick-ass with the best of them. The acting isn’t bad either…a great ensemble for this script. Logan’s Ismene seemed flat in the beginning, but she turned things around and punctuated the show with a great second act. The script was well thought out, and was well crafted. The dialogue seemed to stay consistent with other Greek tragedies…slightly touched up with some modern English for today’s audience.

But it was the story itself left a lot to be desired. It seemed that the plot only satisfied answers in the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes. This left me with a good hour and half to sit and wait. Wait for something relevant to happen. While I was waiting, I was losing any sympathy for the characters and becoming emotionally unattached with the story.

Again, a great cast (Note: I would advise looking into other Babes with Blades productions)with a great idea, but just not a lot of substance. I think if the script were to be more compact with some more heightened suspense, there would be no doubt that this could suffice for the fourth and final installment of Sophocles’s epic tale.

Somewhat Recommended

John B. Reinhardt

Date Reviewed: 8/28/10

For full show information, check out The Last Daughter of Oedipus page at TheatreInChicago.

Lincoln Square Theatre/ 4754 N. Leavitt Chicago / $20/$12 students and seniors w/ I.D./ “Pay What You Can Thursdays”/ General admission / Running time approximately 120 minutes w intermission/  Aug. 26^th thru Sept. 25th / Thurs-Sat. at 8pm Sun at 7pm

Directed by Jessica Hutchinson

Produced by Livewire Chicago Theatre

At DCA Storefront Theatre

World premiere melodrama has possibilities

Hideous Progeny, a new play by Emily Dendinger in a world premiere at the downtown DCA Storefront Theatre, has the possibility of becoming a stage worthy piece with some adjustments.  Utilizing a picturesque Victorian manner set (designed by Judy Radovsky and Anders Jacobson) situated in a runway alignment  with audiences sitting on either side of the set makes for an intimate theatrical experience.  That presents a problem for several of the actors who can’t help but have their backs  to part of the audience some of the time.

That  begs my pet peeve – actors speaking so softly that we can’t hear them. Hilary Williams (Mary) and Tom McGrath (Shelley) often mumbled so low that I couldn’t hear nor understand what they said. (At the intermission, I asked a friend who was sitting opposite me if he had trouble hearing some of the dialogue. He said ‘yes’ and named the same two actors.) Besides not projecting enough volume,  several cast members raced through their  dialogue speaking too fast and running their words together devoid of emphasis.  This is a pattern (low volume, mumbling, speaking too fast) that is killing many shows today. It is prevalent in young actors (under 40) especially women.  What ever happened to articulation, enunciation and equation?I blame the director.

Hilary Williams, as Mary,  gave a heartfelt performance that was marred by her low volume that strained her performance. Just project more, speak louder and we’ll appreciate your work.  Tom McGrath, as Shelley,  also needs to speak louder and punch out his lines a tad slower.  John Taflan, as Lord Byron,  could  be heard yet he raced through some important dialogue. Just slow down a tad and enunciate more.  Actually, Danielle O’Farrell, screamed and shouted as she over played her scenes. She should cool it a bit. Pat King (Polidori) and Madeline Long (Elise) were spot on terrific.

The reason I mention the above is that Emily Dendinger’s Hideous Progeny contains much intellectual banter, spoken poetry, witty, even salacious dialogue from Lord Byron, Lord Shelley, Mary Shelley and their guests. Much of the spark of the opening dialogue got lost because we couldn’t hear or understand what was being said. This play has much to say. These over educated, egotistical teens have too much time (and money) on their hands. The play centers on an actual weekend event when this group of  pure Romantics challenged each other to a game of who could write the scariest horror or ghost story. It is on this weekend that Mary Shelley conceived her Frankenstein novel.

The play unfolds as a Victorian drawing room melodrama that finds the overlaying relationships between Bryon, Shelley, May and Claire becoming muddled. John Taflan plays Bryon as a insufferable louse, a bossy host, and a total hedonist. Why these folks put up with him is a mystery? Because of his talent, fame and social position? We see the co-dependence of these folks whose Romantic philosophy dictated finding love where you can. Byron and Shelley lived that ethic.  Playwright Emily Dendinger aptly explorers that famous weekend of games and challenges.  Once the cast projects her dialogue better and the pace gets tightened,  Hideous Progeny will become terrific show.  I’m confident those changes will be made so consider spending an evening with the poets.

Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: August 26, 2010

For full show information, check out the Hideous Progeny page at TheatreInChicago.

At DCA Storefron Theater, 66 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, call 312-742-8497, wwwdcatheater.org, tickets $20, $15 seniors/students, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission, through September 26, 2010

Review by Peter Oyloe

Late Summer evenings are some of those most special of things, the air giving up the humidity of the season and in return floating your memories of the last few months across your minds eye in a cooling breeze that comes with the lengthening of the evening. It is a time to take to the nights in great abandon for before too long you will be shuttered away in your wintery solitude waiting for the release of the bitter cold to let fly its grasp on your door.

So to the night we went, and what better a way to have spent the fading of Summer than listening to great music in the outdoor wonder of Ravinia. What struck me most about the crowd was not its size (although the thousands of picnickers packed onto the lawn is truly a testament to the timelessness of the music and the appeal of Ravinia Park), but its diverse span of age. The audience members spanned every conceivable generation; it was a wonder and a delight to see whole families enjoying the evening, the scenery and, above all, the classic music of Crosby, Stills and Nash.

David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash formed Crosby, Stills and Nash as a group officially in 1969 having all come from other well known groups of their era, Crosby from the Byrds, Stills from Buffalo Springfield and Nash as a founder of the group The Hollies. As Crosby, Stills and Nash they met together in what came to form one of the great musical collaborations of all time. With music that even today holds a significant place in the annals and current lives of a fiercely loyal fan base of recent and longtime members.

CSN is a group that isn’t afraid to take a political stand; they born of that time in History when people were passionately invested in the political landscape. CSN famously cite their second gig as a little festival called Woodstock. It was here that the Legends were made. So it is easily stated that these men come from a strong musical pedigree.

CSN are now out on a new tour that surprisingly brings them to Ravinia for the very first time. In their set list of 24 tunes they played a wide range, from crowd-pleasing favorites such as Southern Cross and Teach Your Children to some surprising covers of well-known songs such as The Beatles Norwegian Wood, and Bob Dylan’s Girl From the North Country. “Here’s what’s going on.” Said Crosby after they had performed a couple of cover tunes. “We are making a record of songs that we wished we’d written and are trying them out on you.” This “record” of which he speaks is a new album of cover songs that they are recording with super producer Rick Rubin who is most recently known for his collaboration on the last couple of albums from the late great Johnny Cash.

What is so amazing in attending concerts of these great legends of music who are entering into the final stretches of great long careers is the level of graciousness and love exhibited by each of the musicians. Gone and behind them are the battles over ego and money and women and now you see old friends who genuinely love the music and each other. Throughout the night David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash took turns honoring each other and the other musicians who have been fortunate to have come along for the ride. At one point David Crosby pointed to Graham Nash after a beautiful duet with each other and said “Graham Nash everybody, the greatest harmonizer on the planet!” It was clear he meant it.

That graciousness and sincerity, coupled with the richness of the music, is such a gift to see on stage, especially as today’s pop artists gravitate more towards spectacle and farther away from well-crafted songs.

The night was beautiful, the music was timeless, the young Ravinia staff members hired for the summer provided courteous and helpful service. This was one for the memory books.

August 22, 2010

Ravinia Festival

Highland Park, IL

Frost/Nixon at TimeLine Theatre

Directed by Louis Contey

At TimeLine Theatre

“Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.”  – Richard Nixon from the last Frost/Nixon interview, 1977

Dramatic recreation of the 1977 Frost/Nixon interviews is riveting theatre.

Score another coup for TimeLine Theatre snaring the Chicago premiere of Peter Morgan’s Frost/Nixon. Director Lou Contey has a fast-paced, informative drama that both tells the story of the 1977 interview series of  David Frost interviews of Richard Nixon.

Contey uses six TV monitors to demonstrate the power of that media to focus on facial expressions. Morgan’s play deftly depicts the 70′s as TV emerges dominant in politics as well as entertainment. This play grabs us from the opening scene where we see Richard Nixon’s resignation. Terry Hamilton is rivetingly effective as Nixon. Hamilton has the body language, tone inflections  and facial expressions of the failed President down cold.

When we meet David Frost, he is a self-promoting talk show host with shows in Australia and Britain. He offers cash to Nixon for a series of interviews. Andrew Carter is most effective as he plays Frost as an apparently light-weight talk show host  and celebrity more than a serious journalist. We eventually realize that Frost is a media savvy interviewer with good instincts as how to do an interview with a power man.  Carter plays Frost with a low key charm, steely determination and a big-picture viewpoint. Frost knew that politics can be show biz.

Frost/Nixon, the play, nicely packages the historical events of the Nixon Presidency with a glimpse into the world of TV journalist. We see one ambitious man trying to use a failed world leader and a frustrated  ex-President striving to be understood and vindicated.  they each need the other.  The dynamics of  Frost’s interviews, that included a mostly ‘no-holds barred’ agreement, were unprecedented at the time.

Frost is surrounded by three key advisers nicely played by Don Binder (Don Zelnick), Dennis Grimes (John Birt) and Matthew Brumlow(Jim Reston). They couched Frost on strategy and feed him questions to ask Nixon.  Nixon relied on his vast interview experience and his chief of staff  Jack Brennan (David Parkes).

The interviewers start with Frost trying to rattle Nixon with a tough question. Nixon easily deflects Frost and turns the first few interviews into a justification of his Presidency. Frost’s advisers are livid. To younger audiences, Frost/Nixon plays out as  mystery one-upmanship struggle between Frost and Nixon.  To those of us who remember the last interview in 1977, we witnessed Nixon getting nailed by Frost and finally, to the degree he can, admit that he abused the power of the Presidency.

Terry Hamilton’s facial expression, jumpy eyes and restrained vocal tones were riveting. he has internalized Nixon’s psyche.  Andrew Carter is smoothly nails Nixon in that last interview that the TV  monitors caught him and Nixon in complete synchronicity. What a wonderful theatrical  moment!

The power of that last interview was foreshadowed by a late night phone call from Nixon to Frost as Nixon rambles on about never being accepted by the Eastern Establishment elite.  Hamilton was brilliant in that scene.

TimeLine theatre specializes in exploring history and stimulating conversation about political matters. The sure have given us much to talk about with Frost/Nixon. Younger audiences will learn much about Nixon in this marvelously well written and well staged play. Hamilton and Carter were amazing.

Highly Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

For full show information, check out the  Frost/Nixon page at TheatreInChicago.

Jeff Recommended

At TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington, Chicago, IL, www.timelinetheatre.com, tickets $28 – $38, Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 4 & 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, running time is 1 hour, 50 minutes without intermission, through October 10, 2010

By Dusan Kovacevic

Directed by Steve Scott

Produced by Moving Stories Theatre

At Oracle Theatre

Intriguing look at Eastern European theatre

Set in 1990 in Belgrade, Serbia, The Professional by Dusan Kovacevic  is an allegory puzzle play, a fable really, about a now powerful writer/editor and former political dissident intellectual from the Communist regime of Tito.   Teya (Paul D’ Addario), on his 45th birthday, is visited by Luke  (Joe Mack) a taxi driver and former detective for the Tito Era government who has made a career of following and documenting Teya every move for the last 40 years.

Luke presents Teya with several volumes of writings, speeches, lectures and poetry he has copied and transcribed from Teya’s  actions through the years. Luke alsohas a suitcase full of hats, toys and personal mementos he collected while following Teya through the years.  We learn much about how intensively totalitarian regimes  cover dissidents. Luke is so thorough in his investigation and documenting that slowly he starts questioning his beliefs as Teya’s ant-communist arguments start to win over Luke who eventually admires Teya as he starts to protect his subject.

The 60 minute play involves revelatory exchanges between Teya and Luke  that forces Teya to examine his life and his failures as a writer.  This unique memory play dissects how we can experience a sort of willed amnesia to thwart bad memories and personal failures.  Teya’s real legacy is threatened by Luke’s meticulous documentation of his life and his words.

This sparring match between Teya and Luke features a clever game of one-upmanship that reveals that maybe Teya wasn’t the courageous writer after all. Paul D’Addario and Joe Mack shine in this production.  Does Luke turn the tables on Teya with Taya’s own words? See this intelligent show and decide for yourself. This important play still resonates in Belgrade. It is a fine example of Eastern European playwright.

Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: August 20, 2010

For full show information, check out The Professional page at TheatreInChicago.

At Oracle Theatre, 3809 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL, www.movingstoriestheatre.org, tickets $10, $20, $30, Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm, sundays at 3 pm, running time is 65 minutes without intermission, through August 29, 2010

Daredevils Hamlet

By: Ryan Walters

Directed by: Halena Kays

The Neo-Futurarium

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Hamlet replaced his tights with a jumpsuit and his flat cap with a crash helmet? Neither have I. Thankfully, The Neo-Futurists theatre troupe, led by Ryan Walters, has taken up that task, and is presenting us with the Daredevils Hamlet.

Stunts! Jack-Assery! Melancholy! This is how the show has branded itself. But don’t be fooled, this isn’t just a Johnny Knoxville meets William Shakespeare mash-up type production. Yes, there are laughs and yes, there is tumbling, hoop jumping, and synchronized dance numbers with strobe lights and smoke machines. But when it comes down to it, this show is more poignant and moving, than slapstick and mayhem.

By juxtaposing Hamlet, with the culture of today, the Daredevils, consisting of Ryan Walters, Jay Torrence, John Pierson, Anthony Courser, and Brennan Buhl, get the viewers to question the real definition of masculinity. Would you avenge your father’s death if your uncle killed him? Is nailing the performance of one of the worlds most coveted roles as macho as jumping a motorcycle over Caesars Palace? If Hamlet is so cool why doesn’t he have an action figure, like Robin Hood? All questions you may not ask yourself on a regular basis, but valid food for thought none the less.

Each Daredevil has a sense of teamwork and friendship which makes for great stage chemistry, but it’s their individual performance and reflections that make this show truly rewarding. Each performer has their own piece of the show, allowing them to showcase their stage prowess while giving their own insight on being a man…as esoteric or straightforward as it may be.

Most notably is Jay Torrence. His ability to change gears from being the most aggressive and energetic cast member, to the most tender and vulnerable was sight to behold. His poetic soliloquy on male friendship infers that two guys can love each other without being lovers, much like the relationship between Hamlet and Horatio. Note: If there is anyone who is familiar with the work of actor Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I, How to Get Ahead in Advertising) such as myself, you’ll be extra pleased.

If I had to complain about anything, it would be the fact that this show maybe has too much going on for it. It’s a sensory overload of sorts. While I was digesting the first 30 minutes, more was being put on my plate. A good way to get you to come back, I suppose.

It’s also very important to note, that you don’t have to like Shakespeare to get a kick out of this. You do however have to be able to appreciate the poetry and meter of a very distinct brand of comedy. And it seemed that the audience on opening night was that type of crowd.

Maybe it’s the fragile male ego or maybe it’s just modesty, but the Daredevils Hamlet doesn’t give itself as much credit as it deserves. A nice way to give the audience something they didn’t expect.

Highly Recommended

John B. Reinhardt

Date Reviewed: 8/22/10

For full show information, check out Daredevils Hamlet page at TheatreInChicago.

The Neo-Futurarium/ 5153 N. Ashland Chicago / $15/$10 students and seniors w/ I.D./ “Pay What You Can Thursdays”/ General admission / Running time approximately 90 minutes/ Aug. 21^st thru Sept. 25th / Thurs-Sat. at 8pm