Tom Williams

Tom Williams founded ChicagoCritic.com in 2001 and spent decades reviewing theatre and live performance across Chicago and its suburbs, from Broadway tours and major institutions to storefront theatre, opera, cabaret and classical music. In 2010, the Society of Midland Authors honored him with the James Friend Memorial Award for Literary and Dramatic Criticism (our 2010 announcement). Concord Theatricals quotes his reviews on its licensing pages for shows including Crazy for You and City of Angels.

The Maids

October 23, 2022March 16, 2012 by Tom Williams

The two maids (sisters actually) role-play their fantasies concerning The Mistress. These games feature one sister playing The Mistress as the other sister plays herself. The roles then are reversed. We see how the line between admiration, love, contempt and loathing becomes obscured during the role-playing. Playwright Genet gives each of the maids—Rich Logan (Solenge) and her little sister Claire (John Arthur Lewis) long speeches that vividly depict their emotional shifts that become tedious and redundant quickly.

Camino Real

March 13, 2012 by Tom Williams

This long one act dissolves into a pageant of lewd acts, torture and cruelty that occupies us in a most enticing, albeit, dark manner. Although hard to follow at times, Camino Real is strangely intoxicating as we marvel at the cleverness and freshness as the haunting Spanish songs fuel the mood of melancholy.

The Light in the Piazza by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

March 12, 2012 by Tom Williams

I must confess that I have never been a real fan of this show finding it an over-produced little show trying to be a big musical. The material begs to be an intimate chamber piece set it a small space with honest actors with strong vocal chops. That is exactly what co-directors Fred Anzevino and Brenda Didier have done with their most fulfilling production of The Light in the Piazza.

Fulton Street Sessions

March 11, 2012March 10, 2012 by Tom Williams

The folks at TUTA, under the creative, support of artistic director Zeljko Djukic, have allowed the cast of Kirk Anderson, Jaimelyn Gray, Stacie Beth Green, Trey Maclin and Jacqueline Stone to use their ingenuity skills that include quirky physical comedy with unique singing to mount a world premiere showcase production of the Fulton Street Sessions that almost defies description.

Rinaldo

March 10, 2012March 9, 2012 by Tom Williams

George Frederic Handel’s (1685-1759) first Italian opera composed for the London stage, Rinaldo, in 1711 was a spectacle that introduced Londoners to the joy of Italian baroque opera with its wonderful melodies and rich bel canto singing. The longer I’m exposed to the joys of opera, the more I admire the Baroque style opera with their exquisite singing that allows the performers to demonstrate their craft upon the melodious scores

Bring It On

March 9, 2012March 8, 2012 by Tom Williams

If this show is going to Broadway and if it expects to draw more than an audience of 12 year old girls, it best tighten the storyline and make the dialogue and lyrics understandable. The hip-hop/rap songs were equal opportunity unintelligible items with the chirpy female lyrics.

Fml: how Carson McCullers saved my life

March 7, 2012 by Tom Williams

She strongly relates to author Carson McCullers’ “Heart is a Lonely Hunter” in that it deals with how it is to feel so alone while still hunting for love and acceptance. In Jo’s world, only a few people are close to her: …

The Price

March 18, 2012March 5, 2012 by Tom Williams

The title, The Price, has a dual meaning — on the surface the price is the amount haggled over and agreed upon for the apartment’s furnishings ($1,100). The price is also a fact of life. Whatever you do, whatever trade-offs you make in life, there is always a “price” that you’ll pay. Victor sacrificed a promising career in science to support his father. Walter, realizing that the father is more selfish than needy, went his own way and later, wanting his brother to speak to the illusion of the father’s neediness, refused Victor’s plea for a modest loan of $500– causing the final rift in an already fragile relationship.

They Are Dying Out

March 4, 2012 by Tom Williams

Filled with screaming and theatricality, this two hour absudists work is tedious and taxing. It is intended for those who love avante-garde styled European theatre. One can’t help but be impressed with the deep commitment of the players to the work. They fully engage their character’s foibles and zaniness and they deliver their dense speeches with ferocity and wit.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle

March 3, 2012March 3, 2012 by Tom Williams

We like the three Blackwoods and we cheer for them despite our uncomfortable feeling that these misfits could be murderers. When Merricat acts out, we see how ugly provincialism can get as the girls strong bond allows them to survive. The action in act two is furious and the unraveling of the mystery who-done-it is resolved with a few clever twists.