Tom Williams

“Home is one of the pure classics of the African-American ensemble movement lead by the Negro Ensemble Company to change the face of American theatre. For a director it is one of those rare plays that you can always return to – always changing, always fresh, always moving, and always fun to work on,” says director Ron OJ Parson.

Paula Vogel’s epic glimpse into Civil War Washington, D.C. in 1864 is a series of episodes with interlocking stories set during Christmas in war weary times. It is more of a play with music rather than a musical. What music there is, and it could use more period songs, is a mixture of period music including marches, folksy patriotic numbers and stirring gospel tunes.

Jose Rivera is a talented playwright whose works are being mounted here in Chicago. His latest, Brainpeople, is a psychological thriller filled with religious references and demented characters. The drama features in depth studies of the psyche of a dinner host and her two guests. This work has superb descriptive dialogue that gives each of the three female characters their opportunity to explain why they are at the dinner party and why they agreed to participate.

Kevin Bellie’s choreography was enthusiastic, varied and creative. It was highlighted by the “Too Darn Hot” act two opening number. Jennie Sophia’s Lily/Kate and Rachel Quinn’s Lois/Bianca were effective. Quinn had the best number in the show as she nailed the sexy “Always True To You In My Fashion” song.

Vengeance, loyalty, honor, huge male egos, bloody battles enacted using monologues, rhythms, songs with swordplay and doll puppets by the youthful girls becomes an entrancing theatrical spectacle.
While the cast’s energy, timing and elocution was excellent, their acting chops aptly depicted the males eccentricities, the jealousy and the violence used to rule and defend one’s honor in ancient Greece.

With Bernie Yvon as Harold Hill (a role Yvon makes his own), the slick-talking conman with the infectious smile and Johanna Mackenzie-Miller as Marian the Liberian, we have two major Chicago talents anchoring the show. Add terrific supporting work from John Reeger, obnoxious, Malaprop-prone mayor and his want-to-be choreographer wife, Eulalie, played with gusto by Iris Lieberman and the show has depth.

Playwright Jonathan Lichtenstein was profoundly affected by his father’s escape from Nazi Germany during the Kindertransport in 1933. That event motivated Lichtenstein to pen Memory. Told in three parts parallel stories, Memory examines Holocaust Era Berlin (circa 1933); Berlin 1990; and Israel in 2006. The 90 minute one act weaves the three settings into a comprehensive and moving story of the effects of memory on history.

Demi is a sexy 19-year old single mom and American Idol wannabe who is an uneducated girl living a fantasy that finds her auditioning in Miami for AI, then immediately leaving for Hollywood and instant stardom. She really believes that the only thing holding her back is her stalker ex-boy friend, Kendall Fritsch (Marc Singetary).

The most remarkable character is Jhana – vibrant, manic, determined, Elvis-loving 18 year old girl played with zest and quite convincingly by Eve Rydberg. This lady gave one of the finest performances I’ve witnessed on a Chicago stage! Rydberg has the facial and body gestures, the verbal tones and the general debonair indicating a mentally handicapped person.