Tom Williams Annual Jeff Equity Awards TimeLine Theatre’s much-extended production of “The History Boys” took top honors in the midsize theatre Play category and walked off with 5 statues, the most of any production honored at the festive ceremony held at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.
The gusty Promethean Theatre Ensemble shows why they are a young theatre troupe worthy of note with Ed Rutherford’s ambitious and finely imagined stage adaptation of Beagle’s 1968 novel, The Last Unicorn. Director Rutherford’s staging has hints of Mary Zimmerman’s style as story theatre containing use of masks, puppets and highly theatrical movements including songs, physical comedy and narration.
The New Colony theatre company has a marvelous world premiere drama now running at the upstairs at the Royal George theatre. This show is not your run-of-the-mill relationship drama. Not by yards! Calls to Blood is as 80 minute, tightly drawn and well directed (by Andrew Hobgood), relationship drama that starts out with a typical situation. Jacob (Gary Tiedemann) and Alison (Sara Gitenstein) are a perforct married couple of six years. The indeed do love each other, they get along terribly well and life is perfect for them.
This uneven production tries too hard to be a farce, to be a keystone cops comedy while also trying to be a espionage thriller and a comedy of manners. The show is much too long and it gets slowed down by long wordy speeches and involved plot explanations.
Cats is sharp, tightly produced featuring exceptional voices from the deft dancers. It has a vibrant energy that wins us. Cats is a terrific show to take children to experience the wonders of the Broadway musical.
My first visit to Piven Theatre (shame on me) was a pleasant one due to Joyce Piven’s smart production of two of Harold Pinter’s fine one-acts–The Lover and The Collection. Together, Piven and Pinter have produced a fine theatrical event of note!
Raven Theatre, a treasure chest of outstanding non-Equity Chicago theatre, under Michael Menendian’s tight direction, have mounted a moving, deeply emotional production of Arthur Miller’s 1949 Pulitzer Prize drama, Death of a Salesman
Directed by Robert Ayres Produced by Shapeshifters Theatres At the Irish American Heritage Center Cute Irish kitchen sink comedy delivers wacky humor My first visit to Shapeshifters Theatre, the resident theatre company at the Irish American Heritage Center in Albany Park, was a good time as Irish playwright John B. Keane’s Moll delivered enough comedy … Read more
Fedra (aka Phaedra) is a modern retelling of a Greek myth of unrequited lust and revenge. Queen Fedra (J. Nicole Books) – much like Potiphar’s wife in the Bible – fails to seduce the object of her affection and retaliates by crying rape
Schaffer utilizes a farcical comedic motif as he introduces us to the flamboyant Lettice Douffet, a most memorable character. Essentially, Lettice and Lovage is a funny look at coming to terms with the modern world by two kindred spirits trapped by their imaginations and their social-economic status.