Williams finds classic tragedy in the contemporary South. In this poetic expressionist vision of the struggle between truth and illusion in the face of mortality and the fraught attempts of the family members to communicate amongst themselves, Williams effectively expresses the pain and loneliness each feels as they resort to attacking each other as their means of relating.
Read MoreWith gobs of camp, grouping, men kissing men and spoken in speech patterns that ran from mumbling, to running their words so quickly as to be inaudible to screaming – this flamboyantly awful production is more of a gay boys acting out than a serious look at the trials, foibles and failures of Oscar Wilde.
Read MoreA few seconds into the Carmen overture, Bizet’s haunting melodies and stirring rhythms remind us of his brilliance. We’ve heard Bizet’s music as underscoring for films as much as we’ve heard them in an opera house. Now add a large cast including the Chicago Children’s Choir and you have a most memorable evening of grand opera!
Read MoreCarolyn Defrin deftly narrates with loads of help from fifth grader Caroline Heffernan who smartly plays the innocence of childhood as Scout Finch Lee’s alter-ego from her childhood. Seldom have I seen a fifth grader with the acting chops and ability to not only deliver her lines but to have spot on timing to convey humor and pathos. Caroline Heffernan is a dynamite talent.
Read MoreGuy and Pam with help from their son Bobby (Tyler Ross), set into motion a series of mishaps, mayhem and madness around the concept of a petite teenager girl raping a football player. The silliness and the physical action escalates into hilarity as the preposterous action unfolds
Read MoreMe Too, I am Catherine Deneuve is billed as a family drama that “invites the audience to explore, alongside the characters, the potent relationship between self-definition and self-determination.”
Read MoreIn this Equus, it surly is Alan’s play as Ian McCabe’s gusty, rivetingly chilling and brave performance as Alan totally dominates. McCabe has that “look” and the pent-up passion that moves Alan from a timid boy to a explosive sexual-religious fanatic who sees God in the horses he cares for. McCabe’s fully entrancing performance complete with three nude scenes emphasis the sexual tension that the boy feels toward the horses.
Read MoreWhile I would say my highlight of the evening was “After the Rain,” all three pieces are beautifully choreographed, danced, and lit. The musicianship of Chicago Sinfonietta was amazing and needs to be mentioned along with the dancers. The lighting plays such an important role in these pieces so Mark Stanley and Jennifer Tipton deserve a mention as well. To me this was a perfect marriage of dance, music, and design bringing forth a truly wonderful evening.
Read MoreThe first act of the now titled: At Home At the Zoo is a wordy, repetitive boring piece that depicts Peter’s family life as a sort of set up for the brilliant The Zoo Story. Maybe it was Albee’s ego or a bout with dementia because why diminish the play that established you as a playwright with an inferior work such as Homelife?
Read MoreThe story, a political satire set shortly after World War II, is a behind the scenes look at the “play ball” mentality in politics during the advent of our post-war golden age. We follow Grant Matthews (played by Michael Dailey), a successful airplane industrialist with a passion, and a concern, for America’s well being. A Republican by name, yes, but Grant is more of a centralized, bi-partisan, do-gooder that looks to destroy the obstacles both parties present to the growth of the country.
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