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.

Dessa Rose

October 22, 2022March 15, 2014 by Tom Williams

This is a passionate work that effectively tells the hardship of pre-Civil War Southern black slaves in a chamber folk operetta. With music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Dessa Rose has a haunting score (with hints of their Ragtime score) filled with African and Southern field/work songs, R & B, containing rhythms and melodies together with early religious songs including folk and gospel sounds that produced an atmosphere of 1840’s on a plantation in South Carolina. Lynn Ahrens’ character and plot driven lyrics emphasize the emotion, the pain and the passion of the black slaves. Her strong book anchors the piece.

King Hedley II

October 22, 2022March 14, 2014 by Tom Williams

…with August Wilson a marvelous trip to exciting, superbly written (almost poetic dialogue) theatrical events chronicling the Black Experience in America. King Hedley II, set in 1985 (the 9th in the 10 play cycle) features several of the characters we meet in Wilson’s Seven Guitars set in the 1940’s (recently mounted at Court Theatre in a riveting production). The violence and frustration from the lack of opportunity that affected the folks in Seven Guitars is even more devastating to the Hill District folks in the 1980’s.

Darlin’

October 22, 2022March 13, 2014 by Tom Williams

Playwright Joshua Rollins, in a ode to Sam Shepard, likes to create troubled characters who seem trapped in their lives. In Darlin’, now in a world premier at the Athenaeum Theatre, Rollins has Clem (Elizabeth Birnkrant), a 30something woman who arrives at a motel in rural Iowa. She is alone, drives a Volvo SUV with two baby seats and she has a wad of cash. The mystery abounds: who is she, why is she here; what is she running from?

Passion at Theo Ubique

May 27, 2014March 11, 2014 by Tom Williams

This romantic journey is filled with Sondheim’s marvelous, almost hypnotic, lush melodies sung wonderfully mostly in duets with stirring solos that depict the wide pain and ecstasy of the yearning for love and the struggle of romantic interludes. Colette Todd’s rich soprano voice is a wonder to hear and Peter Oyloe combines intensity with his strong voice to make Giorgio a charismatic and empathic character. Danni Smith gave Fosca a depth and painful presence that eventually explodes into a chilling obsession that becomes hypnotic

reWILDing Genius -The New Colony

September 12, 2017March 11, 2014 by Tom Williams

Written by Andrew Hobgood and Megan Johns with input by the cast, reWILDing Genius is a tale of brilliant techie hackers, each expert and successful in their given cyber fields, who live together in an Uptown Chicago loft under the radar. This group of social dropouts are wondering through life until one newbie to the loft challenges the group to do an ambitious task that could change the world

Saturday Night/Sunday Morning by Prologue Theatre Company

September 12, 2017March 11, 2014 by Tom Williams

It is 1945 in Memphis at Miss Mary’s (Kona N. Burks) beauty parlor and boarding house. the place is alive, full of women primping their hair while telling stories of their soldiers overseas and local gossip in Saturday Night/Sunday Morning by Katori Hall. As the War winds down the women worry about their men and the uncertainty of if and when they’ll return. This is a slice of life story about the folks living in a changing world.

The Wild by Walkabout Theatre

September 12, 2017March 10, 2014 by Tom Williams

Variety of styles, energetic, physicality with wild customs, weird sounds, techno music, chanting and singing fuel the Walkabout Theater’s 60 minute performance art piece. This thrilling and extremely innovative work is referred to As “laboratory theater’ by the creators meaning a work designed by the performers featuring their rigorous training practices that includes wrestling, acrobatics, dance, rhythmic movement. The physical risks are sexy, muscular and provocati

La Clemenza Di Tito (The Clemency of Titus)

May 27, 2014March 9, 2014 by Tom Williams

What makes this opera soar, besides the lush Mozart score, are the trouser roles , especially the amazingly powerful voice of mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato who sings and acts Sesto magnificently. The arias and the duets are beautiful, melodic and emotionally powerful. I think opera seria, now rarely performed, deserves its place in an repertory of produced operas

The Gospel of Lovingkindness

May 27, 2014March 9, 2014 by Tom Williams

The Gospel of Lovingkindness is a religious oriented wish-fulfilling tale that puts faith ahead of sound problem solving. It is a nicely written work that is merely a ‘fell-good’ show that doesn’t really resolve anything. Terrific performances, particularly by Jacqueline Williams and Cheryl Lynn Bruce, make the show worthy. If only Gardley made a more substantial stand by offering practical solutions to gun violence.

The Roper

May 27, 2014March 8, 2014 by Tom Williams

This funny play features a nice assortment of Chicago’s fine non-Equity players each fully in tune with their characters ineptitude. Their planning their crime using their stupid logic becomes such as wacky scheme that it could possibly work. The humor is, indeed, in the details. I’ll not reveal more so as not to spoil the surprises. The Roper is really a character sketch of the petty criminals from the 19th Century immigrant lot as their desperation for the good life pressures them to take up crime.