Tom Williams Solstice is one of those theatrical gems that needs a strong cast and a director with a focused vision (like Karen Kessler has here). It is a moving cautionary tale of what happens when violence and inequality separate folks from the same culture . It demonstrates how terrorist are made when intolerance invades a culture.
As problematic as the work’s premise is, I am confused by the tone. With the wildly over-played British accents and having women play males soldiers with an over-the-top manner and the prisoners, especially the women, I’m not sure if Our Country’s Good is suppose to be a comedy or a parody or a satire? But with so much cruelty toward the prisoners by most of the soldiers, it is hard to see the piece as more than melodrama.
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has mounted a most pleasing production of Puccini’s favorite opera—Madama Butterfly. Each time I see Butterfly live on stage. I am overwhelmed by the haunting and melodic score by Puccini. I can see why this is one of the most beloved operas of all-time. The sheer intensity and sweeping majesty of the Japanese set (design by Christopher Oram), in a new production, together with Puccini’s theatrical score made for a marvelous experience. Add the exquisite voice of Amanda Echalaz who deftly depicts Cio-Cio-San as the epitome of devotion,
hope and honor. Patricia Racette takes over the role of Cia-Cia-San for the January, 2014 dates and she received an enthusiastic standing ovation on January 11, 2014.
This landmark play (for 1934 audiences), The Children’s Hour, is a drama set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and to avoid being sent back she tells her grandmother that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian affair. The accusation proceeds to destroy the women’s careers, relationships and lives.
After a weak 136 performances on Broadway in 2012, the producers of Ghost The Musical are trying to recoup their investment via a national tour which is here at the Oriental Theatre until January 19, 2014. At $95 for the top ticket, with a non-Equity cast of players who are both inept singers and shallow actors, Ghost The Musical doesn’t deliver on most levels.
After skipping the last couple of years of the Annual Chicago Young Playwrights Festival, now in its 27th year, I was delighted to see what the today’s teens view of the world is in 2014. It turned into a mixed bag of theatre from a moralizing work to a chilling one to a comic one.
Originally compiled by ChicagoCritic.com founder and critic Tom Williams. Updated and expanded for 2026. Broadway and musical theatre have given audiences songs about hope, perseverance, ambition, belonging, joy and starting over. Some are soaring declarations of determination; others find strength in friendship, reflection or simply choosing to move forward. This guide preserves many of Tom … Read more
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Tom Williams