Jacob Davis, Author at ChicagoCritic.com

The Book of Mormon (2016)

July 24, 2016July 3, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone

Directed by Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker

Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw

Musical Supervision by Stephen Oremus

Produced by Broadway in Chicago

Profanity and Scatology Make a Feel-Good Story

Before Hamilton arrives at The PrivateBank Theatre this fall, the last new musical to cause a sensation on Broadway, The Book of Mormon, is playing through the summer. Fans of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s long-running adult cartoon South Park will be familiar with the two’s delight in filling their show with musical and dance numbers, as well as ripping authoritarian religions, and know that Mormonism has a weird, special place in the comic duos’ hearts.

The Grapes of Wrath

September 23, 2026July 1, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Based on the Novel by John Steinbeck

Adapted by Frank Galati

Directed by Erica Weiss

Produced by The Gift Theatre, Chicago

Route 66 as a Place of Myth

In a production in Jefferson Park’s storefront Gift Theatre, Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s renowned novel is zoomed in on more closely than ever, with the tiny playing space leaving room for little more than an intense examination of the characters played by a nineteen-member cast.

This

July 24, 2016June 28, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Melissa James Gibson

Directed by Carl Menninger

Produced by Windy City Playhouse, Chicago

Annoying People Make an Annoying Play

In its short history so far, the Windy City Playhouse has become known for making its comfortable, upscale venue with its well-stocked bar an integral part of every show performed there. And though the fledgling company has staged a wide variety of work, the most common theme of its plays are the relationship problems of well-to-do East Coasters. It’s not a bad combination of atmosphere and play selection, but the company could doubtlessly do better than Melissa James Gibson’s This, a 2009 play with detestable characters and overly indulgent dialogue.

The Unfortunates

October 23, 2022June 25, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Aoise Stratford

Directed by Kurt Johns

Starring Gail Rastorfer

Produced by SoloChicago

Playing at Theater Wit, Chicago

Nothing Unfortunate About This Performance

SoloChicago launched with Ron Keaton’s show Churchill, and the second production by the company, which is devoted to one-person plays, is very much a complementary work. The aesthetics of the production of Aoise Stratford’s The Unfortunates, helmed by company artistic director Kurt Johns, are very similar to those of Churchill, also featuring projections by Paul Deziel and music by Eric Backus. But while Churchill depicted a historical titan in the comfort of his own home and was largely derived from his own writings, the character in The Unfortunates is from the opposite side of the social hierarchy, and in a sinister, shadowy environment. Mary Jane Kelly is considered by scholars to be the last definite victim of Jack the Ripper, and what few details of her life are known are sketchy and contradictory. In a truly marvelous performance which spans hilarious satire and social commentary to the deepest pain and sorrow, Gail Rastorfer imagines who Kelly might have been, and restores a living face to someone who is remembered only for being a victim.

Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn

October 23, 2022June 24, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Directed by Christopher Pazdernik

Musical Direction by Micky York

Produced by Eclectic Full Contact Theatre

Playing at the Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago

An Eclectic Collection from Song Cycles

William Finn is one of the most accomplished living Broadway composers, and therefore, making a revue of his songs is a reasonable proposition. However, while the Golden Age Broadway composers such as Irving Berlin and Cole Porter normally wrote songs without any context, and mid-late-century figures such as Stephen Sondheim wrote songs that were highly entertaining in their own right, William Finn’s modern chamber operettas and song cycles are dependent on the whole of their presentation for emotional impact.

The Seedbed

October 22, 2022June 22, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Brian Delaney

Directed by Steve Scott

Produced by Redtwist Theatre, Chicago

Family Drama with a Rare Heart

Former Abbey Theatre New Playwrights Programme director Brian Delaney’s The Seedbed so neatly encapsulates the common themes of naturalistic Irish drama that few people would guess that it premiered at the New Jersey Repertory Company last year. But so it did, and the small Edgewater storefront Redtwist has snagged the Chicago premiere of this close-up on a very screwed-up family. But while American plays like Buried Child, August: Osage County, and especially The Lyons often adopt a blackly humorous approach to self-destructive households, The Seedbed is much quieter and sympathetic to its characters. It’s no bore, though, since Delaney makes the play into a mystery for the audience, as we are first kept in the dark about the exact nature of the incident which caused this family’s crises, and then confused about which of them, if any, can be trusted.

The House That Will Not Stand

July 24, 2016June 21, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Marcus Gardley

Directed by Chay Yew

Produced by Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago

Sinister Forces at Work in a Mystical New Orleans

Last year, Victory Gardens audiences saw the world premiere of Marcus Gardley’s An Issue of Blood. Set during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, the play examined the birth of institutional racism in England’s North American colonies, which is an important part of history to remember, since racism is often excused as natural and inevitable. Now, audiences have the chance to see the Midwest premiere of The House That Will Not Stand, which shows how racial relationships were upended in Louisiana following the transition from French to American control.

Deathtrap

July 24, 2016June 19, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Ira Levin

Directed by William Osetek

Produced by Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace

Many Twists Create a Meta-Thriller

Thrillers are a tough genre to make work in live theatre, but when they’re as well-written as Ira Levin’s 1978 Deathtrap, and as well-staged as William Osetek’s current production at Drury Lane, they can be as hair-raising and suspenseful as the best movies.

Saints Hold Grants Award Ceremony

October 22, 2022June 17, 2016 by Jacob Davis

On June 13, The Saints, a volunteer group for the performing arts, held their third annual Grants Celebration and Presentation ceremony. In an hour long program emceed by Dueling Critics Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman at the Athenaeum Theatre, twenty-seven performing arts companies were awarded grants which totaled $125,000. The amount granted was a new record for The Saints, who have given over $800,000 to the performing arts.

The Marvin Gaye Story

July 24, 2016June 15, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Written by Jackie Taylor

Directed by Daryl D. Brooks

Musical Direction by Robert Reddrick

Produced by Black Ensemble Theater, Chicago

Black Ensemble True to Form While Examining Hate

As Black Ensemble reprises its greatest hits this year, it also gives each of its company members a chance to revisit their major roles. This summer, company regular Rashawn Thompson is reprising his role as Marvin Gaye in one of the earliest biographical revues Black Ensemble did in their Ravenswood theatre.