Jake Lindquist

Mitchell Fain has dead on comic timing and just the right glint of joy sprinkled on to his cynical nature. He plays with the audience and makes the piece his own, with modern references that were clearly not in the original version. He is like a sassy friend that can dish out insults and treat you like a waste of space, but still be great company for the evening. You want him to make fun of you and say off color comments because you know it is going to be hilarious, even if it’s at your expense.

It’s a Wonderful Life is the quintessential holiday tale of George Bailey familiar to most and regarded as perhaps the best Christmas movie ever made. To take this story and set it in a 1940s radio studio complete with commercials and a foley artist is a great concept, and it is clear why this show has become a staple of the Holiday Season in Chicago.

Me 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.”

I always think it is wonderful when international shows land in Chicago because it provides a kind of entertainment that is not always easy to come across here. I was especially excited to see the Indian culture represented on the stage well, especially because the show is billed as, “The first authentic Indian music & dance spectacular.” This particular show boasts some truly inventive choreography and costume design, but I felt as though it does not translate to a universal audience.

Without giving too much away, I would have liked a little more background on the history of Belarus. It is assumed that the audience is familiar with the political upheaval and governmental instability of the country. If nothing else, it made me want to learn more about Belarus.

One of the more difficult aspects of a rock musical is the sound design so that the powerful instruments don’t drown the vocals and reduce it to incoherent noise. Christopher Kris deserves a big round of applause of balancing all of these elements, including the addition of a hand-held microphone for solos.

The poetic language of the piece is wonderful to the ear. Even though certain scenes did run slightly long and a few scenes between Electra, Persephone, and Cassandra became repetitive; the dialogue was never boring. The piece does a good job of updating newcomers such as myself to the story and the characters, but those not as versed in Greek Mythology may not gain as much from certain references or characters

The Sweet Stuff has drastically changed my perception of what can be accomplished in the space and the type of show that can be performed. It is a gritty drama with social relevance that boasts a fantastic script and some strong performances.

This Train not only utilizes the power of spoken language, but the power of song, art, and even “hobo language.” A combination of storytelling, multimedia, song; This Train is a rare piece of theatre that is not to be missed.