Will Fink, Author at ChicagoCritic.com

Death and the Powers

October 23, 2022April 4, 2011 by Will Fink

What is perhaps most enticing about this show is the issues it deals with: death foremost amongst them, of course, but the questions of what is nature, what is natural, and what is human are also vital in the libretto. Miranda, when she is struggling with whether or not she should join those she loves in the System (a question that remains unanswered), says that she does not want to go, because it is death that defines us; a sentiment shared by Solon, when he told Croesus that he cannot tell if someone has lived a happy life or not until he knows how they died.

Romeo and Juliet

April 18, 2011March 30, 2011 by Will Fink

The reality, however, is something else: my notes from the show read like director’s notes from the first rehearsal, not a critic’s from opening night. This I lay at the feet of Brian LaDuca, who clearly has no earthly idea what he’s doing and has no business directing, especially something as difficult to execute as Shakespeare. The language was shaky, the speech too fast, the conception of the play poorly designed and executed.

Orlando

October 22, 2022March 20, 2011 by Will Fink

Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation thereof has on the stage the feel of a Shakespearean romance: time and distance are travelled freely, in little space, and without much regard. The whimsy is so thick one could use it as a spread for bread.

The Merchant of Venice

March 21, 2011March 19, 2011 by Will Fink

The central problem with this production is that, by trying to sex up the show and appeal to the middle, they end up appealing to no one. Heavy-duty theatre-goers will find it unremarkable, and casual observers will be lost because of the lack of enunciation as well as the bluster and overall mediocrity of the ensemble.

Carmen – March

March 21, 2011March 17, 2011 by Will Fink

It is clear, with a piece as rich as this, why Carmen has endured. And the Lyric puts on a stellar production, with everything you could ask for: every single performer is impeccable; the musicians and conductor are top-notch; the sets, costumes, and other technical aspects are all magnificent. A very traditional, and very talented, production of one of the great operas, it would be foolhardy to let this one pass by unnoticed.

God of Carnage

March 19, 2011March 15, 2011 by Will Fink

By Yasmina Reza Translated by Christopher Hampton Directed by Rick Snyder At the Goodman Theatre, Chicago The Banality of Bourgeois Evil God of Carnage is not about the destination: when the four actors come on stage, you already know that, in the end, they will tear each other apart. What God of Carnage is about, … Read more

Hercules

March 8, 2011 by Will Fink

The music is quintessential Handel: Baroque, ornamental, beautiful. He often riffs on a single textual line for minutes on end, like an Enlightenment-era MC5, which is aurally impressive, but does occasionally leave those on stage looking for ways to act around the repetition. Sellers often gives them actions representing certain lines, which are repeated with them.

Working

October 2, 2026March 4, 2011 by Will Fink

This show, I’m afraid, is a case of great talent being squandered on wretched material. Everyone on stage is doing a good job; some are doing an exceptionally good job. But the show . . . the show is so bad.

Studs Terkel is an icon in America, particularly in Chicago, for his great detailing of American oral history. This musical, composed by a slew of songwriters from James Taylor to Lin-Manuel Miranda, but especially Stephen Schwartz, uses Terkel’s Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do as source material.

Samuel J. and K.

February 28, 2011 by Will Fink

But is Samuel J. and K. – a play about two brothers from Naperville, one of whom is an adopted African baby, and their travel to Cameroon to find themselves – appropriate for SYA, and, perhaps more important (because kids will rise to the needed maturity level, given the chance), a good play?

The Man Who Came to Dinner

October 22, 2022February 25, 2011 by Will Fink

Kaufman and Hart authored the play as a vehicle for their friend, Alexander Woollcott, on whom they modeled the lead role, Sheridan Whiteside – revived excellent well in this production by Jon Steinhagen. Woollcott was famously insufferable, and the writers decided to explore the results should he become an unwilling house guest after slipping on the stairs. Needless to say, hijinx ensue: he terrorizes his hosts