Shannon is probably the finest relatively unknown composer and lyricist you could find. I was stunned at the versatility, the number of soaring anthems, the terrific lyrics that sit upon the music so effectively. Seldom will you find a more talented composer and lyricist in one person that Julie Shannon!
Hansel und Gretel is filled with charming melodic music that contains gentleness, sweetness, as well as dark motifs. Humperdinck used German folk elements together with original folk tunes to flavor his opera. The score demand much vocal dexterity and Kanyotova and DeShong delightfully have that element in their fine performance. I was thrilled by the darkly comic work by Jill Grove as the manic witch. Brian Williams’ father was also appreciated.
Continuing its perennial holiday tradition, American Blues Theater brings a classic to wondrous life that transports you to a simpler time for a retelling of one of our most beloved inspirational tales.
We observe Anna (powerful subtle performance by Kate Fry) move from frighten to submissive to attacker as she deftly reverses the roles of hunted and hunter. Seeing who will claim the upper hand: those who want to suppress the truth or those who’ll risk everything to liberate it is at the core of this two-hander.
The Other Cinderella is a family-friendly musical with loads of humor as well as toe-tapping original tunes and strong anthems. I can see why this show has become the most successful show in the history of the Black Ensemble
Combining a fast-paced vaudevillian style with story telling elements that turns the cast into expository narrators made the audience not empathize with most of the Fail family. This play is on-third story theatre, one-third acted drama, and one-third gimmicks.
After the original lead Sean Palmer got injured, Tony Yazbeck stepped in to play Don Lockwood (the Gene Kelly role). Together with an all-star cast of local Chicago talents, director Bill Jenkins’ Singin’ In the Rain unfolds as a dazzling production. True to the film, the Drury Lane Production is glitzy, glorious, and glamorous featuring one of the most memorable scores …
Sir Mark Elder led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this evening in a generally very enjoyable selection of somewhat lesser-known works by prominent composers from outside the standard Germanic tradition.
Now the annual production of The Christmas Schooner has found a home at the Mercury Theater under the artistic direction of L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon. This wonderful show is musically rich with memorable songs, rich harmonies and a truthful story of the brave sailors who sailed in the late 19th Century from Upper Michigan to Chicago from 1882 until 1912.
Featuring a heartfelt performance as George Bailey by Cliff Chamberlain with the versatile veteran actor Mike Nussbaum as Clarence the angel and Mr. Potter, American Theatre Company’s annual production of the radio play version of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life is in terrific hands.