Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa Directed by L. Walter Stearns Produced by Mercury Theater Jaunty Addams Family Fun The Addams Family, The Musical, had a rocky start in Chicago back in 2009, before I started reviewing. It transferred to Broadway after a significant rewrite, where it was … Read more
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman Book by Harvey Fierstein Based on the play by Jean Poiret Directed by Joe Leonardo Choreographed by Melissa Zaremba Musical Direction by Ryan T. Nelson At Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire Stunningly visual and romantically heartfelt with loads of laughs make La Cage Aux Folles a hit Jerry Herman is one … Read more
By Horton Foote Directed by Cody Estle Produced by Raven Theatre Dark Comedy in Changing South Among the vast number of American plays that riff on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and depict arguments over a house, Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate is a bit of a rediscovered gem. Though it premiered in 1989, a short … Read more
By Brett Neveu Directed by Brant Russell Produced by Signal Ensemble Theatre Illustrated Example of Friendships Withering Under Pressure As people get older, their changing bodies and responsibilities necessitate different interests, lifestyles, and sources of pride. Those who can’t adjust are in for a hard time, particularly as financial stress becomes less tolerable. Signal’s United … Read more
By Bruce Graham Directed by BJ Jones Produced by Northlight Theatre Modern Revenge Tragedy is Brutally honest but Fascinating Northlight Theatre’s promotional materials keep the details of its world premiere play, White Guy on a Bus, under tight wraps. It’s something to do with racial tension, revenge, and a white guy riding a bus. Going … Read more
By Aaron Holland Directed by Lilli-Anne Brown Produced by Bailiwick Chicago Theater At Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago Strange campy comedy comes with loads of disco, drag performances I’m not sure what to make of Aaron Holland’s Princess Mary Demands Your Attention. Director Lili-Anne Brown uses much theatricality including a muse-like drag queen, Princess Mary (Baron … Read more
Choreographers: Tristan Bruns & Zada Cheeks Produced by Tapman producrions At the Athenaeum Theatre, Chicago Tepid tap triumphs as Tapman trumps tap Tristan Bruns is the artistic director and top tap man for Tapman Productions, a traveling itinerant tap dance show designed for birthday parties, outdoor festivals, and private events. Their show comes with a … Read more
By Samuel Beckett Directed by Ron OJ Parson Produced by Court Theatre Shall We Go? Yes, Let’s Go. Waiting for Godot is one of the plays that provokes a reaction just by saying its title. Difficult, elusive, and easy to blunder with, few works evoke such a strong mixture of love and hate from everyone … Read more
By Anna Deavere Smith Directed by Jason Gerace Produced by The Other Theatre Company At Chopin Theatre, Chicago Tedious enactment of personal interviews comes off as propaganda It is difficult enough to recreate personal verbatim interviews when they are not recorded from the original and it seldom works if a woman “plays” a man or … Read more
By Gina Gionfriddo Directed by Kimberly Senior At the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Feminist debate clouds relationship drama The characters and situations in Gina Gionfriddo’s Rapture, Blister, Burn ring hollow and the characters come off as caricatures of 21st Century women. We meet Gwen Harper (Karen Janes Woditsch), a housewife and former grad student with her … Read more