Taking place during the UK miner strike in the 80’s in North Eastern England. A young boy named Billy Elliot (a very talented Cade M. Pearlman), not so well at boxing, accidentally finds himself dancing among a dance class filled with young ladies in tutus. Although, he is the only boy there is something about that class that makes him feel at ease.
In Beth Kander’s world premiere drama, The Bottle Tree, the focus is on the rural Southern (Mississippi) gun culture. We meet Myrna Mason (Kathleen Ruhl) who is the matriarch of the poor-white-trash Mississippi Mason clan. Myrna is an old maid aunt to Rhoda (Christina Gorman) and her surviving daughter Alley (Katherine Acosta). Myrna is obsessed with the ghosts of her family. She believes in the hoodoo folk magic rural tradition. She has a Bottle Tree in her yard to help trap bad ghosts so that they will not influence her family.
British playwright John Hollingsworth has penned a cautionary tale that exposes the conservative view of multiculturalism that believes that brown people, especially followers of Islam, can never really be “British” even if they are born in the UK or have been there since childhood. The fear Englishman express from those of color and those who embrace Islam have started raising their ugly heads in Bradford, England.
Hamilton lives up to the hype as it is engaging, high-energy and an emotionally thrilling theatrical experience. It is an opera, a rap show, and an accurate history lesson that presents as dazzling entertainment. In this breakthroughs work, Lin-Manuel Miranda has moved the Broadway musical (opera) into new areas. It is terrific storytelling that bravely takes pop culture into the world of opera and Broadway musicals. The good news is that he has brought a new audience to musicals as young folks love this show.
But Lucia Di Lammermoor rests on the performance and vocal acumen of Lucia and Edgardo. Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova’s mad scene (one of the most famous in opera) was powerfully sung and acted by Shagimuratova. She is becoming the finest Lucia in the world! Also Polish tenor Piotr Beczala is known as thee Edgardo in the world today. Together these two propel this opera to the heavens. Add the fine coral work and the fine work from Romanian bass Adrian Sampetrean as chaplain Raimondo and this opera plays as a triumph bel canto opera
The set is inventive and effective, the wigs are a plenty and the tap shoes are tapping with this large cast of Transylvanian characters. What a magnificent effort by all to take on this show and just in time for Halloween.
The townspeople of Transylvania are attending the funeral of Dr. Frankenstein—relief at last. Lead by Officer Kemp (Tony Calzaretta) let the celebration begin.
Back in NYC, a young doctor receives a telegram; “It’s Frohnk-en-steen not Frankenstein,” he says when informed about his grandfather’s passing. Young Frederick (Nick Miller), must head to Transylvania to settle the estate and leave his finicky, yet fantastic fiancé Elizabeth (Christie Burgess-Martino) behind–which may not be such a bad thing anyway
One of the main reasons to see Pirandello’s Henry IV is to enjoy the fantastic work by Mark L. Montgomery as the possibly mad Italian nobleman. Montgomery is one of the most skilled actors working on Chicago stages. His ability to articulate and dominate the stage leaving much doubt if his character is cured from his insanity or still mad or possibly playing games with his enablers? With Pirandello there is always doubt as to where fantasy and reality end. Questions of identify, truth and psychology receive unique treatment by Pirandello
Tunes from Funny Girl (lyrics by Bob Merrill) with like know shows that produced songs that became standards, this songfest produces one tuneful song after another. we remember songs like “The Party’s Over,” ” Don’t Rain on My Parade,” I’ve Heard That Song Before,” “It’s Been A Long Time,” “Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week, “It’s Magic, ” “Time After Time,” and “Make Someone Happy” and “People” are among the wonderful tunes that not only were sung expertly but presented with their meaning or spirit.
Apartment 3A features a female liberal PBS TV station on air fund raiser in a Midwest town, Annie (Eleni Pappageorge) who is having a bad time. She catches her lover having sex with another woman that makes her leave in rage. She quickly find an apartment in a questionable part of town – Apartment 3A. She takes the place and she immediately meets her neighbor in 2A, Donald (Daniel Smith), a well dressed man who immediately tells Annie not to fall in love with him since he is happily married. Annie has weird attraction to the quirky man who is a landscape painter who loves to cook eggs.
In a new production, the Lyric Opera of Chicago has mounted the finest staging that I have ever seen of an opera! Wagner, who wanted his Der Ring des Nibelungen to be know as a music drama, would be proud of David Pountney’s stage of Das Rheingold which was based on Johan Engels and Robert Innes Hopkins designs. Below you’ll see a vast array of photos in order for readers to get a feel for this magnificent staging that enhances Wagner’s music drama as a compliment to Wagner’s power score and the fantastic voices from the world class singers.