As an arts reporter, let me say that the national tour of Wicked has fabulous production values and enough energy to makes for a stimulating evening of musical theatre. Barbara Robertson, as Madame Morrible and Gene Weygandt, as the Wizard of Oz demonstrated the deep talent pool in Chicago. The dazzling look, lighting, costumes, and special effects propel the show as a commercial treat. The show is fun and light weight entertainment
Read MoreMitchell 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.
Read MoreYou’ll have to attend the show to see how each of the four resolve their moral dilemmas. Does truth and justice prevail or does cowardice and deceit rule here? Lonergan’s script is believable and his characters are forever changed. The Redtwist Theatre’s production is uniquely staged and it features nuanced and rich performances from Michael Pogue, Maura Kidwell and Eric Hoffman. I particularly liked Andrew Jessop’s smart comic timing in the debates with William. Jessop has disarmingly coy ability to charm and exude empathy from a character that serves him nicely in this show.
Read MoreAdapter Giles Havergal used the four person concept in Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theater’s production of Travels. That device was smartly utilized by director Stuart Carden as he shrewdly cast Sean Fortunato to play Aunt Augusta – Henry’s 75 year old horny aunt while John Hoogenakker adds the teenage girl, Tooley and LaShawn Banks plays Wordsworth, Aunt Augusta’s lover and Jeremy Sher adds his foley art to his playing of the Girl in Jodhpurs.
Read MoreThe Malloy family’s annual Pancake Breakfast on the 4th of July in Bel Air, Maryland is the setting for a family drama that plays like an HBO series. Three generations of Malloy’s together with new relations gather for the annual celebration despite the underlying turmoil that pervades this dysfunctional family
Read MoreRemy Bumppo think theatre has a wonderful holiday gift for theatre aficionados – The Importance of Being Earnest – one of the great plays ever written! Fulled with so many witticisms and social comments and stinging observations on humanity and society, Earnest is both hilarious and profound. Victorian manners and rules of courtship are spoofed in Wilde’s most popular play penned in 1896.
Read MoreIt’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.
Read MoreNow in its 33rd season, the Goodman Theatre’s production of Charles Dickens 1842 novella, A Christmas Carol, adapted by Tom Cramer still holds its magic over audiences as director William Brown makes subtle changes and re-casts numerous roles each year to keep the show fresh. This year’s mounting features John Judd as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge.
Read MoreThe Christmas Sander’s show simply doesn’t work as the larger stage and all the ‘testifying’ (preaching and religious storytelling) slowed the show to a crawl. The dated references to the war and the down-home rural traits wore thin over 2 hours. The music also played poorly as many of the songs were difficult to hear as guitars and the piano drowned out some solos.
Read MoreThis isn’t the ballet with Tchaikovsky’s music, rather a winning fantastical deconstruction of the classic Christmas ballet. There is plenty of original pop music and wonderful underscoring music from Kevin O’Donnell and his five piece orchestra. The show is a new adaptation that does contain movement but it is not a ballet, rather a dark story where dolls and puppets come to life to slay the rat king with several smart songs. Jake Minton & Phillip C. Klapperich have created an engrossing re-thought holiday story rich in fun and mystery.
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