Tom Williams

Inherit The Wind at Oak Park Festival Theatre. The debate between Christensen’s Brady and Hickey’s Drummond is most compelling as Christensen exudes charisma while his outdated and narrow sociopolitical beliefs are destroyed by Hickey’s Drummond.

This smart drama vividly focuses on hurts so deep that forgiveness is difficult. It looks at how on letting go of past hurts can immobilize one emotionally. The play also demonstrates how we often use others sexually for both relief and as bodies that substitute for the one we love.

When he contorts into one cave too many, he gets both feet stuck under a large slab of rock. After a day or so, his family organizes a search to rescue Floyd. Once his brother Homer (Jon Harrison) finds him, he realizes that Floyd is in trouble. No one except the young reporter, Skeets Miller (the rich-voiced Greg Foster) can slink into the narrow cave opening. The two bond as the rescue attempts become labored.

This engrossing tale is a mixture of satire and realism that breaks conventional storytelling motifs. It part dark comedy and part absurdism with shallow underdeveloped characters do baffling things

With MC Patrick Bristow urging on both the puppeteers and asking the audience for theme ideas, the cast nimbly grabbed a puppet from the dozens available and quickly delivered a funny short sketch. I was more impressed with the “how” – the methodology behind the Henson puppet work, How each used the video and how they played off one another was fascinating to watch.

Since we never understand why Nan just doesn’t simply leave nor do we see how actually abusive Kyle is toward her – the structure is thin making the play need gimmicks and silliness to harvest enough humor to sustain 75 minutes

This new play by Emily Schwend, South of Settling is based on the quiet, orderly life of a middle aged couple – Kate (Janet Ulrich Brooks) and Irwin Deckhouse (Keith Kupferer) that becomes topsy-turvy with the arrival of Kate’s long estranged cousin Amy (Nicole Wiesner) and he new husband Randall (Jeff Trainor).