Latest from Chicago Critic

From White Plains

That intriguing storyline is presented in balanced arguments as to the the wisdom of continuing the vengeance toward Ethan by Dennis fifteen years after the bullying supposedly caused Mitchell to commit suicide. We see how passionate Dennis is in his attack on bullying through his film and his continuing video encounters with Ethan on social media. Dennis is a zealot while , at first, Ethan tries to state that he is is not now that nasty teen from 15 years ago but a nice guy who regrets doing what he did. But Dennis is relentless making Ethan the poster boy for bullying worldwide.

Judith: A Parting from the Body

  By Howard Barker Directed by Zeljko Djukic At Trap Door Theatre, Chicago Old Testament story of Judith get a revisionist take by Howard Barker British playwright Howard Barker uses his unusual perspective of his Theatre of Catastrophe, theatre that stands apart from both dramatic theatre and the epic theatre, the theatre in which a … Read more

Luna Gale

Luna Gale examines what it means to be a good parent and can government ever really protect a child? This important drama has realistic dilemmas told in proper responses from the characters. The sheer honesty of Fisher’s performance along with the riveting turn from Reyna de Courcy as the meth addict Karlie make for powerful characters caught as they expose past secrets that affect present situations.

Luna Gale is one of those plays that leave you thinking and thankful that your family is functioning without the necessity of help from the social welfare system. Luna Gale is one of Rebecca Gilman’s better plays. it is worth seeing.

ROSE and THE RIME – The House Theatre of Chicago

 By:  Nathan Allen, Chris Mathews, and Jake Minton Direction by:   Nathan Allen  MAGICAL MOMENTS BOTH DARK AND DELIGHTFUL  “Rose and the Rime” takes place in the cold frozen town of Radio Falls, but charming white bunnies pop up to accompany the magical romp thru the inhabitants lives.   This kaleidoscopic play will surprise and challenge those, … Read more

Gidion’s Knot

Credit Profiles Theatre for selecting Johnna Adams’ riveting, well written two-handerm, Gidion’s Knot. This drama will provoke after show discussions since it deals with the gray area of teacher-student relationships as well as child-parent relations. It also deals with school system failures and the issue of freedom of expression especially with 5th grade students.

strangers, babies

McLean’s style of having May and the male characters spout run-on sentences and long stream-of-conscious outburst deepens the mystery at the expense of clarity. Is May experiencing a mental breakdown? Is she so filled with regret, grief and rage that she is vulnerable to feel pain from that mysterious event in the park twenty years age? Certainly, May’s behavior is bizarre, but why? You’ll have to see this show

The Snow Queen

To see The Snow Queen is to see what a troupe of dedicated to their art can achieve on stage. The Snow Queen, adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen diary tale by Tyler J. Monroe is the story of how the Snow Queen (Lindsey Dorcus) has the evil Goblin (Andrew Marchetti) shatter her mirror that reflects view of the world. some of the broken glass falls upon Kai (Christian Libonati) rendering him gloom and unloving. His girlfriend Gerda (Mara Dale) tries to get Kai back to his old loving self but Kai disappears into the world of ice and snow as he is smitten by the lure of the snow Queen.

Tom Jones at Northlight Theatre

Yet, there is an audience for Tom Jones and the work from Sam Ashdown as the horny Tom Jones as well as nice turns from John Lister and Molly Glynn anchored the show. Rachel Anne Healy and Carolyn Cristofani’s period-perfect 18th Century costumes added color to the show. This is a light heart period comedy with a most charming and empathetic lead character that we can’t help but cheer for. And we have a good time along the way.

THE GOLDEN DRAGON

The success of this play comes if the audience member willingly lets the mind go with the flow. For example, in a scenario where the small young girl and older man play a couple; surprisingly, the young girl portrays the married man and the older man portrays the woman with no props or costume change. The tall black male actor portrays a young Caucasian blond woman. Acting needs to carry the day and the five excellent actors, especially Deanna Myers, rise masterfully to the occasion. The unusual castings force one to not only hear the words, but to more closely listen to the dialogue and meaning of the play.

Young Frankenstein at Drury Lane Oakbrook

Mel Brooks once again has a show with tremendous audience appeal (it got mixed reviews on Broadway) but it should do better in regional theatre. The opening night audience laughed heartily and applauded vigorously throughout. Brooks’ structured Young Frankenstein in the best Broadway traditions leaning heavily on vaudevillian Borscht-Belt elements. Brooks proves that his is a terrific song writer mixing tune-full melodies, many parodies of other Broadway shows, and witty, often satirical show specific lyrics. There doesn’t seem to be a musical style that Brooks can’t parody.