Latest from Chicago Critic

This Is War

October 22, 2022August 28, 2013 by Anthony J. Mangini

Despite the fact that this is ostensibly a ‘war drama,’ Moscovitch’s main preoccupation in This Is War is sexuality, and there’s a tenuous connection to be made here between the violence of war and the violence of sex, each of which is capable of ripping people limb from limb. In addition to the central love triangle, Moskovitch also drops a somewhat peripheral gay subtext into the relationship between Hughes and the company medic Chris Anders (Dylan Stuckey), who is himself openly homosexual. But like I said, the connection here between war and sex is tenuous, with one sphere of action failing to comment on or fully reinforce the other. Hence, This Is War ultimately reads more like a salacious melodrama that is only incidentally set at the frontline of battle.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

October 22, 2022August 26, 2013 by Tom Williams

Iscariot is a passion play wherein Guirgis has done his research as he tackles Catholic religious doctrine about the conflict between divine mercy and the personal choices due to human free will. Guirgis wonders why Judas Iscariot was condemned to hell for eternity when other apostles were give forgiveness by Jesus? Judas is on trial to determine if he is eligible for redemption.

Alice

August 28, 2013August 26, 2013 by Anthony J. Mangini

And the audience, following two flag-laden guides, is led along for the adventure. Not that we’re complaining. Even on the leisurely strolls taken between scenes, there’s plenty to absorb here: sentimental rows of late-blooming summer flowers, families of ducks swimming along the shoreline, passersby on their bikes, and the impressive skyline off North Lakeview Avenue. Yet Alice—far from treating its environment as a series of distracting hurdles—incorporates every diverse Chicago happening into its folds, reaching every corner of Lincoln Park to create a theatrical tapestry as rich and textured as the city itself.

Robert Brasher’s “Rush Hour”

October 23, 2022August 25, 2013 by Samuel Ezra Fisch

Robert Brasher, an accomplished Chicago painter, who’s work has been described as “never straying far from representational works the urban structure and human form sometimes take a back seat to the atmospheric conditions of Chicago.” Robert Brasher is known for painting beautiful Chicago cityscapes from an insider perspective.

The Lockout – A Musical

October 22, 2022August 25, 2013 by Tom Williams

The musical plays out as a series of sketches with over-blown incomprehensible production numbers sung badly in that irritating Broadway pop-rock style to a collection of the worse choreography danced by a cast that can neither sing, act or dance. The labor dispute at the heart of the piece is trivialized to the point that both the players and the owners come off as idiots being traumatized by a directorial commissioner.

Next to Normal at Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre

August 24, 2013August 23, 2013 by Margaret Eva

“Next to Normal” is not a feel good musical, but a truly believable drama that can ignite your emotions and enlighten your understanding of some of extreme life problems people have or could face in their futures. The author wrote a very heart-wrenching story that demands exceptional singers with remarkable acting ability. For a very memorable night of theater, let your mind and heart embrace “Next to Normal”, a brilliant and exceptionally rare theater experience indeed!

9 to 5 the Musical

October 22, 2022August 22, 2013 by Beverly Friend

The musical version is funny, but not consistently funny enough. The plot appears fragmented, uneven and sometimes clunky, painted with strokes so broad that they obscure the cleverness of the original. Unfortunately, the exaggerated, two-dimensional characters fail to come to life — or seem worth caring about. A shining exception is the villain, heartless Franklin Hart, Jr. played with great verve by James Moye as a callous, lecherous boss.

The Dumb Waiter

August 23, 2013August 22, 2013 by Anthony J. Mangini

For when it comes to fully realizing the ominous violence lingering always at the margins of this play, one could certainly do worse than with Proud Kate Theatre Project’s current production, now on view at The Alley Stage. Under the direction of Charlie Marie McGrath, actors David Winkler and Shane Michael Murphy deliver two intimately compelling performances, moving together with the rhythmic pull of a yo-yo between the easygoing and the emotionally fraught.

Annie Bosh is Missing

August 18, 2013 by Tom Williams

It isn’t clear what Annie is looking for. Act one sets up an interesting agenda but unfortunately the play fizzles in act two. Anne Bosh is Missing wonders adrift and ends up with a series of melodramatic resolutions. While it is fine not to tie up all lose ends in a play. a playwright must not leave major items unresolved or resolved in a preposterous or cliched manner.

Buena Vista

August 17, 2013 by Tom Williams

Without giving away too much, let me state that Edith Freni’s plotting and her rich characters expertly play by the cast are engaging and real. From Vaccaro’s bittersweet mother to Tom’s stoic father to Monica’s hot-cold emotional swings to Noah’s character contradictions, Buena Vista tackles the diluted family dynamic into a bizarre nightmare played out in a snow storm.