Book by Craig Lucas Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer Directed by Michael Leeds Light in the Piazza Shines on Romance Music transcends language, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Act II of Light in the Piazza when Fabrizio Naccarelli agonizes in Italian over the loss … Read more
It all begins with the fluidly lyrical writing by Jose Rivera. He moves from topics and personalities with a terrific grasp for language and colorful imagery that can be funny, wrenching, bitter and/or brutally honest as he lets his characters speak their minds. Rivera aptly depicts each individual so vividly that he demonstrates his keen eye for individuals. The assortment of characters, who mostly died prematurely, are a melting pot of urban Latinos, white and black, male and female characters that are a microcosm of today’s society.
This show, I’m afraid, is a case of great talent being squandered on wretched material. Everyone on stage is doing a good job; some are doing an exceptionally good job. But the show . . . the show is so bad.
Studs Terkel is an icon in America, particularly in Chicago, for his great detailing of American oral history. This musical, composed by a slew of songwriters from James Taylor to Lin-Manuel Miranda, but especially Stephen Schwartz, uses Terkel’s Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do as source material.
When Dr. Stockmann discovers that the town’s spring water has been contaminated with bacteria that can poison folks, he unleashes a conflict that threatens the economic viability of the entire town. The springs are to be a tourist attraction with the springs marketed for their healing powers for the sick. Despite the doctor’s proof that his initial findings are correct, Mayor Peter Stockmann tries intimidation to silence his brother.
The best part of this kitchen sink relationship drama came from the sarcastically biting retorts and observations from Alan – the gay friend of the married folks. Mitchell J. Fain was funny as the glib Alan. But he also really is a down-on-life loser devoid of empathy.
As Harmond researches the old house, it turns out to have a significant past. It was the home of Aunt Ester, the hereditary folk priestess whose tale goes back to 1619, when the first shipload of African slaves was brought to Virginia. Harmond also fins out that his family paid the taxes on the location for years. He comes to realize, with the help of the outspoken Sterling Johnson (Antoine Pierre Whitfield) – the self-appointed union member and construction expert, that doing the ‘right thing’ may necessitate re-evaluating his grandiose plans for the Hill District.
But is Samuel J. and K. – a play about two brothers from Naperville, one of whom is an adopted African baby, and their travel to Cameroon to find themselves – appropriate for SYA, and, perhaps more important (because kids will rise to the needed maturity level, given the chance), a good play?
The Three Faces of Doctor Crippen features the whimsical, macabre style that has become the Strange Tree Theatre trade mark. You’ll laugh and groin and you’ll wonder what will happen next in this expertly produced and well-acted comic tale of love, murder and mutilation. The ensemble delivers the tale with aplomb. Strange Tree Theatre is an intoxicating different troupe with a zany theatrical outlook on storytelling.
Seanachai Theatre Company (Equity troupe) follows their terrific production of The Weir with Irish playwright Gerard Stembridge’s wacky kitchen sink comedy, That Was Then. This is a contemporary tale of the simmering tensions beneath the surface between the Irish and the Brits told through a unique blend of theatricality that finds two kitchen/dinning room sets as the scene of two social/business meetings between an Irish and a Brit couples whose need for a loan reverses itself over time.
But the Servant of Two Masters is anchored by the work of Omen Sade as the servant Truffaldino. Sade is a master comic deft at physical comedy, wordplay, improv and body movement. This guy is a pure comic able to endlessly evoke laughter through his natural talent and his dedication to the art of comedy. Omen Sade is a young master comic extremely skilled and totally committed to his art. His is emerging as a major player in the Chicago theatre scene