Latest from Chicago Critic

Bloodshot

September 11, 2017August 19, 2016 by Jacob Davis

A one-man noir story? It’s a strange idea, but the British drama Bloodshot has been touring Europe to critical acclaim since 2011, and is now making its American debut at The Greenhouse Theater Center as part of the Solo Celebration series. Unlike the other Solo stories thus far, which were about real people, and often drawn from the performers’ own lives, Bloodshot is entirely fictional. Its twisting story and diabolical atmosphere are reminiscent of the murder mysteries of the mid-twentieth century, such as Ira Levin’s Death Trap, which recently played at Drury Lane. Simon Slater, the actor who takes on the role in this unusually long and demanding production, is a top-level performer, and over the course of the show, he demonstrates not only his strength as an actor, but in several other types of performance, as well.

The Good Person of Szechwan

October 22, 2022August 18, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Bertolt Brecht.

Translated by Tony Kushner.

Directed by Ernie Nolan.

Produced by Cor Theatre.

Playing at A Red Orchid Theatre.

A Production Can Be Good Even If a Person Can’t.

Ernie Nolan’s production of The Good Person of Szechwan could be a pivotal point for Cor Theatre. The young company, which claims as its mission to tell stories about courage, has, for the past few seasons, presented strange pieces such as Love and Human Remains and Christina the Girl King in the Frontier space on Thorndale. But now, the company is renting A Red Orchid’s Old Town space, and presenting a fresh take on a world-famous classic. Nolan and his cast have a firm grasp on Brechtian aesthetics, and have localized the story to fit the economic malaise of Chicago’s struggling neighborhoods. The result is a play which is sure to resonate with its viewers, despite its age having changed its meaning.

A Hero’s Journey

September 16, 2017August 17, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Christian Stokes and The Forks & Hope Ensemble.

Directed by Aileen McGroddy.

Produced by The Forks & Hope Ensemble.

Playing at The Frontier, Chicago.

A Hero’s Journey Can Be Quite Convoluted.

The Forks & Hope Ensemble are a relatively new group dedicated to devising and adapting works suitable for all ages. Their latest offering, A Hero’s Journey is a strange, but oddly touching piece, in which each of the six performers combine one of their favorite stories from mythology or folk tales with episodes from their own lives.

Flight – Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

August 14, 2016 by Jacob Davis

The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, now in its third year, is a new-works festival produced by Underscore Theatre Company. We created CMTF for one reason: there’s a wealth of musical theatre creators and performers in Chicago, but the high risks of producing new musicals means that few companies are willing to take a chance, especially on new authors. CMTF is designed from the ground up to keep costs low by sharing resources, return half of all ticket proceeds to producers, and to showcase emerging authors from Chicago and beyond.

Flight.

Book Music, and Lyrics by Michael Potsic.

Directed by Allison Hendrix and Allison Shoemaker.

Music Direction by Kevin Reeks.

Choreography by Gloria Mwez.

Produced by Kokandy Productions.

New Musical Ready for Debut.

It’s always a pleasure to see people make the most of a genre. Flight, a new musical by Michael Postic, has been floating around the script development scene for a few years, and the current version being produced by Kokandy Productions as part of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival is ready for a full production.

Three Hotels 2016

October 22, 2022August 12, 2016 by August Lysy

Celebrating its third season, Bluebird Arts begins its six-week run this weekend of Jon Robin Baitz’s 1993 off-Broadway hit Three Hotels. With its focus on stories exploring the human condition through the “genuine problems of real people,” Bluebird Arts certainly fulfills its mission with Baitz’s study of a well-meaning, modern American family of liberal idealists turned cynical by the compromising ambiguities of the high-power, executive world. Unfortunately, despite what seems to be a strong script, the two performances, though engaging and energetic, left me emotionally ambivalent toward the production and wanting for more grounded, emotional truth.

The Jackie Wilson Story

August 12, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Written and Directed by Jackie Taylor.

Produced by the Black Ensemble Theater.

Revival Season Continues Its Dark Period.

Black Ensemble’s fortieth anniversary season continues with a remount of its wildly popular musical revue The Jackie Wilson Story. First produced in 2000 and originally running for two years, this creation of Black Ensemble’s founding artistic director Jackie Taylor can be thought of as an quintessential Black Ensemble show, as it depicts the tumultuous life of a mid-twentieth century titan of African-American music, contrasted with the energy of his songs and a redeeming message.

That Lovin’ Feelin’ – Chicago Musical Theatre Festival

August 10, 2016 by Jacob Davis

That Lovin’ Feelin’.

Book by James A. Zimmerman.

Musical Arrangements by J. Michael Roy.

Direction and Musical Direction by James A. Zimmerman.

Produced by Off Broadway Dinner Theatres, Inc.

The Chicago Musical Theatres Festival couldn’t have asked for a better kick-off production this year than That Lovin’ Feelin’. This jukebox musical originated at the St. Croix Off-Broadway Dinner Theater in 2014, and features a stand-out cast, particularly Joe Keith as Bobby Hatfield and Greg Lund as the young Bill Medley.

The Promise of a Rose Garden

October 23, 2022August 9, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Dustin Spence.

Directed by Elyse Dawson.

Produced by Babes with Blades Theatre Company.

Playing at City Lit Theater, Chicago.

Play about Female Marines Shows Promise, Needs Work.

For some reason, the military often proves to be a very difficult topic for the contemporary American theatre. Non-representational dramatic techniques, such as those termed “applied theatre” in academic settings, often have more success capturing soldiers’ experience, and tend to directly quote them (Rivendell’s Women at War, is an example of this). Dustin Spence’s world premiere play The Promise of a Rose Garden, produced by Babes with Blades, depicts a hypothetical near future, and therefore, fictional events based on commonly held perceptions of soldiers, including its female protagonists.

Mother (and me)

August 9, 2016August 7, 2016 by Jacob Davis

Buckley is a lithe and energetic performer, doubtlessly due to her years as a Broadway dancer, but still begins the show by saying that getting married for the first time at forty-five was like finishing a marathon: everyone goes home early and there are smashed Dixie cups everywhere. That she reached this milestone in life at such a late age was in large part due to her co-dependent relationship with her mother, and over the course of a ninety minute show in which she embodies dozens of characters, Buckley guides us through a journey millions of other Americans have been through or fearfully anticipate.

TORUK — The First Flight

October 22, 2022August 4, 2016 by Tom Williams

To me the story was secondary to the energetic scenes played out by a large cast of acrobats, gymnasts and tumblers. This show features loud techno music vivid lighting and mind-blowing sets and extreme puppets. The emphasis on how the story is told trumps (sorry) the story. At just under two hours, it works Especially for those into Avatar the film. The audience seemed to enjoy the spectacle more than I did. All the running, tumbling and climbing together the ear-splitting music wore thin with me. But this show is “critic-proof” since the large following of Avatar will love this show.