Latest from Chicago Critic

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

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.

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.

Troll

October 22, 2022August 3, 2016 by Jacob Davis

By Elizabeth Archer.

Directed by Melanie Keller.

Produced by Fraud & Phony Theatre Collective.

Playing at Trap Door Theatre, Chicago.

Toll Needs Work, but Shows New Collective’s Talent.

The new theatre group Fraud & Phony defines themselves as a collective instead of a company, they say, because they are more concerned about producing their own works when they feel it is of particular benefit to the community than in sticking to a regular schedule. Their first work, Troll, by Elizabeth Archer, demonstrates strong potential, and for the incredibly low price of the tickets, has excellent production values.

Newsies 2016 National Tour

September 11, 2017July 30, 2016 by Tom Williams

Newsies delivers enough sheer energy with an adventurous story that depicts a worthy moral. This exciting show is filled with heart, empathetic characters as the boys win a round in quest of their place in the scheme of life in turn-of-the-Century New York. Newsies is a fine show filled with enough joy and energy to light up our holidays. It is much better than the film. Hurry, you have only until August 7th to see this fun show.

C. S. Lewis onstage The Most Reluctant Convert

October 23, 2022July 28, 2016 by Tom Williams

Concepts such as the above are effectively explained by McLean during this 80 minute one-act solo show. This show is for fans of C. S. Lewis, for those who enjoy a “thinking-person’s” play, and for anyone who enjoys a tour de force performance. Actors need to see Max McLean to learn how to make subtle and complex material by an academic sizzle on stage. McLean delivers in C. S. Lewis onstage The Most Reluctant Convert without being ‘preachy.’

Douglass

August 8, 2016July 28, 2016 by Jacob Davis

In Thomas Klingenstein’s world premiere play Douglass, about an episode from the life of famed author, orator, and escaped slave Frederick Douglass, Klingenstein explores what he interprets as one such situation his subject encountered in New Bedford, Massachusetts prior to the Civil War. It could be a fascinating episode from the life of one of America’s most dramatic personalities, but unfortunately, the play is mostly static.