Chicago Critic Must See recommendations.
Book by Timothy Gregory Music & Lyrics by Michael Mahler Based on the Susan Wojciechowski’s book Directed by Timothy Gregory Music Director Nicholas Davio Choreographer Timothy Gregory & Molly Curry Heartwarming sweet original musical is destined to be another Chicago holiday tradition. Tim Gregory found a wonderful Children’s book (and film) and with the help … Read more
With a workable book (by Joe DiPietro) and a bouncy score by Bon Jov’s founding member David Bryan, Memphis becomes a thrilling and most entertaining high-energy Broadway musical in years! Memphis grabs us from the start with a high energy score of early rock rhythms, Memphis- style blues, toe-tapping R & B and soulful ballads as well as country style songs propel us through the story of how a young illiterate white cracker DJ want-a-be Huey Calhoun’s (the super-talented Bryan Fenkart) love for ‘Black music’ motivates him to make his passions public to all the folks of Memphis.
The Christmas Schooner is a wonderful holiday family show filled with empathetic characters, a warm spirit, and a nice lesson of giving that is wrapped up in a ‘feel-good’ musical honoring the human spirit. This sweet show sings marvelously, contains humor and lovable characters. The enhanced music soars to the beautiful singing that rings to the rafters
The key element that makes this theatrical event so noteworthy is that Kane’s amazing classical acting training together with his expert articulation and enunciation and his ability to makes us ‘see’ each character whether it be Achilles, Agamemnon, Patroclus or King Priam. Kane’s fabulous performance gets aid from Todd Rosenthal’s large bomber-out cement bunker set and from Keith Parham’s riveting lighting and from Andre Pluess’ eerie sound
This musical is a classic – considered one of the best ever because of the talents of Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows and based on two charming Damon Runyon stories. It is filled with 20 catchy song-and-dance numbers including these all-time favorites
The Caretaker is an “actor’s play” that needs strong nuanced performances and director Ron OJ Parson has found three from Chicago’s “A” list to people The Caretaker. From the stoic Aston nimbly played by Anish Jethmalani to the manic fast-talking Mick ,played with verbal prowess by Kareem Bandealy, to the complex and contradictory Davis played richly (and humorously) by WilliamJ. Norris, Pinter’s classic is sure in good hands.
She walked onto the stage swathed in sheer black, with matching black drapes hanging from the rafters, drifting through the smoke and light like a raven: cunning, cocksure, alluring. Immediately the deep thundering of bass toms filled the room, as if Glasvegas were playing a rave in Detroit. The sound of electric organ floated through the air and an acoustic guitar brought an earthiness that grounded the otherwise largely electronic aesthetic. Then Lykke Li opened her mouth and it sounded as if Fiona Apple met Joan of Arc on the stake.
as so many of the great stories are, The Nutcracker is also prone to reinvention, which is what the House Theatre has done here. The storytelling is infectious. A happy equilibrium is struck between straight acting, sheer exuberance, and clever winking at the audience. To call this a children’s show would miss the point; to call it a Christmas show would too, although to a lesser extent. It is, after all, about saving Christmas. But more than anything it’s a good time, and certainly gets you in the mood for what can otherwise be a soul-crushing shopfest that has now started to infest even Halloween.
The script is at once serious yet playful, superficial yet deep. Depression, suicide, and deadly disease sit next to the dalliance of drugs and frat-boy pranks. It’s the combination that Adam Rapp balances so well that makes this piece what it is. And Mary-Arrchie Theatre brings a smart interpretation of the text with strong actors that make this a piece really worth watching.
This nicely plotted drama is full of surprises that I’ll not reveal but as each character gets fully flushed out, we see how each character changes how they define themselves. Becoming an a adult has nothing to do with age as this tightly drawn drama so nicely shows.