Chicago Theatre Review

Daily Archives: August 27, 2013

The Power of Love Validated in Violet

August 27, 2013 Comments Off on The Power of Love Validated in Violet

The Color Purple

_wsb_303x200_mercury+theater+color+purple+2With a plot that spans forty years and two continents, Marsha Norman’s (“The Secret Garden”) book, with music by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, feels a little bit choppy. So much story and so many characters are packed into this much-honored musical that it’s often difficult keeping track of where we are and how many years have passed between scenes. But, because of a winning, earnest, enthusiastic cast, some exciting choreography and a beautifully played and sung score, this poignant story praising the kinship of girl power and love’s healing quality emerges.

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Letting Boy Small out of the Cage

August 27, 2013 Comments Off on Letting Boy Small out of the Cage

Fine Print Theatre’s Boy Small

boy samllPlaying at The Red Tape Theatre on Belmont is a show called Boy Small, presented by The Fine Print Theatre, written by MT Cozzola, and directed by Patrick Kenney. It is based around the events of Christian Choate, a thirteen-year-old boy whose body was found after he was neglected and abused by his family to the point of death. The production presents a look at what this family might have been like, focusing on the father, stepmother, sister, and of course, the boy. Even though the relation to Christian Choate’s murder is referred to in the playbill and the details very similar to the facts, Cozzola chooses not to keep the real names of these people but instead gives nearly everyone titles like Dad, Sissy, and Boy. The details aren’t quite the same either, but none of the police reports could tell us exactly what was going through the minds of these people who abused their son. The playbill also includes a quote from Riley Choate, Christian’s father, saying ‘All my actions will haunt me forever. I loved my son.’ The show makes the situation complicated, painting no one as a true villain or victim.

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