The Factory Theatre’s “Toast of the Town” Revival Flops More Than It Flies

Toast of the Town at The Factory Theatre

Not Recommended

REVIEWED BY: Darcy Rose Coussens

The Factory Theater closes their 20^th season with Toast of the Town, a revival of the

ir well-received 2005 production. I’m left wondering how it compares to the original run, because the cast is mostly responsible for selling this fast-paced, nonsensical farce, and I didn’t buy it. While playwrights Scott OKen and Ernest Deak provide plenty of potential for laughter, Factory’s production is enjoyable enough but lacks a strong ensemble to really pull it off.

APTP’s “Home/Land” is a Gift to Chicago; Extended Dates Announced Soon!

Home/Land, devised and performed by Albany Park Theater Project

The Laura Wiley Theater at Eugene Field Park, 5100 North Ridgeway, Chicago

*Extended run, January 20 through April 28, 2012

Tickets $6-$22

Highly Recommended

Something amazing is happening in Albany Park.

Review by Darcy Rose Coussens

Have you ever been to Albany Park? If you haven’t, you’d better start planning your visit to the northwest side of Chicago. What makes this neighborhood special is its vast ethnic and cultural diversity, its passionate and inspiring youth, and oh, yeah– their innovative and award-winning theater: Albany Park Theater Project (APTP).

APTP is truly something special. Not only has it provided opportunities for its multiethnic youth ensemble in arts creation and performance, but it gives a voice to local residents. As the theater defines itself: “Albany Park Theater Project is an ensemble of youth artists who collectively write, choreograph, compose, and stage original performance works based on people’s real-life stories.”

For example, their current production of Home/Land is a collection of stories about families from El Salvador, Jordan, Mexico and other countries, and their struggles to make a life in America despite all kinds of obstacles immigrants face. In their intimate theater, 23 performers, 6 directors and suitcases galore open your eyes to a young girl in Jordan who sells her dolls for money to come to America; a well-qualified young woman who can’t get a job because of her lack of citizenship; a newlywed couple whose future family is broken by the husband’s deportation. A man on an ironic game show called “Who Wants to Be an American” wins an ankle monitor instead of citizenship, while an audience volunteer gets to keep privileges he takes for granted because he “looks so… American.”

Each tale in the play comes from a courageous community member and has now been shared with countless Chicagoans. Two spirited nuns fight for the right to pray with illegal aliens before their deportations; an undocumented immigrant fears a random traffic stop in Arizona; a gay hispanic teen shares why he protests immigration laws. The sources of these stories are clearly heroes for these teens, but the teen performers become heroes for us in the audience. Home/Land takes you all over the world, but it keeps bringing you back home to reveal the effects that immigration laws have on families right here in Chicago. APTP is a model of theatre at its best, giving abstract issues human faces, names and voices so that you cannot avoid the realities that many people face every day.

There is something incredibly motivating about seeing these young people educate an audience primarily composed of adults on issues of such great importance. APTP proves that youth are not to be underrated; I have the utmost respect for these remarkable ensemble members. They have a deep understanding of not only immigration issues but the meaning of community, family and hope. This is a cast of extremely mature individuals who effortlessly waltz through love, fly through fear and stand together through injustice. You will not find a more genuine group of young people; before the show they converse comfortably with the audience, creating a welcoming environment that later serves their direct offerings of such beautifully told stories. The youth of APTP are unbelievably professional and among Chicago’s most talented storytellers.

The teenage performers of Home/Land are also among its creators. APTP’s shows are devised from true stories, using music, movement, and direct storytelling to share them. Music is key to Home/Land, with actors playing all kinds of instruments in one song that will make your heart swell. One performer’s voice is haunting and beautiful as she sings in Spanish, and a cheerful bilingual song about a tree with roots on both sides of a border bookends the show, beginning and ending it on a hopeful note. The use of movement is more powerful than words as it expresses two people dreaming of marriage, a family’s bonds and its separation, and numerous stunning pictures.

To top it all off, APTP provides free college counseling to each ensemble member, from researching and visiting schools to applying and choosing courses. APTP’s students have a 72% higher high school graduation rate than the average for students in Chicago public schools, and their college graduation rate is 600% higher. I have no doubt that these young artists will continue to actively make a difference in the world through theatre, activism and the perspective they will bring with them into their adult lives. They have already affected countless audiences, and word of their work is spreading like wildfire.

If you call 800-838-3006 or go on their website, www.aptpchicago.org to order tickets right now, you will likely find that all shows are sold out. Fortunately, APTP will extend the run of Home/Land through April 28, with ticket sales opening March 5. 

The creators and staff at APTP have provided an enormous gift for these young adults, who in turn offer the gift of this performance to Chicago. I encourage you to bear witness to this beautiful creation and experience some of the most important theatre being done in Chicago.

ShawChicago Revisits George Bernard Shaw’s “Androcles and the Lion”

Androcles and the Lion, ShawChicago

Ruth Page Theater, 1016 North Dearborn Street, Chicago

February 4-27, 2012

Tickets $12.50-25

Recommended

For staged readings and Shaw’s works, ShawChicago is the place to go.

Review by Darcy Rose Coussens

This February, ShawChicago is revisiting George Bernard Shaw’s “Androcles and the Lion” for its 100^th anniversary. The show is a humorous take on the unlikely friendship between a lion and the Greek Christian who removes a thorn from his paw. The story takes place during Caesar’s reign in Rome, when both Androcles and the Lion are captured and expected to fight for the entertainment of the Romans. Androcles and his fellow Christians refuse to renounce their religion, but when sent to fight, the Lion remembers Androcles and refrains from hurting him.

This traditional tale is entertaining even in a minimal, staged reading approach. The actors were quite funny, particularly Christian Gray as Androcles, and the lion’s mask was very impressive. Although I prefer readings in which the actors interact with each other instead of facing the audience at all times, this production was engaging and only about an hour and a half in length, something important to consider for a staged reading with minimal action.

I might not pay $25 for a ticket, especially considering the extremely minimal production aspects. However, this not-for-profit is an excellent cause to support, presenting the plays of George Bernard Shaw as well as his contemporaries in a way that allows the imagination to flourish while involving several talented actors. They also present an extremely friendly community, providing for a comfortable setting and pleasant experience overall.

For fans of Shaw’s work, next up will be George Bernard Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” which will run April 14-May 7, also at the Ruth Page Theater.

Steppenwolf’s “Time Stands Still” is Not to Be Missed

Time Stands Still, Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

January 19-May 13, 2012

Tickets $20-$78, student discounts available

Highly Recommended

Time Stands Still is not what you expect; it is much more.

Review by Darcy Rose Coussens

I expected this to be a play about the war in Iraq. I was prepared for politics and horror. I supposed I would leave with that self-indulgent feeling that I am supporting and experiencing art that promotes awareness of some injustice (a feeling one character denounces in an ironic diatribe against theatre). I expected this play to be about pictures, the photographs taken by a photojournalist in a war zone.

I was wrong. This play is not about Iraq, and it is not about pictures. These topics are certainly important to the story, but Time Stands Still plunges past them and investigates the heart of any story: the people.

“I live off the suffering of strangers,” admits Sarah (the bold and commanding Sally Murphy, Steppenwolf ensemble member), a photojournalist home from Iraq where she was injured by a roadside bomb. Devoted to her work, she believes she is helping the world by recording and sharing the graphic results of global conflict. The audience is transfixed by vivid descriptions of photos we never see, but we don’t need to see them. Instead, we see how Sarah resolutely refuses to be affected by them, keeping a lens between herself and the world as she fuels her addiction to the drama of war.

The detailed and realistic set of Sarah’s apartment is revealing about her life, and the sound and makeup design were notable, as well. Completing the remarkable and often quite funny cast are Randall Newsome, Kristina Valada-Viars, and Steppenwolf ensemble member Francis Guinan. A writer who also covers perilous situations in the world, Jamie (Newsome) has been Sarah’s significant other for several years, though they never married. His heartbreaking compassion and forgiveness intimately reminded me of my own loved ones, those who take care of me and love me even when I don’t understand how they can.

Their relationship is a comfortable but painful one as they each develop contrasting desires for their lives. Sarah unbelievably wants to return to the Middle East once she recovers, while Jamie has adjusted to a life at home. “I don’t need to dodge bullets to feel alive anymore, watch children die,” he explains, and you can’t blame the man. “I want to watch children grow.”

The writing is extremely articulate and sprinkled generously with witty humor. Little gems of truth are casually delivered, usually by the couple’s friend Mandy. In this role, Valada-Viars pulls off a loveable balance of the simple-minded genius, making us reconsider our judgment of others and offering a relatable viewpoint for most of us in the audience. Mandy alone finds it disturbing that Sarah does not help the people she photographs, but such is the reality of photojournalism: “The camera is there to record things, not change them,” Sarah states without emotion.

This play considers media, art, egos, gender roles, motherhood and most of all, relationships. Playwright David Margulies and Director/Steppenwolf ensemble member Austin Pendleton expertly weave these important themes together without overloading the audience. You will leave this show in discussion, even if you do not stay for Steppenwolf’s free post-show discussion. You will ponder it, consider it, sleep on it, and continue to be affected by it. Time Stands Still offers plenty of tough questions without hard and fast answers, forcing us to face problems that are removed from our daily lives and to ask ourselves: what can any of us actually do about them?

You will reach one conclusion, however. After seeing Time Stands Still, you will have no doubt that this play is important. With this production, Steppenwolf proves that theatre is a social service, one that motivates and challenges its audiences to fully experience life, both the horror as well as the beauty and the joy. “Otherwise,” as Mandy tells us, “what’s the point?”

Joffrey’s “The Nutcracker” Offers Holiday Delight

Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Auditorium Theatre

Runs December 9-27, 2011

Tickets $30-$115; Box Office (800) 982-2787; www.ticketmaster.com

Recommended

Review by Darcy Rose Coussens

It may not be Joffrey’s #1 Ballet, but “America’s #1 Nutcracker” Delights All

The Joffrey Ballet’s annual production of Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker is well attended each year by little girls in poofy dresses and hair bows, miniature gentlemen in pressed shirts and slicked hair, and adults of all ages. Hailing theirs as “America’s #1 Nutcracker,” Joffrey provides a favorite holiday tradition for many in the Chicagoland area. This ballet is performed by many companies across the country, and yet although Joffrey’s is quite good and a grand experience overall, I’m not sure it is my #1 favorite Nutcracker. Although this theatrical ballet was extremely entertaining and at times breathtaking, there were a few flaws that surprised me from this renowned company. However, it is nonetheless an excellent performance and one I hope they will continue to offer each holiday season.

Several elements of the production were of the highest quality, as is usual for the Joffrey. The Chicago Sinfonietta accompanied the performance with Tchaikovsky’s classic score, and the larger-than-life sets and decorated costumes were extravagant. The party guests were dressed in ruffled dresses and petticoats, and brightly colored tailcoats; the mice wore shining silver masks; and Mother Ginger was an enormous walking puppet. The Nutcracker’s transition from doll to life-size soldier was very cool, and there were several exciting elements of spectacle on display throughout the show. The snow scene was absolutely beautiful with fog and snow falling, and I got chills when the Snow King and Queen made their second entrance to the sound of a children’s choir.

One reason to see the Joffrey’s Nutcracker is for the company’s high caliber dancing. The company members were outstanding overall, and Clara was absolutely darling. Her family members were cleverly weaved into the characters of her elaborate dream: her parents also performed the Snow King and Queen as well as other roles, and her brother Fritz danced other roles, as well. His dancing was some of the best in the show, and during a very impressive series of leaps and turns one little boy near me was audibly inspired. However, I questioned his casting as Fritz, Clara’s annoying brother, because his character’s youthfulness looked strange and distracting on a grown man. This ballet involves a great deal of pantomime and storytelling, and although most of the time the story was clear, there were some confusing moments. One in particular involved a child in an old-fashioned wheelchair brought to the center of the stage. Drosselmeyer, Clara’s mysterious godfather, threw magic glitter on him and I felt the audience holding their breaths; then nothing happened and the child was wheeled away, bringing the party scene from inclusive and diverse to awkward.

The choreography was elegant and exciting, but occasionally baffling. Tchaikovsky’s famous score was meant for, well, the ballet. There are several obvious musical cues that were completely ignored, and the disconnect between the music and the story was off-putting. The second act ran much more smoothly. The Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier’s pas de deux was stunning, and the Sugar Plum Fairy’s famous solo was pristine and precise. I was underwhelmed by the Cavalier’s dance, one I always look forward to for its powerful jumps, because it seemed brief and anticlimactic. Yet the Arabian dance was mesmerizing, the Spanish dancer flawless, and the Waltz of the Flowers one of the most beautiful highlights of the show. This act felt much more like a Joffrey ballet than the first.

Don’t get me wrong; overall this is an enchanting production, and the flurry of activity and focus on presents, toys, and candy is a Christmas dream for children. However, it was the children in the show I was perhaps most confused by. The children in the production did a nice job: they smiled, performed well, and looked lovely in their costumes. Five children’s choirs from the area are featured in the snow scene and perform in the lobby during intermission. Young dancers appeared as Victorian children, dolls, mice, toy soldiers, tree angels, and Polichinelles. The one thing missing was … the dancing. Of the more than one hundred children cast, only the Polichinelles in the Mother Ginger scene did any dancing. This scene was adorable, and the kids did a fantastic job. Audiences love to see children dancing, and of all productions of the Nutcracker in the area, I would expect Joffrey’s to showcase some of Chicago’s most talented children. I was extremely disappointed by the lack of choreography for the young dancers; the poor tree angels ran onstage, stood, and ran off again. I know there are many capable young dancers in the area, as is evident by the Joffrey’s claim that audition numbers for the children’s roles rose by “a double-digit percentage from last year.” The children they cast performed well, and I wish I could have seen them dance much more.

Clara and Drosselmeyer leave the land of this fairytale dream in a hot air balloon for a rather Wizard of Oz-ish but satisfying ending. As a lifelong fan of the Nutcracker, I was at times disappointed but overall content with this traditional favorite. While as a Joffrey production The Nutcracker may not be their #1 ballet, I am glad that its renown brings joy and inspiration to so many families and audiences in Chicago and beyond. I recommend this production for family entertainment, even if ballet aficionados may fixate on small flaws.

Chicago Tap Theatre brings the tip top of holiday cheer with ‘Tidings of Tap’

Tidings of Tap by Chicago Tap Theatre

At the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Theater

Ran December 9-11, 2011

Tickets $20-$35

Highly Recommended

Review by Darcy Rose Coussens

Tidings of Tap celebrates the season with top-notch tapping and creative takes on holiday favorites each year

As a wonderful alternative to sentimental holiday productions, Chicago Tap Theater’s annual holiday show brings together the best carols of the season in a fun show full of truly outstanding tap dancing. Mark Yonally founded a very unique company, and his artistic direction and choreography keep each of their shows fresh and exciting. Tidings of Tap is a traditional favorite in their season, bringing back favorites such as their a cappella rendition of “Carol of the Bells” each year and appealing to Chicagoans of all ages. This family-friendly show is an energetic flurry of tap and music to get you in the holiday spirit.

This year CTT is committed to providing live music for each of their shows, something I believe adds a great deal to the performance for such a percussive art form. The band featured a keyboardist (talented composer and music director Andrew Edwards), as well as musicians playing harp, violin, bass, and clarinet. Dancers also stepped in and out of the band to sing and play guitar, and violinist Samantha O’Connell was featured tapping in some pieces, as well. It was great to have such a blend of talent, and the performance was dynamic musically as well as through the expert choreography and skilled dancers.

This show does a great job mixing up holiday carols. There are Christmas-themed pieces such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and one of my favorites, “You’re a Swingin’ One, Mr. G” which involved an interesting arrangement of “Mr. Grinch” and lots of funny expressions; Hannukah songs, including “Hannukah, Oh Hannukah” and “Kiever Dreydlekh” (Dreidels of Kiev); and just plain winter celebrations, such as “Winter Wonderland” and “Snowflake Suite.” This is a great show for all ages, and at the end everyone is welcome to join the cast on stage to perform the Shim Sham, a standard favorite for tap dancers everywhere. It was exciting for tap dancers from seniors to six-year-olds to get up and tap themselves, since the choreography was so catchy you wanted to try it yourself!

The company members are extremely personable, especially Mark, who came out to talk to the audience himself. To cover costume changes, he improvised a solo to “Christmas Time is Here,” which was as impressive as the choreographed numbers, and the two newest company members played name that tune with the audience by tapping favorite carols. Every bit of CTT’s shows are enjoyable, and they produce a varied season that includes a story-based show which will be narrated live this year by Marc Smith, creator of Poetry Slam. Their shows have a laid-back feel but the dancing is always meticulously polished and often involves unbelievably fast feet!

Tidings of Tap also featured a few outside youth performing groups on different nights. The performance I saw featured Footprints Tap Ensemble from Libertyville, and they were excellent. While the show was a bit pricey at $35 for adults, $25 for seniors, and a discounted $20 for students and dancers, I would still be willing to spend that kind of money to see some of the best tap dancing Chicago has to offer. There’s not a whole lot of it out there, and this group brings more than just good tap dancing– it brings innovative and fun themes and concepts. I appreciate the variety and spirit CTT has to offer, and considering how well its three holiday shows sold, it seems Chicago values it as well.