Monthly Archives: April 2023
Sleuthing and Self-Discovery
Galileo’s Daughter
A smart, prolific New York playwright, primarily known for her Off-Broadway dramas, opens this World Premiere by Jessica Dickey. Known only as the Writer, the playwright speaks directly to the audience, continually breaking the fourth wall. While trying to decide whether or not to sign divorce papers, the Writer heads to Italy to clear her mind and do some research for her next play. As the play jumps back and forth in time, the playwright finds herself in modern-day Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, searching for a collection of archived letters written by Maria Celeste to her father, Galileo Galilei.
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Another Jukebox Musical
Jagged Little Pill
The jukebox musical has become a staple of Broadway and London’s West End, but there are two kinds of shows. The first is the biographical musical that details the early years and growth of a particular singer or pop group through their songs. An example of this is the recent National Tour of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” or Broadway’s “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.” The other kind of jukebox musical is one in which a fictional story is built around the music of several pop singers or groups, as in Broadway’s “&Juliet,” or around the best songs of one particular musician, like the ABBA musical, “Mamma Mia!”
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Humorous and Haunting
The Cherry Orchard
Robert Falls’ brilliant adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s last play, a piece that the playwright insisted was a comedy, is as humorous as it is potent and profound. This production sparkles with levity, lightness and lots of laughs, despite a story that depicts an aristocratic family that’s haunted by change. The civilization they’ve always known is slipping away from them forever, and they don’t know what to do. Coincidentally this is also Mr. Falls’ final production as Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre, and the master once again guides his large cast, inspiring his actors toward giving stellar performances that add even more spirit and humanity to this classic.
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A Racially Charged Whodunnit
A Soldier’s Play
As the lights slowly begin coming up at the top of the show, we hear a haunting a cappella melody being sung by a shadowy group of figures. We soon come to realize that these are soldiers, lying around their barracks, passing the time. The song begins as a nostalgic, solo ballad, but ends as a rousing group anthem. It puts the audience in the right mood for the whodunit story that’s just as emotionally stirring and where far more is about to happen than initially meets the eye.
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