A Ghostly Voyage Awaits

The Flying Dutchman

There is no doubt that the Halloween season is upon us. You can already find pumpkins grinning and witches flying high over many a front lawn. The Lyric Opera seems to have tapped into this mania for magic and mayhem by opening their 2023-24 season with Richard Wagner’s German classic, “The Flying Dutchman.” This is a powerful, dramatic, ghostly opera in three acts, presented at the Lyric as a two hour and twenty minute one-act, just as the composer originally intended. The production is dominated by a brilliant orchestra, a spooky atmosphere, mysterious characters and a finale that’s open to interpretation. Theatergoers be warned: a ghostly voyage awaits you on North Wacker Drive.

A Bankrupt Enterprise 

One of the enduring images of the 2008 financial crisis and ensuing Great Recession was the sight of stunned and frightened former employees of Lehman Brothers toting cardboard boxes filled with family photos, office nicknacks and porcelain coffee mugs as they streamed out of Lehman’s New York headquarters on September 15 of that year, the date the fabled investment banking firm finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Their lives — and the lives of countless millions of people affected by the Great Recession (which, to be clear, was not caused solely by Lehman Brothers and by some definitions actually began with the earlier housing crash) — would never be the same.

Another Glass of Sherry

The Nacirema Society

Imagine a play that’s actually a clever mashup of a blithe British farce and an American comedy that addresses serious issues, like race, class and gender. Picture a laugh-out-loud play that’s set in Montgomery, Alabama during mid-1960’s, staged on a drop-dead gorgeous setting, clothed in beautiful period costumes, makeup and wigs, and starring a large, almost entirely female cast of Chicago’s finest African-American actors. This is just a taste of the banquet of delights that await the savvy audiences at the Goodman Theatre. 

Farm Aid 2023

Farm Aid 2023 is officially history. And what a history making night it was. The 38th Farm Aid proved to be one of the greatest since it began.

Farm Aid’s roots go back to 1985 shortly after the success of Live Aid. Bob Dylan, who performed at the event, mentioned doing a music event to help the farmers. Willie Nelson became involved and pitched the idea to John Mellancamp and Neil Young, and so was born Farm Aid,  with the first concert held in Champaign, Illinois. Thirty-eight years later, adding Margo Price and Dave Matthews to their board, the issue is still as important as ever, if not more so with Earth’s changing climate and greedy corporations looking to make a profit from factory farming. 

A Pragmatic Analysis

The Pragmatists

I make a practice of not reading about new plays — or plays unfamiliar to me — before seeing them, because I want to come to a performance fresh, without any preconceptions.  In some cases, this means not even reading the brief plot synopsis in the program; it’s the playwright’s job to tell us the story.  And I want to be surprised!  

Hiding in the Shadows of Doubt

Sanctuary City

In the years just prior to, and following, the shocking and detestable events of  9/11, two young people attempt to navigate their precarious lives in a country that’s offered them asylum. Newark, New Jersey is a Sanctuary City, a metropolis that has promised to take in families who have fled oppression in their homelands. But survival is tricky, even perilous, for two teenagers who are battling prejudice, poverty and the fear of being sent back to a country they’ve never really known. All they can do is cling to each another, finding security and community in their mutual company. As lifelong friends coming of age and living on the edge, the two teens attempt to navigate their futures together.

The Trickery of Dr. Mesmer

Mesmerized: A Ben Franklin Science & History Mystery

Adapted by Suzanne Miller for the stage from Mara Rockliff’s children’s book, Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France. The storybook features colorful illustrations by Lacopo Bruno and, through this intriguing and imaginative story, makes the scientific method seem almost exciting. Ms. Miller’s exciting and dynamic play depicts a little known episode from World History that involved several big names from the past.

Simply the Best

A Taste of Soul

This Autumn, Black Ensemble Theater is serving up a sumptuous Spread of Soul for the discerning audience’s musical dining pleasure. The production, written and directed by talented Daryl D. Brooks, cleverly presents a banquet of bang-on hit songs as an African-African themed cooking show. It copies the format of every much-loved how-to-do-it program on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. It’s definitely a recipe for success.

The Man in the Chair

The Drowsy Chaperone

The house lights dim leaving the audience waiting in the dark for something to happen. Suddenly a man’s voice breaks the silence. The unnamed man confides that his personal prayer at every musical he attends, while sitting in a theatre before the lights go up, is that the show be short and that the actors stay out of the aisles. This audience laughs knowingly because they’ve undoubtedly been at a play where the fourth wall is broken and theatergoers become asked to clap, sing along or even come up on the stage. The feeling is, “Hey, I paid YOU to entertain ME!” 

Let the Good Times Roll!

Blues For an Alabama Sky

Welcome to the Harlem Renaissance. The bootleg champagne is flowing and the good times are rolling. It’s 1930 and Pearl Cleage’s exuberant and deeply moving play is sometimes funny and peppered with blues and jazzy music. But the play also provides a clear look at the lives of five very different individuals while tackling some serious social issues. Ms. Cleage’s drama celebrates the art, music, dreams and deep friendships forged within the urban African-American community during the Depression. Somewhere offstage are the shadows of luminaries like Langston Hughes, Margaret Sanger, Josephine Baker. But onstage we’re treated to four amiable and attractive New Yorkers whose lives are about to change, thanks to the blues brought on by a newcomer from Alabama.