Superior Donuts

by Colin Douglas

Possibilities, People and Pleasing Pastries

When life is as bitterly cold and gridlocked as a Chicago winter in Uptown, sometimes the only thing that keeps a body going is possibilities…and people…and maybe some pleasing deep-fried pastries. At least that’s the philosophy that one optimistic young man lives by in SUPERIOR DONUTS. Written by Tony and Pulitzer Prize Award-winning playwright Tracy Letts (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,  BUG, KILLER JOE), this is probably his most mainstream play. His slice-of-Chicago-life comedy-drama had it’s highly-acclaimed world premiere at the Steppenwolf Theatre in 2008, where Letts is also a company member. That production went on to Broadway a year later; and in 2017 CBS aired a situation comedy, based upon the popular play. 

Typical Tracy Letts, this play is liberally peppered with profanity and violence. The story primarily centers around character relationships, rather than plot. The playwright’s genius, however, is his compelling creation of a tightly knit community of realistic, flesh-and-blood people who we can all recognize. Under Director John Mossman’s determined and dauntless guidance and staging, Artistic Home’s production boasts a truly magnificent cast.

The company is led by talented Ensemble Member, Scott Westerman (TIME OF YOUR LIFE, WEDDING BOND), who portrays a resourceful but reticent Arthur Pryszbyszewski. Mr. Westerman has created his character with intelligence, nuance and a quiet sensitivity that’s sublime. Arthur’s merely a middle-aged hippie who likes to keep to himself, a second generation Polish immigrant who’s proud of his skill at making old-fashioned donuts from scratch. Although the Uptown Chicago neighborhood has changed considerably (Starbucks has taken most of his business), both Arthur and his unpretentious coffee shop have remained the same. But Arthur’s past has left him a cautious character, isolated and resistant to the influence of family and friends. 

Suddenly, into his quiet world bursts a loud, fast-talking and optimistic young African-American kid named Franco Wicks. He’s played by the engaging and gifted John N. Williams (HAIRSPRAY at the Beverly Arts Center), making his auspicious Artistic Home debut. Energetic and filled with dreams, Franco is looking for a job to make ends meet. He’s also determined, once hired, to bring some vitality and innovative ideas to both Superior Donuts and Arthur’s personal life. All of this, despite the older man’s reluctance. But Franco also has a secret past that interferes with his personal aspirations.  

A community of charismatic characters wander in and out of Arthur’s tiny cafe. They include two members of the Chicago Police Department, Officer James Bailey (a good-natured and amiable Kevin Aoussou) and Officer Randy Osteen (peerlessly played by lovely Kristin Collins, with a perfect blend of detached distance and concealed caring). We also run into Russian immigrant and wheeler-dealer, Max Tarasov (played with hysterical histrionics by Reid Coker, showcasing his impressive dialect skills) and Lady, a sweet homeless woman and mother, portrayed with heaps of heart and humanity by Barbara Roeder Harris. Adam Schulmerich and Michael Bayler provide a mess of menace and antagonism as loan shark thugs Luther and Kevin; and as Kiril, Max’s robust, young nephew, John Wehrman creates a hard-to-miss hero.

In today’s world, continually riddled with insufferable strife and chronic conflict, it’s comforting and recommended that we spend a couple hours in a warm, intimate theatre with these memorable characters. Like many of us, the Chicagoans in this play are all learning to face their problems with courage and confidence. Armed with a shared strength and profound empathy for each other, Arthur, Franco and their friends can see a bright future ahead. And the reason they’re able to find a modicum of comfort is because of the possibilities, the people and the pleasing pastries sold at SUPERIOR DONUTS. 

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented November 2-December 6 by Artistic Home at the Den Theatre, in their Bookspan Venue, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the Den Theatre box office, by calling 773-697-3830 or by going to www.theartistichome.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Broken Promises, Toxic Masculinity and Betrayal at Chicago Lyric Opera

Cav/Pag strikes again.

Cav/Pag is the irreverent nickname for a classic double bill of two one-act operas, Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. First presented together by the Metropolitan Opera in 1893, these operas are often paired together, having been born of the late 19th-century Italian operatic style known as verismo. At the time, composers and lyricists were moving away from grand historical or mythological themes to depict the lives of ordinary, often lower-class, people. These new, more modern stories were emotional, passionate and dramatic, or as we say it now: messy.

The night opens with Cavalleria Rusticana by composer Pietro Mascagni. Written in 1889, the curtain rises on a beautifully rendered Sicilian village by set and costume designer Michael Yeargan on Easter morning.  Santuzza, sung with a pure soprano by Yulia Matochkina, is a young woman searching for the lover, Turiddu, who has spurned her.  He’s left her with a grim future, and she begs his mother, Mama Lucia (a warm Lauren Decker) for help finding him. Santuzza’s pathetic tale unfolds as the village around them celebrates Easter: Turiddu, whose selfishness is played beautifully by SeokJong Baek, has left her for his old girlfriend, Lola (a charming Camille Robles) who happens to be married to Alfio (Quinn Kelsey) the local mafioso. Turiddu and Lola are unmoved by Santuzza’s predicament, so she tells Alfio what is going on under his very nose. The results are what you’d expect – though the climax occurs offstage.

Mascagni’s score is a sweeping, emotional ride all its own, and beautifully sung. That said, the immediately dramatic plot felt like a remnant of an earlier time. It was easy to see how the kind of heightened emotions led to Italian stereotypes – I found myself wondering how long poor Santuzza was going to have to stagger despondently about the stage, however richly it was appointed. The Easter celebrations that go on in the background are beautiful and the whole air of the show was vibrant and joyful, creating a beautiful juxtaposition with Santuzza’s despair.

Pagliacci has a decidedly different air. The staging is a vaguely WW2 era Sicily – destitute, hot, desperate. It opens with a wonderful solo by returning singer Quinn Kelsey as Tonio – who trades in his mafioso swagger for a malevolent clown and tells the audience what we can expect. Then the action begins when a traveling circus troupe arrives in a Sicilian village. The leader is Canio (a powerful Russell Thomas) who quickly launches into a song about his obsessive, oppressive love for his leading lady, Nedda (a lush Gabriella Reyes). Unbeknownst to them both, Tonio is also in love with Nedda, and soon aggressively shares his love with her, only to be decidedly rejected. The creeping, jealous Tonio spies on Nedda, and learns she is in fact having an affair with a local named Silvio (Luke Sutliff in his Lyric debut).  Tonio arranges for Canio to catch the lovers in the affair, and then, in true Iago style, manipulates Canio into carrying on with the show planned for that night for the villagers. In a dark twist of fate, the show is the story of a clown whose wife betrays him. It’s too much for Canio, and the show ends in violence.

It is a testament to the intensity and power of Thomas and Kelsey, that despite the fact that they spend most of the play dressed like clowns, they both have a physical presence that is utterly terrifying, and voices that burn with rage and pain. Reyes is a match for them, her rich voice and physicality display a fierce desire to make her own choices, despite the danger she knows she is courting.

The theme that struck me, as a modern viewer more than one hundred years after the debut of both operas, was the utter toxicity of the men. The women are possessions: beautiful, desired, and utterly powerless. Pitiable Santuzza makes one of the only choices available to her and is left just as alone as she was in the beginning. Nedda refuses to be cowed, insists on finding her own little piece of joy, and the men in her life cannot let that stand. They’d rather she die than make her own choice. The grand music, excellent acting and beautiful staging highlight the core of both stories. They are both couched in real, human emotion and choices, just as the verismo style intended. Thomas’s performance of “Vesti la giubba” when he shares his rage and heartbreak upon discovering his wife’s betrayal, is heartbreaking. Matochkina’s voice is raised in utter despair on the holiest of days, and it is a real, timeless despair of so many countless women who have found themselves in her shoes. But, with the vision of more than a century, the chilling truth is that for Canio, the betrayal of his wife is not something he sees as the choice of an equal, but the loss of a possession that should only be his. Only faced with his own mortality, can Turiddu acknowledge that he used Santuzza poorly, and that she will pay for his callousness for the rest of her life.

Leaving the theater, I was struck by the power of both scores and by the way the interpretation of the operas has grown in depth as the years have passed. As old as the stories are, as over the top as the drama was, my heart was in my throat when they came to an end. The beautiful staging, fantastic chorus and emotional performances carry each story easily into another century of song.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The eight performances are November 1, 4, and 7^th at 7:30pm and Matinees on the 9, 12, 15, 20 and 23. To buy tickets, visit https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2025-26/cavalleria-rusticana-pagliacci/ Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Chicago

The Play That Inspired the Musical

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Back during the era known as The Roaring 20’s, a writer named Maurine Dallas Watkins worked as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Her beat was the courthouse at the Cook County Criminal Building, where she covered murder trials. Two of the most notorious legal proceedings that Maurine reported for the Tribune involved a pair of women who were, in two unrelated court cases, accused of murdering their respective spouses. The actual names of the women were Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. Both of their trials were sensationalized in the newspapers and on the streets, inspiring Miss Watkins to write a satirical, three-act play titled CHICAGO.  The theme of her cynical comedy focused on how the American justice system had lost its credibility, spotlighting how the murders had turned the two women into famous stars of crime. The salacious trials became nothing more than “Show Business.” And it’s all depicted in this comedy, the play that ultimately inspired the popular musical.

The 1926 play was Maurine Watkins’ greatest literary success. A year later she adapted it into a screenplay for a silent film version of the story. In her script, Miss Watkins changed the names of some of the real-life characters. Beulah Annan was the model for her main character, Roxie Hart, called “the prettiest woman ever charged with murder in Chicago.” Belva Gaertner was renamed Velma Kelly, also nicknamed “the stylish divorcee.” A composite of lawyers William Scott Stewart and W.W. O’Brien became prolific defense attorney, Billy Flynn. Later, in 1942, the comedy was filmed once again, this time with sound, and with the Hollywood star power provided by Ginger Rogers and Adolphe Menjou. The plot was basically the same, but with some changes that focused the story primarily on Roxie and Amos, while giving only a little screen time to Velma.

Maurine Watkins’ play eventually inspired a lively and lavish new musical adaptation of CHICAGO, that opened on Broadway in 1975. It boasted top talent and star power. The musical was written and scored by John Kander and Fred Ebb (CABARET, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN), directed by the magnificent Bob Fosse, and starred Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach and Barney Martin. Sadly, it was a musical far ahead of its time and ended up posting an early closing. But a stripped down, mega popular new version of CHICAGO returned to Broadway in 1996. Twenty-one years later the musical spoke to new audiences about the corruption in the administration of justice, and the prominence of the “celebrity criminal” today. The theatrical musical, sparked by the entertaining Oscar-winning film version, is still playing to sellout crowds, and is currently one of the longest-running shows on Broadway.

Talented Redtwist Theatre company members Eileen Dixon and Dusty Brown have adapted Maurine Dallas Watkins 1926 play into what they call “a queer adaptation.” All the characters are played by nine talented actors who, thanks to Ms. Dixon’s sparkling and sassy Direction, really know how to deliver comedy. This sharply perceptive, 90-minute one-act cuts through the detritus and nails the sharp satire about criminals, lawyers and journalists. And it does so by embracing Chicago of the Jazz Age and with a nod to the burlesque and vaudeville traditions of the period. Eileen Dixon paces her brisk production with the kick of a Charleston, the tangled grapevine of a Foxtrot and the passion of a Tango. Guided by Ms. Dixon’s typical wit and wisdom, and economically staged on Brandii Champagne’s adaptable Scenic Design, this production simply sizzles. The satirical comedy is even further enhanced by Madeline Felauer’s inventive, tongue-in-cheek Costumes that color each character with added creativity.

The entire company of comedic actors is as spicy and flavorful as a deep dish pizza. The cast is led by lovely Chelsea Rolfes, as Roxie Hart. A seasoned actress with Redtwist, Babes With Blades, First Folio and many other Windy City companies, Ms. Rolfes is saucy and sexy and isn’t afraid to leave it all on the stage. She beautifully portrays this brassy, bitchy young woman who quickly learns how to work the system and use her new-found notoriety to climb the ladder of success. Roxie sets her sights on Fame and won’t settle for anything less.

Chelsea is matched by the superb performance of Jack Seijo as the solicitor to the stars, Billy Flynn. Ironically, Mr. Seijo also appears half-clothed in the first scene as Fred Casely, Roxie’s secret lover and murder victim. A familiar face at a host of Chicago theaters, Jack earned a Jeff nomination at Redtwist for his excellent performance in ISAAC’S EYE. Mr. Seijo plays Roxie’s illicit lover with smarmy sex appeal; but he really shakes up the stage as Billy Flynn, a charismatic, fast-talking, wheeler-dealer of a lawyer. The way Jack works his clients, as well as the every member of the police force and the press corps, is magical. Jack Seijo’s performance is absolutely stellar.

Laura Sturm returns to Redtwist Theatre, after appearing last season in TITUS ANDRONICUS and BOTTLE FLY. She portrays the funny, fantastic and fawning Velma Kelly, who over time has become a legend in her own mind. Ms. Sturm also has a cameo near the end of the play as Machine Gun Rosie. An amazing series of characters are played by Caroline Kidwell. The multi-gifted actress returns to Redtwist after appearing in so many wonderful productions, such as TITUS ANDRONICUS, MAN CAVE and BOTTLE FLY. Ms. Kidwell was also a delight in Hell in a Handbag’s MURDER REWROTE. Here she plays Roxie’s two very different cellmates, including Go to Hell Kitty, “the Tiger Girl,” and “God’s Messenger,” Liz, a religious, hymn-singing inmate. She also humorously portrays assistant state’s attorney, Martin Harrison. And Macaria Chaparro is simply lovely and stoic as Magdelena, another, “not-guilty” inmate, as well as the hilarious and fast-talking Sgt. Murdock.

JT Nagle returns to Redtwist to portray sad and pitiful Amos Hart, Roxie’s milquetoast, meal ticket husband. Another familiar face from Redtwist’s BOTTLE FLY, as well as appearing in their excellent production of HOW TO TRANSCEND A HAPPY MARRIAGE, Shaina Toledo is wonderful as Moe Watkins. Smart and smug, Mr. Watkins takes control of the Roxie Hart murder case. Jasmine Robertson, seen at Redtwist in their production of REGRESSION, plays Zelda Morton, the motherly matron of the Cook County Jail. She also appears as the Judge. And gorgeous Ashley Anderson makes her Redtwist Theatre debut as a sympathetic and sweet-tempered Mary Sunshine, the “Sob Sister” journalist at The Evening Star.

Redtwist Theatre continues their 21st Season, called “Defiant Femmes,” with the World Premiere of CHICAGO: Queerly Adapted From the Play You’ve Never Heard of That Inspired the Musical You Can’t Get Away From. Adapted with an eye and ear for the true, fast-paced Chicago Style of Comedy, this production is hilarious and exhilarating to boot. Penned by Redtwist’s Producing Artistic Director, Eileen Dixon, and Executive Director, Dusty Brown, all the unnecessary details from Maurine Dallas Watkins’ 1926 script have been trimmed away. The result is a perfect, streamlined show for 21st century audiences. Given the current political climate, everyone’s in need of a good laugh. And this fast-paced confection of comical caricatures is guaranteed to lift every theatergoer’s spirits and fill them with merriment.                   

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 16-November 23 by Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago.  

Tickets are available in person at the box office or by going to www.RedtwistTheatre.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com

Jekyll & Hyde

This is the Moment

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Kokandy Productions is on a roll. This excellent theatre company seems to get better with each new show. They recently impressed Chicago audiences with their magical and wonderfully whimsical production of AMELIE, a musical that didn’t fare particularly well in its Broadway production. But this company’s mission statement is to “tell complex and challenging stories.” So they seem to include in that goal, injecting their Award-winning creativity into shows that have potential, despite not doing quite so well on Broadway. Examples of their expertise include Chicago productions of AMERICAN PSYCHO, CRUEL INTENTIONS and ALICE BY HEART, to name just a few. It must be said that Kokandy also has had great critical and popular response with other more more successful New York hits, like INTO THE WOODS  and SWEENEY TODD, as well.

Their latest offering is an impressive presentation of JEKYLL & HYDE, Frank Wildhorn’s magnum opus, that has been around in some form or other since 1990. In 1886, Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a popular Gothic novella entitled The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Wildhorn’s musical version of that tale of terror made its Broadway debut in 1997, followed by several national and international tours and many local presentations. As a result, the musical has developed a true cult following. A pre-Broadway tour of a revised production returned to Chicago a few years ago, prior to opening in New York City. Once it set down in the Big Apple, however, the new production drew a disappointingly small audience and closed earlier than expected. 

But Kokandy Productions has, as usual, taken a musical and put its own stamp on it, making the show all its own. JEKYLL & HYDE is definitely a musical for fans of melodrama and the loud, all-out, no-holds-barred style of vocal performance. It’s the kind of singing found nowadays in TV shows like ”American Idol” and “The Voice” and usually performed by most pop artists today. Enthusiasts of this kind of singing will love everything about this production. The show features two-and-a-half hours, mainly of music. It sports songs that have become pullout hits, especially with cabaret and club singers, such as “Someone Like You,” “Once Upon a Dream,” “A New Life” and Dr. Jekyll’s epiphany number, “This is the Moment.” 

David Moreland, who plays the contrasting roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is a very talented young actor. He’s already demonstrated his theatrical brilliance all over the Windy City, such as at Paramount in WAITRESS and THE FULL MONTY, at Music Theater Works in LEGALLY BLONDE, at Mercury Theater Chicago in ROCK OF AGES, as well as in previous Kokandy productions. The handsome Mr. Moreland’s powerful vocal prowess, the actor’s athletic physical resilience and his ability to artfully morph from Jekyll to Hyde, without relying on special effects, is a testament to his talent. As the story progresses and Henry Jekyll ingests more of the drug that transforms him into Edward Hyde, Moreland’s portrayal of his character’s evil side gradually grows more visual and intense. The performer’s talent, both as a vocalist and as an actor, is formidable, and his superb mastery in playing this dual role will undoubtedly inspire more directors to cast him. David Moreland gives everything in this performance and the contrast between his two characters is stunning. His stamina alone is worth praising, not to mention Moreland’s handling of the challenging vocal demands of these two diverse characters.

For this reviewer, the story is overly histrionic. Except for Emma Carew, Dr. Jekyll’s sweet and gentle upper class fiancee (in a gorgeous performance by Emily McCormick), and his lawyer and best friend, John Utterson (the magnificently gifted and multi Jeff Award-winning Kevin Webb), there are no other redeeming characters in the play. Even Lucy, Jekyll’s love interest from the other side of the tracks (sensitively portrayed and exquisitely sung by Ava Lane Stovall), is a promiscuous  prostitute who earns her living satisfying the lust of London’s low-lifes. 

All the other characters are pretty much one-note: bad. The rest are corrupt, arrogant or just plain depraved. At best, a few of the them are aloof or extremely narrow-minded. Emma’s father, Sir Danvers Carew (nicely portrayed by Nathan Calaranan), falls into this category. But with few exceptions, the ensemble consists of despicable villains and adversaries, and there’s really no one with whom theatergoers can identify. They include the two-faced Bishop of Basingstoke (nicely undertaken by Jon Parker Jackson); the aptly named Spider and smarmy Simon Stride (both played with equal relish by gifted Quinn Kelch); the lascivious General Lord Glossop (portrayed with agility and antagonism by the talented Quinn Rigg); Sir Archibold Proops (potently portrayed by Gabby Sauceda -Koziol); Lord Savage (depicted with smug enjoyment by Ismael Garcia); Nellie, the town tart, and Poole, Jekyll’s devoted servant (both beautifully brought to life by Quinn Simmons); and snooty Lady Beaconsfield (portrayed with a stiff upper lip, and a hairdo to match, by Maiko Terazawa).

As Lucy Harris, the prostitute who dreams of a better life, Ava Lane Stovall is clearly the star of this production. Ms. Stovall has a powerhouse pop-rock vocal quality that soars to the back row. The talented actor/singer, who finds Henry Jekyll’s gentle kindness a welcome change from her usual clientele, eventually falls victim to the savage brutality of his alter ego, Edward Hyde. Both Ms. Stovall and Ms. McCormick have the vocal chops that make them naturals for this pop rock style of musical, while also demonstrating a much welcome Broadway blend in their powerful duet, “In His Eyes.”

This production is supported by Musical Director and Conductor, Nick Sula, and boasts a 15-piece orchestra. Derek Van Barham, the company’s capable and clever Producing Artistic Director, once again Directs with shrewd thoughtfulness and an eye for creating stunning stage pictures. The ensemble’s electrifying movement and  dynamics come from Brenda Didier’s organic Choreography. Derek draws passionate performances out of every single cast member, while magnificently utilizing each stairway, platform and door frame of an alluring and versatile Scenic Design. The impressive stage setting was created by Sotirios Livaditis and masterfully Lighted by the always reliable G “Max” Maxin IV. The characters have the appropriate Grand Guignol look, thanks to Rachel Sypniewski’s Costume Designs, Keith Ryan’s Hair and Wig Creations and Syd Genco’s expressive Makeup Designs.

Be prepared. JEKYLL & HYDE is a masterful production featuring a cast of passionate professional performers who will mesmerize and move the audience. The sheer vocal power of the ensemble, not to mention the talent of each individual actor, is simply astounding. As one theatergoer uttered at intermission, “Where does Kokandy Productions find all these gifted actor/singers? But Frank Wildhorn’s musical, in my opinion, could dial back the sound, just a little bit. One theatergoer complained that his ears were ringing afterward. The musical could have also used a bit more warmth and humor to alleviate the story’s constant darkness and depravity, but this is the melodramatic masterpiece for which Frank Wildhorn is best known. Many audiences love this kind of story. And for them, “This is the Moment.” 

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 9-December 21 by Kokandy Productions at The Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the door or by going to  kokandyproductions.com or bit.ly/AmelieChicago

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Red Theater debuts The Pilon – and reminds us what “home” looks like.

The set for the excellent Red Theater’s latest production, The Pilon, directed by Jessica Love and written by Zach Barr, is the Wax Harvest Card Shop, in Seattle. The audience sits on three sides, and smack in the middle is the kind of small business that a certain, idealistic image of America conjures up: it’s run by a family (with an eccentric elder at the head), the customer base is small but loyal and the neighborhood has changed around it while the interior has stayed exactly the same. It’s like the bar in Cheers or Central Perk in Friends – well worn, well-loved and welcoming.

The welcoming bit is important because Wax Harvest Card Shop specializes in trading and basketball cards, a thing I know next to nothing about, nor did my sidekick. Luckily, we didn’t need to be up on basketball card minutia, or even basketball itself, to be sucked into the enthusiasm and gentle rhythm of the lives of the characters. Afterall, fandom is fandom, whatever the subject. Wax Harvest is run by proprietor Rhonda (Delia Kropp, with a grizzled, kind weariness that makes you want to buy her a beer) and her nephew, Corbin (Rio Soliz Ragazzone, bringing “still water runs deep” to life). The year is 2019, and in a reflection of what is to come, Corbin has begun running a Twitch stream for “case breaks” (open box videos with trading cards that people pay for), to encourage sales and keep the lights on. He is assisted by Marc (Josh Razavi, with a look that could burn holes into the cardboard he covets), an intense card enthusiast and unabashed capitalist tech bro. The cast is rounded out by Griffy (an endearing Harper Levander), a 13-year-old trans kid who has recently embraced a love of trading cards, and Lex (a limpid-eyed and buoyant Jordan Tannous) a regular, non-sports related card enthusiast and torch-bearer for the unassuming Corbin.

On the technical production side, the shop feels lived in – the sound and light design provide atmosphere and color without being overbearing, and the set and props do just enough to keep you engaged without distraction. Special mention goes to the individual running the sound cues: every time someone left the shop, the little bell over the door chimed it – with no bell in sight. This leaves the cast and production staff of the Red Theatre Company to concentrate on what they do best: create a feeling that the audience has found itself magically eavesdropping on real people in a real, lived in world. The majority of the play takes place in the shop, with a few important exceptions that are created with the placement of chairs to which the shop is a backdrop, a constant reminder of the trading cards that bring all the characters together. The cards mean different things to each person, and that meaning, the search for it, the explanation of it and what it provides, is the central theme of the show.

The play opens with young Griffy watching a basketball game alone – wholly concentrated on it, and cheering for the players he has a parasocial relationship with, players who can make or break his day, without ever having met him. Watching the game of the fantasy Seattle NBA team The Emeralds is for Griffy what reading a good book might be for someone else – he isn’t alone as long as he has the team and their exploits for company. Griffy’s sense of belonging to the world he is learning to be a part of is facilitated by The Emeralds trading cards. He’s a regular at the shop, where he gets a weekly set of trading cards. It’s immediately obvious that the cards themselves are less important than the relationships Griffy has with the people in the shop, and with the team. He’s found a place where he can be himself – whoever that turns out to be.

Corbin meanwhile, is working on keeping the shop afloat with his Twitch streams while searching for a way to infuse more of his love of the cards themselves, such as their design and history, into the work he is doing with Marc, who is driven almost completely by the quickly rising market in tradeable cards. Ragazzone’s Corbin is the sort of warm, low-key dude who can get along with just about everyone. This comes in handy with Razavi’s Marc, a slightly off-putting, self-important guy who has zeroed in on the monetary gains that rare trading cards can produce. Tannous’ Lex isn’t a fan of Marc, he loves the design and history of trading cards in general so much that he participates in the basketball cards mostly to have other people to talk to about them. After all, his favorite card is a Shirley Temple playing card from the 30’s – because it’s beautiful. However, it soon becomes clear that the other reason Lex is a regular is that he is secretly in love with Corbin. Tannous walks the delicate path of unrequited love beautifully here. He is wholly himself with Corbin but also keeping a secret so big from his best friend that you can practically see his seams bursting with it.

One day, Rhonda, Lex and Griffy open a pack of “commons” to discover a limited edition, high value card, “The Pilon.” The scene where it is unveiled is all kinds of boisterous glee and confusion, and sets the plot in motion, testing the individual relationships of each of the characters. I don’t want to go into the plot too deeply after that, because the twists, turns and surprises are so much fun to live through.

Stand out scenes include Kropp’s Rhonda offering encouragement and support to Levander’s Griffy. Rhonda has come by her wisdom the old-fashioned way, through hard experience, and she is passing it on to the generation after her, lifting young Griffy up, to make his road a little easier than hers was, when she herself came out as trans. Kropp does the same in a scene with Ragazzone, gently guiding him towards a truth he’s been avoiding. At some point in the story, she reminds each character that living ones’ truth is the best thing they can do for themselves, and for the people around them.

One aspect of the writing and acting in this production that really stood out for me is the ongoing, nuanced conversation around identity and belonging. Even to those of us who lean in a certain direction, discussions on the topic can often feel preachy. In The Pilon, identity is explored and a need for belonging is emphasized, but each character’s gender, sexuality and presentation is merely one aspect of who they are. Their identities are not what bring them together, it is their love of trading cards and community. It’s a beautiful way to engage the audience: we watch these characters make decisions, go on adventures and grow as people. They make mistakes, they try to do better and they love each other through it all.

The question of identity and what we do to fit in comes to a head when Griffy confronts someone important to him. It’s a conversation many have had with a loved one, albeit with different details, and it ends with a reminder that under those details, love remains – and love is what makes a home.

Highly Recommended!

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave.

October 25- November 23. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM. Sundays at 3:00 PM

Tickets for The Pilon are $30.00 online at www.redtheater.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Game Play meets Media meets Live Theater for Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern

Dungeons & Dragons, invented by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, was first released as a table top role-playing game in 1974. In what could be described as the ultimate slow burn, in the last fifty years it has grown from a niche game of “nerds” to a cultural powerhouse with multiple editions, books, homages in hit tv shows like Big Bang Theory, Community and Stranger Things, a major motion picture and, since 2024, an off-Broadway show. The latest iteration is the National Tour: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern.

The show, a combination of improv comedy, immersive theater, audience participation and actual game play, is set in the Forgotten Realms, an official Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The set looks like a cross between a tavern and a frat-house, with large screens along the back that display the backdrop of any given scene, or display information for the audience. The cast includes the Dungeon Master (Conner Marx) and the Tavern Keeper (Alex Stompoly), running an adventure for a small cast of improv actors. The night I attended, original cast members Madelyn Murphy and Diego Salinas were joined by special guest Anjali Bhimani.

D&D is inherently a game that requires quick thinking and community involvement. For most of its history, that community would have been the players at the table and the Dungeon Master (the person running the game). What was once an intimate experience in someone’s living room or den changed when live-streaming video became popular – especially during Covid lockdown. In the live stage show, the audience not only watches the cast play the game and act out scenes but also gets to dictate some of the player’s choices. In that way, it’s a lot like a Choose Your Own Adventure book from the 90’s, except there’s a theater full of enthusiastic game players shouting out advice and voting on their smart phones through an interactive web page. The combination of tech, performance and audience engagement makes each night a unique experience.

And what an experience it is: it was up to the charming Conner Marx to explain the ins and outs of the game, as well as fill in as non-player characters (NPCs) while Alex Stompoly ran the tech, made sly comments and generally kept things moving along. Madelyn Murphy has a physical, infectious cheerfulness that worked perfectly for her character, a fearsome warrior-bird (with a lot of love to give). Diego Salinas brought a quick-witted goofiness to his magician-cowboy-undead skeleton character that was unexpectedly loveable. Anjali Bhimani rounded out the threesome as a coy cat-burglar who was of course, actually a cat. As complicated as the game play may seem, the premise was simple and open-ended enough to leave plenty of room for the unexpected, and to be understood by non-game players like myself and my companion. Last night’s story required our merry band to go on a quest to find six magical objects in order to save their world from a demon who’d slipped out of a hole in the dimension, and included a talking Chicago style hot dog who taught Bhimani’s character how to love, Murphy’s character adopting a 47^th child, Salinas saving young people with classic literature and an epic battle that involved both swords and catnip.

Aside from the voting and other phone-related participation, a few audience members were also brought on stage to help move things along or even step in as a character. One wonderful moment was the inspired line-readings of a ten-year-old boy, assisted by the cast. Another was when an audience member reminded Bhimani of an option she had when taking a turn. Because many outcomes depended quite literally on the role of a dice or an audience directive, there were several genuine surprises for everyone. This show is perfect for family groups, regardless of their familiarity with the game itself. Special guests will be appearing throughout the Chicago run, including Damien Haas, Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar and Jack Lepiarz. If you’re looking for a fun night out that is as unique as it is entertaining, you can’t go wrong with The Twenty-Sided Tavern.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS The Twenty-Sided Tavern can be seen at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago) for a limited seven-week engagement, August 12 – September 28. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Individual tickets are on sale now and range from $50.00 – $70.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Additional fees apply for online purchases. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Explore real-life trauma with dream logic in FEMALE, ASHKENAZI WITH A SEWING MACHINE

Set Designer Viscaya Wilson tells the audience nearly everything they need to know when they walk into the Berger Park Coach House for FEMALE, ASHKENAZI WITH A SEWING MACHINE, written by Jamie Greenblatt, with music by Richard Jennings and directed by Izadorius Tortuga. Dream-like, blue waves cover two walls. An antique Singer sewing machine sits on a small table, a spare, leafless tree, hung with folded paper on strings, frames a bench in the back. This lovely staging continued with an excellent use of space, for example, Anna’s (an expressive Haley Basil) hospital room was effectively created with two hooks and a blanket.

Anna is a young textile artist who was adopted at birth. Her only connection to her biological past is that Singer sewing machine, which is also her best friend and confidant. Then, she meets Benjamin (Keith Surney) a devout Jewish man, who tells her he’s certain she must be Ashkenazi. Margot Chervony rounds out the rest of the cast, playing side characters, an ominous narrator of sorts and various ancestors of Anna’s.

The story centers around Anna’s experiences falling in love, marrying and then being diagnosed with ovarian cancer – a result of the BRCA gene that she didn’t know she carried. A DNA test reveals she is a woman of Ashkenazi decent and therefore had a 1 in 40 chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer, due to a genetic bottleneck traced to the Middle Ages. The facts are woven in and out of the narrative, while Anna at first seems resistant to learning about her heritage, and then accepts it.

There are moments of song, dance and violin music (played well by Venus Fu) weaving in and out of the narrative. Much of the language is poetic and stylized. A semi-finalist in the Jewish Plays Project’s 11^th Jewish Playwriting contest of 2022, one can see why the readers found the creative and ambitious attempt to dramatize the rather dire medical history and dark subject matter compelling. However, once produced, the blend of music, dance, monologues and dream-like scenes come across as rather heavy handed. Chervony plays so many characters, it is also sometimes difficult to know who is who, and whether or not she and Basil are in the real world, or a dream one.

A lighter touch might have made this sorrowful, dramatic story easier to digest. While no laughing matter, many survivors of cancer point to gallows humor as one of their most valuable survival techniques. There were glimmers of what that could look like:  the removal of Anna’s organs involved Chervony’s doctor character pulling a long, growling puppet from a zipper in Anna’s hospital gown, and a repeated refrain that began to take on a tinge of the ridiculous as each character said it. As it was, the moments of levity seemed accidental. Also, unfortunately for the actors, the theater was also stifling hot to the point of distraction, especially given that they were all in winter clothing at some point – if you go, bring a fan and wear light clothing.

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

FEMALE, ASHKENAZI WITH A SEWING MACHINE runs August 7-23^rd on Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30, and Saturdays at 3:00 pm. Berger Park Coach House, 6205 N. Sheridan. Tickets: $25 general, seniors/students $20 on sale at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/female-ashkenazi-with-a-sweing-machine.

Visit www.artsjudaica.com for more information. Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

Raccoons and Meditation bring enlightenment in BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY

BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY, by award winning playwright Amy Crider, began as a ten-minute play written for a Scene Shop Showcase at Chicago Dramatists in 2014. Crider wrote and expanded her original idea, and Lucid Theater Company debuted it August 2, directed by Iris Sowlat.

Pamela (a nervous and likeable Kristie Berger) is a history professor up for tenure. She’s also planning her mother’s 80^th birthday and trying to finish her first book. She’s got a racoon problem in her yard, a leaky roof, and the students at her university are rebelling against the traditional history curriculum. Her husband, Lawrence (a charming Christopher Hainsworth as your favorite college “prof”) a philosophy professor, is doing his best to support her through it all. She does yoga and is a practicing Buddhist, but it’s not helping. Pamela is an anxious mess. It’s affecting every part of her life, and despite her adoring husband and successful career, she is deeply insecure.

As the first act unfolds, Pamela and Lawrence appear to have a loving and solid relationship, though much of their focus is centered on her difficulties getting through any event.

Once Pamela’s mother, Roberta (the delightful Kathleen Ruhl) arrives, the source of Pamela’s raging insecurity is clearer. Ruhl’s Roberta has never held a punch in her life. She has a sharp tongue and a critical eye. She’s also very proud of her other daughter, Ellen, a powerhouse attorney. Crider delivers here with tight, funny, dialogue that is all too familiar to anyone with someone important in their life who only ever seems to notice your flaws. Next is Jennifer (a sweet and sunny Ada Grey), Pamela’s niece, who has flown in for the party after months spent backpacking across the world. The last piece of this family chaos-puzzle is a wily raccoon, who jumps in and out of scenes and creates general havoc, perhaps as a symbol of our inability to truly control anything in this life.

As Pamela strives towards enlightenment, she struggles to connect with each of her family members and her partner, but it’s the relationships between the women that are most interesting. Crider has a keen eye for the complexity inherent in long term and familial relationships. The best part of the show is watching three generations of a family navigate the expectations of each other versus their own personal fulfillment. Ruhl’s Roberta is the definition of a “spitfire” old lady, she’s hilarious, and happily, not my mom. Grey’s Jennifer has a sunny smile and buoyant presence that radiate peace and joy. Her desire to go her own way and easy embrace of self-love highlights her aunt Pamela’s increasingly desperate mind-set, which Berger portrays with a fidgeting, hand wringing intensity. Pamela has spent her whole life desperate for praise and attention from her mother, and it has shaped how much space she allows herself to take up. Pamela’s also spent so much time obsessed with pleasing her mom that she ignores a key conversation with her husband, leading to disastrous results. Luckily, her years of Buddhist practice have left her open to advice from an unexpected source and she finally begins to realize that some of her mother’s narratives that she has accepted without question are utterly wrong.

The text drives towards a confrontation between Pamela and her mother. Her family roots for her, the audience roots for her, and yet, the final act of the play takes an unexpected turn, missing an opportunity. Rather than end with a potentially cathartic confrontation between generations of women, Crider went with a more conventional feminist trope of a woman who cuts herself loose in the span of a moment. Based on the two hours we spent with her, she cut the wrong string, but don’t worry, the raccoon is fine.

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

BUDDHA’S BIRTHDAY runs August 2-17^th on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30, and Sunday at 3:00 pm, present by Lucid Theater Co. at The Edge Theatre, 5451 N. Broadway.

Tickets: $38 plus applicable fees, on sale at www.lucidtheater.com

Please visit www.lucidtheater.com for more information.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour presented by TUTA THEATRE

In 2010, 29-year-old playwright Nassim Soleimanpour could not acquire a visa to leave his native country of Iran. He wrote White Rabbit Red Rabbit that year, an entreaty to the rest of the world, or perhaps a lifeline, thrown into the dark. The world has been responding since its premiere at the Edinburgh and Summerworks festival in 2011. Since its debut, White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been translated into more than 30 different languages and been performed over 3000 times by some of the best and brightest actors of stage and screen.

Part confessional, part Animal Farm, part cry into the dark, White Rabbit Red Rabbit is like nothing I’ve ever seen, and I’m sorry to inform you, you won’t see it either. That’s because it’s an “experimental” play. It is performed cold, by a different actor each night, who opens an envelope containing the script onstage before the audience. There are no rehearsals, no director and no set to speak of (though a few props). Because of this, each night is utterly unique, and I hesitate to give much away in terms of what happens. The audience participates to a degree – you might want to wear comfortable clothing.

The actor serves as the conduit between the writer, Soleimanpour, and the audience. Sometimes the actor serves as a literal voice for the playwright, sometimes as a character in a story, sometimes as themselves, sometimes as a director.

This sort of experience would only attract a certain kind of actor: one who is comfortable in their own skin, one who can improvise and react on a dime, one who can access a deep, emotional well without any preparation. Tuta theatre company member Huy Nguyen was our conduit, and he performed with a self-effacing charm that was inviting and light-hearted at times, and movingly still at others. Nguyen embraced the uncertainty with a sense of humor and invited the audience to participate with him fully at every moment. We were all on the ride together. There were moments of silliness, catharsis and retrospection. Nguyen willingly opened his heart and his soul to the audience, and we were all rewarded as a result.

Because of its ephemeral nature, written to be interpreted by each actor in each city or language they perform in, White Rabbit Red Rabbit is as universal as it is specific. It explores power dynamics, the need for connection, the undeniable human desire for freedom, and a supplication for altruism. In the world of the play, and perhaps in the real world, when we witness death, suffering or tragedy we become complicit in it. Yet, like in life, it is hard to find examples of any choice that is definitely the right one, hard to know what an outcome will be. This experience is like life, in that sense. No one, not even the actor, knows how it will end, and no one knows if their choice is the right one.

This uncertainty creates a tension and vulnerability that is tangible: the woman seated next to me was squirming in her seat at one point, so frightened she was, of the choices we needed to make. To ask a roomful of strangers to trust each other, to ask the actor to trust an audience with this kind of blind faith, is a transformative experience. It’s one you shouldn’t miss.

TUTA Theatre’s line up for the rest of the run is below:

Oak Park Festival Theatre Presents TWELFTH NIGHT or What You will on its 50th

Austin Gardens, the site for Oak Park Festival Theatre’s summer programming is framed by tall trees, state of the art facilities and walking paths dotted with benches. In the center, a clearing carpeted in soft grass practically begs for picnickers. This is where OPFT places their stage. For this production of Twelfth Night or What You Will, Scenic Designer Evan Frank produced a lovely, blue island for Illyria that had all the windows, doors and crannies one could hope for, and was laden with more and more plants and green things as the show carried on.

Theater in the park is a time-honored tradition in cities all over this country, and Oak Park, unsurprisingly, does it to good natured, tranquil and crystal clean perfection. Couple the park with OPFT’s new, state of the art lighting grid that is as beautiful as it is green and the scenery alone is worth the night out. The sound system is also of an uncommonly high quality for outdoor theater. But what of the play itself?

For its fiftieth season, Artistic Director Peter G. Anderson chose a favorite for many (me included): Twelfth Night. The play was written around the year 1600, to commemorate the Elizabethan English, Catholic holiday of Candlemass, the day that closes the Christmas season. The plot, involving lots of mistaken identity and ridiculous costumes, is lifted in part from the holiday itself, which was a topsy turvy festival when servants would dress up as their masters, men and women in the opposite gender’s clothing, etc, and everyone would eat, drink and sing their way out of the holy season.

The story of Twelfth night begins with VIOLA (Ama Kuwonu) a young woman recently shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria. She had been traveling with her twin brother, SEBASTIAN (Noah Lash) who she presumes drowned. In order to keep herself safe and possibly find a way off the island, she disguises herself as a young man named Cesario, and is quickly hired by the island’s Lord, DUKE ORSINO (Evan Ozer) who is hopelessly in love with a beautiful noblewoman, OLIVIA (Madison Kiernan). Orsino hires Viola/Cesario to help him woo Olivia, who has shut herself up at home after the loss of her own brother, and has rejected Orsino’s proposals of marriage.

Focusing on the shared grief of the two leading ladies, director Anderson adds a new scene at the opening of the play: the funeral of Olivia’s brother. After that, the play moves along as it normally does, and we are soon introduced to the “mechanicals” of this play:  SIR TOBY BELCH ( the excellent Kevin Theis) Olivia’s cousin and a notorious drunken partier, MARIA (a shining Julia Rowley) Olivia’s smart, capable handmaid, SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK ( a lovably dense J Cody Hunt) as well as FABIAN (an unexpectedly hilarious Kason Chesky) another servant in the house, and FESTE (the affable Elijah Newman) Olivia’s professional Fool – and minstrel. Then of course, there is the foil: MALVOLIO, played to a pompous “T” by Josh Carpenter. As usual, it is their scenes that are the biggest crowd pleasers, and they play to the audience with unabashed fun. Theis’ Sir Toby is a smart guy who chooses to grift and party mostly because he can. Theis walks the fine line between total jerk and lovable con artist perfectly. You get the impression that if someone gave him a reason to do more than party, he’d take it, but no one’s had an argument strong enough against it (yet). Hunt’s Sir Andrew has a boisterous physicality that is perfect for the role. Chesky holds his own with the smaller role of Fabian with a talent for physical comedy. He is present at every moment, reacting to the chaos around him with genuine, and hilarious, fear. Rowley’s Maria was another standout, her Maria is an intelligent, self-possessed young woman filled with equal parts affection and admonishment for her fellows. Rowley infuses Maria with a likable, exasperated charm that takes some of the mean edge off her prank.

As is often the case in a comedy, the romantic leads have a much harder job. Ozer’s Orsino pines dramatically over Olivia, with poetry, music and general Emo-behavior, while Viola pines, much more anxiously, over him. Meanwhile, Kiernan’s Olivia has a sorority girl vibe that immediately gets you thinking she and Orsino wouldn’t be a good match regardless. Olivia falls for Kuwonu’s “Cesario,” who can talk to her without the over-dramatic poetry, or stammering on about her beauty. One interesting choice was a new moment between Orsino and “Cesario” that builds the tension between them well and introduces some confusion into Orsino’s confidence in his feelings for Olivia. This helps with his later change of heart.

There were moments of weakness. Sebastian’s sudden acceptance of his new wife is as surprising as usual but given an extra layer of confusion based on some of the scenes between him and Nathan Hile’s slightly incongruous Antonio – the only character dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. One gets the impression that Sebastian is up for anything, or anyone, at any moment. The mics were in the floor of the stage, which meant everyone could be heard clearly, but most of the actors were projecting as if there were no mics. While this worked well when the sound cut out for a few moments, it often meant that they were “projecting” into a speaker uncomfortably close to the audience’s ears. This, and some of the musical pieces, made me wonder if the performers had a monitor that was working well for them – one got the impression that they could not necessarily hear themselves.

That said, it was a lovely night, and the audience had a wonderful time. A special mention should go to Movement Choreographer Margo O’Connell, the physical comedy was especially well done – a must in Shakespeare. For example, the scenes where Carpenter’s Malvolio reads the letter suggesting he wear “yellow stockings and cross garters” and the one in which he wears said outfit, had the audience laughing uproariously. The ensemble worked together seamlessly in a tightly choreographed, comedic dance and Malvolio’s attempt to seduce Olivia was a feat of over the top, physical clownery.

This show is appropriate for families, and the facilities are perfect for an evening picnic. There aren’t many better ways to spend a summer evening.

Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

The Oak Park Festival Theatre stage is at: Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302

July 5 – August 16. Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 7 p.m.; Wednesday performances on July 9, July 23, and August 6 at 8 p.m.

Tickets: General Admission: $40; children under 12 free. Discounts available for seniors and students. Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Pay What You Will at any Wednesday or Thursday performance (walk-ups only). Box Office: www.oakparkfestival.com

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.