The Second City keeps its promises and absolutely slaps.

The Second City began as a small comedy cabaret in Chicago in 1959. In the more than sixty years since, it has grown to become one of the most famous comedy venues in the country. This Too Shall Slap, is the 113^th Mainstage Production by the team there, and proof that age is just a number.

A two-hour sketch comedy show, bursting with musical numbers, bits as short as a minute and extended sketches, the time absolutely flies by. The set is colorful but simple, and costumes are minimal. This gives the ensemble, with the help of light and musical cues, to grab the audiences attention and keep it for the entire run. “Comedic whiplash” is an appropriate way to describe the absolute sonic speed with which the players fly through their scenes. The thing about a sketch comedy show like this, as opposed to New York City institution SNL, is that it was developed in tandem with the performers and director, rehearsed and planned and will be performed, and still more honed into perfection for many more week. It makes for a polished, controlled experience, without any visible strings being pulled.

The ensemble is a seamless team, each playing to their strengths. Several of the cast have unexpectedly good singing voices and each get a moment or two to shine, there were also several dance numbers that were frankly joyous. Adonis Holmes has that unique ability to stay grounded and relatable, no matter how far outside the bounds of normal behavior his characters seem to stray, for example when he loses his cool in an anger management workshop and devolves to wordless, high-pitched screaming. Jordan Stafford has the perfect gangly grace to abruptly appear in a teacher’s lounge to dance his goodbye since the school has cut all arts or become so angry he becomes Spider Man. Leila Gorstein commits to her roles, whether as a nutso meditation teacher or an unhinged bodybuilder with an intensity that is as formidable as it is hilarious. Hanna Ingle has a bouncy energy that played to great effect in a sketch sending up a Paula Dean –type character. Bill Letz often leans into the role of midwestern neighbor next door perfectly, except for when he’s a terrifying waiter with supernatural powers.

The sketches themselves run from silly to razer sharp commentary. This ensemble is not afraid to make a statement and the show manages to be bitingly political while dancing lightly over any accusation of heavy-handedness. I had the luck to be sitting between a group of middle-school boys and a group of senior citizens, and both groups spent the evening howling with laughter. That is an impressively tight line to walk, but the ensemble made it look effortless.

My favorite sketches were a musical number reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation – except it was about an Autocratic one. There was also a running gag begun by a well-meaning school nurse who’s only solution to illness, injury or sadness is Gatorade. The jokes and call backs are thread effortlessly through the night; there were some gags so irresistible that the audience was joining in by the end.  The whole thing builds to a ridiculous climax which, appropriately, closes with a dance number. There was a spontaneous, and well deserved, standing ovation.

It helps that the staff at Second City is attentive and polite, and the place itself is run like the well-oiled machine that it is.  This show is a reminder of the power and importance of the arts (comedic especially) when the world seems to have lost its mind. If you are looking for a night that is seamlessly funny, topical and cathartic, this is the show for you.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

This Too Shall Slap plays Tuesday – Thursday at 8pm, Friday – Sunday 7pm and Fridays and Saturdays 10pm. Located at 1616 N. Wells St. Chicago. Tickets start at $29 and are available at The Second City Box Office, by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com.

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

Immersive meets the absurd in The Terror Cotta’s THE OSTRICH

The Terror Cottas is an experimental playwright-driven theatre group, and the historic North Mansion in Berger Park serves as an experimental theater for playwright Wendy A. Schmidt’s The Ostrich. The play is an absurdist, immersive experience that involves the Wright Brothers’ inexplicably living out of time and their collision with a small town called Ostrich, that has, perhaps unsurprisingly, a collective love of ostriches.

It opens on the front stoop of the mansion, where the mayor, Incandescence Groane, played with warmth by Shellie DiSalvo, announces that her beloved town of Ostrich, Indiana has been chosen by none other than the Wright Brothers to be the site of a new airstrip. The townspeople are all delighted at this sign of Progress, and even more delighted when the Wright Brothers themselves (Pete Wood and Donaldson Cardenas) arrive to give a speech, as if they’d just walked out of 1915 and onto the stage. Wood and Cardenas do a great turn as old-timey gentlemen. Wood is grandiose and cheerful, sporting an “evil” curled mustache, and Cardenas is a deceptively gentle mastermind. Once the announcement is made, the audience is invited into the house. The action unfolds mostly in the three main rooms of the home. The front room is appropriately covered in kitschy ostrich-themed art, as it is The Ostrich Feather, a bed and breakfast run by the mayor, while the other rooms serve as whatever the scene calls for, be it an airplane, a park, a beach or a front porch.

Each scene takes place in a different room – the audience is directed to each new scene by a tour guide. This makes for a new meaning to the term theater in the round, since every scene is viewed from a different angle, and the actors walk in and out, and even occasionally interact with the audience as if they are fellow townspeople. The plot is relatively straightforward, once you grasp that the Wright Brothers somehow exist as men of the early 19^th century in a town that has Amazon, HBO and woman-owned businesses. The Wright Brothers have been given carte blanche by the residents of Ostrich to choose land for their airfield – a thing everyone is convinced will put sleepy, quaint little Ostrich on the map. The brothers choose a back field belonging to Chuck (Jorge Salas), the brother of Incandescence and an unflappably cheerful guy. Unfortunately for Chuck, he had plans for that field – and it holds a tree shaped like an ostrich, the town’s pride and joy.

The misfortune doesn’t stop there. This play is about the destructive power of blind faith in progress. Each town member pays an increasing cost to welcome the Wright Brothers in and in the end, all they do is lose. There are some unexpected twists and turns as the story gets darker, with one huge, hilarious departure near the middle when the townspeople put on a play about Thanksgiving that somehow becomes a gun fight between Christopher Columbus and two self-important eagles (played by the very game ensemble members Ellen Adalaide and Jonathan Crabtree). After an evening of increasing silliness and a mounting feeling of unease regarding the Brother’s motives, the ending is a little abrupt – in fact, applause in the outer room was how we knew the show had ended at all. This led to a feeling of discomfort that I suspect was the playwright’s goal all along.

The combination of absurdity, surrealism and walking from room to room makes for a memorable evening. Experimental theater, according to the Terror Cottas, should: challenge audiences to think about life and themselves in a different way, expand the possibilities of the medium to keep it fresh and effective, speak to audiences of their particular moment in time in a way that artistic work from the past cannot, and nurture the audience’s ability to experience their present reality aesthetically, as opposed to experiences approved for inclusion in museums or histories. Frankly, The Ostrich does just that. If you’re looking for an evening of experimental theater that doesn’t involve sitting still for a few hours, this show is a great place to start.

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

May 2 – 17 at the Berger Park’s North Mansion, 6205 N.Sheridan. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:00pm. Run time is 100 minutes with no intermission. There is an Industry performance on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $5 – $10 at www.TheTerrorCottas.org

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

Dive into Chaos with Curious Theatre Branch’s Premiere, THE INFINITY PLAY

Paul William Brennan’s The Infinity play opens innocently: two characters in black, on a black stage, argue over who gets to speak first. It reads as a take on the random symbols we use to order our lives: A or B, 0 or 1 – or is it O or I? It’s a silly set up that devolves into a sillier, circular argument.

What follows is nine more scenes, each with two players, and each devolving further into chaos, betrayal, dissent and madness. None of the scenes are interconnecting, and none of the players seem to have a relationship with any other, but there is a common theme of circular, hopeless argument while characters try desperately to beat each other in games that have no winner. Each scene grows wilder and more destructive, until the stage resembles a junk heap, with props from each scene strewn about and occasionally recycled.  By the end, the actors are literally digging through the piles to find what they need. The cast seems larger than necessary for a collection of two-person scenes, it could have been done with a cast of only four, but all ten of them perform admirably. There is so much passion, so much yelling-in-faces, so much confusion and disagreement, and so many barely sensical conversations, that their commitment is the only thing the audience can really hold on to. The overall sense of bewilderment only grows as the play progresses. It begins with something to say about the hopeless, desperate scrambling in circles we humans do with each successive generation but then falls prey to its own complaint: the chaos heightens till there is nowhere for it to go and ultimately ends in one character’s attempts to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Actress Maya Odim has a particularly soft and soothing voice that helped bring the room down collectively from the chaos that had been whipped up over the course of the evening.

The highlight of the night was the mostly seamless jumping from pre-recorded content played on a screen hanging from the middle of the stage, to live video on the same screen from a camera moved about the stage by the actors, and the actual, live-action play going on in real time. In some scenes, the actors even interact with the pre-recorded content, eliciting several laughs and a nod to the careful choreography that goes into that kind of move. The videos were often artfully edited and added considerably to the events going on onstage, sometimes as commentary, and sometimes as a continuation of a particular story line.

Ultimately, if you’ve ever wondered what that old stoner adage “time is a flat circle” would look like as a play, this is as close as I think you could get. Absurdist, experimental, and surreal, the Infinity Play reminds us that no matter how much we might try to correct the mistakes of the past, all we are really doing is making more of a mess.

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. in Chicago.

Tickets for The Infinity Play tickets are on the “pay what you can” model, suggested rate is $20.00 and can be purchased at CuriousTheatreBranch.com

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 5pm. Run time is 110 minutes with no intermission.

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

The Ensemble has a night to shine at Chicago Lyric Opera’s A Wondrous Sound

The Chicago Lyric Opera consistently delivers productions that are excellent from bottom to top: luscious sets, incredible musicians and performers and thoughtfully directed shows. As anyone who has worked in the theater can tell you, for that many levels of excellence to exist, there is an enormous, hardworking, and often unseen team of people making the lead performers shine. A Wondrous Sound – a concert at the Chicago Lyric Opera this coming Saturday, April 19, brings some of the lesser-celebrated members of the Opera front and center.

This special concert features the Chorus and the Orchestra to showcase some of opera’s most famous and beloved overtures and choral works, as well as a few classic selections from American Musical Theater. It is conducted by Lyric’s Music Director Enrique Mazzola and hosted by Lyric’s General Director, John Mangum.

The audience is treated to brief explanations and histories of the pieces performed, and the music does the rest, filling the opera house with passion, beauty and melody. The program included well known favorites, such as the Carmen overture, and William Tell. The ensemble also stretched outside their more usual fare with selections from Westside Story, Carousel and The Sound of Music. One unique aspect of the show, pointed out by Chorus Director Michael Black, was that unlike most evenings at the Opera, there was little need for the audience to look up at the translation, you could sit back and let the music wash over you.

All the pieces were relatively brief. General Director and President John Magnum came out after every three or four pieces to introduce them, giving context and a few light jokes, and let the ensemble do what they do best. It was a real-time, real-life, curated, greatest hits playlist, played and sung by word class musicians in what felt like an act of love. Highlights included Verdi’s Nabucco, which was introduced both by John Magnum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola. Mazzola spoke of the power of “Va Pensiero,” the selection from Nabucco. It was written in 1841, when Italy was still a collection of independent kingdoms, troubled by foreign influences, tyrannical rulers and instability.  He described it as a song about the longing for freedom and loved ones that are out of reach when one’s land is ruled by tyrants, which struck a chord with the audience.

While every piece was excellent, there were a few standouts:

The selections from William Tell were the “Gloria al poter supremo!” March and Chorus from the Act 3 overture. The piece is instantly recognizable if you’ve ever seen Looney Toons or the Lone Ranger, and garnered laughter and applause.

“Freudig begrüssen wir edle Halle” from Wagner’s Tannhäuser, was the only German piece of the night. The chorus sang it with obvious relish, and the power to back up their enthusiasm.

We were also treated to Puccini’s “Humming Chorus” from Madame Butterfly, an achingly beautiful and difficult piece of music, as it is entirely hummed, but still has the vocal range one would expect from an Opera. The unique chorus of hums creates an ethereal, heartbreaking sound, that leaves a special sort of silence in its wake. It’s no wonder Madame Butterfly remains one of the most popular operas since its debut in 1904.

I’m a Musical Theater kid at heart, so the world-class treatment of Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Rogers and Hammerstein was especially delightful to hear. Mazzola invited the audience to participate in the West Side Story Overture section of “Mambo” which left me feeling like a kid mischievously singing along when my parent had shushed me. The women of the Chorus also provided a playful rendition of “America” that was captivating.

The night ended with arguably two of the more stirring songs from all of American Musical Theater: “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel. Given that the sound of excellent singers raising their voices in harmony is already enough to move one’s soul, these two pieces surrounded the audience with what I can only describe as hope, if it had a sound.

There was a special encore at the end, but I don’t want to give it all away. This show is the perfect way to introduce kids, or really anyone, to the power and beauty in Opera and Classic American Theater. Do your family a favor and bring them out for some wondrous sound.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. A final performance is on April 19, at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $65-$345. For more information and tickets, call 312.827.5600 or visit 

www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2024-25/a-wondrous-sound-concert/

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

Giordano Dance Company Flies High in “Soaring.”

Giordano Dance Chicago, “America’s original jazz dance company,” celebrated its 62nd season with two performances and a gala celebration at the Harris Theater this past weekend. Giordano Dance Chicago is an iconic cultural institution with deep roots in Chicago and one of the longest running dance companies in the world. This past weekend’s program, “SOARING: Life, Light, and Legacy,” is a celebration of the joy of living, the brilliance of light, and the lasting impact of Nan Giordano’s 40 years at the helm of Giordano Dance Chicago as well as the vibrant life of her beloved son, Keenan Giordano Casey, that was cut too short this past October.

A blend of old and new pieces were showcased. The evening began with the world premiere of “Sana” (Latin for heal) by Al Blackstone, a choreographer in residence. Sana is his second work created for the full company and is set to an original music score by percussionist and pianist Stahv Danker. A warm, rhythmic piece, it begins with a sultry jazz feel, and ends in a percussive, athletic power that is invigorating and joyful. The next piece was “333,” a solo created for company dancer Erina Ueda, (Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch 2024”) by Nan Giordano and Cesar G. Salinas. Erina dances with a level of sheer, physical power that is captivating. Her body is an expressive, joyful instrument that Giordano and Salinas used as a vessel for a celebration of life.

Ueda’s solo was followed by “SOARING,” a moving tribute to the life of Nan’s son, Keenan Giordano Casey (1995-2024). The piece was created through a collaboration between Nan Giordano, Cesar G. Salinas and the Giordano Dance Chicago Company Dancers. All in white, the dancers sped across the stage at almost dizzying speeds. Keenan Giordano Casey was taken too soon, and the pain of his loss could be felt as the dancers incorporated handheld candles. They created a feeling of collective gratitude to have lived and loved, and the inevitable sorrow that comes with that same gratitude. The audience was clearly packed with friends and family, and it was an honor to be a part of such a beautiful and heartfelt memorial.

The next piece was Red & Black, choreographed in 2024 by Ray Leeper. It felt like a throwback to the early days of jazz dance and an homage to a certain era of Broadway. The collection of songs went from classic to modern, beginning with Eartha Kitt and ending with Club De Beluga. Each vignette told a story of love, lust and adventure. The company is made up of particularly expressive dancers, who not only used their whole bodies, but their faces to tell their stories.

After intermission, the audience was treated to past works by Nan Giordano and Christopher Huggins. “Taal”, originally debuted in 2001, featured music by Anuradha, Suno A.R. Rahman and S Jhaia, and had a distinctly Southeastern Asian feel. The dancers incorporated large, saffron colored sheets that hung from the ceiling and created an atmosphere that felt grounded in nature, perhaps because of the soft, independent movement of the fabric as it reacted to the dancers.

The final work of the night was “Pyrokinesis,” originally created by Huggins in 2007. It won the 2008 Black Theater Alliance Award for “Best Choreography.” Huggins created a piece that builds on itself with a rhythmic intensity that was a joy to witness. The company’s athleticism, especially after a night of already powerful, energetic performance, was staggering.

Throughout the night, as the dancers hurled or spun or leaped or sashayed across the stage with perfect control, or supported each other with impossible strength, or reached toward the sky to bid farewell to a loved one, I was reminded that, above the other performance arts, dance often feels like the purest expression of human emotion. It needs no words, no roles or elaborate sets, only humans and their bodies in motion, living in riotous color. If you are looking for a reminder of what it is to be human, be sure to check out a Giordano Dance show this season.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

To learn more about Giordano Dance Chicago, check out their website, and their calendar, here: https://www.giordanodance.org/calendar

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

A Very Shakespearian Buddy Comedy

Helena and Hermia in the Enamored Odyssey at the Den Theater

The Imposters Theatre Company works out of the Crosby Theatre Space, tucked away at the top of the Den Theater on Milwaukee, and most commonly known for comedy. As you walk up the steps to the upstairs lounge, the noise of the clubs and bar below fades. In the case of Helena and Hermia in the Enamored Odyssey, walking into the space is like leaving the world behind, because the company has transformed the little space into a Magical Wood: filled with creeping vines, bright flowers, shadowed corners and birch trees. It’s an appropriate setting for this musical re-telling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The show follows the general plot of Midsummer, but with way more singing, and a healthy dose of Shakespeare-nerd jokes and fourth wall asides: In Harken’s Hold, England, a Duke (Gabriel Reitemeier) prepares for his grand wedding to the future Duchess (Tessa Marie Hoffman). Local law states a daughter must obey her father’s every command, and that does not sit well with saucy Hermia, (Shannon McEldowney), whose father insists that she give her hand in marriage to pompous Demetrius (Zachary Riley), who she does not love. In defiance, Hermia sets off with her boyfriend; the slightly delicate Lysander (Ethan Gasbarro), into the neighboring Far Forest, intending to marry him outside of their region’s jurisdiction. She swears her dearest friend Helena (Anna Roemer) to secrecy along the way. Helena, lovelorn and desperate, immediately turns around and tells her true love what her bestie is up to, the problem being that her true love is the aforementioned Demetrius.

The gaggle of lovers take off into the trees and soon cross paths with the faeries, embroiled in a battle between the Fairy King and Queen, (Reitemeier as Oberon and Hoffman as Titania) and an amateur acting troupe (traditionally known as The Mechanicals), rehearsing for their big show at the Duke’s wedding. As anyone can guess, hijinks ensue.

Composer and Librettist Dominick Alesia sticks to the plot for the first half of the play and even throws in a few references to other classics. In fact, The Bard is referenced frequently, like a god. There are frequent throwaway comments from the actors on the action, or some aspects of the play that haven’t aged as well in the past four hundred years. The Duke even steps out to explain plot points a few times. This creates a sort of tongue in cheek effect, where the actors are at once bringing the audience in on the joke but also living out their stories in real time. It’s a hard line to toe and mostly worked. McEldowney and Roemer, as the titular besties, do a nice job with it, giving the impression that Helena and Hermia are a little too smart for this, but alas, what’s a girl in a play to do but say her lines? Reitemeier also toes the line well, his performance as the stiff Duke, much more fluid Oberon and occasional narrator gives him the space to play with multiple characterizations infused with silliness and weariness – a good-natured, slightly flamboyant, midwestern dad, if you will.

The Mechanicals, Nick Bottom (Ian Rigg), Petra Quince (Annika Andersson), Francis Flute (Sam Martin), Robin Starveling (Bruce Holtman) and Tamsin Snout (Maya Reyna). Do their best to steal the show and almost succeed. They are raucous, ridiculous, and having arguably way too much fun. Rigg came out hot in the small role of Hermia’s father, a bit cartoonish and over-the-top to start with, but his Bottom is a self-satisfied ham whose confidence is so vast he’s not even thrown off by the donkey-head, and that’s a lot of fun to see. He also has a rich and versatile voice that he used to the hilt and managed to build Bottom’s ridiculousness from scene to scene. His final death scene as Pyramus, along with Martin’s slightly confused Flute as Thisbe, was next-level silliness, and had the audience in stitches. All the Mechanicals deserve a mention here. Since they double as Titania’s faery escort, they work their pants off: costume changes and group dance numbers and stagehands galore. Bruce Holtman’s Robin Starveling was a delightfully dainty try-hard. He managed a slightly more low-key performance and still held his own against the stomping, tromping, 10 decibel Bottom, Flute and Quince. You got the impression that he deserved his petulance, surround by all those oafs. Anderson’s Quince was a passionate, if not very talented writer. My favorite bit of hers was a new addition to the play: she wanders about lost in the wood till she stumbles on Helena and Hermia, and her silly helplessness helped keep things moving along at a time it had begun to slow down just a bit. Reyna’s Snout has a solid singing voice, and a cameo as another famous Shakespearian character that left me wishing for a play where she could have joined in the action a bit longer.

Titania is arguably one of the key roles in this show, and Tessa Marie Hoffman plays her with a ton of energy. Her story is also one of the biggest departures from the original play. You can understand why Alesia made the choices he did: Titania’s humbling by Oberon is an ever more difficult pill to swallow as the years go by. She’s a powerful, intelligent, demigoddess who comes off as a generally good force in the world, while Oberon is a petty, jealous and controlling man-baby. That said, making Titania an all-powerful, all-knowing mastermind who is always three steps ahead leaves us wondering why she would put up with Oberon in the first place. As charming as Gabriel Reitemeier is, there weren’t many moments in this production where it was obvious what Titania saw in him at all.

The second half of the production takes several departures from the original play. Helena and Hermia are given much more agency to solve their own problems and have a delightful run-in with Puck. Lysander and Demetrius are mostly useless, schoolboys, but both actors are useless school boys with panache. Rachel Borgo’s Puck drives the action along in the best accent of the night, a thick, Scottish brogue. Her look is markedly different than the rest of the cast, she creeps about and around the stage in dark rags and paint, an emo-fairy laughing at all the vibrant color around her. Borgo has a commanding stage presence and is creepily well-suited to the role.

Director Stefan Roseen and Costume Designer Toria Olivier went with a vaguely Regency era look. Umpire waists and men in short pants are what we generally expect from Shakespeare, but seeing how the Bard himself set the play in ancient Greece, I found myself wondering how the play would look if they’d dropped any pretense at the English style. The set design was lovely, as were most of the clothes, but I occasionally found the anachronisms distracting. Borgo in particular, despite her accent, felt wilder than the English countryside of the Regency era could have withstood. McEldowney and Hoffman both went with a parody of posh accents, that left me wondering what they could have done if they hadn’t had to spend so much time on how to shape their “a”s. That said, McEldowney was the standout here. She played Hermia with a clumsy grace and a great eye for physical clowning that played up her damsel in distress beautifully.

Dominick Alesia also did a bang-up job as the band: he played piano, guitar and even interacted with the players a few times. He and Roseen made the right choice to keep the arrangements simple and the actors un-amplified. Though again, I wonder how the music would have felt in a slightly less “formal” setting than Regency England. The score was challenging and ran the gamut from operatic, to show tunes, to “ye old drinking song.” For my part, it was the older, folk styles that worked best, both for the space and for the actors singing them.

Though the night runs long, I find that The Imposters Theatre Company is consistently ambitious, creative and entertaining. They will never go home when they could go big.  They also keep ticket prices affordable, and their location means you can grab a drink at intermission. I was glad to be a part of their latest work and look forward to seeing what they try next.

Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented in the Crosby Theatre space at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. March 28-April 12 Thursday – Sunday at 7:30 PM and Sunday April 6, 3pm.

Tickets Helena and Hermia in the Enamored Odyssey can be purchased online at:  www.theimposterstheatre.com and range from $26.00 – $31.00 (including fees).

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

La Bohème seduces at the Chicago Lyric Opera

The story of Mimí and Rodolfo falling in love in a garret in 19^th century Paris, has captured the hearts of audiences since its debut in 1896. Puccini knew what he was about: the Opera was inspired by a hit play, La Vie de la Bohème by Théodore Barrière and Henry Murger, in turn the author of an earlier collection of short stories, Scènes de la vie de Bohème. Puccini believed in banking on a known hit. He was right. La Bohème is still one of the most popular Operas of all time, in fact, this is the 20th production mounted at the Lyric Opera since its inception in 1954.

This production is set in late 19^th century Paris, right about the time the original production debuted. The set, designed by Gerard Howland brings the rooftops of a wintery Paris to atmospheric life. Washed in shades of blue and silver, the Eiffel Tower reaches for the heavens above the action, promising a future our doomed lovers will never see. The garret apartment of Rodolfo and Marcello is exactly the sort of shabbily romantic spot it should be, and the scenes at Café Momus capture the lively Latin Quarter perfectly. Director Melanie Bacaling makes good use of the supporting cast – the group scenes are a joyful counterpoint to the central tragedy.

In brief, La Bohème is the story of a group of “starving artists” living in Paris. Rodolfo, a poet, falls in love with sickly silk-flower maker Mimí. Painter Marcello has a tempestuous affair with escort Musetta. Both stories end as one would expect but love and laughter is shared along the way.

Rodolfo is sung by Samoan Tenor Pene Pati, who shines from the first note of his first aria. His soaring, powerful voice is filled with all the energy and passion of a young artist, seeking his muse. Hot-tempered Marcello is brought to life with the rich baritone of Will Liverman. Mimí is sung with the soft, pure tones of Soprano Ailyn Pérez, and Soprano Gabriella Reyes absolutely stops the show with her rendition of Musetta’s Waltz, arguably the most famous aria in the piece, or at least, the one you leave humming!

The supporting cast is equally strong. Ian Rucker as Schaunard and Peixin Chen as Collinne add levity, while keeping their characters grounded. Chen in particular has a lovely, heartfelt moment near the end. The chorus of young children, Uniting Voices of Chicago, are great in the Café Momus scene, but more importantly, clearly having a blast. The lightness they and the rest of the cast provide keep the tragedy from feeling overwrought.

One of the reasons La Bohéme has remained a foundational story in the Western imagination is how simple and easily digestible the opera is. At barely two and a half hours, it flies by. During the pre-Opera talk, Dr. Harris Saunders explained that Puccini enjoyed attending theater in languages he couldn’t understand, including several in English that went on to inspire compositions. That kind of attention to the more universal and easy-to-follow aspects of the dramatic arts is another reason La Bohéme has remained a timeless favorite. The score, whether you speak Italian or not, is composed to carry you along on the emotions of the characters. There isn’t a single moment that goes on too long, or a note that feels unnecessary. The movement of the plot is also easy to follow. The characters are all archetypes: The Poet, the Delicate Damsel, The Escort with a Heart of Gold, the Passionate Artist, the Care-Free Friends. The talented cast tells us everything we need to know with their bodies and their singing. If you are new to Opera, or want to introduce someone to it, this would be the perfect production.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Shows run March 19, 22, 25, 28, and 31 and April 3, 6, 9 and 12. Tickets range from $42-$239. For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2024-25/la-boheme/or call 312.827.5600.

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

Little Red warms the imagination in the heart of winter.

Walking into the space at The Actors Gymnasium at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston is like walking into a room of promised stories: there were wooden chairs that had sprouted leaves and branches, an ornate old wardrobe, a cozy looking bed covered in your great-grandmother’s quilt, and ropes, leaves, and twinkling strands of light hanging from the ceiling. Once we found our seats, the lights came down, and the stories unfolded.

Little Red is a re-telling of the 17^th century, classic fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. It was created and directed by long-time collaborators Heidi Stillman and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi as a part of their regular Winter Circus programming. The Winter Circus is an opportunity for students of the Gymnasium to work with professionals in the Circus Arts, and for the community to share in the wonder. Little Red combines elements of Commedia dell’arte, acrobatics, dance, contortionism, and mime.

There are exactly two songs sung to get some exposition out of the way, with instruments all played on stage by the ensemble, but otherwise, the performance is almost completely wordless. This leaves the actors to use their faces and bodies, and for the designers the lights and costumes to tell the story. They create an atmosphere that is dreamlike, as if, for this moment, we have transcended time and space, and even language, to return to the very beginnings of storytelling.

As the ensemble journeys through the familiar tale, the actors trade parts, by trading the Wolf’s mask or Little Red’s hood, turning each vignette into a little story of its own, at once part of the whole and separate from it. The audience is treated to a game of keep away by woodland creatures, a menacing dance of the wolves, and a comic, confused chase between Granny and the Wolf. When the Wolf finally swallows Granny down the portrayal is an unexpected, captivating and uncomfortable moment of artistry.

As the Wolf slips into Granny’s clothing and Little Red innocently walks toward certain doom, there is an unexpected plea made by the moon. Because the actors so often traded between parts and costumes, I can’t confidently name the performer who played the moon, but her dance has stayed with me. An acrobatic performance on a ring high above the stage, the moon rises, observes the danger that Little Red is in, and expresses her concern. Words fail the strange, lyrical, utterly moving dance that followed, which is probably why they didn’t bother with any in this production. They weren’t needed. Suffice to say, that in an acrobatic play about Little Red Riding Hood, with clowns and wolf masks and pratfalls, I was moved to tears by the plight of the moon, hanging high above us all, wishing she could help.

Little Red confronts the Wolf, and a wonderful aerial dance on long, red scarves follows. The play becomes a metaphor for facing one’s own demons, and ultimately, embracing them. There is nothing like sitting in a darkened theater, surrounded by strangers, and being led on a journey by talented, passionate storytellers. It is an experience that is utterly unique and irreplaceable. The wolf dance might be a touch frightening for the very young, but if you are looking for something that will captivate and engage you and your family, Little Red is perfect.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Not recommended for children under 5.

All performances are at Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL.

Show dates are March 1^st – 30^th. Performances are Saturdays at 4:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM. Tickets start at $25 for adults and can be purchased online at www.actorsgymnasium.org/shows

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

The Neo-Futurist Theater can tell you HOW TO BE COOL 

On the top floor of a building in Andersonville, you’ll find the 37-year-old Neo-Futurist Theater. Founded in 1988, The Neo-Futurist aesthetic demands that everything that transpires in their theater be non-illusory, which is to say that they pretend nothing; actors only play themselves. It makes for an intimate and immediate experience that feels unique. The home of the long-running late night show, The Infinite Wrench, a collection of 2 minute long plays, this production is a “prime time production” directed by Anna Gelman. The theater space itself has an inviting, lived-in feel, there is art and the evidence of the production of art, everywhere. The lobby area outside of the theater looks like a college bar circa the early 2000s. Audience members mingled at tables and chairs, watching video screens set up on either side of the room.

We were invited into the theater once it was time for the show to begin. A long, narrow space, the room was stark: a projection screen was up on one end, with no other embellishment. The show began with writer, performer and Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Neil Bhandari crawling into the space from behind the screen and lugging the biggest baggage (pun intended) I’ve ever seen.

Neil opens the brisk, hour long show with a narrated video essay on what it is to be cool. Iconic images and characters from the  eighties and early nineties carried the audience on a nostalgic wave back to when Harrison Ford, the Goonies and Eddie Murphy were defining cool for American kids. He gets the audience involved in the musings, and together, a definition of “cool” is established. Once we know what we’re talking about, Neil recounts his own childhood desire to be cool, the motivations behind it, and the attempts to achieve it.

He bounces from monologue and dance to live music, costumes are changed on the spot on stage, and he sets up all the props or sets he might need while staying engaged with the audience. What begins as an examination of coolness turns into an exploration of insecurity, identity-building and the lies we tell ourselves as we try to make our way in the world.

Neil embodies much of the cool he describes: he’s funny and smart, he can play guitar and make fun of (and share) his eighth grade poetry with confident self-deprecation. As the hour continues, he also reveals the dark side of building an identity based on what others think of you. What at first seemed a cute kid’s journey into becoming an adult turns into an adult recounting the mistakes of an insecure kid, yearning to be cool. Smart, funny, talented Neil lists the kids who paid a price for his attempts at popularity. He mourns the loss of relationships, the loss of time, the loss of who he thought he could be vs who he was.

The evening is a funny, unexpected, melancholy and thoughtful treatise on what it means when the perception of others is what you chase, because you can’t stand your perception of yourself.

Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Performances are held at The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Chicago, IL 60640 from  February 6th – March 1st on Thursdays/Fridays/Saturdays at 7pm. Tickets are PWYC – $20 and available now for purchase. 

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

Love + Chaos + Dinner = Magic  

*Extended through March 30, 2025!

Imagine the musical, Cabaret. Then, add in a little Cirque de Soliel, a dash of steam punk, a dollop of drag queen, a healthy handful of humor, and tie it all up with a satiny, sensual ribbon. If you can hold all those elements in your mind, you’ll have some idea of what it is like to spend an evening at Teatro ZinZanni.

Held on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel, entering the historic Belgian Spiegeltent, imported and installed by Broadway in Chicago, Randolph Entertainment and Teatro ZinZanni in 2019, is like entering another world. Spiegeltents, or “mirror tents,” as I learned from Teatro’s website, originated in the early 20th century in Holland. The tents acted as mobile palaces for dancing and other gatherings. Crafted of intricate woodwork and stained glass and detailed in velvet and brocade, each tent has its own personality and style. Only a hand-full of these unique and legendary ‘mirror tents’ are left today. Chicago’s import is called the “ZaZou” and it was built in 1910.

From the moment you enter the Cambria Hotel, the otherworldly experience created by the cast and crew of Teatro ZinZanni begins. We were directed to the elevator by a woman in red satin, and exited it into a beautiful lobby and bar. Upon entering the tent itself, I could almost hear the opening words of Cabaret, welcoming me and urging me to leave my troubles at the door. My companion and I had the dinner service, and a delightful, savory tart was awaiting us at our table. Cast members wandered about, speaking with guests, making jokes and creating little bits of entertainment for anyone around them.

The show itself is structured like an evening at a Cabaret, or Vaudevillian theater. The performers all take their turn showcasing their particular talents, to great and entertaining effect. The night began with vocal artist Cunio, whose powerful voice blends the range of Freddie Mercury and the raw power of Janis Joplin, putting on a “karaoke” bit with a few audience members. He kept things light, kind, and moving right along – till he introduced the second lead voice of the night, LiV Warfield, a woman with the vocal control of a ninja master – if ninjas sang. Rather than intimidate the audience with their stadium-sized voices, both Cunio and LiV Warfield created an inclusive, joyful experience that had the entire audience singing along.

Next up was original Seattle cast member and comedian Kevin Kent as Doily, Cocktail Waitress and Southern Belle, who fell in love with at least half the men in the audience and had the other half in stitches. Doily had the unique ability to titillate with kindness, to poke fun with love and compassion and usher us all into her playful, inuendo-filled reality.

The show also features several world-class circus artists.  Ukrainian born Vita Radioanova played Vanessa a nervous, excitable, flight attendant – who comes alive when she performs her Hula Hoop act. If you’ve ever wondered how many hula hoops one person can keep spinning, Vita would know. She turned the old backyard game into a work of art. Brazilian Capoeira artist Raphael Nepomuceno, played Chuck Rodrigo, a sexy and sweet fireman who also performed a breathtaking act on the straps, hanging from the ceiling above the diners. Argentinian Elayne Kramer, a 6^th generation Circus Performer, played hapless Club Manager Marie, and absolutely stunned with her contortionist act. One of the many things I learned at Teatro ZinZanni is that everyone should witness someone who can shoot a bow and arrow with their feet.

The final big act of the night was Chicago’s own Duo Rose, (Sam Sion and Sylvia Friedman) an acrobat couple who performed an intimate, sensuous dance above all our heads. They were awesome in the traditional sense, in that their beauty, control, grace and strength inspired true awe, and even a tear or two.

The cast was supported by the excellent band, led by Chicagoan Theodis Rodgers, Jr. The wait staff was attentive and thoughtful. The night felt like a seamless escape into a world of old that only existed in our collective imagination, where everything is beautiful and maybe we can fly.

Interactive theater is a unique medium. For interactive performers, there is little to no time spent away from the audience. When they were not actively performing, each member of the cast was out in the audience, welcoming, teasing, laughing and flirting. I watched many of them create unique moments of comedy and connection with guests of every age and gender. It was a marvel to see and be a part of.

Even the menu was inclusive: there were Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free options, and everything we sampled was tasty. Frankly, given the immersive experience and the four course meal, the ticket prices are about what you’d spend on a more traditional show, but without the good food and the captivating mirror tent. If you’re looking for an unforgettable night out and a reminder that the world is filled with magic, this is the show for you.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Teatro ZinZanni runs through March 30, 2025 on multiple dates. Performances take place on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel, 32 W. Randolph St. Show only tickets start at $84 and tickets including a four-course meal start at $124 and can be purchased online at ZinZanni.com/Chicago. Discounted group rates are available for parties of 10 or more.

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