Author: Gayle
Can’t Help Lovin’ This Show
By Frank Meccia/Gayle Kirshenbaum
Show Boat Is it a musical or an opera?
The magic of Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern came to life this past Sunday under the direction of Francesca Zambello. With added musical numbers and rearrangements by John DeMain, this 1927 hit transformed Broadway back then and transformed the Lyric Sunday with a new kind of musical theatre. Opera Diva Frederica von Stade once said in an interview that ” the lines between Opera and musical theatre can be very blurry”. There are many Broadway musicals that are really operettas; Sweeney Todd, A little Night Music, The Most Happy Fella and Les Miserable to name a few. But these are hybrids to true opera. The debate will go on for years, but for Lyric Opera it has been a fantastic journey.
With opera greats such as Nathan Gunn, Morris Robinson, Alyson Cambridge, Angela Renee Simpson and Ashley Brown their music and voices soar. Add to that some of the greatest voices and actors that have graced the Chicago stages for years, including Ross Lehman, Cindy Gold, Bernie Yvon, Renee Matthews and many others this show could only be superb. We had a chance to speak with Renee about what this experience means to her. After having studied at the Met for years she said “this is a dream of a lifetime come true, to step on the stage of the Lyric Opera with such an incredibly wonderful cast and crew”. Set design by Peter J. Davison really shows off the charm of Chicago in the early 1900’s and the beauty of the showboat. And the period piece costumes by Paul Tazewell are a treat to admire.
If you’re looking for classic opera then see AIDA which is also playing at the Lyric this month. If you want to see a timeless musical with a cast that is truly the cream of the crop then this is the show to see. In answer to the question is it an opera or musical? Call it what you want but in the end it is truly a masterpiece.
Showboat runs through March 17.
For tickets call 312-332-2244 or Lyricopera.org
'The People's Barnum' at Quest
By Devlyn Camp
Quest Theatre Ensemble’s mission is to create theater for the non-theatergoer in Chicago (surprisingly, there are some out there!). This is why they make a
huge effort to make their productions free to everyone. If you watched our television show this morning (CANTV, Channel 19 on Comcast), you might have heard Jason Bowen, a founding member of Quest, call their productions “gateway” shows into more Chicago theater. Their goal is to get more people interested in live theater, which is a pretty important goal if you ask anyone involved in the arts.
Bowen is currently leading The People’s Barnum at Quest, which, as mentioned, is free. The musical is a fantastic night for kids, as it is circus-themed and visually exciting. There are several songs and character voices to keep momentum moving. While the bar isn’t set high for great quality theater, it’s the perfect evening to get the kids acquainted with live shows and let them hoot and holler as excitedly as they wish.
THE PEOPLE’S BARNUM
Quest Theatre Ensemble
Through March 18, 2012
Tickets free, reservations available at questensemble.org
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Who Cares Whodunnit When You’re Dating Walter Dante?
Who Cares Whodunnit when you’re Dating Walter Dante?
By Angeli Primlani
If you yelled at the TV when you heard that Drew Peterson was engaged to a 23-year-old girl despite being suspected of murdering two of his four previous wives, oh boy is this is the play for you! The Raven Theater’s world premiere of Jon Steinhagen’s Dating Walter Dante turns this tabloid situation into a delectable murder mystery, which teases a deeply human drama out of the cheap and familiar headlines.
Walter Dante is not exactly Drew Peterson. His first wife drowned in a swimming pool, not a bathtub, and Dante was married only twice, not four times. Unlike Peterson it is just possible he is innocent. That does not matter. This is not a play about the Drew Peterson case. It isn’t even really about Walter Dante. Instead the play asks why on earth any sane woman would date such a person, much less sign on to be Dead Wife Number Three?
Is Laura Bakersfield naive or brave to love this man? Are her friends justifiably concerned, or absurdly paranoid? Did Walter Dante really kill his two ex-wives, or is he an innocent man in a tragic horrific situation? And what is up with his dead wife’s ghost? Is this, as the characters conflictingly claim, a drama, comedy, tragedy, dramedy, murder mystery, ghost story or love story? That’s for the audience to decide. The answers do not come easily.
Each member of the fine cast walks a delicate line that leaves the audience guessing. But Kristin Collins’ crushingly hopeful Laura is the heartbeat of the piece. At turns ridiculous, sensual, and flaky, she still has small town Midwestern steel carrying her willful optimism. You may find yourself wanting Walter to live up to her belief in him. Or you may want to scream that he can’t.
Dating Walter Dante is at the Raven Theater, Fridays-Sundays through March 24th. If you love true crime, murder mysteries, love stories, or just a head cracking good tale, make sure you don’t have to rush home. You may want to stand out in the cold discussing the play with total strangers afterwards.
‘Ameriville’ at Victory Gardens: Did it deliver?
By Devlyn Camp
The first production of new Artistic Director Chay Yew is quite a statement, as the work is somewhat of an indefinable genre. Ameriville, performed by Universes, is a kind of dramatic performance art, featuring music, poetry, stand-up comedy, and flamenco, among several other forms of entertainment. Like most jobs, the task of delivering a message from the stage can be done with many tools, and this dramamusicaldanceshow utilizes everything it can get its hands on. The four actors, three men and a woman, have more than enough tricks of their sleeves ranging from outrageous character voices to strong a capella numbers and high-powered footwork.
These talents are put to work explaining the difficult lives of natural disaster victims and the indirect results. Through several perspectives, some sad, some brilliantly funny, most arresting, families still suffering from Hurricane Katrina make their cases known and question God’s place and the government’s work in the years following the storm. On the raked stage, backed by projected newspapers and American statistics, the stand-alone scenes question whether the country will be prepared for more disasters.
While it is emotional and vocally impressive, there’s no way of skirting the problem with the theatrical work: plot. Every aspect of the production is fantastic, from acting to lighting to set design and back, except for the hole that “purpose” usually fills. Yes, it informs on Katrina. Yes, it implies the possibility that we, as a community, are not prepared to face another tragedy like the hurricane. But stepping out on Lincoln Avenue beneath the bright marquee, the audience has no thought on how this presentation changes them. There’s no redeemable result, as there is hardly a story. The emotions exist only for a moment while the lights are still down. Tone should be the result of a show that delivers an entertaining work – not a direction forced upon a production.
AMERIVILLE
Victory Gardens Theater
Through February 26, 2012
Tickets $20-$50, available at victorygardens.org
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and cast; Photo courtesy Michael Brosilow
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
MARRIOTT THEATRE IS IN THE PINK
By: Gayle Kirshenbaum and Frank Meccia
“Oh my God,” two snaps for Marriott Theatres production of Legally Blonde. With a book by Heather Hach, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin this snappy lively show is fun from the beginning. And all of this begins with Marc Robin. From his flawless casting to direction to choreography this show is everything you can ask for in musical theatre. This is a great kickoff to the 2012 season.
Based on the 2001 movie which starred Reese Witherspoon it tells the story of party girl/homecoming queen Elle Woods. When her Harvard Law School boyfriend dumps her she decides to follow him to Harvard. This means getting accepted and serious. The movie became a Broadway sensation and went on to win several awards including the 2007 Drama Desk and a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award.
Chelsea Packard shines as Elle. She makes the role her own with a rich voice, adorable smile and highly contagious personality. I have always enjoyed Christine Sherills work especially her comedic timing. This role is no exception. And Summer Naomi Smart jump ropes her way into our hearts as the falsely accused (I have a secret) Brooke Wyndham. Gene Weygandt is the professor you love to hate. Cole Burden has just the right amount of arrogance and David Larsen is sweet as Emmett, the man who finally wins Elle’s heart. One of the funnier moments in the show comes when they are trying to prove that the perfectly poised pool boy is gay. Scott Alan Jones works the audience while the question arises is he gay or European? While the men in the show keep the pace, Legally Blonde really belongs to the women. And least we forget Chico and Nellie who’s short time on the stage as Bruiser and Rufus garnished more ooh and ahs from the audience. I would be remiss if I did not say this ensemble cast works so well together, it reminds us of what it means to be part of a show.
I have always said if I had to pick one theatre to have a subscription to it would be Marriott. And after seeing Legally Blonde you will quickly see why pink will become your favorite color and Marriott one of your favorite theatres.
MARRIOTT THEATRE LINCOLNSHIRE
LEGALLY BLONDE
THROUGH APRIL 1
847-634-0200
The art of viewing art: The Hypocrites, ‘Six Characters’
By Devlyn Camp
On three stages surrounded by swiveling chairs, The Hypocrites, in their newest production, make an overwhelming and energizing attempt at explaining the intellectual creation and staging of a story. To the untrained eye, actors are men and women playing people by learning lines, wearing costumes and mocking physical gestures, but underneath is a mind churning away at executing the difficult art of storytelling (and imagine the effort a writer must put in, needing to understand all of the characters!). The untrained eye may not even completely follow the strand of puns, points, and debates in The Hypocrites’ production of Luigi Pirandello’s 6 Characters in Search of An Author. The non-theatre folk aren’t exactly in the Hypocrite’s demographic anyway, as the audience generally consists of actors off for the evening, those dang theater critics, and regular theatergoers. Viewers of the show are almost in that non-sarcastically, actually enjoyable script text analysis class in college, as the layered storytelling cuts and weaves drama and comedy among two starkly different stories almost seamlessly.
Opening on a late-starting put-in rehearsal for the touring cast of The Hypocrites’ recent production of Pirates of Penzance, delightful Laura McKenzie jabs at mockable annoying qualities in actors, playing a fictional version of her self. The “late start” to the rehearsal is rather believable. For a moment the audience flutters through their programs thinking they may have come to an open – and hilarious – rehearsal. During this rehearsal, six developed characters trapped in their own unstaged story intrude, asking the actors to present their play. The people are classic, dramatic horror story-style characters doomed forever in a moment’s tragedy.
The story then follows the 6 retelling their untold story as the Hypocrites try to act it out. While simultaneously engaging the audience in the story, the play also allows the viewer to step back and see it from the outside in: actors playing actors watching people play themselves as characters while trying to play those people’s characters… simultaneously maintaining an actual suspension of disbelief in the audience. The Hyprocrites make a great point for the paradox of theatre: There is a drastic difference between an actor onstage and a person offstage, and an actor’s onstage interpretation of those people as characters. The 6 characters become extremely agitated at the Hyprocrites for retelling their story with word-for-word dialogue and movement, while still relaying a different tone and tale. When a person becomes a character, and their story becomes the play, their actions’ intentions change in every storyteller and actors’ interpretation.
Remember when I said “the untrained eye may not even completely follow…”? The Hyprocrites very successfully execute this intricate and advanced pair intertwined of stories. Where one set of eyes might see a mess of people relaying lines, another set will see frantic and funny, methodically planned points on how to view art.
SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR
The Hypocrites at Chopin Theater
Through March 11
Tickets $28-36, available at the-hypocrites.com
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Steppenwolf’s “Time Stands Still” is Not to Be Missed
Time Stands Still, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.
January 19-May 13, 2012
Tickets $20-$78, student discounts available
Highly Recommended
Time Stands Still is not what you expect; it is much more.
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
I expected this to be a play about the war in Iraq. I was prepared for politics and horror. I supposed I would leave with that self-indulgent feeling that I am supporting and experiencing art that promotes awareness of some injustice (a feeling one character denounces in an ironic diatribe against theatre). I expected this play to be about pictures, the photographs taken by a photojournalist in a war zone.
I was wrong. This play is not about Iraq, and it is not about pictures. These topics are certainly important to the story, but Time Stands Still plunges past them and investigates the heart of any story: the people.
“I live off the suffering of strangers,” admits Sarah (the bold and commanding Sally Murphy, Steppenwolf ensemble member), a photojournalist home from Iraq where she was injured by a roadside bomb. Devoted to her work, she believes she is helping the world by recording and sharing the graphic results of global conflict. The audience is transfixed by vivid descriptions of photos we never see, but we don’t need to see them. Instead, we see how Sarah resolutely refuses to be affected by them, keeping a lens between herself and the world as she fuels her addiction to the drama of war.
The detailed and realistic set of Sarah’s apartment is revealing about her life, and the sound and makeup design were notable, as well. Completing the remarkable and often quite funny cast are Randall Newsome, Kristina Valada-Viars, and Steppenwolf ensemble member Francis Guinan. A writer who also covers perilous situations in the world, Jamie (Newsome) has been Sarah’s significant other for several years, though they never married. His heartbreaking compassion and forgiveness intimately reminded me of my own loved ones, those who take care of me and love me even when I don’t understand how they can.
Their relationship is a comfortable but painful one as they each develop contrasting desires for their lives. Sarah unbelievably wants to return to the Middle East once she recovers, while Jamie has adjusted to a life at home. “I don’t need to dodge bullets to feel alive anymore, watch children die,” he explains, and you can’t blame the man. “I want to watch children grow.”
The writing is extremely articulate and sprinkled generously with witty humor. Little gems of truth are casually delivered, usually by the couple’s friend Mandy. In this role, Valada-Viars pulls off a loveable balance of the simple-minded genius, making us reconsider our judgment of others and offering a relatable viewpoint for most of us in the audience. Mandy alone finds it disturbing that Sarah does not help the people she photographs, but such is the reality of photojournalism: “The camera is there to record things, not change them,” Sarah states without emotion.
This play considers media, art, egos, gender roles, motherhood and most of all, relationships. Playwright David Margulies and Director/Steppenwolf ensemble member Austin Pendleton expertly weave these important themes together without overloading the audience. You will leave this show in discussion, even if you do not stay for Steppenwolf’s free post-show discussion. You will ponder it, consider it, sleep on it, and continue to be affected by it. Time Stands Still offers plenty of tough questions without hard and fast answers, forcing us to face problems that are removed from our daily lives and to ask ourselves: what can any of us actually do about them?
You will reach one conclusion, however. After seeing Time Stands Still, you will have no doubt that this play is important. With this production, Steppenwolf proves that theatre is a social service, one that motivates and challenges its audiences to fully experience life, both the horror as well as the beauty and the joy. “Otherwise,” as Mandy tells us, “what’s the point?”
Steep’s ‘Love and Money’ confronts the big ideas honestly
By Devlyn Camp
“I am a photosynthesist of cash,” states the boss in somewhat of a metaphor, comparing her work to the scientific process that creates energy for plants. Her employee, whose story is told in seven reverse-ordered vignettes, struggles to survive a marriage that aches for a piece of that cash flow. From exposing the twisted demise of his wife in the opening scene, the play takes steps backward in time to reveal the relationship’s deconstruction.
Each scene creates the setting and story based in delightfully awkward British humor. Much like Jennifer Egan’s novel A Visit From the Goon Squad, each character, from the boss to the husband to the wife’s babbling parents (played by quick and funny Jason Michael Linder and Molly Reynolds), shows a piece of the story from their perspective and admits their financial struggles. Those issues subtextually, and sometimes straightforwardly, disclose the problems circulating through their love lives. Scenes play out in Director Robin Witt’s clever blocking, and occasionally lack thereof, which is also smart. Many monologues – and even dialogues – are played standing stationary and out to the audience, leaving a viewer to focus on the wit and point of the words. Playwright Dennis Kelly’s words flesh out morals on top of morals: fixing one’s mistakes, dealing with karma, ethical methods of earning money, et cetera.
While many of the scenes start off funny and almost cute, they all progress to serious matters that anyone who’s ever paid a bill can relate to. The script and actors are genuine and entertaining, obviously understanding the kind of job where little money is made from a lot of passion. While the theme stands on a Sondheim-esque “life sucks” sort of policy, there are honest moments when one can truly believe money can’t hurt them anymore.
The play is obviously about love and money, but moreover, their byproducts. When discussed in a final, absolutely astonishing and candid monologue performed by Julia Siple, everything in life comes down to a person’s choice of valuing flesh and blood or finance. Depending on your own criticism and perspective, Steep allows you to make the choice.
LOVE AND MONEY
Steep Theatre Co.
Through February 25th
Tickets $20-22, available at steeptheatre.com
Molly Reynolds, Jason Michael Linder; photo courtesy Lee Miller
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
Well-played game at Lookingglass, ‘Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting’
By Devlyn Camp
In an effort to do some good, Branch Rickey began to take the necessary steps to integrate Major League Baseball in the early 1940s by creating a plan to sign Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Through the newest Lookingglass production Mr. Rickey Calls A Meeting, a fictional encounter of entertainment and baseball legends is played out. Legends attending in Ed Schmidt’s story include boxer Joe Louis, tap dancing king Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, actor and suspected communist supporter Paul Robeson, and of course Jackie Robinson (who, to the baseball illiterate, was the first black player admitted to the Major League since the 1880s). Also in and out of the meeting, to our comic relief, is Clancy the young bellhop and baseball fan.
In an engaging conversation, Rickey (Larry Neumann, Jr.) explains his plan to the gentlemen in order to create a unanimous agreement to support integrating the league. For Bojangles, this means risking his partial ownership of a Negro National League team. Robeson spends the act trying to understand Rickey’s hidden motivations, while Louis seems to be supportive either way. As the gentlemen argue, Clancy (Kevin Douglas) runs errands for Mr. Rickey, all the while persistently trying to snag autographs from his heroes. Douglas is quick-witted with great timing to match Bojangles actor Ernest Perry, who is purely delightful in his character.
On a half-diamond hotel room set lined by the powder of a baseline, Rickey breaks down the plan of a quiet revolutionless integration. Faithful to the facts, he asks Robinson to actually not fight the forthcoming disagreements, but to have “guts enough not to fight back.” As in many stories of integration, the plan must be executed with the right amount of theatrics in order to save face. It becomes clear that Rickey’s plan is not just altruistic, but self-serving, as black fans of the Yankees will move over to the Dodgers, as well as fans from the Negro National League. Through Clancy’s innocent eyes, as it wasn’t evident before, his heroes have their own demons. Bojangles is a gambler, Louis has anger issues, and Robeson, well, the communist issue comes up often, naturally. The conversation turns out the pros and cons of showmanship and reputation versus making radical change for the better. Money’s worth seems to hold more power than moral worth. As we can see by looking at MLB today, everything turned out to be copacetic.
MR RICKEY CALLS A MEETING
Lookingglass Theatre
Through February 19th, 2012
Tickets $20-$68, available at lookingglasstheatre.org
Kevin Douglas, James Vincent Meredith, Javon Johnson (left to right), photo courtesy Sean Williams
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
‘In the Heights’ tour features big talent and big voices
By Devlyn Camp
Not so far away from the tunes tapped on Broadway, the Washington Heights barrio features it’s own melody. It took years of effort, but finally, the 2008 musical In the Heights breathed Broadway life into the Latin and hip hop scores of the streets, going on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical and, of course, hit the road. In this production, now at the Ford Oriental Theatre, a new cast introduces Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (Music, Lyrics) original story.
Usnavi (Perry Young, in Miranda’s original role) tells the barrio’s story, although the acting is sometimes flat and awkward. He finds a quirky spot in Vanessa’s (Presilah Nuñez) heart though, and one can’t help but root for him. That every-leggy Nuñez is glamorous, powerful, and knows how to drop jaws with a silky solo number. In Vanessa’s effort to find a new home, she falls for Usnavi, who wants to leave his home, too, and head for his home country, the Dominican Republic. The cast also features strong voices in nearly every performer, among a dash of less-than-decent acting. Nina’s (Virginia Cavaliere) milky high notes in her song “Breathe” are even more appreciated when put next to her dull character. It’s difficult to put your finger on it, what’s wrong with the performer. Bad acting is just something one knows when they see it. When an audience member remembers that they’re in an audience watching a play, the dream broken, that’s probably when they’re watching something not click onstage.
Although among the lows, the production has many highs. Sonny (Robert Ramirez), Usnavi’s little cousin, is so smug and adorable. He is the comic relief of most scenes and leads the show’s funny bone along with the gossipy salon women. When the full cast finally comes together in the song “96,000,” there a vocal strength that outshines any flaw one caught earlier in the production. The sound is precise, the lights follow suit, and choreography is so wild it’s difficult to process in words. When the number is over, the audience has to catch their breath too.
Each song and scene is decorated with citizens walking around the barrio in contemporary choreography. The walking movement is altered to match a hip hop sound underscore. (The music, by the way, is a pretty impressive work by Miranda.) As each character focuses on how to find their way home, Abuela Claudia (Christina Aranda) happens to find her success very late in life. The younger generation, who were brought to this town by Claudia’s generation, seeks to leave to find new territory, not recognizing the past’s sacrifice. In a twist for the better, a sense community is recognized and the friends-are-family theme is utilized. While seeming commonplace here in the written text, onstage it is quite a beautiful layout. This street intersection (a gorgeous forced perspective set design by Anna Louizos) is where the insanely talented common people call home. Their everyday problems are supported by the friends on this block, and, as the smart lyric directly states, “When you have a problem, you come home.”
IN THE HEIGHTS
Broadway in Chicago
Through January 15, 2012
Tickets $25-$75, available at BroadwayInChicago.com
Photo courtesy John Daughtry
Contact critic at devlynmc@yahoo.com
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