An American Musical Classic

The Music Man

Meredith Willson’s very first musical, and his magnum opus, is undeniably one of the best-loved classics of the American musical stage. As one of the most perfectly written of all musicals, it doesn’t simply feature a few main characters backed up by a chorus of nameless, dancing singers who only appear during the big musical numbers. Each and every character in this show is unique individual with his own personality and backstory. And that alone makes this show very special, both as an actor and as a theatergoer.

Sleeping with Beauty

PrideArts is opening the holiday season with a queer pantomime by Tom Whalley, who wrote last year’s pantomime production, Jack Off the Beanstalk. For those unfamiliar with pantomime, it’s a very British form of theater, ordinarily aimed at children, full of songs and stock characters and a lot of audience participation in the form of call and response to the actors. PrideArts reimagines the format, and the story of Sleeping Beauty, for decidedly adult audiences.

Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

The Who’s Tommy

The Who’s Tommy started life in 1969 as a concept album, was made into a 1975 movie, and was turned into a Broadway musical in 1992. It tells the story of young Tommy, traumatized by events in his childhood into near catatonia. The only thing that seems to reach him is a chance encounter with a pinball machine as a teenager. He’s a virtuoso and it changes the course of his life. The Broadway show was written by The Who’s Pete Townsend and co-author Des McAnuff. McAnuff comes to Chicago to direct Goodman’s amazing new production.

A Classic Returns to the Lyric

West Side Story

The Lyric Opera of Chicago is reviving West Side Story, last staged by them in 2019 at the Civic Opera House. I’m going to spoil the rest of the review by simply stating you should definitely get a ticket before the show closes on June 25th.

Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon

Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon

Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon is the story of two Asian American self-styled “renegades.” Bucking the high expectations of their families, they met at a dive bar a week ago and decided to get married. Now they need an equally impromptu honeymoon, starting with knocking over a gas station to get the money for one. Comic hijinks, of course, ensue.

Dance with the Devil

The Crucible

Though it was written to skewer the McCarthy era red scares of 1950s, Arthur Miller’s classic The Crucible is a timeless show. Set in Salem in 1692, the show uses the historical Salem Witch Trials to explore paranoia and suspicion, and the cost of holding to your principles. A group of teenage girls accuse a handful, then eventually hundreds of Salem residents of witchcraft, leading to hundreds of arrests and eventually, almost two dozen executions. Neighbors turn against each other as they begin to grapple with the reality that it may be safer to accuse their neighbor before he can accuse them.

A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

The Importance of Being Earnest

I normally start a review with a brief, spoiler-free synopsis, but I don’t think I can do that this time. If you aren’t already familiar with Oscar Wilde’s classic farce, I think the fun will be in letting it unfold in front of you with no help from me. And whether you are familiar with the show or now, Theatre Above the Law’s new production, directed by TATL Aristic Director Tony Lawry, will be delightful way to spend an evening.

Cry It Out

Jessie and Lina are both new moms and newly moved into adjacent duplexes on Long Island. Their baby monitors extend just far enough to let them meet in their backyards, but not far enough to go into each other’s homes while their babies take a nap. The mix of connection and isolation of being a new mother is the center of Theatre Above the Law’s new play, Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler.

Searching for Forgiveness

Right to Be Forgotten

When Derril Lark was seventeen years old, he made a mistake. Since then, he has done his best to make up for it and be a better person. Ten years later, he has moved on, but the internet has not. His mistake is still the first thing you find when googling his name. He knows what he did was wrong, but doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance? But how can that happen when the worst version of ourselves lives on, trapped in amber for everyone to see?

Once Upon a Time…Later

Grimm – Theatre Above the Law

Theatre Above the Law is bringing back a show it premiered last Halloween season, Grimm. The show features several Grimm fairy tales set inside an imaginary bar with a framing story of Jacob Grimm looking for his missing brother, Wilhelm. A few stories have carried over from the last production and a few new ones have been added. The result was a delightful evening.