Author: Colin Douglas
Bring on the Girls
La Cage aux Folles – Music Theater Works
The glitz and glamor of summer in St. Tropez, with its sunbathed beaches, and all the sparkle and shine of its nightclubs, features wonderful performances by musical stars in sequins and feathers, backed by a troupe of talented chorines in glitzy drag. And yet, all this magic and majesty almost takes a back seat to the musical’s warmhearted story about an unconventional family who love and support each other through thick and thin. The story of Georges and Albin, their son Jean-Michel and his determination to impress Anne, his bride-to-be, and his future, ultra conservative in-laws, M. Dindon and his mousy wife, Mme. Dindon, is a story that overflows with love, caring and devotion. All the rest is sweet la glace on un gateau.
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It Begins in Darkness
Passage – Remy Bumppo
Like a tunnel or long hallway, Christopher Chen’s 2018 one-act drama is a walk down a dark “Passage.” It begins in darkness and ends in the light, but along the way the journey is filled with shadowy uncertainty, frightening twists and turns and unexpected surprises with shocking revelations. Without actually dramatizing the book, this is Chen’s homage to E.M. Forster’s novel about colonization, A Passage to India. The play borrows elements of Forster’s plot and character relationships, without being about the British takeover of India. True to Remy Bumppo’s credo, this play is truly “think theatre,” because it fiercely engages the audience and forces each member to examine, explore and ultimately evaluate the drama they’ve just experienced.
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Reuniting After Separation
Once Upon a Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre – Idle Muse
Idle Muse is a true survivor. It’s the little storefront theatre that could. Once again, the company is back again and going strong, thanks to a small army of creative men and women who love creating dramatic art and who believe in its mission. They’re deeply devoted to transporting audiences through the plots of interesting stories, “exploring the relationship between individuals and the worlds they inhabit.” The company’s been around for 16 years, and despite a devastating pandemic that temporarily shut down live entertainment and permanently closed the doors of many theatre venues, Idle Muse is back.
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Lost in Space
Solaris – Griffin Theatre Company
Isolated in outer space, with only your imagination and your two fellow scientists to keep you company and offer you mental stimulation, a person could start hallucinating. As a three-member crew of scientific specialists continue to live and work together on an interstellar research space station, studying and trying to understand the extraterrestrial intelligence on the distant planet they call Solaris, their minds begin to tap into the memories of special people from their past. The planet is covered by an ocean of continually surging and undulating waves of a gel-like liquid. These sweeping streams seem to hypnotize the scientists and ignite physical manifestations within the three astronauts of loved ones who no longer exist. What plays out is a kind of lost in space ghost story that will continue to haunt the audience’s imagination after the curtain falls.
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A Sad Song, But We Sing It Anyway
Hadestown – Broadway in Chicago
In Greek mythology, Orpheus is the world’s greatest poet; here he’s an accomplished composer and lyricist of the kind of songs that make the whole world sing. Eurydice is the all-consuming love of his life, a beautiful young lady he meets by chance. He charms her with his music and by magically turning a crumpled piece of paper into a lovely red flower. This becomes the musical’s symbol of undying love. Then there’s lovely Persephone, a joyful, free spirit, whose beaming smile brings Springtime back to the world whenever she returns from below. You see, Hades, the God of the Underworld, once saw Persephone and fell in love with her. He then brought her down to Hadestown, plunging the world above into eternal Winter. Persephone agreed to marry him if he’d allow her to return to earth for half of the year, where she’d bring flowers, wine, happiness and a new beginning for the world.
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Crowns and Pronouns
The Drag Seed – Hell in a Handbag
David Cerda, the gifted performer, prolific playwright and one of the treasures of Chicago Theatre, is known for mining every ounce of humor from his LGBTQ parodies of well-known TV and film classics. They include dozens of original productions, like “The Golden Girls” and “The Poseidon Adventure.” This time around, Chicago’s Countess of Camp brings back one of his most popular, vintage productions. Loosely adapted from the film classic,“The Bad Seed,” this is a gay version of the famous, b&w psychological horror-thriller film from the 1950’s. It tells the story of a seemingly perfect little girl who will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get what she wants. But the big news is two-fold. Not only has the play been joyously revived, but following a run at Chicago’s Chopin Theatre, the production is Big Apple bound. The show will transfer, from March 31-April 10, to LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club, in New York City!
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A Happy Meal of Spicy Adult Humor
Don’t Dress for Dinner – BrightSide Theatre
Frantic running, doors slamming, horny men and hot women popping up in compromising costumes, positions and situations—this is the essence of French playwright Marc Camoletti’s hilarious and superbly-directed farce, now playing at BrightSide Theatre in Naperville. A 2012 comedy Broadway hit, written in 1987 as a sequel to his signature play, “Boeing-Boeing,” this farce continues the convoluted sexual escapades between Bernard, his wife Jacqueline and their best friend Robert.
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What It Means to Be Human
Come From Away – Broadway in Chicago
I want to sign up to Kiss the Cod so I can become an Islander! This won’t sound strange once you’ve seen this extraordinary, exhilarating and life-affirming musical, now playing for only two weeks in Chicago. First of all, this musical is not, as many have labeled it, about the 9/11 tragedy. It’s a transforming, uplifting, brilliantly written and performed show that’s inspired by the appalling events of that day. But “Come From Away” is a truly cathartic experience about the triumph of humanity over hatred. It’s an exhilarating, joyful, sometimes funny and often heartbreaking story that celebrates the goodness that lives within each of us. It shows what happens when people put aside their fears, prejudices and hostility to embrace what it means to be human.
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The Ultimate Renaissance Man
The Notebooks of Leonardo daVinci – Goodman Theatre
Anyone familiar with Leonardo da Vinci, knows that he possessed an insatiable curiosity and a limitless mind. He was a genius who pursued a never-ending quest for knowledge in a variety of interests, although he’s primarily remembered as one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. His voracious search for an understanding of everything spanned a lifetime—from 1452 to his death in 1519. During this time, Leonardo became known as a celebrated painter, sculptor, draftsman, engineer, architect, scientist, theorist and inventor.
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Another Helping of Fantasy and Fun
Teatro Zinzanni
Once again, the guests are arriving on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel, there to be greeted by a gathering of grinning faces, all of whom are there to happily guide your theatrical experience. If you’ve ever been on a cruise ship or the Renaissance Faire, you’ll have an idea of what awaits you. At the far end of the theatre lobby there’s a huge bar, where all manner of beverages await you. Then, with a fanfare, the enormous company of waitstaff announce that the 300+ seat European cabaret Spiegeltent (mirror tent) is open again, after closing for the pandemic, and ready for your entertainment and dining pleasure. And with that, you’re off and running for three hours of nonstop munching, merriment and mayhem.
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