Author: Colin Douglas
The New Theatre of the Absurd
You Will Get Sick
After pondering Steppenwolf Theatre’s latest excellent production, the strangely titled YOU WILL GET SICK, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should simply accept what this play really is. Noah Diaz’s curious and unsettling one-act is actually a throwback to a popular theatre movement from the 20th century. Labeled Theatre of the Absurd, this was a dramatic genre that began in the 1950’s and continued through the 1980’s. Plays of this genre haven’t been written or produced very much lately. Until now.
Read MoreLiz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
To Steve With Love
“I’m thrilled to be bringing my Sondheim show to my hometown at long last. I’ve performed TO STEVE WITH LOVE in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Kennedy Center, London, Ireland and Madrid—but somehow, never in Chicago. My New Year’s resolution was to make it happen. And now, to do my show at the gorgeous Studebaker Theater, is a dream come true!”
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BrightSide’s Magic To Do
Pippin
There’s much “Magic to Do” in BrightSide Theatre’s spectacular finale to their current Season. In what may be the finest, most polished production of this professional company’s thirteen years, they’re presenting a truly magical, captivating and heartfelt version of Stephen Schwartz’s beloved 1970’s pop/rock musical. This show was actually the talented composer/lyricist’s Broadway premier. Schwartz then went on to write some of Broadway’s most beloved hits, which include GODSPELL, THE BAKER’S WIFE, WORKING, CHILDREN OF EDEN, the upcoming Broadway premiere of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES and, of course, his universal hit, WICKED.
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Living Life to Its Fullest
Kimberly Akimbo
Are you looking for a musical that’s different from the typical theatre fare? In a world filled with shows that are either jukebox musicals or watered down versions of popular films, KIMBERLY AKIMBO, which is playing in Chicago for just two weeks, is something quite special. The musical is much loved by those who’ve seen it. With music by Jeanine Tesori (FUN HOME, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, SHREK) and a book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, David Lindsay-Abaire (SHREK, RABBIT HOLE, FUDDY MEERS), it’s a unique and highly recommended musical that’s both funny and heartbreaking. When KIMBERLY AKIMBO opened Off-Broadway, it won scores of awards; and when it moved to Broadway a year later, the show earned five Tony Awards, including Best Musical of 2022.
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What Dreams Can Do
42 Balloons
“It was something I had to do. I had this dream for twenty years, and if I hadn’t done it, I think I would’ve ended up in the funny farm.” This is what Larry Walters, a man with a passionate dream and a fiery fascination with flight, told the press following his unbelievable adventure in space. 42 BALLOONS is a high-flying theatrical tribute to anyone with a burning ambition or a flight of fancy. It’s a marvelous musical metaphor about “What Dreams Can Do.”
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A Madcap Historical Comedy
Iraq, But Funny
Welcome to Iraq: the original Cradle of Civilization. This ancient region of Mesopotamia is where it’s believed that urban development, written language and great architecture originated. But Iraq’s modern history didn’t actually begin until after World War I, as the area developed in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The British, who led the takeover of the country—with an emphasis on “take”— had their authority challenged time and time again. But Lookingglass Theatre Ensemble member, actor and playwright Atra Asdou has created a fast-paced, boisterous play called IRAQ, BUT FUNNY, that relates the country’s turbulent history, as told through five generations of her own family. And, for Lookingglass audiences, it’s really a more of a marvelously madcap historical comedy.
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Invaders From Mars
War of the Worlds
In one of the first books to ever depict a conflict between extraterrestrials and the human race, prolific English author H.G. Wells (The Time Machine, The Invisible Man) wrote a science fiction novel that proved so popular that it’s never been out of print. Originally serialized in Victorian periodicals, War of the Worlds was eventually published as a complete novel in 1898. The story, which was set in London and the nearby vicinity, introduced the word “Martians” as the invaders from Mars. But the term didn’t refer simply to beings from the planet Mars but included anything otherworldly or unknown. Wells’ novel went on to inspire an entire genre of fiction about intergalactic invasions and space travel.
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The People’s Princess
Diana
Most likely everyone, at least those of a certain age, remembers the story of Diana, Princess of Wales. Her courtship and tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles, the birth of two sons and a strained relationship with the Queen are well-documented. People are also aware of the Prince’s longtime relationship with a married woman, Camilla Parker Bowles. Then there’s Diana’s attraction to and ultimate affair with handsome equestrian and soldier, James Hewitt. This musical about the People’s Princess, as she was called, is many things. The witty script and songs are frequently funny, sometimes quite touching and often very sad. And, like the musical TITANIC, the audience knows the tragic ending where this story is headed.
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Two Lost Souls
Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues
Pompey and his longtime professional partner Ollie once had a successful Vaudevillian comedy act. Together they toured the country playing every theater on the circuit, telling corny jokes, singing catchy ditties and performing a jaunty soft shoe routines to ragtime. But that was then and this is now—1993, actually. In a cruddy, cluttered apartment on the north side of Chicago we meet Pompey. He’s now in his eighties and haunted by that day, long ago, when he could no longer remember the lines to their comedy routines. It was at that point that Ollie decided that it was time to pull the plug on the act. Now, with Ollie gone, Pompey has the blues, blaming his faulty memory for the demise of their successful career.
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The Cult of Antinous
Scandalous Boy
When the lights come up on Director Benjamin Mills’ production of SCANDALOUS BOY, we find what we at first think is a handsome, totally naked young man assuming a classical pose. He represents the likeness of one of hundreds of marble statues from antiquity of a man named Antinous. He’s known as the beloved sexual companion of Roman Emperor Hadrian, a ruler known particularly for his strong border, called Hadrian’s Wall. Then we realize that the attractive actor isn’t completely naked but simply clad in a flesh-colored dance belt. And, I might add, he wears it rather well.
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