Author: Colin Douglas
Two Plays in One
The Winter’s Tale – Goodman Theatre
When published in the 1623 First Folio, William Shakespeare’s five-act play was grouped with his comedies. Later, however, this “problem play,” as it’s been called, has been lumped with the Bard’s later romances, along with “Cymbeline,” “Pericles” and “The Tempest.” The problem comes from the perception that the play appears to be two plays in one. The first half, at least in Robert Falls’ adaptation, is so dramatic that it seems like a powerful tragedy. Then, just as the first act comes to a close, and continuing into the second act, we’re suddenly transported to a pastoral setting. Whereas Act I was cold, darkly lit and costumed primarily in black and charcoal gray; Act II is joyful, almost bawdy and filled with confetti and bright colors. Then, lest the theatergoer settles into this orgy Dionysian revelry, the script returns to the darkness for an ending that is both redemptive and as happy as can be expected.
Read More
Golddiggers Afloat
Dames at Sea – Theatre at the Center
Check your cares at the door and settle in for a fast-paced couple of hours of unbridled bliss. This most magically perfect, divinely flashy and old-fashioned of musical comedies, a show that few audiences have even heard of, has set sail in Munster. It’s the perfect show to usher in the Spring. Filled with jubilant songs, energetic choreography and exhilarating, endearing performances, this Valentine to those Busby Berkeley-style musical extravaganzas of the 1930’s is the consummate mindless entertainment that we all could use right now.
Read More
Not Ready for Prime Time
August Rush – Paramount Theatre
There’s no denying that John Doyle is a gifted genius. The Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company in New York City, Doyle has won awards for his productions of beautiful “Passion,” “Carmen Jones” and “The Visit.” He’s primarily known for his much-acclaimed, pared down productions of “Sweeney Todd” and “Company,” where, in addition to acting, singing and dancing, the reduced cast also provided all the musical accompaniment. His latest production, adapted from a popular 2007 film of the same name, is now enjoying a pre-Broadway tryout at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. With mixed results, Doyle has simplified the story and amped up the musical component.
Read More
Cataclysm in a Cottage By the Sea
The Children – Steppenwolf Theatre
Set in a run-down cottage by the sea, somewhere on the eastern coast of England, over and above the soothing sound of waves and seagulls there’s a strong sense of foreboding. The end of the world has begun, thanks to mankind’s selfishness and refusal to face facts. Lucy Kirkwood’s one-act drama, which is laced with dark humor and even an unexpected dance number, deals with the effects of cataclysmic climate change, cancer, nuclear science, morality and self-sacrifice in the face of inescapable doom. In America, the current, bloodsucking Administration is more interested in squeezing profits out of an already wounded planet, rather than trying to control the environmental bleeding, before it’s too late. There’s no concern, as Ms. Kirkwood points out, that we’re leaving a home for our children that portends certain apocalypse.
Read More
Taking a Moment to Breathe
Too Heavy for Your Pocket – TimeLine Theatre
In the early moments of Jireh Breon Holder’s old-fashioned period drama, set in 1961 Nashville, one of the four characters, about whom we come to care deeply, emerges from the darkness to simply spread his arms and breathe. His name is Bowzie and it’s his story that fuels this drama and shapes the path of Holder’s other characters. But in those first few minutes, and several times during the play, the two couples, who are best of friends, simply stop, step out of the story, and deeply inhale. These beautiful moments of solitude offer both the characters and the theatergoer a few seconds to come together for reflection.
Read More
The Most Beautiful Sound I Ever Heard…
West Side Story – Lyric Opera
Back in the 1950’s when newspapers were just beginning to report tragic stories of teenage gangs and turf wars, a new show evolved from these events that would forever change the American Musical. Noteworthy, too, was that this new theatrical form resulted from a collaboration between artistic geniuses Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (score), Jerome Robbins (direction and choreography) and a new kid on the Broadway block named Stephen Sondheim (lyrics).
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet,” the show was originally considered controversial. It was dark and edgy, characters fought and died and it didn’t have the traditional happy ending found in musical comedies of the day.
Razzle Dazzle Redux
Chicago – Broadway in Chicago
For a show that’s been around for almost four decades, Kander & Ebb’s Vaudevillian satire of the American justice system and, more specifically, of criminals emerging as celebrities, shows no signs of running out of steam. Indeed, the 1996 Broadway production (upon which this National Tour is based), sprang from a crowd-pleasing, well-reviewed NYC City Centers Encores! concert version, and set a record in 1997 for earning the most Tony Awards for a Broadway revival. It’s now the #1 Longest Running Musical, and is still playing in New York after over 7,000 performances. Productions of the show have broken attendance records all over the world and each National Tour proves more popular than the one before it.
Read More
Sleuthing the Night Away
The Secret of the Biological Clock – Eclectic Full Contact Theatre
Back in the 1930’s, following the earlier success of his Hardy Boy mystery series, Edward Stratemeyer created a young female sleuth who would become the star of her own string of whodunnits. He named her Nancy Drew. As he did with the Hardy Boys, Stratemeyer wrote the plot outlines and then hired various ghostwriters to flesh out the stories. The Hardy Boy books are credited to the fictional Franklin W. Dixon, while the Nancy Drew novels were published under the pseudonym of Caroline Keene. Nancy is a precocious, independent 16-year-old, greatly influenced by her fictional lawyer father, and an old-fashioned model of the American Girl. Over the years, Nancy’s popularity has never waned, although the character has been continually modernized, bringing the supergirl sleuth into the 21st century.
Read More
Little Foxes
First Love is the Revolution – Steep Theatre
A shy, motherless, teenage boy unexpectedly falls in love with a young, fatherless female fox who has been sent out into the world on her own. This interspecies romance both surprises and fascinates. Rita Kalnejais’ riveting play is unusual, inventive, often funny and unexpectedly violent, quite like nature. One thing is certain: audiences will be hard-pressed to find a more unique and captivating theatrical experience this Spring.
Read More
Murder is in the Air
The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 3 – Hell in a Handbag Productions
They’re ba-a-a-ck! No, not the ghosts and demons from “Poltergeist,” but those mature mistresses of mirth and mayhem from Miami—The Golden Girls. Spring brings another go-round of these wildly popular, elusive “lost episodes,” brought together in a third volume of over-the-top antics and adult humor by Hell in a Handbag. This time the writing credits have been shared by talented actor, David Lipschutz and Artistic Director and Windy City pop icon, David Cerda. There are a couple of new faces among the cast this time around, as well as a new guest director and a fancy new scenic design. But the end result is the same: an entertaining, laugh-your-face-off evening of adult hilarity and high jinks.
Read MoreRECOMMENDED SITES
