Author: Colin Douglas
We’ll Meet Again
Sentimental Journey – Citadel Theatre
The memory is a wonderful thing. It can be tapped into just by mentioning a name, a place or an event from the past. Even more powerful, smells and fragrances, music and other sounds, can instantly transport us to another time, rekindling fond memories and reminding us of days gone by.
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The Play is the Thing
Hamlet – Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
It’s pretty safe to say that, by the time a student has completed his high school education s(he) is familiar with William Shakespeare’s dramatic masterpiece. This play was the playwright’s most popular work during his own lifetime, and it continues to appeal to audiences today. Most avid theatergoers will have enjoyed several productions of the Bard’s most famous, and longest, play about the melancholy Dane. But, in Artistic Director Barbara Gaines’ stunning, new interpretation of this classic tragedy, two things stand out: a superb cast and an attention to detail.
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Nothin’ But a Good Time
Rock of Ages – Broadway in Chicago
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this new National Tour of the popular 1980’s jukebox musical has roared back into Chicago for a limited, one-week engagement of vintage rock ’n’ roll. The musical shows no sign of slowing down. As always, the show makes no effort to hide the fact that it’s nothing but a good time, a lighthearted a rock concert that features 28 nostalgic classics from the ‘80s, all masquerading as a musical comedy. The production sports big hair, gobs of glitter, yards of spandex, micro-mini skirts, thigh-high boots, acid-washed denim and a whole lotta bare skin. It’s highlighted by loud, over-the-top vocals accompanied by deafening electric guitar, percussion and synthesizer, and lit by blinding, mobile concert lighting, strobe effects and coated with oceans of fog. Boozy beverages are hawked in the lobby and clapping, dancing and singing along is strongly encouraged. It is, in essence, a party with a plot.
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Interrogations Are Us
Language Rooms – Broken Nose Theatre
At a certain CIA detention center, hidden away somewhere in New York, the agents employed there are hired to interrogate detainees. Their goal is to skillfully extract specific information from individuals who are deemed suspect, for one reason or another. At this particular “black site,” Ahmed, a young Muslim employee who, along with his family, immigrated to America from Egypt as a boy, now works for the United States government. His job is to do whatever is necessary to siphon sensitive facts from mostly Middle Easterners who may, or may not, be a threat to national security.
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Let’s Hear It for the Boy
Footloose – Marriott Theatre
In a small, rural town, somewhere outside of Chicago, in the middle of nowhere, strict conservatism has become the way of life. Rock and roll music, public displays of affection, drinking and (gasp!) dancing have all been forbidden by law. The town is ruled over by the uptight minister of Bomont, Reverend Moore. One tragic night, he and his wife, Vi lost their son, along with three other teenagers, in a car accident that followed a night of dancing and drinking. In his grief, Reverend Moore persuaded the town council to pass a law making it illegal to dance in Bomont.
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Sexism in the World of Video Gaming
Non-Player Character – Red Theatre Chicago
Six years ago a controversy erupted in the video gaming world. It stemmed from some shocking incidents of cyberbullying, directed by a handful of spiteful male gamers toward their female counterparts. This harassment campaign was nicknamed hashtag #GamerGate. It was aimed specifically at several quick-witted women working in the video game industry. The incident began when a jealous, dissatisfied gamer accused his smart, talented girlfriend, a promising video game developer, of having an unethical relationship with a journalist.
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One Singular Sensation
A Chorus Line – Porchlight Theatre
Twenty-three hopeful, talented young singer/dancers spill open their hearts and expose their souls before a casting director/choreographer and his assistant, revealing their deepest fears, dreams, ambitions and hidden secrets during a very unusual and personal audition process. Childhood memories are explored, new friendships are forged and a few tears are shed before the final heartbreaking moment when the chorus line is cast. By then the audience has taken an emotional journey in real time with these performers, sharin in all their joys and sorrow. Anyone who’s ever interviewed for job, competed against their peers for something or felt passionately about anything, and then risked everything for that goal, can fully empathize with this multitalented group of singer/dancers.
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What Would You Do to Survive?
Cambodian Rock Band – Victory Gardens
Playwright Lauren Yee first developed this scintillating play at South Coast Repertory. It was part of the Crossroads Initiative, a challenge issued for writers to engage with the diverse communities of Orange County, for the purpose of create new theatrical works that would entertain, educate and inspire. Yee discovered something unique in Cambodian music, particularly their affinity toward American psychedelic surf rock.
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Buyer & Cellar
Malibu Barbie – Pride Films & Plays
Imagine being a struggling gay, young actor in LA trying to find enough work to pay the bills and maybe engage in some artistic fulfillment along the way. Enter Alex More, a former Disneyland employee, and sometime stage actor, who’s offered a very unique opportunity that will satisfy both of his wishes. It seems that a certain musical megastar and international celebrity is looking for someone, with artistic flair and some retail experience, to manage her subterranean Main Street of selective specialty shops.
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A Life-Affirming Sensation
Lottery Day – Goodman Theatre
In Ike Holter’s final chapter of his Rightlynd Saga, the seventh of a series of plays set in contemporary Chicago’ 51st ward, several characters from the playwright’s previous six dramas reunite for a raucous celebration. It’s a big, bawdy bash for many of Mallory’s best friends, held in her tastefully landscaped backyard, one of the last single-family homes in the quickly gentrifying Rightlynd neighborhood. This evening will be a chance for everyone to come together, perhaps for one final time. Mallory has planned an evening of barbecue, booze and boogieing on down; but she also has a secret which will inspire a legendary treasure hunt, along with some soul searching revelations, all for her besties.
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