Author: Colin Douglas
They’ve Got the Beat
Head Over Heels – Kokandy Productions
Whoever would’ve imagined that a new, surprisingly entertaining musical comedy, based upon a lengthy 16th century poem by Sir Philip Sidney, conceived and fashioned into a script by Jeff Whitty, and adapted for the Broadway stage by James Magruder, would evolve into a toe-tapping jukebox musical? With a score adapted from the songs of popular 80’s girl band, The Go-Go’s, this perky show not only feels original but groundbreaking. And, in many ways, it is. The musical follows in the footsteps of other unlikely tune-filled Broadway hits, such as “Spring Awakening” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Debuting in 2015 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the show ran for a month in San Francisco; but its next stop was a dazzling 2018 Broadway production, which just closed this past January.
Read More
The Internet is for Porn
GRINDR the Opera – Pride Films & Plays
The lights gradually dim and out of the hazy darkness steps GRINDR, a glittering, over-the-top personification of the popular hookup app that’s used by thousands of gay men everywhere. Seductively, this bewitching drag performer, bedecked throughout the 85-minute show in a variety of stunning wigs, gowns and heels, sings about the appeal of this iPhone function. A flamboyant narrator, she’s accompanied by two glittering gents (played with panache by Andrew Flynn and Brandon Krisko) who serve as backup. The diva introduces the audience to four very different men, all of whom share varying experiences with this dating app and inspire the stories that are played out in faux operatic style.
Read More
A Touching, Tragic Tale
Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Theo Ubique
First of all be warned: This may not be an entertainment that will appeal to every taste. Audiences who attend this four-time, 2014 Tony Award-winning musical should be comfortable with in-your-face performances, deafening rock music, blinding concert lighting and 95 minutes of adult humor and a brazenly bold backstory. The theatergoer who considers Rodgers & Hammerstein or Lerner & Loewe to be the hallmarks of the American musical probably won’t love a show that’s this garish and loud. However, younger, less conservative audiences, as well as the many devotees of this cult musical, will find everything to love about Theo Ubique’s finale to their first season, now playing in Evanston through July 28.
Read More
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Emma – Lifeline Theatre
In an age when social media has usurped our lives, it’s refreshing to visit a time whern people actually spoke to each other, and with eloquence, too. Like all her novels, Jane Austen’s 1815 novel is a comedy of manners set in Georgian-Regency England. The title character, however, is unlike any of Austen’s other heroines in that Emma is pretty, smart and rich, but also strong-minded, overindulged and rather full of herself. Because a woman’s goal and main occupation at that time focused on landing a good husband, Emma is also unlike her peers. While she fancies herself an accomplished matchmaker for other young women, Emma isn’t particularly interested in marriage herself. As one of the self-entitled, she finds meddling in other people’s lives more fun and fulfilling than minding her own business.
Read More
A Hidden Agenda
Four Places – The Den Theatre
Theatergoers who prefer their dramas as real and affecting as everyday life should run to see this extraordinary production, now in its final performances at the Den Theatre. Joel Drake Johnson’s 80-minute one-act, which plays out in real time, speaks to every member of the audience, particularly those between the ages of 40 and 65 years. Smartly and perceptively directed by Lia Mortensen, a fine actor, herself, this production confirms that this artist’s talents extend both on and off the stage. She’s expertly guided her gifted, four member ensemble to breathe life into these characters, absolutely avoiding any false moves or artificial schmaltz. This, the Den Theatre’s return to producing their own plays and musicals, is a must-see.
Read More
Fishing for Clues
The River – BoHo Theatre
In responding to Jez Butterworth’s play, and attempting to review this production, it becomes increasingly clear that this is a slippery critter to grasp. First of all, a writer won’t want to give away too much about this moody, poetic one-act. There’s the feeling of suspense and mystery here, perhaps even something akin to a ghost story, that shouldn’t be spoiled for future audiences. But then, and here’s the conundrum that there’s not much plot or character development available for the theatergoer to even grab onto. We find ourselves fishing for clues to help explain exactly what is going on in this unnerving psychodrama.
Read More
Our Loved Ones Live On in Memories
If I Forget – Victory Gardens
In the Jewish religion, quite simply put, there is no heaven or hell. The spirit of a loved one who’s passed away remains as long as he’s being remembered by the living. But, asks Joey, the youngest character in this moving drama, what happens when there’s no one left who still remembers them? What if we forget?
Read More
Racism, Homophobia and a Happy Ending
Sweet Texas Reckoning – Artemisia Theatre
The word that keeps coming to mind, while watching Traci Godfrey’s story about a family reunion in Texas, is “cliched.” The hour-and-forty-five minutes spent with these four characters offers glimmers of brilliance but ultimately feels like a special Pride Month movie on the Lifetime Channel. Had this dramedy been written by a playwright who could offer some honest, new insights into what makes people tick, especially in small, conservative towns, it would’ve been a far more honest portrayal. There’s a germ of a good idea here. But, in the hands of Horton Foote, Preston Jones or Tennessee Williams, this story wouldn’t be nearly as banal and stereotyped.
Read More
Time to Get With the Times
The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe – Underscore Theatre
Just as free broadcast television was blamed for the weakening popularity of the motion picture and theatrical industries, the less expensive ticket to the more readily available silent films and early talkies is believed to have been the final blow that killed vaudeville. In former vaudeville venues, already established as entertainment palaces, motion picture projectors were being installed as early as 1910. Lured by more lucrative work, greater salaries, better working conditions, fame and fortune, many vaudevillian performers, such as Al Jolson, W.C. Fields, Fanny Brice and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, began jumping ship and heading off to Hollywood. In less than four years, a half century of vaudeville tradition was wiped out by the motion picture industry.
Read More
Give Them What They Want
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels – BrightSide Theatre
It seems unbelievable that this crackerjack professional theatre company, which only began producing plays and musicals in Naperville, back in 2011, is successfully completing its eighth season of quality entertainment. Over the past seven years, BrightSide has been dynamic. Incredibly, the company has reinvented themselves. They’ve upped their game, nurtured and increased their season ticket base and wisely added a fully-cast children’s production each season. With the new season on the horizon, another new addition to their already busy calendar has been announced: a concert version of another musical, presented with full orchestral accompaniment. This is a theatre that’s always moving and changing, continually learning what works best and growing with the times.
Read MoreRECOMMENDED SITES
