Chicago Theatre Review
MJ The Musical
Known to millions as the “King of Pop”, Michael Jackson was and still is one of the most globally known pop stars of the 20th century. Due to his popularity and status as a pop-culture icon, Jackson is often credited with popularizing hip-hop/street style dances into the mainstream, with moves like the robot, anti-gravity leans, and his signature moonwalk, all adding unique elements to his performances. Despite having passed away in 2009, his influence can still be seen in today’s music and his style of choreography has been recreated in a variety of ways by endless artists- with many citing him as a role model or favorite music artist of all time. Jackson is widely regarded as the greatest entertainer of all time due to his talent, stage presence, and lasting impact on the industry.
Read MoreCrazy
Always…Patsy Cline
When theatergoers walk into the Drury Lane Theatre, their jaws will drop. They’ll swear they’ve been magically transported to Nashville’s legendary palace of Country/Western music, the Grand Ole Opry. Thanks to Collette Pollard’s extraordinary, meticulously detailed Scenic Design, the stage, which even houses a smaller stage and a bandstand, seems to stretch beyond the proscenium and out into the audience. That’s also thanks to the Lighting Design by talented Lee Fiskness and the sparkling and dazzling effects he achieves throughout the production. They are nothing less than awesome.
Read MoreThe 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!”
Read MoreBrightSide’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.
Read MoreLiving 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.
Read MoreWhat 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.”
Read MoreSqueamish
Squeamish opens on a lone woman, Sharon, sitting on her therapist’s couch after having abruptly stopped seeing him a few months ago. In crisis, she has found him at his home. She begins to explain where she has been these past few months, and take her doctor and the audience on a journey of loss and addiction and her, let’s call it ‘unorthodox’, way of dealing with them. I won’t say more so I do not spoil the show.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreCerqua Rivera Dance Theatre presents Spring 2025 Concert Series
CRDT debuted their Spring 2025 Concert Series, helmed by co-founder and artistic director Wilfredo Rivera, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts this past weekend. The program included a collection of pieces from past years and a few premieres, featuring work from choreographers Wilfredo Rivera, Shannon Alvis and Michelle Manzanales and composers Joe Cerqua and James Sanders.
The night opened with Lágrimas Negras, which, despite the name (Black Tears) and the song’s history as a 1931 bolero-son by Miguel Matamoros, was an exuberant celebration of Salsa and other Caribbean rhythms. However, the tone of the night was really set a few pieces later, by Less choreographed by Shannon Alvis, composed by Joe Cerqua and danced by Brennen Renteria. A haunting and emotive piece, it was written in 2020 as a reaction to the experience of lockdown. Renteria danced beautifully, expressing the profound loneliness and fear felt by so many in that year. The next stand out was The Island, choreographed by Michell Manzanales, composed by James Sanders and featuring Lilia Ambler Castillo Gomez and Caitlin Clark. It tells the story of an island in Humboldt Park Lagoon that becomes the refuge of two young girls. The principal dancers infused their movements with a childlike energy that was unmistakable, and the piece also showcased what is so unique to CRDT: an earthy, tactile and intimate physicality.
The use of touch and intimacy was continued in Identity City, a piece from 2023, choreographed by Shannon Alvis, composed by Joe Cerqua and collaborated on by Lucas Greeff. Consisting of several short pieces, each one explored gender identity in a unique and lyrical way, while still adhering to the earthy, organic feel of the earlier pieces. Dancer Yui Nakatani had a particularly lovely solo, called Reflection.
The second half of the night included a Paul Simon cover by Joe Cerqua, and an excerpt from a larger piece by co-founder Wilfredo Rivera, American Catracho (2019). The dance was a semi-autobiographical exploration of Rivera’s own journey as a young immigrant. It was a deeply personal piece, reflected in both the continued use of physical intimacy of the dancers and the costumes, plain streetwear that somehow highlighted the emotional struggles of everyday people as they go about their lives, as if we could see the workings of their souls beneath the trappings of the everyday.
The CRDT style was a captivating departure from other dance companies. More theatrical than a modern or experimental company, but more abstract than theater or ballet. There was a live band, and at times, the musicians left the band box to participate in the dances, creating a deeper feeling of connection between the music and the dance. The dancers themselves move with an athleticism and power that they seem to be channeling up from the very earth itself. At moments in The Island I found myself imagining that the company had emerged from some magical wood, moving with an almost primal grace. Overall, the show was an exploration of identity that seemed to highlight the very physical reality of life as a human in a body, with an occasional, incongruous Paul Simon cover. The style is unique and captivating, and worth coming out to see.
Recommended
Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia
To learn more about Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, check out their website www.cerquarivera.org
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.
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