B-I-N-G-O

We Gotta Bingo – Chicago Theater Works

For an evening of fun and laugh out loud entertainment We Gotta Bingo is a good choice. This interactive (in the vein

The Heat is On in Saigon

Miss Saigon – Jedlicka Performing Arts Center

While Jedlicka Performing Arts Center has been around for quite a while, its 33rd season may be opening with one of

Bathhouse Betty

Bette, LIVE at the Continental Baths – Hell in a Handbag

Back in 1970, a buxom beauty with a halo of blazing red curls and a personality and vocal power to fill a stadium,

Being Bi-Coastal

Boy From Oz – Pride Films and Plays

In PF&P’s biggest, splashiest production to date, Director David Zak and Musical Director Robert Ollis have teamed

A Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

The Judas Kiss – Dead Writers Theatre

David Hare’s 1998 drama is about the relationship, scandal and subsequent betrayal of gay, Irish author/playwright

The Art of Making Art

[title of show] – Brown Paper Box Theatre Company

Plays and musicals that illustrate how art is made aren’t as plentiful as one might expect. Sondheim’s “Sunday in the

Magic to Do

Pippin

There is a quiet moment near the beginning of Stephen Schwartz’s historically-based musical during which

Kokandy Repeats with Another Hit

Loving Repeating – Kokandy Productions

Kokandy Productions has put on a charming production of “Loving Repeating” a musical in which all of the words and lyrics are taken from the works of Gertrude Stein and which is billed as a tribute to the author.

The imaginative and compact set is filled with reproductions of the numerous modern artworks that decorated the author’s Paris home and is built on several levels allowing the actors to transition easily while  the narrator – Gertrude Stein herself (played with wry wit by Caron Buinis) provides running commentary from the highest corner.

Chronicling from Stein’s days as a student near Boston to her later years as a celebrated author in Paris, her prose and poetry cover her struggles with what the narrator describes as two of her primary concerns: love and publication.

Director Allison Hendrix has captured the true essence of this piece calling it “an enthusiastic celebration of life, love and art.”  Music Director Kory Danielson has produced a lovely lyrical accompaniment that is a pleasure to the ear and expertly performed on keyboards, reeds, guitar/banjo/mandolin, and cello.

Amanda Giles is lovely as the fresh-faced younger version of Gertrude; Emily Goldberg’s (as Alice B. Toklas)  standout vocals are a highlight. They are supported by a solid ensemble including Sarah Hayes, Andrew Lund, Jake Morissey, Maisie Rose, Stephanie Stockstill and George Toles.

The performance is staged as a smallish Broadway musical with the exception of  the lyrics which are the work of an author known for her experimentation with language and repetition. This does not always lend itself to songs that are completely pleasing; but the listener must surrender in this case, I think to one of the conundrums of artistic endeavor: sometimes the writer’s need for full self-expression supersedes the reader’s need to fully understand.