Chicago Theatre Review
“Spunk” Fiction
by Devlyn Camp
Court has a little more to offer than spunk tonight. They’ve got fearless voices, smart comedy, and a joyful presentation of life’s common struggles. Perhaps “spunk” really does cover it. Spunk is an adaptation of three short stories by Zora Neale Hurston. The show taps into its soul through musical numbers by Chic Street Man, and illuminates the characters of the Harlem Renaissance writer.
From the top, the “Folks” want their audience in on the fun. A guitarist (Kelvyn Bell, also the music director) enters, nonchalantly asking “How you doin’?” and opens the book to this fun little world. The Folks enter joyfully, narrating their own stories in a charming, comical fashion, painting Hurston’s pages out in animation.
The three short pieces illustrate struggles that are still relevant today. On the worn, wooden set, they tell a story that ultimately has one message: You reap what you sow. Along with being alive, each person must connect with karma and face their pain. Although however true this is, watching these six actors (and a wooden puppet), it hurts so good. The audience is butter in their frying pan, sizzling and melting into the smooth, thick vocals. The catchy bantering of “I’m Too Good Lookin’ For You” between the guitarist and the main narrator, Blues Speak Woman, causes the audience to have trouble hearing the music over the outrageous agreeing laughter. These quick accounts and peppy tunes prove that while there are the weeds of everyday life to pull, we can still enjoy ourselves, and grow into our own little place in the world.
SPUNK
Court Theatre
Now through October 9, 2011
Tickets $10-$50
Available at www.courttheatre.org
Kelvyn Bell and Alexis J. Rogers, photo courtesy Michael Brosilow
“This Is Our Youth” at 773
by Devlyn Camp
Columbia College proves its talent with Liminality Theatre’s production of This Is Our Youth at Stage 773. The entire cast – although only a cast of three – and most of the production staff graduated from the school, and the director himself teaches there. Brian Posen, also the Artistic Director of 773, directs a small play about three twenty-something Manhattan kids. They’re not exactly kids anymore, though, as they must come to face their issues with drug use and family disagreements. Warren (Patrick C. Whalen) is at a crossroads when kicked out of his wealthy father’s home and into the trashy abode of his drug-dealing friend. Dennis (Adam Welsh) is a stoned, stubborn, charge-ahead kind of guy, but only when he feels like it. Welsh enthusiastically sends him on fantastic rants of brilliant insults, ripping through the script with his comedic patter. The dialogue is so real and honest, even including awkward moments of “um” and “ya know”s and also the common “like” about three dozen times. These additions are very honest to how youth speak. The awkward romantic moments between Warren and Jessica (Teagan Walsh-Davis) are less than eloquent and so painfully real, you’ll find yourself thinking “Oh God, I say those things when I hit on a guy. It’s terrible.” It’s delightful.
Youth touches base on topics any down-on-their-luck artist would think about: Will I grow out of who I am? Does any of this really mean anything? As Warren skips around his money problems and drug dealing with Dennis, his comedic relief is brilliant and carries the show through tough issues in his life. He has a few touchy subjects that butt heads with Dennis and his vices to the point when we wonder how his drug “business” becomes less of pleasure and more of a burden. When does a user’s life turn from a nice high to a permanent rock bottom? The best thing to do could be to start over.
As this performance ended, the lights went down and we sat silently, until an old man and his wife in the front row clapped. There must be a message for everyone here.
THIS IS OUR YOUTH
Stage 773
Tickets $15
Just two more shows! September 23, 24 at 7:30 PM
Call 773-327-5252 or visit www.stage773.org
Here's the Thing: Go See "The Kid Thing"
THE KID THING
Chicago Dramatists
Now through October 16th
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Tickets $32, available at www.chicagodramatists.org
The clock is ticking at Chicago Dramatists. For one woman, it’s her maternal clock. For another, time is running out on her extracurricular secrets. At a dinner table for four, these women are catalyzed by the shocking news of their friends’ pregnancy announcement. In most other situations, the announcing couple would be overwhelmed by friends with rapture and party planning, but scene by scene, the relationships between these two lesbian couples are broken down and exposed.
Chicago Dramatists and About Face Theatre are collaborating for the first time to produce “The Kid Thing” by Sarah Gubbins. Even Steppenwolf had a hand in helping bring this story to the stage, proving that it can take a family of theaters
to raise a play. Gubbins is presenting a very specific issue in her play: lesbian couples who struggle with potential motherhood. KID confronts the problems with various adoption and surrogacy methods, which parent should carry the child, and also issues after a child’s birth, such as what each mother should be called. How does having one “mom” and one “mother” reflect on a child’s view of typical parent relationships? Outside of the issues same-sex couples have, the play discusses every woman’s concern with motherhood. Some women would rather live quietly with their partner, others practically hear the ticking clock when they pass by the baby food aisle.
Gubbins’s play is quick and so witty. There are several laugh-out-loud (or lol, as we say now) moments tied to extremely poignant thoughts. In its Chicago setting, it’s great to hear these women jive about the typical liberal lesbian’s addiction to Whole Foods fruits and Trader Joe’s trips. The scene-stealing Darcy (Kelli Simpkins) hits the nail on the head joke after joke. She is cutting, quick, and looks right at home wise-cracking with her friends in her man’s suit.
The Kid Thing exposes the real truth behind all relationships, and has intelligent thoughts to be understood for both straight and gay couples. The idea of perfection in love is foolish idealism. Life has too many curveballs to be able to run so simply. The only method of maintaining something close to perfection is being perfectly clear, openly transparent with a partner. Clarity is essential, and without it, misunderstandings divide a couple. Hoping, expecting, living on a prayer doesn’t create valuable results. Taking action for the tick ticking in your intuition does. But which action is the right one to take?
“Yellowman” at Stage 773
YELLOWMAN
Stage 773
Now through October 9th
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 2 PM
Tickets $15-$25 at www.Stage773.com
or by phone at 773.327.5252 or at the box office
Greene Tree Productions is currently presenting their latest show at the in-transition Stage 773. “Yellowman” is a two person piece with alternating short monologues telling the intertwined stories of Alma and and her boyfriend. Alma is a large, dark-skinned woman who is faced with hateful treatment by lighter-skinned African Americans. She grows up with her friend, later boyfriend, Eugene whose skin is “yellow, like butter.” Their relationship is criticized throughout their youth in South Carolina, until Alma decides to make a change.
Alma is played by Emmy Award-winning actress Deanna K. Reed. She’s the life of the show, with her whimsical giggles and impressions. J. Israel Greene, playing opposite Reed, falls a bit short. During some of his longer monologues, attention seems to be held at bay for Reed to return. Not all blame can be left to him, though. The play, although telling an important story, is told in a dull fashion. The separate, side-by-side perspectives are intriguing, but the tale moves quite slow and lacks much action until the second act. The set is also quite simple, to match the story, although very charming with its glittering glass bottles spread under the wooden platform. Maybe not the most exciting choice for a night out, but “Yellowman” is unique, speaking about a frequently overlooked prejudice, and is, as mentioned before, also very charming.
Stage 773 is unveiling their $1.5 million renovation at their grand opening celebration Sunday, October 16 at 7 PM.
An Inspirational Meeting at American Blues
By Devlyn Camp
Now through October 2nd
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 5 and 8 PM
Sundays at 2:30 PM
Ticket info call (773) 871-3000
or visit americanbluestheater.com
American Blues Theater is jumpstarting their new season with a punching Depression-era one act that speaks volumes for the working class underdog. Clifford Odets’ play Waiting For Lefty is a fictional take on 40-day taxi strike of the mid-30s. Today’s younger generation knows very little about the importance of a strike. In fact, the only recent strike that comes to mind is the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike, during which the biggest problem for many outside the fight meant the delay of a movie or losing a handful of episodes from their television lineup. In our days of reality programming and closer-to-reality sitcoms, our generation’s strike story is only a flickering light next to 1935’s gunfire and mobbing chaos.
Lefty is a one hour union meeting in which the attendees wait for their leader to arrive to take the next steps. In this hour, each person’s story is told before the crowd in a series of vignettes. The focus is on family. How can a father provide? How far can a mother’s morals be pushed to put change in her pocket? How can a woman grow to start her own family? Gwendolyn Whiteside’s performance catalyzes the audience’s emotional understanding of the time as she makes her financially responsible decision whether to leave her fiance while they dance together to her record player. They fantasize in their cute, lovable way about dressing up and being in the glamorous movies. The song ends and the record bumps as she sits to cry in her chair. It thuds along in the silence like a heartbeat. It becomes clear that this is what the stories are about: the heart. What the heart wants romantically and parentally, and what the
heart needs physically to survive.
In a time when real life is far from “just like in the movies,” jobs are lost, families starve, and it seems shaking a fist at God is the only thing one can afford to do. Cheryl Graeff, playing Dr. Benjamin, sends the potential strike into a stir when her job is threatened and her medical skills are overlooked because she is Jewish. Kimberly Senior presents the story in a way of saying that this isn’t just a period piece, it’s a story for today, too. To reach for your rights is human, and everyone should hold up their fist when it becomes necessary. By the end of the act, the American workers don’t have to imagine how to live in the movies because the fight they start will become the stories told on the stage. They didn’t need to wait for Lefty all along. They had the strength among them the entire time. Senior’s presentation is proof that education is at its most powerful when in the theatre.
Alice’s Adventure at City Lit
Alice’s Adventure’s Under Ground
City Lit Theater
By Devlyn Camp
City Lit’s newest production, Christopher Hampton’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, is an episodic play that hints at what imagination looks like when played out in an artist’s mind. From the start, the audience gets a look into the pensive, dramatic and inspired mind of Lewis Carroll, using pieces and parts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. Five actors tell the story as 32 characters, including Carroll himself. Each scene is a snippet of the familiar story working its way through Carroll’s thoughts to his page. Through unexpected entrances and goofy physical gags, every prop and piece of furniture is an inspiration to his story, leaving no teacup or table unscathed.
Although it must be quite easy to be silly in the fantastical scenes, the five actors deliver dramatic and believable stories. They then quickly turn around to the next scene and send off one punch line after another as a completely different character. Lee Wichman, playing the March Hare among other characters, steals his scenes with his quirky, crazy facial expressions and songs of soup. His frequent scene partners Edward Kuffert and Morgan McCabe also keep the comedic ball rolling in their ridiculous voices and zany physical comedy.
The play is directed by Terry McCabe, who has been directing around the city for over 30 years. McCabe sets the stage wonderfully for Carroll’s imagination to piece its story together. Only a one-act piece, there’s plenty of time in a theatre-goer’s schedule to catch this intelligent, funny trip down the rabbit hole.
Tickets are $25 and are available at www.citylit.org
or by calling (773) 293-3682
September 2 – October 9
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM
Sundays at 3:00 PM
and Sep. 29/Oct. 6 at 8:00 PM
Stellar “Sweeney Todd” at Drury Lane
Drury Lane pulls out all the stops with Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Theater, Oakbrook Terrace
Directed by Rachel Rockwell
Runs August 11-October 9, 2011
Tickets $35-$46; Box Office (630) 530-0111
Highly Recommended
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
Whatever your theatergoing plans are for the upcoming months, make sure Drury Lane is your first stop. Their delightfully gruesome Sweeney Todd, expertly directed and choreographed by the accomplished Rachel Rockwell, is the knockout of musicals. Broadway actors Gregg Edelman and Liz McCartney head the solid cast as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett. Edelman has four Tony nominations to his credit, and once he sings it’s easy to see why. McCartney is wildly funny as Lovett, and her unparalleled energy keeps the show rolling smoothly and swiftly to the murderous end.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, this is the dark tale of a deranged barber set on revenge. After fifteen years in exile from a false accusation, Benjamin Barker, now calling himself Sweeney Todd, returns to seek his beautiful wife and daughter. The clever set design (Kevin Depinet) creatively copes with the many changes of scenery, using a large cube that rotates to change settings. The lights are an integral part of the show, projecting images of London, a shipyard, or even blood (avoiding any messy goo) on the reflective backdrop. Jesse Klug’s commendable lighting design adds quite a few creepy effects, including a disturbing asylum of silhouettes through hanging strips of plastic. Only hands emerge to grasp at the sailor Anthony when he visits to rescue Johanna, Sweeney’s daughter.
I will say that despite Edelman’s powerful voice and commanding presence, his Sweeney wasn’t all that scary. He seethed quietly, which didn’t quite sell him as a tortured, vengeful man who slaughters his customers. Kevin Gudahl’s Judge Turpin could have been more evil, as well, instead coming across as somewhat bumbling and naïve. Their duet “Pretty Women” was one of the best songs, though, and overall this show was such a knockout that it is impossible to dwell on these details. George Keating is a stitch as the cooky rival barber Pirelli, and his young helper Toby is played by the charming Jonah Rawitz. Although I am guessing he will soon outgrow such high voiced parts, Rawitz sings the part well and completely won me over.
Sweeney Todd is a lively, fun musical (albeit morbidly so), but Drury Lane pulls out all the stops. The audience shouted with laughter at Sweeney’s barber chair, which actually drops his victims to the pie shop below where they are considered ingredients. McCartney and Edelman enjoy endless puns in the meat pie shop scene with “A Little Priest,” and the cast perfectly balances the humor and darkness. Multi-Jeff Award winner Rachel Rockwell has a knack for creating seamless productions, and between the exceptional cast, designers, and direction, this production stands as one of her best.
Family Devotions: Halcyon’s Hwang Falls Short
Halcyon’s attempt at Hwang falls short of potential
Family Devotions by David Henry Hwang
Halcyon Theater Company at Greenhouse Theater Center
Runs August 11-September 4, 2011
Not Recommended
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
Wrapping up the summer of David Henry Hwang in Chicago is Family Devotions presented by Halcyon Theatre. First was Yellow Face at Silk Road in June and then Chinglish at the Goodman, now headed to Broadway. Yet despite the hype about the three plays as well as my own appreciation of the Tony award-winner’s work, I found Halcyon’s production something of a letdown. This is one of Hwang’s earlier plays, and although a few plot transitions could do with some ironing out, Family Devotions has plenty of wit and important concepts that get lost in the shuffle in this performance.
This dark comedy depicts three generations of a Chinese-American family gathered for a reunion: two elderly sisters, their children, and two teenage grandchildren. The guest of honor is Di-Gou, the great-uncle visiting from communist China. His loyalty to his country and lack of religion causes conflict between him and his sisters, who are devout, even fanatical Christians. Diverse in cultural assimilation, the family members discuss their expectations for one another and their views of what being an American really means. However, focus seems to sidetrack into the smaller moments and I felt that overall this production missed the mark, leaving the story floundering below its potential.
The actors sometimes seemed to be striving for the audience’s attention, even from the moment I walked in– one actress mysteriously “messed around with the space” until two minutes before the show began, which made for awkward, hushed pre-show conversation in the small studio space. Most of the cast comes across as hokey and theatrical, but Di-Gou (Arvin Jalandoon) redeems them somewhat in the depth of his reserved and thoughtful character. Among the largely two-dimensional and ultimately frightening characters, the audience can relate to this bewildered visitor, who truly represents tradition and loyalty. The two elder sisters (Kaori Aoshima and Mia Park) are severe but also funny, although I lost a couple jokes in their accents.
This experience was an off-putting one overall. The set is basic yet poorly designed, mixing indoors and outdoors with a pillar front and center that blocks sight lines. I wasn’t sure what to make of the abrupt ending, which includes torture, speaking in tongues (to my interpretation), and the sudden death of two characters (at least I think they are supposed to be dead). Director Jenn Adams fails to consistently connect the overlying themes, so that the plot shifts disjointedly from lighthearted banter to intense religious zeal. I was puzzled upon entering and I left even more confused. The tickets are affordable for Chicago theater, but unfortunately the quality is not.
The Greenhouse Theater Center is located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago.
Run time is 85 minutes.
Tickets are $18-25 and can be purchased at (773) 404-7336.
Visit HalcyonTheater.org for more information.
t-size: medium;”> at The Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire
Runs July 14-August 14
Box Office (847) 634-0200; $15
Recommended
Classic Disney story is flashy family fun
Review by Darcy Rose Coussens
The best examples of theater for young audiences are those that captivate all audiences. Marriott succeeds in delivering a fun performance for the whole family, including favorite songs and plenty of laughs. This “for young audiences” version of Aladdin provided a wonderful theatrical experience for a range of youngsters.
The portrayal of such beloved characters can be tricky (I’ve had a thing for Aladdin forever, and I revered Jasmine as a young girl) and the actors did a fine job with this Disney musical. Although our Jasmine (Christine Bunuan) and occasionally Aladdin (Jameson Cooper) fell into the cartoon-like fake voices so often used with kids, the cast was great overall. The Genie (Bernie Yvon) especially stood out, bringing a giant gust of energy to an antsy audience upon his arrival, and constantly laughing and joking with the characters and the kids. Iago the parrot and his puppeteer (Debbie Laumand-Blanc) also interacted with the audience, keeping them engaged for the duration of the show.
The young audience members certainly enjoyed the performance, with questions and even a statement after the show: “I love you Jasmine.” Parents enjoyed the performance as well. I even overheard one parent’s remark about the high level of quality “for a children’s show.” It’s great to see theaters respect kids. I’d like to see Marriott tackle something a little less mainstream, since Disney is already so accessible. According to the Q&A session most of the audience had been there before, and hopefully many will return.
Remy Bumppo welcomes Timothy Douglas
In with the new: Remy Bumppo’s new artistic director, new season
7/12/11
By Kaylee Holt
July 1st marked the first day on the job for Remy Bumppo’s new artistic director, Timothy Douglas. Douglas is replacing James Bohnen, the company founder, who announced that he was stepping down in 2009. Douglas has worked as a stage director, actor, and educator at a variety of prestigious theaters, and recently wrapped up a season of directing projects all across the country, including work with Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Studio Theatre Company in D.C. The decision to hire Douglas was unanimous among the theater’s artistic associates, board, and administrative staff. Douglas says that he cares about representing ethnically diverse playwrights, as well as diverse casting. This is evidenced by the theme of his inaugural season: “The American Evolution: from Civil War to Civil Rights to Civil Disobedience.” Douglas will be directing all three plays this season: Eugene O’Neill’s Morning Becomes Electra, Marivaux’s Changes of Heart, and Lee Blessing’s Chesapeake.
Morning Becomes Electra is a tragedy based on The Oresteia, in which a young woman takes a lover and murders her husband, leaving her daughter committed to revenge. Douglas says the revision, set at the end of the Civil War, cuts down on the chorus aspect of the original and fills the story with more action. It opens September 26th.
Changes of Heart, set to open November 28th, is a complex comedy about love between the classes. The play was written in pre-revolutionary France, when class divisions were viewed as much more significant than they are today. As such, Douglas was afraid that the audience might not have the same visceral reaction to what’s happening as audiences in Marivaux’s time. In an attempt to remedy this, Douglas is setting the play in Chicago during the 1960’s and playing up the tensions between the North and South sides in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Still, though, he insists the story isn’t about race: “I just want to do justice to Marivaux’s play.”
Finally is Chesapeake, a one-man comedy about a performance artist who’s had his funding cut; he attempts a dog-napping in a plot to reveal the injustices of funding in the town. “It’s a play about redemption,” says Douglas. He also says some people may be able to relate to the political side of the story, the troubles of getting funding. Chesapeake opens April 2nd.
Tickets for Remy Bumppo’s productions can be purchased at www.remybumppo.org or by calling the Greenhouse Theater Center’s box office at (773) 404-7336.
