Deathtrap at the Drury Lane Theater – July 7th

Ira Levin wrote this play in 1978 and it has been performed continuously since.  It’s a comedy-mystery about play writers – a lovely way to laze away a hot afternoon with sister-in-law, Norah. Best of all was the location – Drury Lane Theater in Oak Book Terrace.  This hotel, cum conference center, cum 900 seat theater is a monument to all the kitsch of the 80’s.  Think the TV show Dallas. We enjoyed the play.  It was all good fun.   

The Apotheosis of Tap Dance

I fell in love with tap dance watching the last of the Fred Astaire dance movies(Funny Face, Daddy Long Legs, Silk Stockings), which led me back to the glory days of Fred Astaire movies and dance.  Then there are the movies of Gene Kelly (more modern dance than tap, but he could tap with the best), and Donald O’Connor.  When 42nd Street was revived, I was there to see all the tapping; same with Chorus Line. 

In Chicago we are privileged to have one of the best tap dance organizations in the world (Tap is a uniquely U.S. dance form and so the very best are here.), The Human Rhythm Project.  They awe us annually with two weeks of dance performance in the summer, culminating with evenings that bring together the best of the best.  My friend, Linda Sugarman and I snagged tickets for last night.  Four soloists, followed by 40 minutes of ensemble and solo tap to the jazz of Coltrane.  It’s a stretch when you think of the mellow saxophone and the brittle percussion of tap, but when you see the tap rhythm juxtaposed with jazz, there is magic.

It is impossible to describe what happened on the stage.  One, I don’t know dance and can’t explain the moves.  Two, tap is percussive, so the sound in the theater is the experience.  But here is a video that is much like the work we experienced – Jumaane Taylor’s Supreme Love.  Something to watch for:  when the ensemble is dancing at the beginning, their steps are the same.  In the ensemble segment at the end, the rhythm is the same, but all of their steps are different.  Just like a band of instruments.  We are still walking around in awe.

Click here to watch the dancing.  We saw this on a much larger stage, which was more impressive.

"The Book of Mormon" by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

I loved it!  Rude, crude, satirical, irreverent and ultimately sweet, almost with a moral to the story. The casting was excellent.  Cody Jamison Strand steals the show as the anti-hero in the mode of early John Belushi sweetness with a sadistic twist.  Singing and dancing were fun – and seemed to never stop.  
Best of all were the two ads in the program from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints proclaiming, “The book is always better”, featuring a lovely young woman of uncertain ancestry, and “You’ve seen the play…now read the book,” featuring a man of African ancestry.   A sign of maturity is the ability to poke a bit of fun at yourself.  And, the Mormons appear to be able to do just that.

Storm Large and Le Bonheur, The Crazy Arc of Love, Wednesday, June 22

The Grant Park Symphony has wonderful concerts at Millennium Park.  Usually about a hour in length at 6:30 pm, they attract flocks of workers from downtown to the park for picnic dinner and entertainment.  We were kindly invited to join friends who have real seats (about half the seats are free and the lawn in huge) and live on Randolph St., directly across from the park.

Weather, ominous, predictions of rain.  Result, not so many folks there.  We picniced in our friends apartment to spare ourselves the wet grass and scooted over to enjoy Storm Large. Her real name, so she says.  This lady does have a large and wonderful voice.  She fronted for Pink Martini for several years and is now on her own, doing all sorts of interesting things, like appearing with symphonies.  Best number of the night, hands down, was her symphonic version of Steven Tyler's "Dream On".  She rocked!  Interesting side bet of the evening, "Would Storm fall out of her dress?"  The one in the photo is what she wore.  She remained intact.

And, as we were boarding the 151 bus to take us home, the skies opened and it rained for hours.

"A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara (Doubleday, 2015)

Clocking in at 720 pages, this is not a read for the faint of heart.  But it is so worth the journey.  The story is one of friendship, love, family, child abuse, molestation, despair and no redemption.  The writing is excellent.  Unlike 2014’s long book, The Goldfinch by Diana Tartt, which I found long and often uninteresting, A Little Life is like a sturdy raft on a smooth stream – the length slips by like water.  

I gained insights into the loss of “self” that results from child abuse, especially sexual abuse. While reading the book, I had conversations with a friend who was severely abused and she confirmed what the book reveals – the development of two levels of existence in the adult survivor.  Highly recommended, but not for the beach.  

An Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse Songbook

Produced by Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater

Who doesn’t remember these songs:  “On a Wonderful Day Like Today,” “The Candy Man”, “Pure Imagination,” “Goldfinger” “Once in a Lifetime” – the list goes on through 20 songs in 70 minutes.  Theo Ubique presents these wonderful cabaret productions each summer, featuring strong local talent. 

The staging was unique – mime-ish, with tattered steam-punk costumes.  I enjoyed it and thought it suited the songs, but DBH and Norah felt it detracted from the evening.  Best of all was the pianist, Jeremy Ramey, who made an upright seem like an orchestra. 

Dinner was at the Heartland Café, a block north of the theater.  It is one of the original vegetarian restaurants in the area and continues to provide healthy, hearty food.  Cod fish cakes topped by poached egg.  Just like my mother used to make for Catholic Friday meals. 

Score:  musically a Prince, less royal for the staging.  

Physical Fest Chicago 2016

Per my friend, Wikipedia, “Physical theatre is a genre of theatrical performance that pursues storytelling through primarily physical means. Several performance traditions all describe themselves as "physical theatre", but the unifying aspect is a reliance on physical motion of the performers rather than or combined with speech to convey the story. In basic sense, you talk through hand gestures, body language, use of objects and many more physical features."  Mimes, sure, but so much more – puppets, masks, dance, sound effects – components that take “suspension of disbelief” to another sphere. 

Last year, my sister-in-law, Norah, and I stumbled on one night of Physical Fest 2015 and were swept away by two performances:  a one-man show “A Little Business at the Big Top” that recreates the world of circus and “Popol is Gone,” described as "a journey through madness, revolution and solitude" that is conveyed as a dialogue with the audience.  We vowed to return.

And we did, with Festival passes (not quite like Taste of Chicago or Lollapalooza passes), and dragged DBH along, though he did not much protest.  This year we attended all five productions – and wished we could have attended the workshops.  Here’s the lineup with our feedback.

Hominus Brasilis

Hominus Brasilis by Cia Manual (Brazil).  6o minutes of non-stop movement and a few words (mostly jibberish) that told the story of Brazil from the creation of the world to Zika virus and the Olympics.  You see the size of the “stage” in the photo.  And the movement rarely stopped on this lily pad for performance.  Magical, definitely a Prince.

Laura Simms

How to Find Romania, written and performed by Laura Simms.  Simms is a storyteller, and a substitute in this lineup.  You would not normally put a verbal performer into this festival.  She’s good, sometimes really good.  But, her performance is too long, with sections that could have been easily edited out.  Score:  Toad

The Bag Lady

The Bag Lady by Malgosia Szkandera, a Spanish artist of Polish descent.  Magic with plastic bags, mostly the common white grocery kind.  Such amazing physical control of her body to provide movement for her tiny puppets. What imagination! Definitely a Prince.

Sad Songs for Bad People by Rough House Puppet Theater (Chicago).  Puppets again, mostly with dark themes and, unfortunately, dark lighting.  Instead of regular spots, they used #10 cans on poles wired for lighting.  One sequence featured “black light”, but everything was so dim you could not follow the action.  Understandably they are attempting to create an atmosphere of amateurism, but they must be a bit more appreciative of the needs of the audience to accomplish this reverse of technique.  Some of the sequences were stunning, so very sad.  Score:  Very dark Prince

Sad Songs for Bad People

Hold Onto Your Butts by Recent Cutbacks (New York).  This rocked the house.  If you have seen Return to Jurassic Park, picture the whole story told by two men and a Foley (sound effects) artist.  Raunchy, punchy, over-the-top athletic with amazing sound-effects and sight-gags.  I want to see it again and again… Score: Prince.

You can actually share a bit of their wild and crazy show on this video promo.

“Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure” by Kevin Douglas, Lookingglass Theater Company

This won’t be a rant about brand being a promise of quality – especially since we attended a preview performance.  Thaddeus and Slocum, as we saw it, is not up to the quality of a Lookingglass production.  This is Kevin Douglas’s first full length play.

The subject matter is difficult:  an interracial Vaudeville (black/white) duo in which the “negro” wears black face because an interracial act would not be booked in either black or white theaters at the turn of the century.  (Probably would not have been booked in most of the U.S. until into the second half of the 20th century.)  So, right away you have a social/moral conundrum, interspersed with a love story, and Vaudeville acts.  Lookingglass is known for their outstanding physical theater – precise dancing, gymnastics, incredible staging – this in no way measured up. And the story is poorly written, not compelling.
Score: Toad

"Sender" by Ike Holter, a Red Orchid Theatre production

Oh to be 35 again – and experiencing Chicago theater for the first time.  Sender, by Chicago playwright Ike Holter, would have sent me to the moon.  This play is well crafted; the acting is excellent; the direction sharp and coherent; the stage and the theater small and gritty. 

But, it’s 30 years later and we’ve been there, done that.  Guess this is part of the price of seniority – not much wows us.  However, this play and Steep’s The Few are the best we have seen this summer.

We saw Holter’s Exit Strategy last summer at the Jackalope Theater.  It dealt with Chicago teachers facing the closing of their high school – a reality in the Chicago Public School District.  It, too, was well written, but Sender shows growth and maturity - also a better troop of actors. 

Interesting that both Sender and The Few begin with the surprise appearance of the male central character who has disappeared for one and four years.  Did the authors attend the same workshop?  It is an interesting device for introducing all sorts of mayhem. 

There is an extended sequence in this play where the two male characters, one the returnee and the other the bereft best friend, rebond.  The language and action seemed so real and true (lots of beer involved, of course) that I asked DBH after the performance how, as a man, he felt about the scene.  He confirmed my reaction. 

Like The Few, Sender deals with characters living on the fringe - in this case, artsy, marginally employed millennials.  One works at Groupon.  Ever read their offer descriptions?  Groupon prides itself on employing Chicago artsy folks, especially actors who need day jobs.  They are given license in writing up offers, often resulting in unintelligible jargon probably fun and funny to their cronies.  They make good grist for the playwright.
Score:  Prince

“Mary Page Marlow” by Tracy Letts - Steppenwolf Theater

The six Mary Todd Marlowe actresses

Tracy Letts is a remarkable playwright – and a remarkable actor.  I’ve not seen all of his plays, but “Killer Joe” and “August Osage County” are memorable.  And his turn on “Homeland” as the nefarious Senator turned CIA Director Lockhart was evil fun.
 
So where did this loving, tender story of an unremarkable woman come from?  It’s told in 90 minutes of vignettes from the life of MPM.  Played by six actresses, with no attempt at physical cohesion, and a large supporting cast, you see MPM from birth through life-accepting senior. What you experience is a woman who grows and learns and makes poor choices, pays the price and moves on.  You want more.  You want a cherry on the top, or a large reveal – and there is none.  

The Chicago Tribune reviewer, Chris Jones, gave it four stars.  And one of his reasons is that the six actresses each have the opportunity to hit it out of the park in their turn on stage – and he’s correct, they do.  But, I was left wanting more.  That’s not a bad thing, and usually indicates that the playwright is crafting a good tale, but it left me undernourished.  

Score:  Toad

The $500 Cup of Coffee: A Lifestyle Approach to Financial Independence by Steven Lome and David Kramer

I loved this little ebook.  Written by a man I met at BEA, Steve Lome.  I offered to talk with him about PR - so I had to read the book to be of any help - and loved it.  It is well researched, well-written and well-organized.  It reminds me of the self-help financial books the Wall Street Journal published, but this one is fun to read.

OK, so there was lots of information in this book that I already know - and am too old to put into practice.  I'll be long dead before saving $100 a month with compound interest from wise investments is going to help fund my retirement.  I did learn about robo-investing and will look into that. But for Millennials, for high school and college grads, for folks leaving the military - this book is a financial bible.  And, it does not tell you "what to do".  It explains all of the financial options so you can make wise decisions.  It is no "get rich quick" lecture.  It is more the tortoise than the hare, but it contains the keys to financial security - at least in the world as we know it today.  

The Old Filth Trilogy by Jane Gardam

Old Filth (Europa Editions 2006)
The Man in the Wooden Hat (Europa Editions, 2009)
Last Friends (Europa Editions, 2013)

What delightful reads – well written, humorous and melancholy at the same time.  The trilogy deals with the lives of “raj orphans”, children of British colonials sent back to England for education, and to get them out of the parent’s hair.  Once in England, most attend boarding schools, but in the case of Edward Feathers, the main character, he was too young, so with distant cousins was sent to live with a stingy Welch couple who made life hell for all.  

Tragedies are not dwelt on throughout the trilogy – stiff upper lip and all.  These books respectfully tell how raj children made their adolescent lives in England, their careers back in the colonies and their retirements in England.  Abandonment is a big theme.  Edward Feathers’s nickname, Old Filth” is an acronym for “Failed in London, try Hong Kong”.  Once educated, the raj children were more successful returning to the colonies than in England, where they lacked social continuity.  

Highly recommended for the tight, yet easy writing and the "new-to-me" information about yet another aspect of British colonial life.  Good stories, too.

"Johanna Faustus" at The Hypocrites

Seldom do I urge the playwright and director to make a production longer, but this time I wrote to Sean Graney, director and co-author, suggesting that he slow it down.  The production was crammed into an hour.  Lines spoken so fast, they were unintelligible.  Funny bits lost because the actors stepped on lines and did not allow the audience to absorb the jokes.  

And, the plot was rendered unintelligible as well.  Was it really Marlowe's Dr. Faustus or just parts of the plot woven into a new take on the validity of religion?  Overall, it felt like we were being exposed to the first version of a new work with many changes to come - at least I hope they come before they perform it again.  Graney is known for his new takes on old plays.  Ed and I have been twice to enjoy the 10 hour "All Our Tragic", based on the remaining 18 Greek plays.  Loved it both times.  Score:  Toad

P.S. - Sean replied, "I hated the production".

Scary Fairy Tales with a Russian Twist

There Once Lived A Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby:  Scary Fairy Tales by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (Penguin, 2009)

Why couldn’t I put this book down?  Same reason Grimm’s Fairy Tales still captivate us – how awful can it become for these victims?  I must continue to read to see the macabre outcome.  

To add spice, these tales come from Russia, so are tinged with Slavic pessimism, deep, dark woods, snow covered steppes and hangovers of Soviet deprivation and nihilism.  Yum.  These are not scary fairy tales for children.  These are adult to their anguished soul.  Read one a night and enjoy Petrushenskaya’s craftsmanship.  

"Guards at the Taj" wins Obie - hands down.

On a delightful trip to Los Angeles in November, 2015 - Friday the 13th to be exact, we saw Rajiv Joseph's latest play, "Guards at the Taj" at the Geffen Theater in Westwood.  We love his previous plays, especially "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo".  "Guards" carried a warning not to reveal the ending.  That's because few would want to experience the end of this play. Likely I did not review it because I was still stunned.  

Featured are two guards who must stand rigid at the entrance to the soon to be completed Taj Mahal.  A wall separates them from the glorious mosque.  No one is allowed to see the work inside.  Life is boring and routine - the first act like a "Bob and Ray" radio comedy.  But slyly, the plot reveals itself as the  character of Shah Jahan, commissioner of the Taj Mahal, and the nature of life in an absolutist political system, is revealed in the guards' exchanges.  

Seems the architect, Ustad Isa, asked the Shah if the 20,000 workers could tour their completed masterpiece.  Rather than responding with benevolence, the Shah demands that the hands of the 20,000 workers and the architect be cut off so that nothing as beautiful as the Taj could ever be constructed again.  (Note to reader:  this is fiction, not fact.)  

Act II opens with the stage, now a pool several inches deep of blood and the two guards, who have been put in charge of the hand-ectomies, nearly out of their minds at the horror of their work.  Ultimately, one guard must cut off the hands of the other - and you see this (actually very well staged) in gory detail.  

So now you know "the rest of the story".  We left the theater feeling like we had been sucker-punched.  But it was good theater.  And it does deserve the Obie. 

Score:  Bloody Prince

"The Secretaries" and "The Few" - Toad Kissing in Chicago

We're toad-kissing again in Chicago. There is so much live theater produced in Chicago, it’s like diving into a chocolate sundae.  But, though worthy, not all of these plays are princes, and DBH and I will spend lots of time kissing toads throughout the summer.  I’ll keep you apprised of our adventures.

First up, The Few at Steep Theater. These are the folks who produce edgy, small plays that make you think.  Sort of like Steppenwolf Theater before they because such a money machine. Written by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Brad Akin, starring Peter Moore, Dana Black (looking and acting like former Steppenwolf star, Laurie Metcalf, just a bit more zaftig) and Travis Coe.  
Synopsis from the website: “Four years ago, Bryan walked away from his life, his lover, and his labor of love: a newspaper for long haul truck drivers. Now he’s back, without any answers and looking to finish what he couldn’t on the road. In the middle of nowhere, at the edge of the millennium, The Few pulls together the pieces of lives filled with loss.”

A newspaper for long haul truck drivers…really?  Yup, Bryan was a driver who saw and experienced the loneliness of the long-distance trucker and wrote about it.  Without him for four years, the paper has become pages of “seeking” ads, placed by truckers and for truckers. These play from the phone answering machine at poignant moments throughout the play. There are lots of small sub-plots artfully woven into the 90 minutes.  Overall a well-crafted, well-performed production.  Hunter won a MacArthur Fellows Genius Grant in 2014.  Good investment of their money – ours too.  Score:  Prince

Today, we grabbed last minute tickets to see The Secretaries produced by About Face Theater, a LGBTQA group.  Description from their website, “The Secretaries chronicles the initiation of Patty Johnson as she lands the job of her dreams at the Cooney Lumber Mill in Big Bone, Oregon. But those dreams turn into bloody nightmares when she discovers that her coworkers are chainsaw-wielding lumberjack killers!  Amidst the campy carnage, this feminist satire skewers female stereotypes of the 80s and 90s while hilariously subverting sexist ideas of femininity. And while it was written more than two decades ago, The Secretaries remains startlingly fresh with regard to how little has changed in the last 20 years.”

The Secretaries reminded me a bit of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom which Ed and I saw in a dicey area of New York City about 1985.  Today, we went to the Sunday matinee – you need to be slightly more than high to really enjoy The Secretaries.  But it did have its moments, including the tyrannical office manager, Kelli Simpkins, who is a ringer for Tilda Swinton, the ingénue, played by Erin Barlow, one of our favorites at The Hippocrates Theater ensemble. Best of all, it brought back floods of memories of my first job in the Trust Department of Lake Shore Bank, 601 N Michigan Avenue.  Where are they now:  The office manager, Evelyn Nerdowitz, the vault teller, Bonita Dufik, the secretary to the EVP of the Trust Department, Susan Schultz, the bookkeeper, Josie Mancuso?  These women formed me in ways no college ever did.  But, score for the play:  Toad.  

And They All Fall Down – The Rogue Theatre knocks it out of the park in Tucson

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder is a U.S. literary classic, read by most of us in high school. It’s a simple book about five Peruvians falling to their deaths when a rope bridge across a chasm breaks in 1714.  

Pepita, Doña Maria, Esteban, Uncle Pio and Don Jamie - at the brink of death

But it not so simple when you examine the beautiful details of their intertwined lives in Colonial Peru.  The five victim are Don Jamie, child of the Perichole, an actress with dreams of gentility; Uncle Pio, mentor of the Perichole and now assuming that role with her child; Marquessa Dona Maria, heartbroken mother and nascent literary genius with her companion, Pepita; and Esteban, bereft survivor of his identical twin, lost to gangrene.  A local Franciscan, Brother Juniper, seeks to prove that these five died because God deemed them valueless sinners.  His research, the premise of the book, illustrates the value of all who died and therefore the capriciousness of God.  Brother Juniper and his book are burned by the Church.

This production, adapted from the book by Rogue Managing and Artistic Director Cynthia Meier and directed by Joseph McGrath, Artistic Director, is a tour de force.  Like most book adaptations for the stage, it is long on narrative.  The spoken dialogue and much of the narrative are taken directly from the book.  But it is in the staging that this production shines.  The ensemble is large, 11 cast members, two playing dual roles.  Most are on the stage simultaneously, with lighting directing the action flow.  The stage is stark, focused on the broken arc of the bridge at center stage.  For me, the most memorable scenes are those of the “soon to be dead” as they complete their stories and mount the bridge until all five are there.  Dramatic staging at its best.

All actors were special in their roles.  Kathryn Kellner Brown as the Marquesa Doña Maria was stunning.

Gabriella De Brequet as Pepita and Kathryn Kellner Brown as the Marquesa Doña Maria

This adaptation is the first sanctioned by the estate of Thornton Wilder.  It will likely become a classic of community and school theater like “Our Town”.  Kudos to The Rogue and may they bask in ongoing royalty revenue.

Fall Theater Season in Tucson 2015

Winding Road Theater Company
Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw, adapted by Toni Press-Coffman
directed by Susan Arnold, featuring MAC-Award Winner Lucille Petty
Our first Saint Joan, and admirably performed by Winding Road, especially Lucille Petty, who seemed the embodiment of a slight, middle-class French girl.  Shaw’s plays are usually long, so Press-Coffman’s shortened adaptation was appreciated.

All Hamlet, All the Time.

This Fall, The Rogue produced Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern
Are Dead in rep.  And, the National Theater broadcast live a performance of Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

National Theater:  Saw this production first – most lasting impressions:

• Cumberbatch, lithe as a cat, gliding from floor to tabletop, rooftop to street.  That man moved like a ballet professional.  
• Always impressive, the NT’s staging of the final scenes included the destroyed castle of Elsinore, complete with tons of dirt.  What a job to clean that up after each performance.
• Polonius, always one of my favorites, played by David Calder, seemed shrunken in the role.

That National Theater Live is a great gift to the world from the U.K.

The Rogue

Hamlet by Wm. Shakespeare and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, playing in rep. 

Oh, theatrical joy!  Matt Bowdren played Hamlet.  No, he became Hamlet.  Again, in a micro-theater, you heard Shakespeare’s most quoted lines up close and personal.  The Tucson production was considerably shortened from the NT Live production (almost four hours).  But this was easily the best Shakespeare production by The Rogue – we have seen about five over the years.  

And, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead – pure magic.  Tom Stoppard brought the lunacy of Beckett to the stage existence of minor characters, whose only purpose is to appear several times in Hamlet, and like everyone else, to die.  The pair create word games, bet on coin flips and doze to pass the time between appearances.  When they are “on stage”, you experience that exact scene, with the same actors, that you saw in the performance of Hamlet.  How wonderful to see the plays in tandem.  Patty Gallagher is the more dim-witted Rosencrantz; Ryan Parker Knox is Guildenstern.  They inhabited the roles.  This was the best exploitation of Gallagher’s outstanding physical theater skills ever.  

University of Arizona Repertory Theater
Ooops, we did it again.  Cabaret, starring the U of A theater students.  They nailed it!  Excellent Master of Ceremonies and a Sally who gave her all.  The band appeared to be composed of profs – and they reveled in the swinging music.  

Reckless by Craig Lucas – Interesting, but not great, play with a dark Christmas theme.  Most memorable for split second scene changes.  All parts well-acted, but the ending was a let-down that wrapped things up a bit too neatly.  

How Could Anyone Forget "Moby Dick"? More summer theater in Chicago

Well, I did!  We "experienced" the full Moby at Lookingglass Theater on June 17th.  Lookingglass has become known for productions that combine drama with circus-type athleticism, imaginative staging and solid acting.  But reduce Moby Dick to two and a half hours?  Presenting a book as a drama is difficult enough, but MD is a novel inside of a natural history text.  And they did it very well.  

For me, hearing and seeing the beginning line, "Call me Ishmael", was like meeting an old friend in person.  The coffin was the central icon from the beginning.  The staging included stripping whale blubber off the hoop skirts of "whale ladies", men climbing and swinging from the rigging over 2/3 of the theater, a Greek chorus of New Bedford widows - there was hardly a factor in the plot that went usused.  Thankfully, they did not "waste" hours informing us about the different kinds of whales, my least favorite section of the book.  

Lookingglass is located at the old Water Tower at Pearson and Michigan, so a prime tourist area. Their productions combine the excellence and edginess of the Chicago theater scene with enough "tourist wow" to keep the crowds attending.  Their current production, which we will miss by one day, is Treasure Island, adapted by Mary Zimmerman.  If you plan to be in Chicago, don't miss it.  

Savoring Theater in Chicago, Summer 2015

DBH, his sister, Norah and I gorged on luscious theater this summer in Chicago.  Here’s a rundown on our outings. 

The Drowning Girls 

May 31st – The Drowning Girls at Signal Theater Ensemble.  Turn of the 20th century, three women, all murdered by George Joseph Smith, all in the bathtub.  Water, water everywhere in this innovatively staged one act play.

June 12 – The Birds – Dramatization of Daphne du Maurier’s short story.  Could have been truly frightening, but lacked sustained suspense.

June 26 – Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at The Goodman.  Based somewhat on The Cherry Orchard, the play featured excellent actors working an often banal script.  

June 28 – Bad Jews produced by Theater Wit.  7/8 of this play was tight, funny and featured outstanding performances.  The ending was maudlin and disappointing.  

All Our Tragic

July 4th – All Our Tragic – We celebrated the 4th by seeing for the 2nd time the 12 hour extravaganza produced by The Hypocrites.  Perhaps even better than the first time, we thrilled at revisiting the surviving 32 Greek plays smashed into a slam bang tale of lust, greed, death, spells and laughter.  Significant improvements made to the production, but the ending still a bit shallow. 

A Little Business at the Big Top

July 12 – Physical Theater Festival – Saw a Spanish duo present Popal is Gone and a solo performance by David Gaines of A Little Business at the Big Top.  Amazing theater.  Put this festival on your list for next year.  The performances were first rate and I think we paid $15 for tickets.  

July 26 – Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw – Ok, this is cheat.  I saw this fabulous production courtesy of the National Theater Live, broadcast to the Music Box Theater.  Ralph Fiennes was amazing.  Indira Varma was luscious and smart.  The production was amazing.  Thank you National Theater for bringing exceptional productions to such a large audience.  

August 15 – Brilliant Adventures at the Steep Theater.  Much like we discovered the Hypocrites in 2014, this year our discovery is Steep Theater.  They specialize in new, edgy plays, mostly from the UK.  The ensemble members are "steeped" in the Steppenwolf tradition of trauma in drama, which we love.  Brilliant Adventures is an interesting play about time travel – not great, but the acting was exceptional.  

American Idiot

August 30 – American Idiot produced by The Hypocrites.  A rock musical featuring the songs of Green Day, performed at the Den Theater on Milwaukee Avenue.  It looked like the locals took over the stage, as Milwaukee Avenue is a mash-up of homeless, helpless, hot spots.  Lots of rocking by amazing cast, but the effort lacked a soul.  I have never even heard of Green Day, much less their music.

Sideshow

Sept. 13 – Sideshow – musical at Porchlight Theater.  Story of Siamese twins, Daisy and Violet Hilton who try to make it in show business.  First act like a Disney musical.  Second act like a Sondheim musical.  We love Porchlight, but the first act needs work.

Sept. 27 – Disgraced at The Goodman – Pulitzer Prize winner by Ayad Akhtar.  Everyone has the opportunity to play the race or religion card in this play.  Supposed to be a great conversation starter for theater goers, but we agreed that there is no escaping race as a part of our national gestalt.  What matters is how you behave.

Lucio Silla

Sept. 30 – Chicago Opera Theater – Mozart’s first opera, Lucio Silla.  You can’t beat the Chicago Opera Theater for dramatic, economical staging.  About 20 members of the Apollo Chorus appeared on stage in what can only be described as, “Wear whatever’s comfortable, so long as it’s pants, long sleeved shirt, black, and casual.”  But it fit in with the sparse staging that used lighting to make the drama work.  Four sopranos, two in trouser roles and one tenor.  All magnificent voices.  Glad they are spending money on the right things.  Well, it was early Mozart, cut from six hours to two and a half.  Lots of trilling and repetition.  I enjoyed it as a “period piece”, but was ever so pleased that we did not have to witness all six hours. 

The Cheats

October 2nd – Steep Theater world premiere of Hamish Linklater’s The Cheats.  Intense and unsettling from the first words.  Moral of the play: be careful what you choose to share about your personal dark side.  This ensemble is definitely “Son of Steppenwolf” – complete with a fistfight.  We love it.  Excellent acting and a well-crafted play.  

We're ready to dive into the Tucson theater scene - yes, there really is one.  First up, Saint Joan by Shaw.