Rachel Weinberg - Page 10

Despite the title, Will Eno's THE REALISTIC JONESES, now receiving its Chicago premiere in a co-production between Shattered Globe Theatre and Theater Wit, does not seem to wholly exist in the real world. Though Jack Magaw's tidy set design, Hailey Rakowiecki's quotidian costume designs, and John Kelly's lighting design are all quite realistic, Eno's play dwells in the realm of the absurd. Rather than following any conventional narrative structure, THE REALISTIC JONESES plays out as a series of vignettes between two married couples; both are the Joneses of the title. The elder Joneses, Jennifer and Bob, are long-time residents of the unidentified town near the mountains, while Pony and John are newcomers to the neighborhood.

In DADA WOOF PAPA HOT, now in its Chicago premiere at About Face Theatre, playwright Peter Parnell explores that nagging question of what it means to have it all. The play centers on a gay couple and their circle of friends. Though Alan (Bruch Reed) and Rob (Benjamin Sprunger) have been together for fifteen years, they've been married for a much shorter period of time and must navigate their shifting identities as partners and as parents of their three-year-old daughter, Nicola. (The play's seemingly nonsensical title refers to her first words and attempt at her parents' names.) The characters in DADA WOOF PAPA HOT are clearly well-off, but that doesn't make the ways in which they struggle with the challenges of daily life and parenthood any less human.

Hansol Jung's CARDBOARD PIANO, now in its Chicago premiere at Timeline Theatre Company, centers on historical and contemporary issues in Uganda. Jung's narrative sweeps up much of that nation's recent history of violence, child soldiers, and homophobia into the story of just a few characters inside a church. And CARDBOARD PIANO relays all this alongside lofty themes of forgiveness, the power of religion, and the human need to fix what's broken and right wrongs. While this may sound like a tall order for one play to tackle-and it is-it is Jung's utterly human, multidimensional characters that allow her to find success. Jung also proves a masterful playwright because she knows that the best plays meditate on themes and add more complexity to some of life's biggest questions, without offering up clear answers.

Acclaimed actor Brendan Coyle takes the Goodman stage in Conor McPherson's thoroughly bizarre monologue play ST. NICHOLAS, which combines the innately unsettling and the supernatural. Coyle, known for his work as Mr. Bates in DOWNTON ABBEY (which this critic has admittedly never seen) proves a master at his craft in this production transferred from London's Donmar Warehouse.

Despite the incorporation of modern technology, Allan's iMAGICIAN is purely old-school, family-friendly magic. This makes iMAGICIAN an accessible show for all ages, making it suitable entertainment for families during the holidays.

I left the world premiere of Isaac Gomez's LA RUTA at Steppenwolf Theatre Company with a heavy heart, yet one that was also full as I admired the immense work of the all-female Latinx ensemble. Gomez's necessarily tragic play focuses on Mexican women who live in Ciudad Juarez and have been disappearing along the bus route home from their factory jobs. LA RUTA handles its devastating subject matter with compelling gravitas (Gomez conducted several interviews to bring the play to life). Through his strong and deeply human characters, Gomez gives voice to this ongoing tragedy without ever sliding into a didactic tone.

Danai Gurira's FAMILIAR, now in its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf, offers up a lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny family comedy, even as the play probes questions of identity and assimilation into American culture. Director Danya Taymor's dynamite ensemble builds on the richness of the characters inherent in Gurira's script.

Ike Holter's RIGHTLYND sets into motion the central theme of the tension between political idealism and the realities that come with power in a complicated, often staid political machine.

BoHo Theatre's production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's 110 IN THE SHADE makes the central, fierce, independent female character of Lizzie Curry take center stage. This is particularly true because Neala Barron's expert performance anchors every moment. Barron mines her character for the maximum amount of meaning and layers she can find: she makes us feel Lizzie's strong-willed, intelligent presence while also conveying a deep sense of longing to find a husband and start a family. 110 IN THE SHADE strikes a chord precisely because these two facets of Lizzie's character are not presented as irreconcilable: rather, Lizzie is simultaneously pragmatic and ambitious in her desires. With direction by outgoing Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan and music direction by Ellen Morris, Barron also thrives in each musical number backed by a 3-piece orchestra.

In Timeline Theatre Company's MASTER CLASS, Chicago favorite Janet Ulrich Brooks schools the audience with her commanding performance as famous opera singer Maria Callas.

The touring production of the 2017 Tony Award-winning revival HELLO, DOLLY! has arrived in Chicago with a jubilant, tuneful, and visually pleasing staging. Jerry Zaks's fast-paced production finds every moment of joy and adventure in Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's classic musical. This bright and bold HELLO, DOLLY! offers unapologetic escapist entertainment, but that's precisely what makes the production such a success. At its core, HELLO, DOLLY! was created to supply fun and farce, and that's precisely what's served up.

Here she is, boys. Here she is, world. Here's E. Faye Butler as Mama Rose in GYPSY. Butler commands the Porchlight stage with a presence that's both larger-than-life and also at the same time a deeply revealing character study. To say that Butler's portrayal of Mama Rose is a star turn is almost not enough. Butler seems to live and breathe this role; she does not appear to be acting but rather fully inhabiting this iconic character.

Cue the jazz hands--Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson's PIPPIN has arrived at Mercury Theater's Venus Cabaret in an intimate staging that brings the actors and the audience together. Mercury Artistic Director L. Walter Stearns's interprets this cabaret production of PIPPIN in a literal manner: the show's visual references and presentational style are highly influenced by the 1920s Weimar cabaret in Germany. Thus, the fictional story of Charlemagne's son Pippin does not at all take place in medieval times but rather seems to occupy a moment all its own. Given the eccentricities in the material for PIPPIN itself, this is a fitting choice.

Under Jonathan Berry's direction, Simon Stephens's THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME has found its emotional center at Steppenwolf. Based upon the novel by Mark Haddon, CURIOUS INCIDENT marks the first Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of this season, and this staging brings the show's theme of human connection to the forefront. I saw this play both on Broadway and on tour when it passed through Chicago in 2016, and the more poignant parts of the narrative felt swallowed up by the cavernous venues. In Steppenwolf's comparably smaller Downstairs Theatre, CURIOUS INCIDENT has considerably more emotional heft while also offering up a unique visual and aural landscape.

Victory Gardens Theater's Chicago premiere of Paula Vogel's Tony nominated INDECENT weaves a beautiful narrative about the transcendence of art and human resilience. Director Gary Griffin's staging feels both grandiose and intimate at the same time; the play's action spans a time period from 1906-1950 and travels across continents, but the vignettes contained in Vogel's story are rife with genuine, powerful human emotion. INDECENT was inspired by the true story of the 1923 Broadway debut of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch's God of Vengeance, which had an illicit lesbian romance as one of its main plot points. Vogel's story charts God of Vengeance's journey from the moment Asch first presents the script to his wife through to its first reading and multiple staged productions.

Firebrand Theatre's second season opens with a poignantly fitting musical choice: composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tony Kushner's CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. In the musical from this renowned writing team, protagonist Caroline Thibodeaux, a black woman working as a maid for a white Jewish family in 1963 Lake Charles, Louisiana goes on a powerful journey of self-discovery. Firebrand, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, has made a production choice that fits the company's feminist mission like a glove.

The best way to frame Brett Schneider's solo show COMMUNION: An Evening of Magic, now playing at The Den Theatre, is with the following scenario: Open the book you're currently reading to a random page. Pick a word, any word on the page, and lock it into your mind's eye. Got it? So does Schneider. At least he might if you come to COMMUNION.

TimeLine Theatre Company's season premiere production of A SHAYNA MAIDEL is a beautiful, haunting, and necessary theater experience. Barbara Lebow's play reunites sisters Rose (Bri Sudia) and Lusia (Emily Berman) in 1946 New York City.  Though the play was written in 1984 and takes place in the middle of the last century, A SHAYNA MAIDEL's emotional story of survival cuts deep. As a young girl, Rose was fortunate to escape from Poland to America with her father Mordechai (Charles Stransky) before the beginning of the Holocaust. Due to a an untimely and devastating bout of Scarlet Fever, however, Lusia was forced to remain in Poland with the girls' Mama (Carin Schapiro Silakitis) and did not escape the horrors of the concentration camps. Reunited for the first time in many years, both Rose and Lusia must contend with their own guilty feelings and to rebuild a relationship nearly from scratch.

The touring production of John Doyle's 2016 Tony Award-winning revival THE COLOR PURPLE has landed at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, where it will make hearts both soar and ache with the blaze of emotion it delivers. Doyle, a director best known for his stripped-down productions of American musicals, has applied that minimalist treatment here as well. And it works beautifully. The set only features a few modest risers flanked by a backdrop wall featuring several wooden chairs (Doyle also designed the scenery). When the actors first make their entrances, they bring more of these simple chairs along with them as they invite the audience into the story. This simplicity, also mirrored in Ann Hould-Ward's costumes and Jane Cox's lighting design, brings a profundity to the staging. THE COLOR PURPLE's modest production values never feel like they're skimpy, but rather they lay the foundation for the show's deeply human message.

In the new Elvis musical HEARTBREAK HOTEL, hearts are unfortunately not the only thing that's breaking at the Broadway Playhouse. This show, from MILLION DOLLAR QUARTER co-creator Floyd Mutrux (who also directs), serves up slice-and-dice theater. Watching the musical gave me a feeling of theatrical whiplash, as it rotated between scenes and songs at a confusingly rapid speed. While I was much looking forward to hearing some of Elvis's greatest hits live onstage, Mutrux's book delivers them piecemeal. Most of Elvis's songs are reduced to snippets of roughly 30 seconds or so, which might leave even the most hard-core fans of 'the King' wishing for more.