Tristan Bruns — Theater Critic

Be one a fan or a frump, it’s impossible to keep one’s heart from melting at this retelling of a modern classic. “The Notebook” brings the sense of hope and comfort of love that one expects with original additions that expand the experience in all the right ways.

A modern take on a tale of classic rock, “Stereophonic” earns its reputation as a riveting and intense drama, an innovative musical-play hybrid that is rocking the theater world. It’s a production well worth the experience during its limited Chicago engagement.

I haven’t mentioned the story yet because it really doesn’t matter. That sounds cruel, but the show itself is in on the joke and takes delight in ripping Shakespeare to shreds. With the swing of a magic quill pen—a deus ex stylus—the plot shifts like quicksand; yet it gets no more imaginative than Juliet making the same mistake as with Romeo by attempting a quick marriage to Françoise (Mateus Leite Cardoso), who is actually in love with Juliet’s friend May (Nick Drake). In line with the zeitgeist, May expresses gender ambiguity, singing new meaning into “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.”