Place stamps us more than we realize. It influences the kind of people we encounter and the values we develop. Where we’re from has the power to stoke or stifle how we regard our futures. Even if we grow up veritable nomads, place will still influence the kinds of experiences that define our understanding of …
Despite its eight Academy Awards nominations, a lot of people didn’t really care for the film version of Moulin Rouge starring Nicole Kidman twenty years ago. Those same people would have a very different opinion of the theatrical production now playing at the Nederlander downtown on Randolph. Last year saw the musical winning so many …
Good Night, Oscar, soon to close at the Goodman, feels like something of another age when theater carried the air of grand. The set, the style of acting and the way it presented drama all came together to make an experience that melts indelibly into your memory. The story of an unorthodox TV personality afflicted …
Will we ever completely grasp the power of identity? Works like In Every Generation, now playing at Victory Gardens until May 1st, at least allow us to appreciate how deeply a shared past and lineage can impact our present and define our future. At its beginning, Ali Viterbi’s engrossing drama invites us into the home …
Identity, Discord and Acceptance Give In Every Generation its Power Read More »
August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean just wrapped up at Chicago’s Goodman theater and counts among the most impressive examples of theater excellence seen in years. Under the direction of Chuck Smith with Mac Gay Anderson-Cooper serving as associate director, Wilson spins a fascinating tale of inconceivable strength and vision. Carrying strong whiffs of the …
Gem of the Ocean’s Genius Returns to the Goodman Read More »
According to writer and director Bill Barclay, he was consciously trying to right a wrong when he conceived and created, The Chevalier. The wrong was the near universal ignorance of an exceptional person who failed to receive the historical prominence he deserves due, in large part, to the color of his skin. The Chevalier, Barclay’s …
Adult children venting to their parents about how they were mistreated growing up seems to have become a thing on stage as well as on film. If the outcome of spilling all that angst is as beautiful as the relationship between Tyler and his dad Stephen in Queen of the Night, now playing on Victory …
Windy City Playhouse’s look back on the life and career of Ramon Novarro, a mega star of 1920’s Hollywood who’s best remembered today for the way he died, has its struggles. It can be slow and feel vaguely forced, but the underlying truths it reminds us of hold inescapable resonance and power. Tragedy has that …
One man shows always seem to be such acts of daring. How can one person not just keep the attention of an audience for an hour and a half or more; but captivate it with the unspooling of a story? Ultimately, it’s the story that ignites the audience’s imagination. The actor’s job is to breathe …
There seem to be as many ways to revel in the holiday spirit as there are stars in the cosmos. Millions of people stoke their Christmas cheer by re-watching classics like The Grinch, It’s A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. But Chicago’s performance stages also have plenty of options to help us connect …