Displaying items by tag: Buzz News Chicago

Christian Gray and Jim McCance pair up once again for another Jeeves adventure, this time in Margaret Raether’s latest adaption from the stories of P.G. Wodehouse “Jeeves At Sea”. Gray, who was simply tremendous in his last First Folio appearance in “The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe”, this time plays the lovable, but somewhat dim-witted Bertie who has come to rely on the wisdom of his ever faithful manservant Jeeves (McCance), who faithfully provides sound advice never daring to crack the slightest of smiles. Paired to perfection, modestly said, McCance and Gray are nothing less than terrific together.

The play is performed at First Folio Theatre’s home, the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oakbrook, where it doesn’t take much too imagine a “Jeeves” presence to exist.  

The story takes place aboard a yacht that is anchored off the coast of Monte Carlo, which is owned by Lady Stella Vanderlay, to whom Bertie has proposed to on multiple occasions. Miss Minerva Pilbeam is Stella’s paid companion and is secretly doting over Jeeves, while Stella is having too much fun as the object of affection of several suitors to fully commit to a lovesick Bertie. Kate McDermott nails the role of Lady Stella as the roaring 20’s saucy socialite.   

But alas, a mystery has unfolded when Bertie’s best friend Sir Percival Everard Crumpworth (Andrew Behling) confesses that he may have murdered someone while being blind drunk the night before – worse yet, he believes it might have been a visiting German prince. Once German heavy Count Otto von Dietrichstein (Joe Foust) starts sniffing around the yacht in search of Percival, a plan is quickly put into action.

Throughout the mystery, which is fun in itself, many humorous situations arise based on several Three’s Company-like misunderstanding’s where one is caught with another at the wrong moment or something is only partially overheard. Alison C. Vesley’s superb direction along with a funny script, timely physically comedy and impeccably delivered dialogue thanks to the show’s collection of talented actors, make “Jeeves At Sea” a charming production that flows seemingly effortlessly through and through.  

This fourth Jeeves installment of Wodehouse’s delightful tales is a thrilling ride from beginning to end with just the right doses of humor and intrigue, but best of all is the genuine connection that is felt by audience members between Jeeves and Bertie, leaving one with the feeling of excitement for what Jeeves adventures may be in store for the future.     

Yet another strong First Folio effort, “Jeeves At Sea” comes highly recommended. Catch “Jeeves At Sea” through February 28^th at the Mayslake Peabody Estate located near 31^st Street and 83 in Oakbrook. For tickets and/or more play information visit www.firstfolio.org or call 630-986-8067.  

When Black Sabbath formed in 1968, who would have guessed they would be playing a farewell tour 48 years later? In fact, after their notorious partying throughout the mid-1970s, who would have thought they’d all still be alive? But here they are, circling the world once more with a collection of Sabbath hits to satisfy their most hardcore of fans, and then some. Only original drummer Bill Ward sits on the sidelines, much to the dismay of Sabbath fans, thanks to a dispute between the famed band members. In the meantime, Ozzy Osbourne along with guitarist Tony Iomi and bassist Geezer Butler take to the stage Tommy Clufetos, Ozzy’s solo drummer. The tour, simply called The End kicked off in Omaha on January 20th. 

Black Sabbath is not only responsible for countless bands in the metal genre as a true pioneer in their music field, they have also survived in many ways most bands could not. One of the few bands that maintained their success level after changing lead vocalists - Ronnie James Dio in 1979 then Ian Gillan in 1983 – Black Sabbath remained in the forefront of heavy metal and even found moderate triumph when switching to more unknown singers (Glenn Hughes, Tony Martin) before reuniting with Dio in 1992 for the Dehumanizer album. After bringing back Martin for two albums in the mid-nineties, the band found big success once again touring alternately with Osbourne and Dio. In 2013 Black Sabbath released their first album with Osbourne since 1978’s Technical Ecstasy, a release that received critical acclaim, modestly titled 13.  

With dates scheduled through September, Black Sabbath’s second stop on their new – and final – tour was Chicago’s United Center. With crowd pleasing support from The Rival Sons, Sabbath started off their set by kicking into the powerful self-titled song “Black Sabbath”, a song that features the dreaded devil’s fifth. Naturally the band threw their most notorious hits into the mix  like “Iron Man”, “N.I.B.” and “War Pigs”, but most impressive was their use of lesser played songs over the years like “After Forever”, “Fairies Wear Boots”, “Under the Sun” and a song they haven’t played live since 1978, “Hand of Doom”. 

The set props were as basic as they should be for the metal icons – stacked amplifiers lined up behind the musicians and an overhead jumbo screen for the benefit of those with farther seats from the stage. It wasn’t until the last few songs that pyrotechnics were used, allowing fans to devote their focus entirely on the band and its music. While Iomi and Butler’s riffs were as punctual and deadly as ever, Osbourne struggled with his range often dropping out when attempting to hold a note or singing a key or two below the song as we know it. And so what. Osbourne’s performance was still inspiring. The now 67-year-old singer had command of the crowd since walking onto the stage, getting the arena to clap, cheer and shout simultaneously as had had been doing since the 1970s, but most of all he seemed to be having the time of his life – and that’s the Ozzy we all have come to know and love.

Black Sabbath played just one song of their latest release 13, “God is Dead?” though “The End of the Beginning” might have been the more desired choice off that album. Still, it was played with the flavor and power we can only except and Black Sabbath song to be played. Surprisingly, the band did not play anything off Ozzy featured albums Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Sabotage, and not so surprisingly Never Say Die. Still, no complaints on their set list, as it was both fulfilling and played with the ass-kicking punch as only Butler and Iomi can deliver. Sabbath chose to incorporate a heavy dose of the Paranoid album, reaching into it for six of their set’s sixteen songs. 

After rattling off a blistering version of “Paranoid”, the final number on the 13 Tour and finale for Sabbath’s previous Omaha date, Osbourne and company left the arena of screaming fans with an earth-shaking effort of “Children of the Grave”. 

For metal lovers, seeing Black Sabbath perform is a must. For Sabbath lovers, you can’t really see them enough no matter what incarnation but especially with Ozzy himself at the helm. Fortunately, if you missed the United Center show, the band will return on September 4th at The Hollywood Amphitheatre in Tinley Park for their final goodbye to Chicago.  After all, this is The End.

Set List United Center January 22nd Show 

Black Sabbath

Fairies Wear Boots

After Forever

Into the Void

Snowblind

War Pigs

Behind the Wall of Sleep

N.I.B.

Hand of Doom

Rat Salad

Iron Man

God Is Dead?

Under the Sun

Dirty Women

Paranoid

Children of the Grave

What drew me to this play is the powerful message around civil rights and the negative impact it had on the children of activist. Sunset Baby is about a women named after Nina Simone whose parents were a part of the Black Panthers. After her mother passes away, her father comes back into her life after what seems to have been a long stint in prison. playwright Dominique Morriseau, who landed the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for her previous work, Detroit '67, comes back with another fine effort Sunset Baby a story of generation gaps and healing old wounds.

As I walked closer to the stage at Timeline Theater, I saw large signs of many individuals who have contributed to the civil rights movement such as Audre Lorde, Bell Hooks, Malcolm X, Tupac Shukar, Nina Simone, and DeRay Mckesson who works with Black Lives Matter. The short descriptions of these individuals were informative and appreciated and also helped set the tone for this play.

The plays opens up with Nina, played by Anji White, getting ready to go hustle and make some money with her boyfriend, Damon (Kelvin Roston Jr.). As she is getting ready, she gets a buzz from downstairs thinking it was him but it is instead her estranged father Kenyatta (Phillip Edward Van Lear). Nina blames her father for the addictions her mother had which ultimately led to her death. What is uncovered through this encounter is Kenyatta's desire to locate unsent letters from Nina's mother, Ashanti X, while in prison. 

Although the play had a lot of ups and downs to keep the audience busy, I still left wanting more. There could have been more about the political activism around Kenyatta. I believe more details should have been explored a bit more as well as character development. The acting itself was very strong. Phillip Edward Van Lear's demeanor throughout the play was calm as Kenyatta but when he talked about his experiences, he did a great job of appearing physically agitated, making his role even more believable.

Sunset Baby will be at Timeline Theater from January 21st through April 10th. Visit http://www.timelinetheatre.com/sunset_baby/ for more details on obtaining tickets to see this powerful cast. 

The dialogue flows so smoothly one might forget they are sitting in a play. Veteran Chicago area actor Stef Tovar, who also founded the Route 66 Theatre Company in 2008, leads the charge in this play full of emotional interchanges combined with sharp humor. 

Route 66’s No Wake, currently running at The Greenhouse Theater Center in Lincoln Park, tells the story of a divorced couple Edward (Tovar) and Rebecca (Lia D. Mortensen) who are brought back together due to the suicide of their daughter, Sookie. Rebecca is now remarried to Roger (Raymond Fox) while Edward is kind of drifting along through life. As Edward and Rebecca spend more time together wondering what happened to their daughter and how they really lost her long before she killed herself, the situation becomes much more complex as past feelings come in to play and an attempt to mend the past is made. 

Directed by Kimberly Senior, No Wake explores the grieving process, which is understandably different for everyone. Countless questions on what could have been differently can be asked and scenarios traveled. In this case, taking on blame for negating their child the ability to develop coping skills weighs heavily on Edward just by simply buckling and giving Sookie toast with butter when she demanded before falling asleep rather than saying “No”. Giving your daughter toast at her command might sound trivial, but writer William Donnelly does a great job of finding these possible seeds of later behavior into a world where grieving parents desperately seek cause for such a tragedy, making the story quite realistic. Though the subject matter falls on the macabre side, the show is not without well-timed humor and even sports a very funny scene when Roger confronts Edward, suspecting that he and Rebecca did more than just reminisce about their daughter the night before. 

Thanks to a very finely acted and well-written story, it is easy to get lost in the dialogue and empathize with each of the three characters. The set, though simple, creates the prefect surrounding for these skilled actors to have at it. Tovar gets stronger and stronger as the show progresses, reminding theatre goers why it is always a joy to watch him in action. At the same time, Mortensen and Fox dish out lines with precision, zip and realism, completing a trio who flow together without a hitch in perfect unison.

The fact that we are presented with three such truly well-acted performances is reason alone to catch No Wake before its runs ends, but when you add its intriguing story and engaging topic matter this show is propelled onto the list of must see plays. 

No Wake is being performed at The Greenhouse Theater Center through February 7th. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.Route66Theatre.org.          

Marriott Theatre’s current production is chancy business. For a venue that theatre lovers have come to depend on for family entertainment over the years – wholesome G through PG rated shows such as “Mary Poppins”, “The King and I”, “9 to 5” and “Elf”, just to name a few, Executive Producer Terry James has decided to raunchy things up a bit by bringing in a much more adult-themed production in “Spring Awakening”. Not in Marriott’s subscription package, “Spring Awakening” is running for just over two weeks, and we have to wonder how receptive its normal crowd of theatre goers will be. Filled with f-bombs, simulated sex scenes and dark story lines, “Spring Awakening” will certainly take some of Marriott’s regular audience members by surprise if they attend without researching the play first. 

A rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Slater, the story takes place in Germany sometime during the late nineteenth century where a classroom of children are the focus as they learn about their own sexuality and question what they have been taught by authority figures, whether it be teachers or their own parents. Under rigid instruction from their teachers, the children often stand clad in school uniforms surrounded in a light fog in front of a large blackboard, giving one the feeling that stage band could break in to “Another Brick in the Wall” at any moment. Unfortunately, this show is not nearly as musically memorable as it strains to make any impact in that department, falling far short of shows one might suggest it is akin to as “Rent” or “American Idiot”.

Despite its less-than-charged or lack of unforgettable musical numbers barring a crowd pleasing, gut-punching “Totally Fucked”, the show is not without fine acting efforts and talented vocal performances, particularly by its two leads, Patrick Rooney and Eliza Palasz. Palasz quickly shows her aptitude as a singer in the show’s opening number “Mama Who Bore Me” and impresses along with Rooney in their first-act duet “The Word of Your Body”. There are also many well-choreographed and finely executed dance pieces by the ensemble throughout the show, which IS something that can be counted on in a Marriott Theatre production. Also featured in the show are Marriott favorites Brian Bohr, Nate Lewellyn and Kevin Gudahl, all of who performed wonderfully along with local talents Callie Johnson and Hollis Resnik. There is certainly no shortage of ability in this production. 

Based on Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play of the same name, this somewhat slow-moving production centers on confused youth, the questioning of what we are told as kids, the lack of what we are told and the great distance that can often be present between a parent and their child. It is about growing pains, being misunderstood and dealing with the choices we have made – or having parents deal with their children’s choices as depicted so grimly in the show’s center act when Wendla (Palasz) gets pregnant, partly in thanks to the poor information given to her by her mother on how children are conceived. But the musical also delves into the joys of trying things for the first time, like creating new relationships or having sex.  

Though certainly not the central point of this production, it was enjoyable to see the performing band as they surrounded each end of the stage as opposed to enjoying their musicianship while out of sight from the audience. 

“Spring Awakening” is being performed at Marriott Theatre through January 31st. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.           

American Theater Company starts the year with a world premiere by author Dan LeFranc, directed by Joanie Schultz. "Bruise Easy" is a modern day retelling of Electra, set in the seemingly vapid world of southern California. 

When Tess (Kelly O'Sullivan) returns to her childhood home to find her estranged brother Alec (Matt Farabee) smoking weed on the driveway, she's mortified. In a series of somewhat unanswered questions, we're given a glimpse into a family torn apart by imperfect parents. Scenes are punctuated by a group of masked "neighborhood kids" who serve as the Greek chorus. With a short running time of 85 minutes, stand-up Tess and screw-up Alec trade barbs and acts of uncomfortable sexual tension. 

LeFranc's script is troubled though. While the gimmick of the Greek chorus is at first interesting, it ends up becoming a major distraction and overall pretty useless as a storytelling device. The author tries to communicate his heavy-handed message about suburban ambitions through this technique, which instead should be more apparent in the dialogue between Tess and Alec. 

"Bruise Easy" is missing a lot of crucial pieces and leaves viewers without any specific answers. LeFranc fails to develop his characters' narratives, which is a shame because O'Sullivan and Farabee are both really riveting performers to watch. 

The dialogue never quite gives us what we want. What happened to their mother? Why is Tess even there? What's the deal with the house? Why can't they go in? Instead, a lot of emphasis is placed on reminding us that it's 2005. Unfortunately many of the ways we're reminded come off as forced. Putting audiences in a certain time period involves more than dated pop culture references. 

LeFranc would certainly benefit from either adding more to the script or subtracting the elements that don't work, and clarifying the hazy details. There's just too much dead air here. It's apparent the author knows a lot more about these characters than he's letting on. He seems more concerned with the idea that it's a Greek tragedy set in California than he is the actual lives of the characters. 

Director Joanie Schultz's vision for this show also tends to stand in the way. There's an MTV circa-1995 aesthetic that really doesn't match the tone of the script. "Bruise Easy" has an anti-establishment theme running through it, but it's not as cheeky as the interlude graphics and pop music wants it to be. There's a lot going on here, and narrowing what exactly LeFranc wants his audience to leave with will benefit this play in subsequent productions. 

Through February 14th at American Theater Company. 1909 W Byron Street. 

The New Colony and Definition Theatre Company’s collaboration “Byhalia, Mississippi” opens up with a young white trash couple from the play’s titled town who are about to have their first child. The dialogue between the family is witty and sharp and you immediately feel like you are in the South. Overdue by two weeks, their baby is being stubborn as hell. Finally, he arrives – and he is black. With Byhalia’s racial narrow past, you can imagine that this is when the mood in the story drastically changes. 

"Byhalia Mississppi" highlights many issues in racial relations especially found in the underlying comments many of the characters made. The couple, played by Liz Sharpe and Evan Linder, are very powerful and work well together. Linder also wrote the play - and it is very well written. There were times in which I felt uncomfortable as an audience member not only because of the topics being discussed but also by the overly dramatic acting of Mr. Linder, which, in retrospect, may have been called for to make his character “Jim” more believable. Remember, it is the South so I imagine they were using his excessive animation as an angle. Regardless, it was still distracting at times. 

Besides bringing important racial and class issues to light, what I love about this play is that the theatre will be hosting a world premiere conversation on Monday, January 18th which is MLK day. The play will be premiering in seven cities across North America and the audiences will connect afterward to have a discussion. I have never heard of this before and I think it is well worth the two-hours of time to try and attend. 

When reflecting on this play, I can't help but realize how far we have to go in regards to racism in this country. As an aunt of biracial nieces, I wonder what their world will be like. Will they struggle with their identity in having to choose one race over another? Will it even matter? My hope is no, but what I do know is that we have the power to make a difference now. 

Catch the “Byhalia, Mississippi” at The Den Theatre now through February 14th. It is sure to strike up conversation about racism in America and, at the same time, leave you wanting to say "y'all." For tickets and/or more information visit www.thenewcolony.org.

Melissa Thodos the creator of Sono’s Journey and her designers, which premiered at the Auditorium Theatre Saturday, did a wonderful job telling the story of Sono Asato, a dancer who broke age and race barriers from the time she was just fourteen years old. At that same young age, Sono Asato was the first dancer of Japanese descent AND the first American to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. 

I loved the way Thodos chose to use a narrator to tell the story of Asato’s life and used real pictures from Sono's life. I overheard one audience member saying during intermission, the narration really helped the audience understand and empathize with Asato’s life journey without making us guess or make assumptions based solely on the dance and music for each vignette – a very correct observation. 

I loved the costumes and lighting, which created a dreamy effect. The dancers were superb in bringing Sono Asato’s unique and trademark hand gestures and delicate yet earthy and natural style of dance to life. Asato’s hands were especially beautiful and expressive resembling the grace and power of mudras of ancient meditation statues. 

I found it very interesting that when Osato was refused work abroad with her ballet company, it was a female theater company owner and old friend who welcomed her back to Broadway “dance shows" in order to keep making money dancing to survive. 

I also loved the vignette which included how her parent's originally met and fell immediately in love when her father Shoji was sent to photograph her beautiful mother for a performance portrait.   

Osato, now ninety-six-years-old, and still a delicate beauty, was brought onstage in a wheelchair and it was announced that Mayor Rahm Emanuel had declared that day, January 8th to be SONO ASATO DAY in Chicago. Sono Asato looked radiantly beautiful as she received her flowers and a roaring standing ovation for her groundbreaking, door opening bravery and exceptional dance performances in the classic works, Sleeping Beauty, Pillar of Fire and The Beloved.

I felt very much honored to be there in Sono Asato's presence that night during the Mayor's announcement. I felt privileged to add my enthusiastic applause and shouts of "Bravo!" for her and the delightful show "Sono’s Journey".

Dance enthusiasts and appreciators will have two more opportunities to see Sono's Journey this winter: February 20th at the North Shore Center in Skokie, and March 5th at the Harris Theater in Chicago, as part of Thodos Dance Chicago's new "Chicago Revealed" Winter Concert series. This particular production is a beautiful piece of work that everyone should experience.

Thanks to events like that which I attended last night, the music of Elvis Presley will live on forever – and that’s important, as the King of Rock and Roll is more relevant than ever. In a most fitting way to celebrate the legendary entertainer’s birthday, Northshore Center for the Performing Arts played host to the annual Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular “Birthday Edition” during its tour of several dates around the Midwest. Unlike many Elvis tributes, we are not only treated to talented impersonators, but we are also met with history itself, that being musicians that actually performed with Presley at various junctures in his career. 

It’s no secret that Elvis was a huge gospel fan. After all he has recorded some of the most sensational gospel songs of all time. As history states, one of Elvis’ biggest gospel influences was the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, an outfit that has been around since 1934. Today, 81 years and generations of singers later, the now simpler named Blackwood Quartet are still touring the world spreading their inspirational music led by Blackwood royalty himself, Mark Blackwood. What better way to begin an Elvis tribute than with a handful of Blackwood Quartet songs of encouragement including a very inspired rendition of “He Touched Me”. The foursome then remained onstage to deliver backing vocals to many Elvis songs as only they could. 

Cody Ray Slaughter was the first of three Elvis tribute artists to take the stage and did so with a bang decked out in that ever so famous gold jacket to the tune of “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. Slaughter, the youngest performer to be awarded “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” by Elvis Presley Enterprises” had Elvis’ stage moves down pat, inducing screams, oohs and aahs, with just the simplest gyration or dance step. Mostly taking on Elvis earlier hits, he was not only able to harness the charm and subtle humor of The King, Slaughter was also able to deliver a vocal performance with uncanny likeness to Presley himself. Slaughter continued to wow the crowd with hits like “Don’t Be Cruel” (with amazing backups by the Blackwood’s), “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Jailhouse Rock” and “Return to Sender” humorously introduced as “Return My Blender”. At one point Slaughter called on the Blackwood Quartet to join him around the microphone center stage for a lovely version of “Peace in the Valley”, the moving gospel Hymn that Elvis performed for his mother on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957, despite the reluctance of the network.   

Let me take a breather here to acknowledge to band – the rock solid Fabulous Ambassadors who were accompanied by a good part of the set by original Elis Presley drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, D.J. Fontana. Fontana, now 84 years old, played with Elvis for fourteen years, playing with him on over 460 cuts. This was an incredible thrill for the Elvis fans throughout the theatre, of which I should add were of ages ranging both younger and older. It was actually refreshing to see so many younger fans thoroughly enjoying the music of Elvis Presley. And why shouldn’t they? His music is timeless.      

Next up was Ryan Pelton who boldly conquered the stage within moments of making his grand entrance donned in the now-very-famously-known black leather jumpsuit that Elvis wore in the 1968 Comeback Special. For the most part the show stuck to an accurate chronological timeline barring a few exceptions. Pelton did a nice job in recreating some of the 1968 Comeback special, getting his biggest cheers for his performance of “Fever” thanks to his sultry vocals accompanied with a handful of strategic leg thrusts. After a number of memorable Elvis hits, Pelton ended on a high note with “Teddy Bear” where he joked with the crowd and tossed stuffed teddy bears to adorning fans. Slaughter then reclaimed the stage for a very emotional rendition of “If I Can Dream” one of Elvis’ most important songs of his time, a song of peace and understanding dedicated to the late Martin Luther King. 

Just after a twenty or so minute long intermission, The Sweet Inspirations took center stage from their position off to the side where they had been providing additional backing vocals and performed a bluesy song named after their group “Sweet Inspiration” – and they sounded terrific! Sweet Inspiration original Estelle Brown sang with Elvis from 1969 until his death in 1977 witnessing the peak of the rock legend to his unfortunate decline. Brown did offer a story to the crowd, one of her favorite memories of Elvis, where he had found out one of the Sweet Inspirations had just been diagnosed with cancer. Heartbroken, he knelt beside her, put his hand on her stomach and prayed with her. A few days later no traces of cancer could be found. And whether you believe that the power of prayer healed her or not, one can’t help be moved by Elvis’s concern and intent. 

We’ve now gone through the early career of Elvis, to the movie years, to the ’68 Comeback Special. It was now time for Shawn Klush to take over to recreate the Vegas years – personally, one of my favorite eras. Spotlights raced around the audience as the band went into 2001: A Space Odyssey and right on cue Klush entered the stage in his white peacock jumpsuit to get things rolling with “CC Rider”. Klush’s spot on vocals paved the way as he powered through the set with live favorites “My Way”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Always on My Mind” (a new edition to the set beautifully done) and “Polk Salad Annie” among others. It was already a set to remember before Klush ended strongly with a powerful version of “American Trilogy” and of course the song that Elvis ended his concerts with “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.

In all, the Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular is just that – spectacular. If you are already an Elvis fan you will love it, if you are new to Elvis it will win you over. Basically, the show is like several concerts in one creating three hours of Elvis bliss. Following the show fans are able to meet the performers who are all too happy to share their memories of The King. Brilliantly musically directed by James Johnson, The Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular has become a great tradition surrounding the birthday of Elvis and is something that can be enjoyed over and over again. For show updates and tour dates visit http://www.elvisbirthdaytribute.com/index.html. 

Thanks to shows like this and the other wonderful Elvis tributes that are being performed in Chicago, nationally and internationally, new generations will discover what we already know to be true – Elvis is the greatest entertainer of all time and his music is forever relevant. 

I never got hooked on Lost, it was too confusing after a while. I am not a fan of The Walking Dead or Fear of the Walking Dead. Both are filled with too much gross, face eating bloody gore for my taste. I disliked Twin Peaks which was creepily sexist and unsettling to me. 

My theory for the reason this generation of young people are especially intrigued with increasingly more scary and realistic looking horror films, video games and TV shows is because the world around them is filled with the news of real human against human atrocities every day and these films make them feel safe. As if saying to themselves when they turn off the TV, "Hey my life is difficult, there are innocent people and animals suffering all around the world but at least I’m not being chased every day by flesh eating zombies! 

I probably would not have even watched "Wayward Pines" in its entirety, but after interviewing the extremely nice and forthcoming show's star Matt Dillon and Wayward Pines' executive producer/director, M Night Shyamalan, at Chicago's most popular TV and fiction fan nerd fest, C2E2, I became intrigued. 

First of all, the entire cast was extremely impressive with amazing Oscar nominated supporting cast members like Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis ,Toby Jones, Carla Gugino, Terrence Howard and of course the show's star, the still handsome and fit Matt Dillon. Dillon, nominated himself for an Oscar for his work in the 2004 film "Crash", is known primarily as a film actor who had not really been seen much on the big screen since his explosively funny portrayal as a blundering private eye in the hit "Something About Mary”. Putting all this great, mature, experienced talent together along with the involvement of wunderkind M Night Shyamalan and I figured there wasn't a way this show could flop unless there was something seriously wrong with the plot. 

The series was adapted for television and written by Chad Hodge. Now, I haven't read the successful series of books by Blake Crouch it was adapted from, which is apparently okay, as Matt mentioned in our interview that the cast was also instructed they need not read the books in order to experience the story fresh as written. 

Hodge did a fantastic job on the script, especially given that he was limited in certain elements by the ten episode series being picked up by FOX instead of a more freewheeling, R rated cable channel like Showtime, HBO or AMC. I asked M Night about this choice of networks and he felt that the limitations of prime time television actually helped the story immensely as it required the writers to infuse the script with sensuality where possible, not nudity and intelligent suspense, not constant gore, which made the show palatable for a huge mainstream audience. After seeing all ten episodes I completely agree.

Of course,  because of M Night's groundbreaking twist in his hit film the "Sixth Sense" I feared that "Wayward Pines" might try and pull off an easy and unsatisfying "this was all a dream" or "everyone is really dead" type of plot curve.  I really enjoyed that the major "secret" underlying Wayward Pines existence (which was revealed around episode five) that the entire town was actually still on earth far into the future ala "Planet of the Apes". 

There were and still are some major holes in the story, like how did Dr. Jenkins, played with mind bending creepiness by veteran actor Toby Jones keep going back and forth in time to get more groups of people?

Also, if someone told you that you and your family had been spared an end of civilization death (albeit without your permission) and forced to live in a nice little town where all the money is fake and you only need to eat, drink and show up for your fake job then enjoy your brand new house and be merry - why would so many go nuts and kill themselves? 

And the biggest hole that many Matt Dillon fans have pointed out online was that with all that super advanced scientific technology and Dillon's character's exceptional defense and fighting skills, why he wasn't able to figure out a way to detonate the bombs remotely that saved the rest of the town without blowing himself up in the process?

I don't want to dwell on those minor plot glitches because Hodge includes many very interesting and relevant ideas about the problems the human race faces right now including how these problems are affecting the minds and actions of today's youth and future generations. 

The Wayward Pines website sets the scene with this quote about the mysterious town and the "Rules" which must be followed by its citizens under threat of execution;

“Imagine the perfect American town, beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets... Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you’re going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines."

"Do Not Try to Leave. Do Not Discuss the Past. Do Not Discuss Your Life Before. Always Answer the Phone if it Rings. Work Hard. Be Happy. And Enjoy Your Life in Wayward Pines."

This description of their "government" enforced lifestyle along with these eerily intrusive and nonsensical rules for living are in and of themselves a marvelous description of how many Americans and especially young people feel every day. People look at their mindless jobs, their endless struggle to make ends meet, to take care of ailing family members etc., while feeling very alone and almost as if they are going insane in a mad world they did not willingly "choose" to live in. The modern world seems - to young and old alike - to be full of rules written by privileged white men, some of which are highly intrusive, threatening, useless and even deadly.

In "Wayward Pines" Abbies (short for "aberrations") is the nickname for the creatures, once "normal" humans, who have somehow deteriorated into cannibalistic, mindless yet somewhat clever and predatory monsters.

I also enjoyed Hodges' choice that the "aberrations" were once human, not some made up aliens or animals that have suddenly become violently carnivorous, because that is exactly what is happening now all around the globe.

On an international level the Isis members who attacked all those innocent citizens in Paris which would normally be the Wayward Pines or civilized "safe place" while the Isis members are the aberrations.

In India where a woman or female child is raped every 22 minutes, the village center or city is thought to be the "Wayward Pines" (safe place) while men, rapists from these same towns who recently gang raped and in the process murdered two three year old toddlers would be considered the Abbies of that area.

In America, on a community level, the young man who walked into the Sandy Hook day school and killed 26 women and children would be the Abbie. On a family level, in any country, the family home or unit seems to be the "safe place" our youth can grow and  blossom in - but the incestuous relative or stranger rapist/serial killer who attacks and "consumes" children or kills other family members would be the Abbie, etc., etc. 

At the very end of the final episode we find out that even though the children, or "First Generation” as they are proudly called, know the truth about their imprisonment, they continue to idolize the now dead Dr. Jenkins and his methods of watching everyone on hidden cameras and publicly killing those that even speak of resisting. It was a surprising if depressing plot twist but probably realistic that vulnerable, prideful young minds once programmed for violence will continue to practice and propagate this type of behavior rather than try to revolt and create their own peaceful utopia.

Matt Dillon was a brilliant casting choice for the lead in this new type of TV mini-series, partly because of his physical ability at the age of 51, to still realistically play an action character. Dillon has proven in the past that he is both a fine dramatic and comedic actor and also because he has wisely chosen interesting roles here and there that have kept him from becoming over exposed or identified with a lot of B quality projects. Dillon had a fiercely protective and intense presence throughout that kept the show from becoming stagnant or boring. 

In this case, from a talent agent's point of view, not a critic, I think Dillon wisely agreed or even suggested to be killed off at the end of the show, that way if Wayward Pines was a flop, he would be instantly onto the next project, no harm no foul. If Wayward Pines turned out to be a huge success, the writers could easily dream up some way to revive his character from the past, perhaps even through flashbacks alone, which would put Dillon in an excellent bargaining position for future episode rates. 

The final episode seemed to imply that the actor Charlie Tahan who played Matt Dillon's son was going to follow in Dillon's footsteps as the lead actor of the second season. However, Tahan, as good as he is as a sensitive young actor, is just not appealing, sexy or strong enough to carry this show. But who knows? Hot, new, young characters may be introduced that will effectively preserve the show's adult "sexy" factor. 

If the writing and major adult, character actor involvement in the plot lines continues, I am convinced that a second season of Wayward Pines will be a hit even without Matt Dillon's presence. However I agree with many other viewers who have expressed their opinions through social media that they will have little or no interest in the show if Dillon's character is actually finished. Matt Dillon's sexy, strong and urgently heartfelt portrayal as the rescuer in Wayward Pines will not be easy to replace, especially if he and others are replaced by less mature actors in their 20's to just satisfy a younger audience. 

Dillon's next project is Zach Braff’s remake of “Going In Style”. Matt Dillon will costar alongside Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Morgan Freeman and the ageless Ann-Margaret due out in May of 2016. 

Also, after our interview Dillon expressed a strong desire to direct again as he did quite well critically by writing, directing and starring in his directorial debut "City of Ghosts" which also starred James Caan and Gerard Depardieu. Dillon has also been working on a documentary about Afro-Cuban musician El Gran Love.  

Wayward Pines is a production of FX Productions. The series was developed for television by Chad Hodge and executive-produced by Donald De Line, Ashwin Rajan Hodge and Shyamalan. Hodge wrote and Shyamalan directed the premiere episode and the second season is set to debut in the summer of 2016.