Displaying items by tag: Definition Theatre

After half an hour into Loy Webb's "Judy's Life's Work," I found myself silently reciting the dialogue, though not necessarily every line, as the familiar narrative unfolded predictably before me. The tale revolves around a classic trope: a familial feud over inheritance. While it pays tribute to the themes of Hansberry's "A Raisin In The Sun", Wilson's "The Piano Lesson," and Morisseau’s  “Sunset Baby” it falls short of reaching the profound heights achieved by those works.

The prologue inexplicably begins with a symbolic fight between Xavier and Charli.

The play is set in a boxing gym in Chicago. It is owned by Xavier, a 43-year-old ex-con. He purchased the gym after doing an 8-year stint in prison for a crime never fully explained. His motivation for the gym is to give the youth of the neighborhood a haven from the crime and negative influences he fell under. Xavier’s gym is facing foreclosure. His mother, who he calls Judy, has died a month earlier. He never had a relationship with his mother. She gave birth to him at age 15, then gave him up for adoption so she can finish her education. He harbors the hate and pain of her decision. It has clouded his being his entire life.

Enter Camille. She sells herself as a financial guru to Xavier, but she is a pharmaceutical professional. She tells Xavier she loves him. (she telegraphs us she doesn’t ) She explains how she will make his gym a non-profit entity and have donors lining up to support his dream. She makes him believe together they will change the world one wayward child at a time. She talks Xavier into selling Judy’s papers on cell regeneration and he is more than happy to do whatever she suggests.

Before they ride off into the sunset there is the pesky business of getting Judy’s papers from his sharp as a whip baby sister, Charli. Charli sees through Camille scheme. She tries to open Xavier eyes, but he is blinded both by hate and love.

The prologue shows Xavier symbolically fighting with his sister Charli,  since the prologue sets the stage for the story, which is all about Xavier's internal struggle, Xavier should have been shadow boxing.

Bringing a new theatrical work to the stage is fraught with challenges, demanding a symphony of creative minds, unwavering passion, and experience. The respect I have for Definition Theatre begs me to question some of their creative decisions.

“Judy’s Life’s Work” should have been workshopped. I believe some interesting plotlines were not developed in a rush to produce this work. True, Webb scored a  big hit with “The Light” but as anyone on Broadway will tell you, you’re only as good as your last show. I question the hiring of Michelle Renee Bester as director and Jessica Moore as assistant director. Why choose the associate director and stage manager of The Black Ensemble Theatre as your director and assistant director? Black Ensemble Theatre is a wonderful theatre for musical revues.  Black Ensemble isn’t known for original work, especially plays, so I’m at a loss. Nothing in these beautiful women biographies suggest they have the experience to shepherd new work to the stage.

 Xavier, the character, has gray hair. Rashun Carter, an excellent actor,  powders his hair so it appears gray. Now, it may work in high school where there are restrictions on casting, but in a professional production you would cast an actor with gray hair. An experienced director would know it takes more that gray hair for a man to appear to be 43. Carter, for all his wonderful acting, never appeared to be 43 and there was no one in the room to direct him on how to act 43. His character never got past his anger. It wasn’t his fault; he was doing as he was directed.

Cereyna Jade Bougouneau is a spirited Charli. She knows her brother and she knows where his fault lines are. Bougoneau’s energy gave the script a much-needed boost.

Kenesha Kristine Reed is dastardly as the pharmaceutical mole infiltrating the family. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of her work.

The cast in general worked well with each other. They are extremely talented though I don’t think they were challenged enough.

The set, the inside of a boxing gym, by Alyssa Moon Thompson, was beautiful. Did it serve the story? I’m not sure, it seemed like a lot of unused space since there was no actual boxing going on. There was some important dialogue too far away from it’s intended person to land the way it should….again, direction.

The promise I see in Definition Theatre is truly inspiring. I am confident they will create remarkable work, although not without its challenges. Webb, a budding playwright, requires the seasoned wisdom of experienced individuals to ensure her plays reach their full potential. This play has potential.

When: Through Feb. 25

Where: Definition @ 55th, 1160 E. 55th St.

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Tickets: $31 at definitiontheatre.org

Definition Theatre announces two world premiere plays as part of its 2024 season. The company has also added stage and production manager Julie Jachym and Sound Designer Willow James to the ensemble and welcomes media producer and host Troy Pryor to its artistic advisory board. Definition will open its season with the world premiere of Judy's Life's Work by Loy A. Webb, directed by Michelle Bester, running February 2–25, 2024, followed by An Educated Guess by Juan José Alfonso and directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips, running May 3–26, 2024. Both plays will be performed in Hyde Park with location, casts and crew to be announced at a later date. 

"To say it is an absolute honor to work with Definition Theatre and Loy A. Webb, would be an understatement. Both are such impactive engines of knowledge, creativity, and empowerment," comments Director Michelle Bester. "Definition Theatre has done some incredible work already in the city of Chicago, more specifically, the Southside, where there is an obvious void. Loy Webb has done tremendous work bringing to light Black legacy and Black excellence, and always writing beautiful Black stories for all to enjoy and learn from. The opportunity to direct such a piece as Judy's Life's Work with both entities is such a fulfillment for me, and I'm beyond excited to breathe life into this project along with the fantastically talented cast! My mission as a director is to not only entertain but to educate, and thankfully this project is allowing me to do just that plus more!" 

Loy Webb is a Chicago-born playwright, attorney, and theatre journalist. Her play The Light garnered an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and a Joseph Jefferson Award. 

"I look forward to tackling this powerful story that we have been developing with Juan since 2018," notes Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips. "It is centered around Alba, a woman who is soul-searching for meaning in her life while running up against the fragility of our current immigration policies, practices, and procedures at work. Juan is an incredibly talented writer who has taken many complex issues and woven them into a work of art that will spark meaningful conversation and a call to action for our community." 

"This is an exciting time for storytellers," says Troy Pryor. "There are so many mediums to connect with an audience, but there is something special about being in front of a live audience. I'm also excited about the opportunity to help build Definiton's media department with a roster of amazing creators." 

ABOUT THE SEASON

The world premiere of 

Judy's Life's Work 

by Loy A. Webb 

directed by Michelle Bester  

February 2—25, 2024 

Press Opening Thursday, February 8, 2024. 

Tickets: Starting at $25

Only a month after their mother's death, Xavier, a highly praised ex-boxer, and his sister Charli, a brilliant pre-med student, fight to determine the future of their mother's groundbreaking medical notes. As they work through the grief, heartbreak, pain, and unresolved trauma of their childhoods, we discover a story of the healing power of sibling love. 

The world premiere of 

An Educated Guess 

By Juan José Alfonso 

Directed by Artistic Director Tyrone Phillips 

May 3–26, 2024

Press Opening Thursday, May 9, 2024

Tickets: Starting at $35

This play was originally workshopped by Definition Theatre in 2018 with a private reading hosted at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. 

It's been a few years since the September 11 attacks on New York City, but the wounds are still raw. We find Alba Guerrero, a rising star at the federal immigration office in Manhattan, on the day she realizes an immigrant she admitted into the United States has committed a heinous act of mass murder. As her life begins to unravel, we meet characters from all over the world– helping Alba come to grips with guilt, forgiveness, and the inherent fallibility of our government systems.

ABOUT DEFINITION THEATRE

Definition Theatre is a culturally diverse theater dedicated to telling language-driven, relationship-oriented, socially relevant stories about and created with underrepresented communities in Chicago. Our ensemble is a collective of artists, art administrators, educators, and designers who prioritize working towards and representing a more equitable theatre industry. 

Definition has built its reputation on work that reflects its unique voice. It shared the words of Academy Award- Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney in The Brothers Size; it grooved with Amiri Baraka's whirlwind story of a chance meeting on a train in Dutchman. In partnership with, The New Colony staged the world premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi, which starred Academy Award nominee ensemble member Kiki Layne. In association with the Goodman Theatre, Definition staged the Chicago premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' An Octoroon, a subversive take on race in America that captivated audiences. Definition sent us all to the moon with ensemble member James Ijames's Moon Man Walk, explored the challenges of America's public-school system through Nilaja Sun's No Child... and highlighted the first- generation experience in the world premiere of Sam Kebede's ETHIOPIANAMERICA. The company returned to the stage and inspected white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity in ensemble member James Ijames's WHITE. In 2023, they examined the dark and sweet spots of Black American identity with the choreopoem, ALAIYO and is a searing examination of families, drama, family dramas, and the insidiousness of white supremacy in FAIRVIEW. 

Definition Ensemble members include: Adia Alli, Owais Ahmed, Ariel Beller, Jared Bellot, Carley Cornelius, Ari Craven, Danielle Davis, Julie Jachym, Willow James, Martasia Jones, Slick Jorgensen, Yeaji Kim, Kristy Hall, James Ijames, Kiki Layne, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Victor Musoni, Neel McNeill, Sophiyaa Nayar, Karyn Oates, Alexandra Oparka, Julian Parker, Maya Vinice Prentiss, Tyrone Phillips, Ireon Roach, Jacqueline Rosas, Christopher Sheard, and Dujon Smith. 

Definition Artistic Advisory Board members include: director May Adrales, Steppenwolf ensemble member Alana Arenas, actress Shannon Cochran, Erica Daniels, actor Brandon Dirden, actor Jason Dirden, director Pam Mackinnon, Equity Quotient CEO Keryl McCord, professor JW Morrissette, director Ron OJ Parson, professor/lighting designer Kathy Perkins, media producer and host Troy Osborne Pryor, Tony Award-winning actress and stage director Phylicia Rashad, and Goodman Theatre director in residence Chuck Smith. Tyrone Phillips is the Artistic Director and Neel McNeill is the Executive Director. For additional information, visit definitiontheatre.org and @definitiontheatre on Facebook and Instagram #stayinit

I’m going to do my best to not provide any spoilers in my review of “Fairview” the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning play by Jackie Sibblies Drury. It’s going to be hard. Definition Theatre’s production under the direction of Tyrone Phillips will certainly challenge its audience. This production starts in heightened realism, flows into surrealism, runs head on into the absurd before landing a moralistic gut punch. It would be unfair of me to describe the twist, turns and surprises. Everyone should be given a fair view of this excellent production for themselves.

Director Tyrone Phillips has staged “Fairview” as a play within a play. We are introduced to the home of The Frasier Family. It is a nice, if somewhat simple home. The type of home you may find in so many television sit-coms. It becomes obvious the Frasers are middle class African Americans once we meet high anxiety Beverly (Kandice Robins) and her hen-pecked, doting husband Dayton (David Goodloe). They are straight out of central casting, Perfect. If you closed your eyes and just listened to them, you would be hard pressed to guess their race. Yeah…those Black people.

Beverly is preparing a birthday dinner for her mother, the family matriarch, and everything must be perfect because, well, what would people think. As Beverly sits cutting carrots listening to Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” the channel on the radio changes and starts to play the traditional “Happy Birthday Song. It rattles Beverly for a minute, but the music quickly changes back, and she continues her preparation of the dinner as if nothing happened. Her sister, Jasmine (Martasia Jones) arrives with a bottle of rose wine to kick the party off. It is obvious Jasmine is a little more spirited (o.k. she’s ghetto)

than her proper sister. She’s opinionated, gossipy, loud and (well, ghetto.) We next meet Keisha, (Jada Jackson) the teenage daughter any family would want. She has the usual teenage problems but it’s clear she’s very smart and focused.

The family has the usual conversations any middle-class family would have. Beverly is hoping her lawyer brother, Tyrone makes the party. Keisha wants her Aunt Jasmine to ask her mother to allow her to take a gap year after graduation. Dayton is helping his wife as much as he can. Jasmine and Beverly have an on-going rivalry. Beverly gets more anxious as things aren’t going perfectly. When she realizes the cake has burnt she faints, chopped carrots fly everywhere. Lights down!

The lights come halfway up on stage. And for the next five to ten minutes stagehands reset the set. This happens right before our eyes. The genius of Phillips is giving the audience the opportunity to have a conversation while this is going on. Nothing truly remarkable happened in the first act. Its unremarkable nature was, in fact, was quite remarkable. There are going to be some interesting conversations going on during this non-intermission.

The actors start the show from the top, except this time they are doing it in silence. There are two new audience members seated arguably in the best seats in the house. As everyone’s conversation has subsided, these new audience members conversation is just starting. We’ll call the more aggressive White male, Jimbo (Max Stewart) and the more liberal leaning White women, Suze (Barbara Figgins). The topic of Jimbo’s conversation: If you can be any race, what race would you be? Poor guilt-ridden, bleeding-heart Suze is verbally abused by Jimbo. She refuses to answer, she doesn’t want to be wrong for one thing. Next to walk into this conversation is a white man we’ll call Mack (Collin Quinn Rice). He clearly knows what race he wants to be, Latinx, not Latino, Latinx. He practically fetishizes the Latinx. Rounding out this coterie, is European born Bets (Carly Cornelius). Asked the same question, Bets answer is probably the weirdest or rather the most interesting. She eventually comes around.

Initially, this conversation seems to have no bearing on the Frasier family’s affairs, with their prying questions and uneasy answers. I was tempted to disregard the actions on stage for the action happening in the audience. However, as Act ll progresses, the two plotlines converge and interact, creating some of the most hilarious comedy I’ve seen on stage in a very long time.

“Fairview” is an exploration on the white gaze. Writer Jackie Sibblies Drury has let us in on the private thoughts of white people. We get an idea of how people create whole scenarios based solely on race, especially the Black race. They weren’t even listening to The Frasiers. They made up the story to suit their individual biases. Director Phillips has made the “white gaze” an actual gaze done by actual white audience members. We see how matter of factly racist tropes are spewed especially when it’s “just amongst us”. This play is also an exploration in the art of the mindfuck. The Urban Dictionary describes a mindfuck as something to confuse or reshape your thought the way the "mind-fucker" wants you to think. making you question, doubt, or acquire a new set of ideas based on what the perpetrator has told you. Susan Lori Parks did a mindfuck with Topdog/Underdog. By naming her characters Lincoln and Booth, she tells us what is going to happen. Yet we act like we don’t know what will happen. Jackie Sibbles Drury is a bit more sly but equally effective.

This production is excellent. The ensemble was perfect. The Choreography by Jyreika Guest, who was magic in “How Blood Goes” another excellent production, was engaging and fun. Special recognition must go to Props Designer Mariah Bennett (you’ll understand when you see the show). The costumes by Alexandria Richardson ran the gamut from plain to unforgettable.

 Theater should challenge and inspire. Theater should beg you to question and dare you to act. Theatre should teach and enlighten. “Fairview” does all these things and if you have a heart it will move you, and don’t we deserved to be moved…….. ain’t it time!

HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED

When: Through May 28

Where: The Revival, 1160 E. 55^th Street Chicago

Running time: 120 minutes

Tickets: $35

Contact: definitiontheatre.org