“There’ll come a time when they will stop laughing, and that will be the time when our Antigone hits them with her words”

John- The Island

Two Black men, bound together with shackles on their feet and hands, are brought to a beach on Robben Island. The same Robben Island that housed Nelson Mandela for 26 years. For the next 15 minutes, the men are engaged in a wordless, strenuous mime of Sisyphean labor. Sisyphus was the King of Corinth. He was imprisoned for his craftiness in cheating death. His punishment, being forced to roll an enormous boulder up a hill only for it to roll down when they near the top, repeating this action for eternity. The crimes committed by our two Black men are never truly explored, but this being South Africa, under the apartheid regime of 1973, we can be sure it is something as simple as living while Black. The key word being simple. The apartheid regime was violent, and this punishment is an extension of that violence.

''The Island,'' the extraordinary protest drama created by White dissident playwright and director Athol Fugard and two Black actors, John Kani and Winston Ntshona is receiving a sharp and impressive reimaging at Court Theatre under the excellent direction of Associate Artistic Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent.

The story is built around the relationship of our two men, John, played by the talented Kai A. Ealy, and Winston, played by the equally talented Ronald L. Connor. There is a sincerity in both these men faces aiding in the interpretation of their characters. John, the more aggressive and active of the two is a relative newcomer to Robben Island, whereas Winston has been incarcerated for quite some time.  They are much more than cellmates or brothers in arms. They are each other’s lifeline. They remind each other of lost humanity in an inhumane environment. While they are physically imprisoned, their imaginations cannot be restrained. They use their imagination to remain sharp and connected to the world and life they once knew. It is in their imagination these men live their fullest lives. With the opportunity to perform for the prison guards and other inmates, John chooses to do a stripped-down version of Antigone.  Winston is uncomfortable playing the female Antigone.                    

When John’s sentence is commuted, shortening his time to three months, Winston frets about becoming a stone shell of himself.  A stone, not unlike the stones he is made to cut. Realizing why he is in this predicament and knowing he will spend the rest of his life in prison because of his stance, Winston is finally motivated to play Antigone. This play is an act of defiance against the South Africa government both literally and figuratively.

Director Randle-Bent, being true to the original intent of the writers, draws the audience into the drama, having John as Creon ask direct questions to audience members. Winston as Antigone pleads her case, not so much to Creon, but to the us, the state. It has a powerful effect on the audience.

I remember the scenic designer Yeaji Kims through her work at American Blues’ production of “Fences” as well as her work with Griffin Theatre. She once again shows her unbelievable imagination. Her set, a sunbaked stone wall with an opening for the guards to look through in the background, in the center of the stage is a slab of stone teetering on a stone mound surrounded by red sand. The slab moves like a teeter-totter, serving the action of the players at their will. This set combined with the soundscape of waves crashing against stone and other island sounds by Andre Pluess and Daniel Etti-Williams give the impression of isolation on foreign shores. The movement of the sun, the unforgiving sun, was perfected by lighting designer Jason Lynch. Michael Keith Morgan is a genius. Kai and Ronald’s South African accents were EXCELLENT!

That’s all we want them to do…listen in the end.

-John

While we laugh at these characters foibles, it is important to remember these events are reality based.

It is impossible to get an accurate number of the people that suffered and died under apartheid.

Not only must we listen, but we must also remember and never forget.

Please see “The Island” at Court Theatre, it’s as important now as it was 50 years ago.

When:    Thru December 4

Where:   Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue

Tickets:   $40.50 - $82.00

Info:        Courttheatre.org.

My favorite writer of all time is Tennessee Williams. He was born into a dysfunctional family in Mississippi 1911. Most of his plays revolve around family dynamics.  My favorite play of his, and of all time is “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. It is an exploration of life, of death, of unrequited love and sexuality, but most of all, it’s about mendacity. The whole play is centered on various family members lying to each other, and in the case of one character, to himself.

“Cat” was written, and it takes place in the present, which would be 1955. A lackluster screen adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman was done in 1958. While beautiful to view , the movie sanitized the script, taking out the scandalous details, leaving an easily digestible movie for 1958 audience. It has none of the heart or the scandal of the play and Mr. Williams hated it.

I had mixed emotions with MadKap’s production at Skokie Theater. I loved the sound effects and felt they were well-designed. The set was a different story. I liked the hanging moss indicating a southern locale. I would have liked to see more order in the netting surrounding the set. It was extremely thick in certain places and seemed to be thrown onto the backdrop. I understand what the designer was going for. With a little help from the lighting designer this could have been an impressive set, as it is now, it is just functional. The furniture in the bedroom did not suggest a wealthy southern family of means. The vanity was a table with a tablecloth thrown over it, the chaise lounge was a pale gray color, the liquor cabinet was a 1980’s stereo system without the stereo. All these items should assist in telling the audience who these people are.  Set design for this show doesn’t begin and end with a brass bed.

The characters in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” are complicated. They have big personalities and even bigger emotions, but so much more than that, they are real people. They shouldn’t be reduced to goofy accents and characterizations.  Reid Harrisson O’Connell plays older brother Gooper and Emilie Yount plays perpetually pregnant sister-in-law Mae. O’Connell wore an oversized suit, a rare miss in an otherwise excellent costume design by Beth Laske Miller. I never got the impression Gooper was a successful lawyer. O’Connor played at the character. His body language gave H.S. student trying to play older. His big scene in the third act came off as comical. Yount as Mae fared slightly better. I wanted to see more variety in her characterization….more cat, less bitch.

I love what Kent Joseph did with Big Daddy Pollitt. He showed us all sides of this cancerous and cankerous plantation owner. In him we see parallels between himself and Brick.  Like Brick, he believes himself to be surrounded by dishonesty. Also, like Brick, he views his marriage as a sham, and feels nothing but disgust for the woman whom he married. The difference between he and Brick is Big Daddy is being lied to, while Brick is lying to himself.  Joseph gave us an honest portrayal of Big Daddy and he was equally yoked with Ann James’ Big Mama. Hers was a loud, tender, and touching performance.  A joy to watch.

I wish Caleb Gibson matched the energy of Kent Joseph. I couldn’t get past a weird accent he used. It was a cross between Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle (who, incidentally, was gay) and Foghorn Leghorn. A dialect coach would have served this production greatly. Act two of the play is the heart of the drama. We learn the problem with Brick, and Big Daddy learns of his problem. The language is very important. It is not the time to break down sobbing. Gibson, while trying to convince his father he is not “a sissy”, is incoherent because of his crying. We miss a lot of information. It was an issue of over-acting in some places while underacting in others.

Sarah Sapperstein did an amazing job as Maggie the cat. She is strong yet vulnerable. She gives as well as she takes. She is determined yet utterly feminine. We could have asked for more onstage chemistry between Gibson and Sapperstein but her Maggie was one point nonetheless.

I recommend everyone see “Cat on A Hot Tin Roof”, after all, this is Tennessee Williams. The world has changed so much since the 50’s. Writers such as Donja Love, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Jonathan Larson, Tony Kushner as well as others, owe so much to Williams. I owe so much to him; he kept me reading and learning.

“You two had something that had to be kept on ice, yes, incorruptible, yes!--and death was the only icebox where you could keep it....”
― Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Through 11/20: Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM; also Wed 11/16 1:30 PM, Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln, Skokie, 847-677-7761, skokietheatre.org, $38 ($34 students/seniors)

Invictus Theatre Company is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in Chicago. They consistently produce excellent theatre without pretension or fanfare. For a small storefront theatre, they more than hold their own against larger, better financed houses. They are always punching above their weight class and winning.

I had seen so much theatre invoking the character, presidency, and utter foolishness of Donald Trump, it started to bore me.  When I realized Invictus was approaching this “Caesar” from a different angle, it piqued my interest. I clearly saw the parallels, not to Donald Trump and his presidency, but to one date in particular, January 6th, now known as “Insurrection Day”. In “Julius Caesar” events are put into action thru manipulation and persuasion, whether it is to one person or a group of people. “Julius Caesar” is the perfect play for an examination of the effect of rhetoric on groups.

The play begins with a triumphant Caesar returning home to Rome after successfully defeating his rivals. While the Roman people welcome him, Caesar’s newfound popularity makes nobleman Cassius quite uncomfortable. He convinces Brutus, a friend of Caesar’s, that Caesar is dangerously ambitious and should be assassinated to preserve Rome as a republic. The two, along with some others organize and execute the assassination. The play then recounts the consequences of this betrayal, focusing on Caesar’s right-hand man, Mark Antony. He along with Octavius, Caesar’s nephew, fight to revenge the murder of his friend.

Charles Askenaizer deftly plays Brutus as a reasonable, thoughtful man, a principled, moral man. A man whose loyalty lies not so much with Caesar but with the future of Rome. He easily evokes the audience’s sympathy. When he says to Cassius “I had rather be a dog and bay the moon” in response to dishonorable acts, we believe and feel for him. It is unfortunate the very qualities making him an honorable man, are the qualities used to bring him down. This is the tragedy of Brutus.

Daniel Houle plays Cassius as the ultimate villain he is. His jealousy is pronounced, he effectively uses the people around him for his own devious purposes.  He’s entirely self-serving. Instead of taking no for an answer, he reframes his talking points. As audience members, Houle has us questioning anything that comes out of his mouth. In the second act he proves what we felt all along. Powerful interpretation.

We are disarmed by the deceptively smooth and peaceful nature of Mikha’el Amin’s Mark Antony. He underplays the role to brilliant results. When he realizes Caesar has been murdered and he’s now in the room with the murderers, his eyes tell all that his mouth is formulating. As many times as I’ve seen “Julius Caesar”, Amin gave me something new to consider. The more Antony mentions that Brutus is an “honorable man” the more, ever so sarcastic it sounds. The arc of this portrayal is wonderful to watch especially up close. Amin speaks volumes with his eyes.

In this male dominated world, the marginalized women make a strong impression. Rachel Livingston is full of rage and pride as the headstrong Portia and Maria Clara Ospina switches full tilt from a subservient Lucius to a prophesying Calpurnia, splendid performances by both women.

Huy Nguyen as Artemidorus, Colin Jones as Soothsayer and Joseph Beal as Casca were standouts in a uniformly outstanding cast.

The conspirators entering Brutus’s home in black rain slickers, faces hidden under dark of night, each make a distinct impression. Rick Yaconis (Metellus Cimber), Brandon Boler (Cinna), Joe Feliciano (Trebonius), and Chuck Diaz (Decius Brutus) are a formidable group thanks to the awesome modern dress costume design of Emily Bloomer.

Petter Wahlback’s sound effects and Joe Larkin’s lighting design added to the dramatic tension, particularly during the storm and the battle scenes. Speaking about battle scenes, special notice must go to Jay Donley for his Fight/Intimacy Design. In a space as tight as The Reginald Vaughn Theater, nothing is missed. I feared someone would get hurt with the realistic daggers being used. Kevin Rolfs set supported the action on stage without getting in the way of the story, the props were next level thou! The blood, the blood! Big ups to wardrobe supervisor Beau Peterson-Quinn, I’m not sure how you keep those costumes clean, but you deserve applause. Thank you, Sarafina Vecchio, your reputation precedes you. You’ve made the text accessible for everyone to enjoy

There is so much about this production that I absolutely love, I’m sure I must be missing something….

Oh yes! Hail Chuck Munro!

Julius Caesar is playing at the Reginald Vaughn Theater at 1106 W Thorndale Avenue in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm through November 20, 2022. For tickets and information go to www.invictustheatreco.com.

The term "Red Summer" was coined by civil rights activist and author James Weldon Johnson, who had been employed as a field secretary by the NAACP since 1916.  It is the period from late winter through early autumn of 1919 during which white supremacist terrorism and racial riots took place in more than three dozen cities across the United States. “Red Summer” is also the name of the premiere musical by Governors State University Center for the Performing Arts in collaboration with MPAACT Theatre. It tells the story of the Chicago entry into the red summer uprisings.

We meet the energetic and talented chorus with the opening musical number “Setting the Stage”. The neighborhood comes alive. Two families living on either side of an imaginary dividing line, basically in the same economic position, await the return of loved ones from the war. Hard-working ethnic immigrant Mam Weir and her impulsive son Declan Weir await the return of son and brother, Connor Weir. While across the racial line, equally hard-working Marlene Winters awaits her husband Donald Lee Winters. Marlene has the added burden of losing a child to the 1918 pandemic. Tensions rise with men coming home from the war compete for work in an shrinking economy. Tensions run high with everyone looking for a scapegoat. One hot summer day, Eugene Williams a child, swam into a segregated area of Lake Michigan. He was stoned and drowned. Since the authorities took no action, African Americans took it upon themselves and riots ensued with the ethnic Irish. These riots were documented by The Chicago Defender and the Chicago Tribune.

The writing staff of Shepsu Aakhu,  Andrew White & Shawn Wallace did an excellent job giving voice to the despair, fear and dashed hopes and dreams of its characters. Writing a musical is difficult. Writing a musical where “all’s well doesn’t end well” is almost impossible but they have done it. This was no easy task.

I could write paragraphs about the largest cast ever to grace an MPAACT production, but for the sake of brevity I can only point out a few. Let me say, the entire ensemble was beautiful.  Chloe, Lauren, Katherine, Allison, Autumn, Anthony, Michael, Destin, Dane, Jacque, Danelle, and Marc this show would not have been as successful if it were not for your kinetic stage energy and talent.

Ashlea Woodley as Mam Weir, Alexander Slade as Declan and Ryan Huemmer as Connor.  I loved them individually, together they blew me away. When their voices came together with the song “Eyes Ahead” it was magic. I sat up and took notice.

C.C. Rois also stood out as Marlene Winters. Her singing was ethereal. Her grace and elegance manifested in her songs. I was especially moved by her graveyard scene. Touching and warm.

Nathaniel Andrew who plays Donald Lee Winters, made us root for him. His singing voice pure and honest…who knew.

Melanie Victoria as Ida B Wells captured the audience with her stage presence and gospel-tinged singing.

Bob Sanders as Mayor Bill Thompson was equally as compelling as a counterpoint to Ms. Wells

J. Xavier as army veteran-bartender Dixon is a powerful presence. A robust singing style makes him a standout.

Michaelyn Oby played Eugene Williams sweetly. I’m sure I’ll see more of her on the Chicago stage.

Brian Healy as the Casmero Lazeroni, the fruit peddler was a major joy and standout. His voice was unreal. It was a character I looked forward to. Not to give away anything, but I was hurt.

Jessica Wardell’s tall, skeletal Chicago tenements and storefront along with a fruit peddler with cart, gave the set a sense of 1919 realism. Abboye Lawrence’s media gave us a sense of time and place especially the media for the Chicago Defender and the mayor’s office. Evelyn Danner is to be applauded for brilliant costume design. Terrific Lighting effects by Brandon Wardell.

It is obvious this production grew because of the special gifts of Andrea Dymond.  Her specialty is new works and bringing them to fruition. As I’ve said before, musicals are hard ands sad musicals are harder. Despite the subject matter, Dymond has made a stunning, engaging portrait of a shameful past. 

Shepsu Aakhu you can’t be your own dramaturge!

Red Summer is playing till September 25th.

Friday and Saturday at 730,

Sunday at 2pm.

Tickets start at $30.00 to $57.00. And tickets can be bought online at CenterTickets.net or call 708-235-2222.

Governors State University is located about 45 min from Chicago, at 1 University Pkwy, University Park

Black and Irish Twitter had a field day upon the death of Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II. No tears were shed other than tears of laughter and joy at the demise of a colonizer. Telling Black twitter to be respectful of the death of the woman who inherited the legacy of an empire that contributed to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, or Irish twitter to mourn the woman whose legacy includes Black Sunday is truly an eye rolling, laugh inducting matter…sorry Chris. It is ironic “The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington”, lambasting the “Mother of Our Country”, opened the same weekend as the death of the Queen of the Commonwealth.

I learned so much from seeing this play. Much of James Ijames play is based on historical fact. Martha Dandridge Custis was a widow with two children and enslaved people when she married George Washington. She had an illegitimate half-sister, Ann, born into slavery, thanks to her father. Ann had a son named William. William is both nephew and grandson to Martha since it is believed Martha’s son, John Custis is Williams’s father. George Washington did instruct his wife to release his enslaved people upon his death.  Martha feared her life was in jeopardy and expressed it to Abigail Adams. James Ijames did his research writing this exceptional play. The writing is relevant, thought-provoking, and extremely entertaining.

The play opens Christmas eve night. An enslaved woman, Ann Dandridge is attending to a dying Martha Washington. Just outside and within ear shot are Miz Washington’s enslaved chattel waiting for the glorious moment of her death. They are aware of the clause in her late husbands will freeing them of servitude upon her death, and they can hardly contain themselves.  Miz Washington falls into a deep sleep and finds herself in a fever dream where she will have to account for the people she has enslaved.

Then the fun begins……

Not every director or actor could have pulled off this spectacle. And believe me, it was a spectacle. There was nothing small or tentative about this production. It was big, it was bold, it was Black and Beautiful. Director Whitney White used every fiber of all her talented actors to wonderful results. The ensemble consists of Sydney Charles as Priscilla, Celeste M. Cooper as Doll, Donovan Session as Sucky-Boy, Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Davy, Victor Musoni as William, Nikki Crawford as Ann Dandridge, and Cindy Gold as Martha Washington. All the ensemble members, except Cindy Gold, play a host of other characters.

Clint Ramos’ set design is interesting, dark, and foreboding at times, at other times a circus

Izumi Inaba’s costumes showed a vivid imagination, among the best I’ve seen. There are several scene and costume changes and for the life of me, I’m not sure how they were done so quick and effortlessly.

Ijames doesn’t romanticize slavery as I’ve seen in other plays. There is nothing nice about slavery. Ijames has made his enslaved people the antagonist to an American way of life, putting them at odds with those who romanticize this country.

I got into a row with someone on twitter about my indifference to the Queen’s death. He reminded me the British Empire abolished slavery decades before the United States. I reminded him the British Empire used slave labor to harvest sugarcane, they realized enslaved people with machetes aren’t good for business.

This production is highly recommended.

THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON runs through October 9, 2022 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 North Halsted. Tickets are $20-$96.

I’ve often said despite the larger houses producing August Wilson plays, they tend to work better in intimate spaces. After all, Mr. Wilsons’ inspiration came from intimate settings. He would write in bars, cafes, restaurants, and other places where his characters would be right in his face. He would often write long hand and sometimes on napkins to make himself invisible as a writer. It was important for him to catch the dialect, the accents, and the energy of his characters. Mr. Wilson began his career writing for small theaters, schools, and community centers where space was at a premium.

American Blues minimalist production of “Fences” under the direction of Monty Cole is powerful, bold, and beautiful. I love when theaters take chances. No guts, no glory….and there is plenty of glory here.

To contain the largest of emotions within boundaries, Scenic designer Yeaji Kim has created a huge, whitewashed fence reaching the heavens on both ends of the playing area. On the north end it appears to still be under construction. On the south end there is a door leading into the house while when closed is unnoticed. There are 5 cushions for players to be seated when they are not on stage. There are 60 chairs in total on either side of the playing area. It’s akin to a baseball field. The characters are so close you can count the beads of sweat on their brow, their emotions so big, no regular sized fence was going to hold them in.

We get up close and personal with Troy Maxson. Kamal Angelo Bolden’s Troy was not encumbered by anyone who previously played this role. This Troy was much more complicated than I’ve ever seen, FULL STOP. At varying times, this Troy showed love, he showed anger, he showed fear, he was a child, he was a monster, but most of all he showed a vulnerable side. It’s the vulnerability the audience connected with. Despite his ugliness, his meanness, and boorish ways if we look deep into his eyes, we see a man hurt. We see a man who values work more than education. In those rare moments of silence, we see what could have been, and our hearts ache for him.

Playing opposite Troy is the hard-working Rose, his wife of 18 years. She knows this man; she has built her life around him. She soothes over his relationships with his sons.  She is the heart and soul of this family. She cooks, she cleans, she loves. She is saint like in her patience with Troy until she isn’t. We see mini eruptions until it grows too much to control until she loses herself or does she find herself.  Shanesia Davis’ beautifully understates Rose until she can’t anymore. It is some beautiful theatre having a front seat to her emotional build.

A man like Troy Maxson needs all the support he can muster, and no one does it better than his friend and confidant, Bono, engagingly played by Martel Manning. No one could question Troy about his dalliance except Bono. Manning brilliantly steps into the lion’s den and raises the issue. I loved the way his mannerisms changed when talking to Troy about “that gal”.

Troy’s two sons born a decade apart, to two different women are Cory, energetically played by Ajax Dontavius and Lyons, the charismatic William Anthony Sebastian Rose II. Troy treats both men the same the only difference is Cory lives in his home, so he has more control over him.  He verbally abuses Lyons. Special shout-out to Charlie Baker, the Fight & Intimacy Director. Unbelievable stagecraft. The fights and intimacy looked awful real. I almost ducked when Cory was swinging the bat.

Rounding out this family is Gabriel, Troy’s brain damaged brother, played with wonderful control by Manny Buckley. I loved how tight and controlled Buckley played Gabriel. He played the character with great respect for brain damaged people without forfeiting characterization. Gabriel sees what we can’t see. He feels what we can’t feel. Buckley expressed this perfectly.

Stephanie Cluggish’s costumes suggested the times. I especially like what she did with Rose’s funeral outfit. Very inventive.

This production had an air of spirituality, of otherworldliness, I’ve never seen before. This was largely the result of Jared Gooding’s lighting design.  It worked beautifully

In Wilson’s N.Y. Times obituary, he is quoted as telling the Paris Review: “I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans. For instance, in ‘Fences’ they see a garbageman, a person they don’t really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy’s life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman’s life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives.”

Yeah right, let’s hope this is true. In any case, American Blues Theater and Monty Cole has put these characters on full display with all the fury and might deserving of them and a weary America thanks you.

“Fences” runs through Aug. 6 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. For tickets visit americanbluestheater.com or phone (773) 975-8150.

Let me begin by saying, this was one helluva 90 minutes in Chicago theatre. We enter the theatre to the sound of a combination of Jazz, trap music and hip-hop. There is a sign reading “This is not history”. On stage, the set, a French street with boarded up storefronts with the name of the play prominently on display. I was not aware of the roller coaster ride I was about to witness.

Terry Guest successfully uses the French Revolution as background for several Black uprisings. A tall order to say the least. The cast enters and opens what appears to be a pandora’s box of costumes. We are off to a thrilling night of theater. This is just the beginning of the time travel and the various people we will meet.

The ensemble consists of Jim Crow (Keith Iliddge), Mammy (Amber Washington), Sapphire (Danyelle Monson), Sambo (Maya Vinice Prentiss), Savage Nathaniel Andrew. They are not history. They’re stereotypes. These ensemble members also play other characters as well such as JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy (complete with bloody pink Chanel suit) Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ida B. Wells, Axel Von Fersen, Toussaint L”Ouverture and Napoleon. Yes, that Napoleon. This is History.

Joining these characters on stage in various times of their lives are Marie Antoinette (Brenna Di Stasio) and Louis LVI (David Stobbe). The goings on at Versailles is commentated by a on scene reporter to hilarious results. This ensemble was wonderful to watch. They assumed the characters and told the story with excitement and verve.  

The play moves at an extremely fast pace. You have stay awake to catch everything, and you do want to catch EVERYTHING! You got to be woke. We may start in 18^th century France, but we travel to the Haitian Revolution, Los Angeles “Rodney King” uprisings, Ferguson Missouri, for Michael Brown, Minneapolis for George Floyd, and other places where there have been uprisings. Through all these metamorphoses the ensemble shifts effortlessly. In a surprising turn the audience becomes the Revolutionary Tribunal convicting Marie Antoinette to death after a vote. This is a fun evening.

The script is wonderfully complex. Terry Guest’s writing reminds me of a young Susan Lori Parks. I’m excited to see what else he has to say. He has directed the cast to work as efficiently as possible to fantastic results. This play is a must see, maybe twice, you’re bound to miss something.

The Story Theatre’s Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes is playing thru July 17^th at Raven Theatre.  

*Extended through July 24th

Not every story about gay youth is a “coming out” story. Some youth have nothing to come out of. Their lives are not spent hiding who they are. For the most part, young people today are confident and proud of who they are. They are who they are, and the world will have to deal with it. “Choir Boy,” receiving a visually and audibly beautiful staging at the Steppenwolf Theatre is the story of one such boy.

Pharus Young, is a junior at the Charles Drew Prep School for boys. Pharus, (exuberantly played by Tyler Hardwick) is clearly different from the other boys. He is comfortably gay, proud and most of all, talented ……and he knows it. During Senior graduation where Pharus is singing the school song, “Trust and Obey”, he is heckled by Bobby (thuggishly handsome, Gilbert Domally), who happens to be the headmaster’s nephew. Bobby calls Pharus among other things, “sissy” and the dreaded “f” word.

The headmaster (a comical turn by La Shawn Banks) tries to help Pharus by telling him to “tighten up”, code for act straight. Pharus, to prove he is indeed a “Drew” man refuses to tell on his tormentor, although Bobby thinks he has, which leads to more confrontation and taking of sides. Pharus instead confides in his athletic jock roommate, AJ (the excellent Sheldon D. Brown). AJ is the big brother we all wish we had. He understands and doesn’t judge Pharus. Why? He’s comfortable in his own skin, which makes it easier to accept other people. Not so much for the other boys, David, (the baby-faced Richard David) doesn’t want to create any problems that would interfere with his scholarship and Junior, (the comical Samuel B. Jackson) who hides behind his buddy Bobby's machismo. Each of these boys has a struggle that must be dealt with if they are to succeed.

The beautiful Greek motif set consists of the front of a Greek temple with six doric columns holding up a triangular pediment. It is interesting to note ancient Greece had no concept of sexual preference. It was assumed a person could have both hetro-and homosexual responses at different times. Both romantic love and sexual passion between men were often considered normal, and under some circumstances healthy or admirable.  Above the structure are large photos of Fredrick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama, Malcolm X, and W.E.B. Dubois looking down on the proceedings. Beds rolled out as if my magic suggesting a dorm room making scene changes quick and effortless. Kent Gash has directed the ensemble to perfection, making clear the issues these men deal with including Mr. Pendleton (William Dick) who bring with him some special deep-seated issues.

Music in this play allows the students to express themselves in ways words would fail. Songs such as “Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child” convey the loneliness of boarding school.

If you listen to the words closely, “Love Ballad” sung by David reveals a bit of his nature. Bobby and Junior act up when singing “Boys II Men” proving they are more boys than men. Gospel music sung a cappella by the group of boys, sounds like angels singing on high. Special notice should go to Jermaine Hill for musical direction and Byron Easley for choreography. "Rockin' in Jerusalem" by the ensemble is worth the price of admission. The cast was note perfect and well as step perfect.

Tarell Alvin McCraney has a special skill when it comes to writing about teenage boys just before manhood. McCraney is known for his Oscar winning movie “MoonLight”, but “Choir Boy” is closer to his lesser known television series “David Makes Man” Season 1. Both involve teenage men dealing with issues beyond their years.

Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 335-1650, steppenwolf.org

Showtimes: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, through July 24. Also 8 p.m. June 28, July 5, 12 and 19. No 8 p.m. show July 24

Running time: About 100 minutes, no intermission

Tickets: $20-$98

Parking: $15 in the Steppenwolf parking lot; limited street parking

Rating: For adults; contains nudity and mature themes

COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination and masking required

August Wilson is best known for a series of 10 plays known as the “Pittsburgh cycle” which chronicle the African American experience in America. For me, Wilson’s greater achievement is giving voice to African American men. Grown African American men over a certain age. Wilson allows his male characters to achieve something he didn’t achieve ...old age. Mr. Wilson died in 2005 at the relatively young age of 60. It is unfathomable what he would have written if given another 10 years. Sadly, too few playwrights write and value older Black men as Wilson did.

“Two Trains Running” takes place during the turbulent 60’s. 1969 to be exact. A time when for every action there is an equal and opposite action. Think Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King. Think LBJ’s war on poverty and Black neighborhoods being burned to the ground. The 1960’s was a time when there were always two distinct trains of thought running at the same time. Wilson made the best of these times without making a boring historical drama. Let’s face it, Black folks had a hard time in the 60’s.

The setting is the Hill District diner of Memphis Lee, scheduled for demolition but not before the city pays the asking price. Memphis (A.C. Smith, in a performance he will be long remembered for) is a recently single man since his wife walked out on him. It doesn’t take long to figure out why. He treats his sole employee Riza like she is a maid. Memphis is a man who remembers what it was like to live in the south, he often mentions it. You would think that he would treat his employee better because of what he has gone through, but no, he subjugates her until you almost feel sorry. Almost.

Riza, (in a strong performance by Kierra Bunch) gives as well as she can take, and she takes a lot. Nothing bothers Riza she has seen it all. She has scarred her legs to deter the attention of men to no avail.  Although she wants the best casket for her friend, she refuses to view the body. Again, those two trains of thought at play.

Holloway (played with wisdom by Alfred Wilson) has some of the evening’s most profound lines as well as some of the funniest. There is a line about the Undertaker West burying people with the same suit that is hilarious. Alfred Wilson has a finely developed sense of humor, and it is put to excellent use here.

Ronald L. Connor cast as neighborhood predator/numbers runner Wolf is a stroke of genius. In a big ass afro it would be easy for Connor to slip into caricature, but he keeps this character real and recognizable. Despite constantly being told not to play numbers in the diner by Memphis. Memphis is one of his most reliable customers…again, two trains of thought. Wolf knowing how seemingly dangerous Sterling is has no problem selling him a gun, on credit no less.

Some of the most beautiful scenes in this play were done by Jerrod Haynes as Sterling and Joseph Primes as Hambone.  Jerrod is a scary Sterling on first meeting him. He has no problem telling anyone who would listen he just got out of the penitentiary. He’s the kind of guy that takes what he wants and is very sure of himself. He operates on no pretense. Joseph Primes has a face that tells one everything they need to know. His Hambone was aware. His Hambone was a fighter. Since I’ve seen the play several times before I concentrated on Hambone when he wasn’t talking. A million things were going thru his head, and they all came back to “I want my ham”. The story of the ham is two trains of thought, Lutz offered Hambone a chicken to paint his fence and if he did a really good job, Lutz said he would get a ham. Hambone felt he did a really good job, Lutz thought different.

Rounding out this coterie of characters is West, the Funeral Owner. In an unrecognizable role Cedric Young reminds us of how he got rich and how he’s gonna stay rich.

The period costumes were done by Christine Pascual…They were excellent. The costumes never got in the way of the story. These characters were real. A special shout to Christine for making sure Riza wasn’t in an afro. In 1969, women were hot-combing their hair and trying to look like Diana Ross and The Supremes. The set by Jack Magaw with the small details informed you that this is Pittsburgh.

Ron O.J. Parsons has done a marvelous job as usual. Proving he knows this language better than just about anyone in Chicago. There are performances here that will last forever “Two Trains Running” is a play one listens to. It stays with you a very long time.

Thru June 12^th at Court Theatre.

“Intimate Apparel” by Lynn Nottage is a story about 35-year-old Esther, a skilled seamstress in New York City. The year is 1905. She lives in a boarding house owned by Ms. Dickerson, a widow. This boarding house houses other women who are passing thru on their way to marriage. Esther has been living in the boarding house the longest with no proposal of marriage coming her way. She makes beautiful corsets and other intimate apparel for two of her clients, Mayme, a well-paid prostitute, who dreams of becoming a concert pianist and Mrs. Van Buren, an uptown married women in a childless, loveless marriage. There is a mutual attraction between herself and fabric merchant, Mr. Marks, an orthodox Jewish immigrant. They understand this relationship can never be more than what it is. Esther also has dreams. She has been saving her money over the years in hopes of owning her own beauty salon. She also dreams of being married and is afraid that she is getting too old. Her pastor’s nephew, while working on the Panama Canal, give her name and address to fellow co-worker, George Armstrong from Barbados. After an epistolary relationship, where Esther, not being able to read or write was helped by the other ladies, George proposes to Esther in one of the letters and she accepts. What a beautiful story if it ended there.

“Intimate Apparel” is one of my favorite plays. It reminds me of my family who immigrated from the Caribbean to New York City in the 50’s.

I am first generation to be born in America. My maternal Grandmother is from Barbados, my aunt was a seamstress in the garment district. Looking at faded pictures in a photo album I imagined how these people, my people, lived. I was hoping they lived in vivid color. The entire production of “Intimate Apparel” at Northlight Theatre was bathed in muted, faded, pastel tones. The set looked like the inside of a pale pink/baby blue corset. There is a full-sized bed in the middle of the stage with a sewing machine in front of it. This is Esther’s room. Left of the bed is a pink vanity set, signifying Mrs. Van Buren’s room. On the right of the bed, there is a pink upright piano, this Mayme’s room. Lights denote where the action was takes place. Nothing suggest New York City, 1905. It was a beautiful set, but this could have been Los Angeles, 1950. In addition Esther carries a leather handbag in her travels. Leather handbags real or fake didn’t come into vogue until the 1930’s. In 1905 Esther would carry a cloth bag possibly made by her. A small thing but it kept popping up.

There was nothing muted about the acting in this production. Mildred Langford is unforgettably poignant as the sorrowful, painfully shy Esther. In Langford’s eyes we see the strength and vulnerability, dignity and hurt, joy and pain of Esther. We suffer and rejoice with her, she becomes ours.

We want to protect her. Yao Dogbe has the best Caribbean accent I have heard on stage. He excels at portraying George Armstrong as a rough around the edges but good-hearted laborer and then revealing Armstrong’s more complex nature in Act 2. We want to feel for George’s plight, but our loyalties lay with Esther. Dogbe must be careful not to telegraph his intentions in Act 1 as I think he may have done at press opening. George is delivering his lines from a non-descript place behind scrim. Again, A design issue in my opinion. We, the audience, need to see George Armstrong’s face. We need to see his eyes. We need to believe and like George. The way it is presently staged, we, as audience members, are as much in the dark about George as Esther. Rebecca Spence does an excellent job portraying Mrs. Van Buren as a spoiled rotten, sex starved woman of privilege.  The beautiful Rashada Dawan as Mayme gives clear voice into the insecurities of her profession and a different point of view about marriage. The chemistry between Sean Fortunato’s Mr. Marks and Esther is apparent and heartbreaking. We wish that times were different, and this romance can be realized. Fortunato creates a man who appreciates fabric he cannot wear and admires a woman he cannot touch.

I love Felicia Fields; she brings vitality and life to every show I’ve seen her in. I hate to say this but, Felicia Fields was mis-cast. It appears that Northlight wanted some insurance of a packed house, so they hired someone who has a following. I can’t believe there was an open audition of equity actresses and ……..  . Fields is wonderful but not in this role. Mis-casting isn’t new, Denzel played Walter Lee at 60, David Alan Grier played Sgt. Waters…all to fill seats and these were on Broadway.

May 3, The role of George Armstrong will be taken over by the accomplished Al’Jaleel McGee. I know Al’Jaleel’s work. He will bring a new energy to this role making a return visit to Northlight more than worth it.

Director Tasia A Jones has directed a strong moving piece of theatre. The unidentified persons in the photos are brought to life. It is recommended for the beautiful acting

Intimate Apparel By Lynn Nottage at Northlight Theatre

April 14 – May 15

Tuesday: 7:30 May 3 only

Wednesday: 1:00pm and 7:30pm

Thursday: 7:30pm

Friday: 8:00pm

Saturday 2:30pm and 8:00pm

Sunday: 2:30pm and 7:00pm May 15 only

9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60077

(847) 673-6300