Home

Displaying items by tag: Mikha’el Amin

Invictus Theatre’s smashingly good Chicago production of Susan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog” brings us a dark comedy that is both gripping and layered. This Tony winner for its current Broadway revival incorporates all the qualities of a well-written play, steadily unfolding details of the brothers who share a derelict apartment—the plaster is falling, the sink is broken, the working bathroom is down the hall—with exposition artfully buried in the dialog.

Under the direction of Aaron Reese Boseman, the audience is drawn in the course of the play to learn these two black brothers were separated some 20 years ago from their parents, who named them as a macabre joke, then walked out when Booth was just 11 and Lincoln 16.

The two have made their way in the world by hustling for money. Booth (DeMorris Burrows) shoplifts and Lincoln (Mikha’el Amin) is a master at three-card monty, where he collects winnings from marks. Younger brother Booth longs to capture Lincoln’s mastery in cards, and when we first meet him alone in his apartment, he is practicing and practicing, struggling to gain his older brother’s finesse.

53535406930 a9642aa121 c

When Lincoln arrives, though, we learn he has given up cards, and is now working in an arcade, in white face, dressed as Lincoln: tophat, beard, frock coat and vest. Lincoln comes fresh from his work, where customers pay to shoot blank bullets at him, after which he dutifully dies. How’s that for a premise?

Lincoln gives Booth a hard time. "Bathroom's down the hall," Booth tells Lincoln, who needles his brother. "You're living in the third world, Booth."  When Booth asks Lincoln to teach him how to succeed at three-card monty, Lincoln retorts, "I don't touch the cards," and refuses to teach him. Booth complains, "Here I am trying to make a living, and you're standing in my way." We immediately feel that this argument, and Booth's supplicant role, has played out many times. 

Yet Lincoln also helps Booth, dispensing his earnings, yet Booth takes advantage of him, taking all but $13, then asking for five bucks back. What Booth really seeks is the recreation of the family of his childhood, when the two lived with their parents, as carefree children, with a treehouse, running a lemonade stand, playing practical jokes on their dad, and chowing down on their mother’s home cooking. Booth rearranges the furniture, to simulate the table around which they would gather during their upbringing. But Lincoln refuses this sentiment, putting it all back the way it has been when he arrived. 

Into the mix are added intriguing entries: Booth tells his brother of witnessing his parents preparing to leave, a traumatic experience. He secretly retains a stocking filled with a parting gift, which he believes is money, but it is never opened during the play. Booth has a girlfriend, Grace, whom he plans to marry—yet she never appears, and when he returns from visiting her, Lincoln asks Booth for a blow-by-blow of the tryst. His recount sounds unconvincingly made-up, but the inebriated Lincoln only vaguely challenges Booth on this, then passes out.These components point to yearnings Booth holds, which Lincoln only partially shares. 

Eventually, there is resolution of the action, the relationship, everything, that is both satisfying and disturbing. The actors here put everything on the boards; it's hard to imagine them recovering and doing this again, nightly. In his protrayal of Booth, Burrows is exacting, a range from humorous clowning, to high energy plaintive soliloquoy, while Mikha’el Amin's Lincoln gives a more restrained but emotionally evocative performance. This nuanced portrait of a brotherly relationship rings remarkably true. Anyone with a brother, or who knows brothers, will recognize the mix of adulation and aspiration in the younger sibling, and the kindly nurturance and meanness in the older one.

Driven from its tiny 35-seat quarters by a fire, Invictus has landed in the northside site renowned for its big sets and large enough to accommodate some riveting immersive theater. WIth existing lighting, sound, and set capability, this space allows for production values supporting in equal measure to Invictus' tradition of concentrating on the fullest expression of the script. Scenic design by Kevin Rolfs, props by Barbie Brown, costumes by Marquecia Jordan or on the mark. The touches of music by sound designer Petter Wahlback set mood at keep dramatic points, and lighting by Brandon Wardell and Josiah Croegaert illuminate and transition fully in sync with the action.

“Topdog/Underdog” carries all the ingredients of the formula for a hot production: an eminently incredible play, in its Chicago revival at the capacious and versatile Windy City Playhouse, the new digs for one of Chicago’s top acting troupes, Invictus. Definitely a must-see on all counts, "Topdog/Underdog" runs through March 31 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago.

Published in Theatre in Review

Review: The Thanksgiving Play at Steppenwolf Theatre

10 May 2024 in Theatre in Review

“Together we created this nothingness,” says Audrey Francis in Steppenwolf’s production of Larissa Fasthorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’. Hot off its…

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD coming to James M. Nederlander this Fall

10 May 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production…

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist

09 May 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist, an immersive and captivating experience of illusions, puzzles, and cryptology, written and performed by renowned magician…

Steep Theatre Announces Two New Shows for '24

09 May 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Steep Theatre will be back on stage in 2024 with two new productions that continue the company's tradition of bringing…

"Boy Genius" Orson Welles meets "War of the Worlds" author H.G. Wells in world premiere WELLS AND WELLES, based on true events

09 May 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

In 1940, the 25-year-old Orson Welles, previously known as a stage and radio actor, had achieved widespread fame for his…

1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE to commemorate the arrival in America of the first African slaves and examine the peoples' progress since then

07 May 2024 in Theatre in Review

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer…

One Fine Show: Beautiful The Carole King Musical dazzles Paramount Theatre

04 May 2024 in Theatre Reviews

Growing up our radio dial was tuned to one channel, K-Earth 101. In Southern California that station was the oldies,…

'Judgment Day' a Top-drawer Production That Will Leave You Laughing, and Maybe Changed for the Better

03 May 2024 in Theatre in Review

Crowds will flock to see “Judgment Day,” having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. While many…

Panther In the Sky – “A Moving Tapestry of Grief and Hope"

02 May 2024 in Dance in Review

In "Panther in the Sky," playwright Lani T. Montreal masterfully weaves a tapestry of grief, resilience, and redemption through the…

IDENTITY PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS FIRST INTL COLLAB May 17 &18 “Lights/9”

02 May 2024 in Upcoming Dance

A collaboration of Chicago dance and Germany lighting sculpture live on stage About the Program: This program, set within an…

PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE OF DEATH BECOMES HER, 25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF MAMMA MIA!, AND THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY START TODAY!

01 May 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce the pre-Broadway World Premiere of DEATH BECOMES HER is now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre…

Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' at The Edge Innovative… radical… courageous… confusing

01 May 2024 in Theatre in Review

Blue in the Right Way audaciously chose for their inaugural production a 400-year-old play, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, written in 1621…

Red Theater's 'Hamlet' at The Edge Off Broadway - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are… hilarious!

28 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

I think my favorite thing – well, one of my favorite things – about Wyatt Kent’s take on HAMLET is…

Review: Joffrey Ballet's 'Midsummer Night’s Dream' at Lyric Opera House

26 April 2024 in Dance in Review

Frolicking season is upon us once again and Joffrey Ballet welcomes summer with the return of Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s…

Eerie, Human Mystery In Captivating ‘Jump’ by Shattered Globe Theatre

26 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

As the audience takes its seats we are greeted by an atmosphere of foreboding, a trestle bridge girder to the…

Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre

25 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

Director Chuck Smith returns to Goodman with another major August Wilson revival–“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”. This is the second…

THE GIFT THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2024-25 SEASON

25 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

The Gift Theatre is pleased to announce its 2024-25 season featuring Suzan-Lori Parks' masterpiece Topdog/Underdog directed by Shanésia Davis and the world premiere of Cygnus by Susan Soon He…

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD TO PLAY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO'S JAMES M. NEDERLANDER THEATRE SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 – FEBRUARY 1, 2025

25 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production…

Cast and production team announced for BrightSide Theatre production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, June 7-23

25 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Full cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre's upcoming production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, the rock opera that…

Chicago Opera Theater presents Chicago leg of the world premiere tour of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s newest opera Before It All Goes Dark May 25 & 26 at the Studebaker Theater

23 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, closes its 50th Anniversary season presenting the final performances of…

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre announces 2024 season - celebrates local artists and two of the most significant Black female writers of the past 50 years

23 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Tim Rhoze, Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, has announced the company's 2024 season of four productions. The season will open with…

Comedy & magic collide in RIDICULOUS! with David Williamson, May 16-June 30 at Rhapsody Theater

23 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

David Williamson, regarded as one of the top magicians in the world today, makes his Rhapsody Theater debut with Ridiculous! Known for his tours…

THE 35th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL RETURNS MAY 25 – JUNE 30 AT SIX CHICAGO VENUES

23 April 2024 in Upcoming Theatre

Curious Theatre Branch is pleased to announce the 35th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival, May 25 - June 30 at six venues across Chicago. The…

Oh Baby, Baby: BABY the Musical at Citadel Theatre

22 April 2024 in Theatre Reviews

It’s often said that in the workplace you should refrain from talking about politics and religion; too personal, too easy…

Ballet 5:8's 'Lost Women of Juárez' in a word - evocative!

22 April 2024 in Dance in Review

BALLET 5:8 is a female - and minority-led ballet company resident at Harris Theatre in Millenium Park. Under the leadership…

Northlight Theatre’s BROOKLYN LAUNDRY Highlights Solid Acting and Thought-Provoking Script

21 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

When life’s chaos is full of impossible choices, how are we possibly meant to move forward? Brooklyn Laundry is about…

Babes with Blades triumph over time and space in THE S PARADOX!

20 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

I would absolutely bomb out of jury selection cos I have a very definite bias: I’ve been a fan(atic) of…

No Trouble with Marriott Theatre’s Music Man

19 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

You got trouble, my friends, if you’re going to put on Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. If you’re going to…

Alvin Ailey in Transition: A Poignant Performance at the Auditorium Theatre

19 April 2024 in Dance in Review

This year's Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 65th-anniversary engagement at Chicago's historic Auditorium Theatre held particular importance as it marked…

Emile Zola Adaptation 'Nana' Is a Triumph at Magical Trap Door Theater

15 April 2024 in Theatre in Review

For the final show of its 30th anniversary season, Trap Door Theatre—the little company that could—has selected a sure-fire hit…

 

 

         17 Years and counting!

Register

     

Latest Articles

Guests Online

We have 328 guests and no members online

Buzz Chicago on Facebook Buzz Chicago on Twitter 

Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.