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On the 400th year anniversary of William Shakespeare's death Lyric Opera of Chicago appropriately chose to commemorate the famed playwright’s life by putting on an outstanding production of Romeo and Juliet. Helping to make this such a special piece of operatic theatre, Joseph Calleja and Susanna Phillips as the tragically famous lovesick couple do a magnificent job vocally and emotionally throughout the show to bring the real spirit of youthful, love at first sight to life. 

The show begins with the stage curtain up and the entire cast ominously moves towards the audience singing the overture which was very effective in setting the tone of the times the play is set in. 

Soprano Susanna Phillips, perfectly complimenting tenor Calleja, is especially great in her role. Dressed all in pink with gold sparkles, she embodies the very essence of springtime love in her opening number.  When, at one point, she begs her nanny to stop talking about her impending marriage to an older man that Juliet does not love you really want her to get her wish, as her fresh hopeful desire to just dance and enjoy life is very infectious.

Joshua Hopkins as Romeo’s best pal Mercutio and Jason Slayden as Juliet’s short-fused cousin Tybalt also take to their roles with vigor and precision, really capturing the two sworn enemies’ disdain for each other while baritone Christian Van Horn is well cast as Friar Laurence, who means well though his efforts only end in tragedy.   

I loved ALL the costumes by Jennifer Tipton!  The rich, fabrics and colors, her hats and accessories for the women brought the whole stage to life. Also, the swashbuckling style of leather and velvet for the men was extremely entertaining and fitting to watch both their swordplay and Romeo’s lovemaking to Juliet.

Michael Yeargan's unit set is foreboding and appropriately towers over the cast as if to say there is no escape from this time period and its rules. However, I was looking forward to several set changes. Instead, the central platform served as a ballroom dance floor, Friar Laurence's cell, a town square and the crypt where the young couple meet their fate. I felt this modern touch of using a single large white sheet to signify Juliet's bedroom, then the church, and the burial shroud, etc., etc., was very one dimensional. The cast, so visually stunning, is so large even the hefty set seemed to barely contain them in various scenes. Still, overall, the production is a grand spectacle that is as colorful and enchanting as it is memorable.

Directed with fierce and daring force by Bartlett Sher, the Tony Award-winning Broadway director who's making his Lyric debut with this French piece by Charles Gounod, Romeo and Juliet succeeds marvelously on many levels. Of course this can only be accomplished with the comprehensive orchestral conducting of Emmanuel Villaume, who leads the often powerful and sometimes dreamy soundtrack to create a truly hauntingly tragic yet beautiful experience.  The romanticism of the writing is so beautiful, so poetic, I found myself watching the screen high above the stage trying to memorize some of the pure poetry as the play went along. The lines of love and adoration spoken by Romeo and Juliet to each other were so exquisitely written, I have never seen an American adaptation of this or any love story which compares to this poetic version of the play.

No spoilers but there is a slight change to the ending scene that might throw off a few viewers but I still found it quite enjoyable. 

This is a perfect opera to take your date to for an evening of romance that will thrill and delight. Your children will love this show because it renders the story of forbidden love and the destruction of such love because of unforgiving, ignorant family feuding and brings it to life in a compassionate and ever so romantic way.

Romeo and Juliet is being performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago through March 19th and is sure to please the casual and more adventurous theatre and opera lovers alike. For more information on this piece so wonderfully adapted for stage, visit www.LyricOpera.org. 

Nation’s most diverse music festival presents more than 140 events from June 2 through September 11, featuring the 80th-anniversary summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Longtime, former music director James Levine returns for the first time in over two decades to conduct Mahler’s Second Symphony, as he did at his Ravinia debut 45 years ago

Eight conductors make their Ravinia debuts, and four of those make their CSO debuts, including Kirill Karabits, Gustavo Gimeno, George Hanson, and Ben Gernon

Legends Paul Simon, Diana Ross, and Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons among 74 Ravinia debuts; Bob Dylan returns for the first time since 1964

Ten premieres include the first violin concerto by Wynton Marsalis, co-commissioned by Ravinia, and Tan Dun’s Water Passion

Stravinsky’s The Firebird named “One Score, One Chicago” selection as Ravinia co-commissions dramatic new staging from the puppeteers behind Broadway’s War Horse

Orchestras perform scores live as Ravinia shows the complete films Titanic, The Planets: An HD Odyssey, The Wizard of Oz, and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony II

A series of vocal programs, including Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers,” celebrates the centennial of master choral director Robert Shaw

Tributes to David Bowie, Oscar Brown Jr., Nat “King” Cole, Jerry Garcia, and Stephen Sondheim are featured

Fourteen chamber programs explore “complete” works by Haydn, Bach, and Bartók and launch a three-year cycle of Beethoven’s piano sonatas by Jonathan Biss

Ravinia welcomes guests at its grand entrance with a new aquatic sculpture by the designers of the Bellagio’s dancing fountains and a wave of water-themed concerts

Classical artists include Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Matthias Goerne; Gil Shaham; Joshua Bell and Chris Botti; Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma; Itzhak Perlman; Alisa Weilerstein; Lynn Harrell; Daniil Trifonov; Jeffrey Kahane; Zukerman Trio; Danielle de Niese; Midori; Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; the Juilliard, Emerson, and Takács String Quartets; and RSMI alumni in the Chiara, Avalon, and Ariel String Quartets

Non-classical artists include Seal; Train and Andy Grammer; Bonnie Raitt; Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Johnny Depp; Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters and Marty Stuart; Don Henley; Bryan Ferry; Barenaked Ladies; Seth MacFarlane; Duran Duran; Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck; Tony Bennett; Patti LaBelle; Phillip Phillips and Matt Nathanson; and Chris Cornell

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.—Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman today announced the 2016 summer season comprising more than 140 events, featuring the 80th-anniversary summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In this special anniversary year, maestro James Levine will return for the first time in more than two decades to lead the CSO in Mahler’s Second Symphony—the piece he conducted as a last-minute replacement when he made his Ravinia debut in 1971. Eight conductors will make their Ravinia debuts—four of whom concurrently are making their CSO debuts—during the 17-concert residency. The 15-week season, which is nearly 65 percent classical, features 74 artist debuts—including legends Paul Simon and Diana Ross—and 50 classical works never before performed at the festival. New works include the Ravinia co-commissions of a reimagined staging of Stravinsky’s The Firebird, created by the company behind War Horse on Broadway and the West End, and the first violin concerto fromWynton Marsalis, performed by Nicola Benedetti, for whom it was written. Four films, including Titanic and The Wizard of Oz, will receive live orchestral accompaniment. Several concerts pay tribute to musical giants, from Robert Shaw to David Bowie. Fourteen concerts offer “complete” works, including the launch of a three-year Beethoven project by pianist Jonathan Biss. Tickets go on sale March 9 to donors to the not-for-profit festival and April 26 to the general public.

“Nothing compares to the enviable relationship between Ravinia and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, so it’s a real pleasure to announce the 80th-anniversary summer residency, featuring something for just about every taste in orchestral music,” said Kauffman, who programs the festival, also noting that typically festivals and orchestras are a single entity, such as Tanglewood and the Boston Symphony. “Ravinia, with its welcoming outdoor environment, low prices, and inviting summer programming is well poised to help build the audience for this important art form. If venue loyalty can get just 5 percent of the audience that comes to see Train or Paul Simon to return for a CSO concert, that would be a sea change. We’re especially excited to respond to audience demand by introducing six conductors standing before the CSO at Ravinia this summer, four of whom are also making their CSO debuts.”

For the second year in a row, Allstate has signed on to be Ravinia’s Lead Classical Sponsor. “We are pleased to once again partner with Ravinia on their efforts to bring classical music to the Chicago area,” said Don Civgin, President of Emerging Business at Allstate and a Ravinia Trustee. “We applaud Ravinia’s commitment to education, public outreach, and making world-class performances accessible to all. Allstate and Ravinia recognize the importance of serving the community—together we are a force for good.”

$25/$10/FREE

Ravinia’s popular pricing returns this summer, with most Pavilion seats for all CSO concerts selling for just $25 apiece. Most lawn tickets will be priced at $10 each, and lawn admission for all classical concerts—CSO, special events, recitals and chamber music—is free for children and students through college. A 10-punch lawn pass will also be sold, granting lawn admission for as little as $7 per concert. On film nights, the $25 price for a reserved seat in the Pavilion is the same for a lawn ticket, so patrons can choose the experience they prefer—a seat under the roof with a view of the orchestra or a picnic on the lawn before the giant movie screen—without cost being an issue. The $10 BGH Classics series offers up-close-and-personal musical experiences in Ravinia’s most intimate concert space, the 450-seat Bennett Gordon Hall, for only $10 for a reserved seat, less than the cost of a movie ticket.

JAMES LEVINE RETURNS / GALA

James Levine will celebrate the 45th anniversary of his Ravinia debut by returning to the festival for the first time since completing his music directorship in 1993. On July 23, Levine will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Mahler’s Second Symphony. This was the first piece he conducted at Ravinia on June 24, 1971, when he was brought in as a last-minute replacement for the Ravinia Women’s Board Gala. Levine’s return headlines the 50th gala, the only performance fundraiser to support the festival and its REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs.

“Little did I know when I first came to Ravinia how important my time there would turn out to be, and the significant development it would stimulate in my artistic growth,” Levine said. “With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I felt as though we were an ideal match, each provoking the other to strive for the best.”

RAVINIA DEBUTS

Legendary artists Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons (June 12), Paul Simon (June 18), and Diana Ross (July 27) make their Ravinia debuts this summer. Bob Dylan (June 24) returns for the first time since 1964, when he was billed as “Robert Dylan,” with Chicago’s own Mavis Staples.

“There remain a handful of artists whose style and careers seem so custom-built for Ravinia’s environment that some people are amazed to discover they are making their festival debuts. This was certainly the case when I first booked Crosby, Stills & Nash in 2010, and I predict it will be that way this summer for legends like Paul Simon and Frankie Valli,” Kauffman said. “You can just picture them on our stage. They belong here.”

Also among the nonclassical artists making their Ravinia debuts this summer are Duran Duran and CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers (July 8/9); as seen on the recent Grammy Awards, the Hollywood Vampires, comprising Alice Cooper,Joe Perry, and Johnny Depp (July 17); Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters and Marty Stuart (Sept. 2);Barenaked Ladies and OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) with Howard Jones in his second visit (June 9);The Commodores (June 23); Shawn Mullins (July 1); Neil Finn of Crowded House with Guster, similarly making its second appearance (July 7); Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog (July 3); guitarist Jeff Beck on a double bill with festival favorite Buddy Guy (July 31); Bryan Ferry (Aug. 6); Mariachi Flor de Toloache(Sept. 5); and Katharine McPhee, star of TV’s Smash and Scorpion, opening for the return of Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra (June 22).

Ravinia is proud to welcome the following classical artists making their debuts at the festival. Ensembles: Ariel Quartet (Aug. 30), Avalon String Quartet (Aug. 31), Chiara String Quartet (Sept. 7/8), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Sept. 11); Conductors: Mei-Ann Chen (June 16), Cristian Măcelaru (July 12/13), Vasily Petrenko(July 20), Ben Gernon (July 26), Gustavo Gimeno (Aug. 2), Kirill Karabits (Aug. 5), George Hanson (Aug. 12), and George Daugherty (Sept. 11); Vocalists: Klea Blackhurst (Aug. 17) and Ryan VanDenBoom (Aug. 17);Sopranos: Delaram Kamareh (June 10), Ying Fang (July 23), and Danielle de Niese (Aug. 4); Mezzo-soprano:Karen Cargill (July 23); Bass-baritone: Stephen Bryant (June 10); Violinists: Shalini Vijayan (June 10) andAlejandro Loguercio (Aug. 19); Cellists: Cecilia Tsan (June 10), Christoph Richter (July 6), Adolfo Gutiérrez Arenas (Aug. 16), and the Juilliard String Quartet’s incoming member, Astrid Schween (June 27); Double bassist:Roberto Koch (Aug. 19); Pianists: Shani Diluka (June 10), Julia Hsu (July 22), George Li (July 24), Paul Lewis(Aug. 5), Christopher Park (Aug. 16), Michael Abramovich (Aug. 19), Lucas Debargue (Aug. 25), Lindsay Garritson (Aug. 30), Ran Dank (Sept. 1), Joseph Moog (Sept. 3), Dmitri Levkovich (Sept. 4), and Simon Savoy(Sept. 6); Guitarists: Reentko Dirks (Aug. 19) and Jason Vieaux (Sept. 2); Harpist: Yolanda Kondonassis (Sept. 2);Accordionist: Ksenija Sidorova (Aug. 19); Percussionists: Theresa Dimond (June 10), John Wakefield (June 10), and Itamar Doari(Aug. 19); Sound engineer: Yuanlin Chen (June 10); and Actor: Jack Gilpin (Aug. 30).

NONCLASSICAL CONCERTS

The final live national broadcast from Ravinia of A Prairie Home Companion with host Garrison Keillor is set for June 11, featuring special guests pianist Jeremy Denk, a former fellow and faculty member of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and Chris Thile, the new host of the internationally beloved program who has previously appeared at Ravinia variously as a member of Nickel Creek and The Punch Brothers, as well as with Yo-Yo Ma in The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Ravinia looks forward to welcoming back Train and Andy Grammer (Aug. 26/27); Seal (Aug. 28); Bonnie Raitt(Sept. 3); Los Tigres del Norte (Sept. 5); Tony Bennett (Aug. 15); Patti LaBelle (June 23); O.A.R. (Sept. 4); Don Henley (Aug. 14/15);Indigo Girls (July 1); Steve Miller Band (July 2); Chick Corea, with his trio and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Lisa Fischer (July 4); Phillip Phillips and Matt Nathanson (July 10); Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Sweet Honey in the Rock (July 11); Lyle Lovett & his Large Band and Emmylou Harris (July 18); and War and Los Lonely Boys (Aug. 11).

PREMIERES

Ravinia will present 50 classical and orchestral works never before performed at the festival, including 10 regional or world premieres. 

· Tan Dun’s Water Passion(June 10):Ravinia presents the Chicago premiere of Tan Dun’s Water Passion after Saint Matthew, featuring the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Grant Gershon. It’s one of four Passions (based on each of the Gospels) commissioned for the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death, a set that also included Golijov’s Passion According to Saint Mark, which received its Chicago premiere to great acclaim at Ravinia in 2002. East meets West in this quasi-theatrical telling (that the LA Times called “unexpectedly alien and visceral”) of the powerful Passion narrative, building on Bach’s majestic chorale tradition with Tan’s layering of a variety of vocal styles from his own heritage, ranging from Mongolian overtone singing to what he calls the “calligraphic” writing of Peking opera. Tan also draws upon the vast instrumental wealth of the Silk Road, ingeniously using the familiar violin and cello to evoke the sounds of the East. Water has long played an important role in traditional Chinese festivals, and Tan was drawn to its symbolism of renewal and rebirth, focusing on those joyous, cyclical aspects inherent to the Passion. Soloists include soprano Delaram Kamareh, bass-baritone Stephen Bryant, violinist Shalini Vijayan, cellist Cecilia Tsan, and percussionists David Cossin,Teresa Dimond, and John Wakefield.

· Richard Wernick’s Quartet No. 9 (June 27): Hailed as the “quintessential American string quartet,” the legendary Juilliard String Quartet celebrates its 70th season with an evening of introductions, including the Chicago premiere of Richard Wernick’s String Quartet No. 9 and a performance of Schubert’s String Quintet with new-member cellist Astrid Schween, who will succeed Joel Krosnick in the fall of 2016.

· Wynton Marsalis’s first violin concerto (July 12): The 2016 CSO residency opens with the American premiere of the first violin concerto by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, co-commissioned by Ravinia Festival for violinistNicola Benedetti, who will mark her third Ravinia appearance. “Working with Wynton Marsalis on his violin concerto has been life-changing,” said Benedetti.“I am so excited to play the piece again at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.” Cristian Măcelaru, winner of the 2014 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award and conductor-in-residence at the Philadelphia Orchestra, makes his Ravinia debut on the podium. He made his CSO debut in 2013 as a replacement for the then ailing Pierre Boulez and has been a frequent guest conductor since then, even leading the orchestra’s outdoor performances at the Morton Arboretum.

· The Planets: An HD Odyssey (July 13): An out-of-this-world program of space-themed music features the Midwest premiere of a new film with jaw-dropping new images from NASA’s most recent missions, set to Holst’s The Planets. Măcelaru returns to conduct. The film will be shown on high-definition video screens in the Pavilion and on the lawn.

· Stravinsky’s The Firebird / One Score, One Chicago (July 26): Ravinia presents the Chicago premiere of Stravinsky’s The Firebird in a production created by Janni Younge of Handspring Puppet Company, widely praised for its London and Broadway spectacular War Horse. Ravinia co-commissioned this new interpretation ofThe Firebird and has made the piece its 2016 One Score, One Chicago selection. Ben Gernon makes his CSO and Ravinia debuts conducting the program, which also includes Debussy’s La mer and Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes.

· James Cameron’s Titanic with live orchestra (July 29/30): The large screens return on July 29 and 30 for one of the most successful films in history, James Cameron’s towering Titanic. The international sensation tied Ben-Hur for winning the most Oscars ever (11), including awards for Best Song (“My Heart Will Go On”) and Best Original Score for composer James Horner, who died tragically last summer. Titanic remains the number-one selling orchestral soundtrack of all time. For this Midwest-premiere presentation, the music has been digitally removed from the film so the CSO, conducted by Ludwig Wicki, can perform the score live as the film is shown. A chorus and soprano, who’ll sing the Irish-tinged vocalizations throughout the film as well as the celebrated theme song made famous by Celine Dion, will join the orchestra onstage.

· David Ludwig songs (Aug. 15): Ravinia presents the world premiere of its third commission from David Ludwig for participants of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute Program for Singers.

· Wally Gunn’s The Ascendant (Aug. 21): The Grammy Award–winning a cappella octet Roomful of Teethexplores the depth of its vocal range with the Chicago premiere of New York–based composer Wally Gunn’s The Ascendant. Named after a collection of poetry and setting the corresponding text by contemporary Australian poet Maria Zajkowski, the group of songs coupling Roomful of Teeth’s haunting vocals and percussion with Zajkowski’s word painting creates a sudden sense of free-fall for the audience.

· An Unlikely Muse (Aug. 30): Following a July world premiere at Chamber Music Northwest, the stirring music theater work An Unlikely Muse: Richard Mühlfeld, the Last Inspiration of Johannes Brahms will premiere to Chicago audiences in the Martin Theatre this August. Stirred out of retirement by the talent of 19th-century German clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, composer Johannes Brahms created four clarinet-centric chamber works, whose genesis will be brought to life by actor Jack Gilpin, performing as Mühlfeld, pianist André Watts, clarinetist David Shifrin, and the Ariel Quartet.

FILM WITH ORCHESTRA

Building on the success of screening great films with their scores digitally removed so that orchestras can play them live, Ravinia will present five film nights in 2016, with video screens in the Pavilion and on the lawn. 

· The Planets: An HD Odyssey (July 13): Winner of the 2014 Solti Conducting Award, Cristian Măcelaru will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a presentation of Holst’s The Planets accompanied by a new film of startling and vivid images of the solar system collected over NASA’s many space explorations. The program also features Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra—known in pop culture as the theme from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. “Discovering the mysteries of our universe continues to be one of our greatest achievements. Gustav Holst, in his Planets, brings to life perfect descriptions of these wonderful worlds and depicts their astrological characters,” says Măcelaru.

· Titanic (July 29/30): Ravinia embarks on a first-class film experience by presenting the Midwest premiere of one of the most successful movies in history, James Cameron’s Titanic, with Ludwig Wicki conducting and the CSO performing its score. The international sensation tied Ben-Hur for winning the most Oscars ever (11), including awards for Best Song (“My Heart Will Go On”) and Best Score for the late composer James Horner. Titanicremains the one of the top grossing films of all time, and its soundtrack is still the number-one selling orchestral soundtrack of all time. The Chicago Children’s Choir, directed byJosephine Lee, and vocalist Clara Sanabraswill sing the Irish-tinged vocalizations throughout the film as well as the celebrated theme song made famous by Celine Dion.

· The Wizard of Oz (Sept. 10): Ravinia presents of one of the most beloved films of all time, The Wizard of Oz, with Emil de Cou leading the Chicago Philharmonic in its unmistakable music. This marvel of the late 1930s has been stunningly remastered frame by frame and is accompanied by entirely new transcriptions of Harold Arlen’s brilliant lost score. Hearing Judy Garland’s original 1939 studio recordings, backed by lush, live orchestration, will transport children and adults alike. With this version of The Wizard of Oz on the big screen, moviegoers will be treated to the Oscar-winning film as it has never been seen before.

· Warner Bros. Presents Bugs Bunny At The Symphony II (Sept. 11): Perhaps the most fondly remembered integration of pop culture and classical music from the likes of Mendelssohn, Rossini and Wagner (whose “Ride of the Valkyries” takes on new life as “Kill the Wabbit”) projected on the big screen while their extraordinary original scores are played live by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, in its Ravinia debut. Conducted and created by George Daugherty, this collection of classic (directed by the masters Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng) and recent shorts starring the world’s most beloved Looney Tunes characters—Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, and more—has delighted concertgoers around the world, and spotlights such classics as “What’s Opera, Doc?”and “The Rabbit of Seville” alongside Warner Bros. theatrical shorts “Rabid Rider” and “Coyote Falls.”

ROBERT SHAW CENTENNIAL

In recognition of what would be the 100th birthday of conductor Robert Shaw (1916–99), who not only shifted but set new paradigms in choral music, Ravinia is celebrating that lasting legacy with several concerts that showcase the wide variety of works, ensembles, and other leaders that grew out of his influence.

“Too frequently musical genius is forgotten too soon, and it would be an injustice indeed if the dean of choral music went unsung,” said Kauffman. “So we honor Robert Shaw this summer with the vocal vigor he deserves in his anniversary year the same way Ravinia will honor Bernstein at his centennial in 2018 with his protégée Marin Alsop as guest curator.”

· Los Angeles Master Chorale (June 10): Founded by Shaw’s friend and classmate Roger Wagner, the Los Angeles Master Chorale already scored raves with the splashy premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary at Ravinia, and now returns for the Chicago premiere of Tan Dun’s dramatic Water Passion, conducted byGrant Gershon. The piece relies on many vocal styles from Mongolian overtone singing to the “calligraphic” music of Peking opera.

· Man of Many Voices—Documentary film (June 15): A new documentary about Shaw that traces the journey of a small-town California boy who planned to be a minister like his father, but instead became the greatest conductor of choral music the world has ever known, will be shown in the Martin Theatre.

· The Singers (June 15): The Singers, which emerged from the Dale Warland Singers—Warland being another revered choral colleague—return to Ravinia to perform one of the most captivating choral works of all time, Rachmaninoff’s “Vespers,” conducted by Matthew Culloton, A special dinner package will be available combining admission to the documentary (listed above) and this concert.

· Ladysmith Black Mambazo / Sweet Honey in the Rock (July 11): The South African and African-American (respectively) choral groups share the bill on a concert that evokes not only Shaw’s worldwide embrace of music but the spirit of his civil rights work in the then largely segregated city of Atlanta, where he devised multiple collaborations between the Atlanta Symphony and Spelman and Morehouse Colleges and frequently performed in black churches.

· Chanticleer (July 19): Any group whose name derives from the French words for “sing” and “clear” must owe a debt to Shaw. “He had an exquisite sense of what togetherness in music can be: that’s what Shaw was all about,” says Chanticleer director William Fred Scott. Ravinia audiences will see that togetherness in action when the group dedicates itself to an evening of songs about the moon.

· Chicago Symphony Chorus (July 23): Shaw’s passion for the voice reverberated through Ravinia’s concert halls with the arrival of James Levine, who was an assistant conductor at the Cleveland Orchestra during Shaw’s final three years there as an associate conductor, between 1964 and ’67. As Levine returns this summer, so too will that vocal prowess with the gala performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony, featuring the impeccableChicago Symphony Chorus and guest soloists soprano Ying Fang and mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill. “Shaw transformed our thinking about choral music,” said Duain Wolfe, director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. “He elevated the performing standards of choruses by inspiring attention to detail.”

· Chicago Children’s Choir (July 29/30): One of the music world’s most sought-after teachers and mentors, Shaw was an admirer of children’s choirs, as demonstrated by his arrangements that have inspired generations of singers. Josephine Lee directs the Chicago Children’s Choir in tandem with the CSO’s performance of the Oscar-winning score to Titanic.

· Shaw’s Favorite Composer (Aug. 9/10): Welz Kauffman, who worked closely with Shaw at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, shares a favorite composer with the great choral director: Brahms. Kauffman programmed Shaw’s two favorite symphonic pieces, the composer’s Second and Fourth Symphonies, to be performed by the CSO under the baton of David Zinman on successive nights. Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes will be performed by singers and pianists from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute on Aug. 10.

· Master Class for Singers (Aug. 13): Two of Shaw’s fondest acolytes, soprano Sylvia McNair and mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, will lead a master class for RSMI fellows that is free and open to the public. The class will focus on vocal works for which Shaw was famous, many of which these spirited singers performed with him.

· Roomful of Teeth (Aug. 21): Founded in 2009, a full decade after Shaw’s death, the Grammy-winning octetRoomful of Teeth, devoted to finding adventurous new expressions of the human voice, is a group that Shaw would have loved: “I wanted this tribute to Shaw to feature a newer group that demonstrates how his influence reaches into the future,” Kauffman said. It will present the Chicago premiere of Wally Gunn’s The Ascendant on a program that includes works by Ted Hearne, Michael Harrison, and its own Pulitzer Prize–winning member, Caroline Shaw (no relation).

· A Robert Shaw Christmas (December): Shaw left a legacy of beloved Christmas recordings, so Sylvia McNair and the Chicago Children’s Choir, directed by Josephine Lee, will return in the holiday season to perform renditions of his classics as part of Ravinia’s year-round $10 BGH Classics series.

TRIBUTE CONCERTS

Several Ravinia events will celebrate the lives and art of music’s brightest lights. 

· The Gershwin Experience (June 11): Pianist Richard Glazier, whose music journey “From Broadway to Hollywood” was one of last year’s fast-selling concerts, returns with his musical storytelling style to essay the works of George Gershwin.

· Tribute to Jazz Greats (June 19): Creating the perfect Father’s Day outing, jazz giants Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli salute the late, great jazz pianist and velvet-voiced singer Nat “King” Cole. On the same program, renowned pianist Monty Alexander makes his Ravinia debut with a tribute to one of the festival’s all-time favorites, Tony Bennett (who returns to Ravinia on Aug. 13). This concert also celebrates the next generation of jazz talent by welcoming the Grammy-nominated 12-year-old piano wunderkind Joey Alexander for his first performance on the Pavilion stage after making his Ravinia debut in Bennett Gordon Hall last summer.

· Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration (June 26): Singer-songwriter and guitarist of the Allman Brothers BandWarren Haynes evokes the style and sound of the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia with a symphonic dimension provided by the Ravinia Festival Orchestra.

· Over the Moon (July 19): Billed as “an orchestra of voices,” the Grammy-winning male chorus Chanticleerperforms an evening of classic songs and new works in praise and awe of the Moon—everything from the Sinatra standard “Fly Me to the Moon” and Henry Mancini’s timeless “Moon River” to Nico Muhly’s Pierrot Lunaire, written just for them.

· You’re the Top: Cole Porter’s 125th Birthday Celebration (Aug. 17): Pianist Kevin Cole, fresh off his heartfelt tribute to Marvin Hamlisch at Ravinia last summer, returns with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as host and pianist to honor one of the wittiest songwriters of all time. The program also features singers Klea Blackhurst,Sylvia McNair, and Ryan VanDenBoom with David Alan Miller conducting.

· A Love Letter to Stephen Sondheim(Aug. 18): The singer who gave Stephen Sondheim his biggest chart-topping hit with “Send in the Clowns,” Judy Collins devotes an entire evening to the works of her favorite composer with the Passenger String Quartet.

· Something About Oscar (Aug. 29):Singer/dancer/actor Morris Gearring celebrates his friend and mentor, Chicago jazz great Oscar Brown Jr., in this one-man show on the $10 BGH Classics series.

· Bowie—The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (Sept. 9): Classic Albums Live, known for its pitch-perfect, note-by-note re-creations of rock’s all-time most important records, will give a faithful performance of David Bowie’s fifth studio album, which tells the story of the fictitious rock star Ziggy Stardust. The group will end the show with a sample of other Bowie hits.

COMPLETE CHAMBER “SAMPLER”

Music lovers will get the “complete” picture of key areas of several composers’ output over several evenings. 

· Haydn’s Complete Op. 76 String Quartets (July 5): The Emerson String Quartet performs the complete Haydn Op. 76 string quartets—including the “Sunrise,” “Fifths,” and “Emperor”—on one program.

· Beethoven’s Complete Piano Sonatas (Aug. 18/20/22): The festival launches a three-year exploration of Beethoven’s piano sonatas with pianist Jonathan Biss. It begins Aug. 18 with five of the sonatas, including the “Waldstein”; followed by four more on Aug. 20, including the “Tempest” and “Appassionata”; and wraps up the first year on Aug. 22 with five more, including the “Moonlight.” An internationally recognized Beethoven authority, Biss was commissioned to write a book about performing the great composer’s sonatas, Beethoven’s Shadow, and he is committed to recording all of the sonatas for the Onyx label (the first four volumes have already been released). His exceptional online Coursera course, Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, which reached 55,000 experts and novices in its first go-around, was relaunched in January.

· Beethoven’s Complete Cello Sonatas (Aug. 16): Celebrated Spanish cellist Adolfo Gutiérrez Arenas makes his first appearance at Ravinia with Bernstein Award–winning pianist Christopher Park to present Beethoven’s complete sonatas for cello and piano.

· Bach’s Complete Sonatas and Partitas (Aug. 17): Over two separate concert performances just hours apart, at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, the director of the RSMI Piano and Strings program, Miriam Fried, celebrates her 70th birthday by scaling the Everest of the solo violin repertoire.

· Beethoven’s Complete String Quartets (Aug. 26–28): The Pacifica Quartet, in residence at the University of Chicago since 1999, performs all 16 of Beethoven’s string quartets in five concerts over three days: 6 p.m. on Aug. 26, 1 and 6 p.m. on Aug. 27, and 1 and 6 p.m. on Aug. 28.

· Bartók’s Complete String Quartets (Sept. 7–8): In a performance dubbed “Bartók by Heart” because they use no sheet music, the Chiara String Quartet performs the composer’s complete string quartets over two evenings.

AQUATIC SCULPTURE / WATER MUSIC

To christen Ravinia’s brand-new aquatic sculpture—Chorus, designed by WET, the artists behind the Bellagio’s dancing fountains—a water theme flows through the season. The sculpture will greet guests at the grand entrance and underpass. The sculpture will be unveiled in a free community event on May 28. Ravinia thanks Life Trustee Dolores Kohl Kaplan for supporting the creation of the Morris and Dolores Kohl Kaplan Fountain.

· Water Passion (June 10): Tan Dun’s take on “the greatest story ever told,” crafted for the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death, employs bowls filled with water to great musical and theatrical effect.

· Shani Diluka(June 10): Pianist Shani Diluka gives a recital of water-inspired works by Chopin (“Raindrop” Prelude and Barcarolle), Debussy (Jardins sous la pluie), Liszt (Les jeux d’eaux a la Villa d’Este), and Schubert (Auf dem Wasser zu singen), on the $10 BGH Classics series.

· Handel’s Water Music Suite (June 16): The Chicago Sinfonietta, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen, returns to Ravinia for a program that includes a suite from Handel’s Water Music, which has become a cultural landmark, sampled in everything from Ren & Stimpy to The Dead Poet’s Society. It was famously used as the music to Walt Disney World’s Electrical Water Pageant, making it doubly appropriate for celebrating the festival’s new aquatic sculpture, as the original water feature at Ravinia when it opened in 1904 was an electric fountain and refectory. This will be the Sinfonietta’s first Ravinia appearance since its triumphant performances of the South African works Princess Magogo and uShaka.

· Fountains of Rome(July 12): Cristian Măcelaru leads the CSO in Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome on a program that also includes the first violin concerto from Wynton Marsalis.

· The Planets(July 13): Bowie musically questioned if there was “Life on Mars,” and NASA scientists’ recent discovery of water on the “red planet” suggests that there just might be, so the CSO dives into Holst’s The Planets—An HD Odyssey, complete with a startling new film boasting images from the latest space discoveries.

· Fire and Water (July 26): Perhaps the definitive water-themed piece of orchestral music, Debussy’s La mer is paired with Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes on a program that features Ravinia’s co-commissioned new staging of Stravinsky’s The Firebird, created by Janni Younge. Ben Gernon conducts.

· Titanic (July 29/30): Rolling like an Irish brogue and smelling like the sea, the late James Horner’s minor chords helped make Titanic a major motion picture. The CSO plays the Oscar-winning score live while James Cameron’s epic movie is screened.

· Anything Goes (Aug. 17): Pianist Kevin Colehosts You’re the Top, Cole Porter’s 125th Birthday Celebrationincluding memorable tunes from his hit-filled musical Anything Goes, set aboard a sailing ship, performed by the CSO.

CHAMBER MUSIC AND RECITALS

Although celebrated for providing one of the finest outdoor music experiences, Ravinia also presents one of the world’s most expansive chamber music series, presenting more than 50 indoor concerts and recitals in its two halls, the exquisite 850-seat Martin Theatre and the state-of-the-art 450-seat Bennett Gordon Hall, home to the $10 BGH Classics series. Martin Theatre concerts are broadcast to the lawn; Bennett Gordon Hall concerts are not. Highlights include:

· Juilliard Introduces New Cellist (June 27): The Juilliard String Quartet introduces its newest member, cellistAstrid Schween, with a performance of Schubert’s String Quintet on a program that also features Mozart’s String Quartet in C Major, K. 465, and Richard Wernick’s String Quartet No. 9. The concert marks the final Ravinia appearance with the ensemble of cellist Joel Krosnick, who is stepping down after 42 years with the group.

· Menahem Pressler (July 12): Gramophone and American Classical Music Hall of Fame pianist Menahem Pressler, a longtime faculty member of RSMI, gives his first solo concert at Ravinia since 2003.

· Four-hands Piano (July 22): Pianists Julia Hsu and Peter Serkin perform selections from Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, Schumann’s Six Studies in Canonic Form, selections from Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants, Schubert’s Allegro in A Minor and Grand Rondo in A Major, and Mozart’s Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 358.

· Zukerman Trio (July 28): The legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman and his ensemble perform selections from Glière’s Duos for Violin and Cello, Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, and Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major.

· Danielle de Niese debut (Aug. 4): The luminous star of the Lyric Opera’s Bel Canto, Danielle de Niese makes her Ravinia debut accompanied by the director of the RSMI Program for Singers, Kevin Murphy.

· Gypsy Carmen (Aug. 19): Accordionist Ksenija Sidorova infuses a bright and wild gypsy spirit into her take on Bizet’s Carmen with pianist Michael Abramovich, percussionist Itamar Doari, guitarist Reentko Dirks, violinist Alejandro Loguercio, and bassist Roberto Koch.

· All-Russian Evening with Zuill Bailey (Aug. 23): Cellist Zuill Bailey performs Stravinsky’s Suite italienne,Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata in C Major, and Rachmaninoff’sCello Sonata in G Minor.

· Double-duty Debargue (Aug. 25): Pianist Lucas Debargue proves he’s a major talent as both a jazz and classical pianist over two concerts. He re-creates his Moscow Critics Award–winning program of Medtner’s Piano Sonata No. 1 and Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit at 6 p.m., then returns at 8 p.m. to showcase his jazz skills (separate admissions). The 24-year-old Debargue, caused a stir at the Tchaikovsky Competition when he came in fourth place, prompting a judge (who asked to go unnamed) that “Not giving Lucas Debargue at least a Bronze was an outrage and further evidence that these competitions are more political than artistic in nature.”

· Songs of Struggle and Redemption (Aug. 30): Bass-baritone Dashon Burton of Roomful of Teeth sings spirituals and songs of freedom with pianist Lindsay Garritson.

· Fantasy for Harp and Guitar (Sept. 2): In their Ravinia debuts, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and guitaristJason Vieaux present an evening of solos and duets that demonstrate the beauty of their respective string instruments with such works as Montsalvatge’s Fantasy for Harp and Guitar, Máximo Diego Pujol’s Suite mágica, Salzedo’s Chanson dans la nuit, and Hovhaness’s Sonata for Harp and Guitar.

RAVINIA’S STEANS MUSIC INSTITUTE

The best young musicians from around the world compete for about 60 coveted fellowships each year to Ravinia’s highly immersive and highly regarded summer conservatory to work individually and in ensembles with the superb faculty.

“It’s essential that Ravinia’s relationships with the artists it shapes at RSMI do not end when they’ve finished their studies. What use is it to send these young talents out into the world to perform without giving them a place to perform?” Kauffman said. “I’ve become deliberately dedicated to featuring RSMI alumni and our talented faculty on our stages, and this year 20 of our alumni, including those in the Ariel, Avalon, and Chiara String Quartets return to us. I urge you to join in their journeys.”

In addition to these alumni performances, including the Aug. 16 concert by the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, which boasts two alumni (violist Nicholas Cords and violinist Colin Jacobsen), 10 current faculty members will also perform as will this year’s fellows.

· Faculty concerts: Key to the success of RSMI is that is faculty members each have successful performance careers of their own. Violinist Miriam Fried, director of the RSMI Piano and Strings program, will perform the Bach’s complete solo sonatas and partitas over two programs (5:30 and 8:30 p.m., Aug. 17); Kevin Murphy, director of RSMI’s Program for Singers accompanies the Ravinia recital debuts of Metropolitan and Lyric Opera stars Matthew Polenzani (Aug. 1) and Danielle de Niese (Aug. 4); acclaimed pianist Menahem Pressler gives his first solo recital at Ravinia in 13 years; and Fried and Pressler are joined by fellow Piano and Strings faculty members violinist Midori, violists Atar Arad and Paul Biss, and cellist Christopher Richter for a recital that includes Mozart’s Piano Trio No. 6 in G Major and Brahms’s String Quartet No. 2 in G Major (July 6).

· $10 BGH Classics: This summer’s RSMI fellows will perform a “Jazz Grandstand” with fierce young performers playing original compositions as soloists and in ensembles (June 17), three different piano and string concerts celebrating Beethoven (July 11, 18 and 29), and vocal programs marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with songs inspired by his writings and works by his contemporaries (Aug. 8), featuring Brahms’s Liebeslieder Waltzes (Aug. 10), and presenting the world premiere of songs by David Ludwigcommissioned for RSMI (Aug. 15).

· Free Master Classes: Violinist Donald Weilerstein (June 30); violist Atar Arad (July 8); pianist Leon Fleisher(July 15); tenor Matthew Polenzani (Aug. 2); soprano Danielle de Niese (Aug. 6); singers Sylvia McNair andMarietta Simpson (Aug. 11)

· Free RSMI Concerts: The world’s top young professional piano and string players collaborate on a series of free 2 p.m. matinee concerts on July 2, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17, 22, and 23; and the RSMI vocalists present a free 2 p.m. matinee concert of intimate song repertoire on July 31.

· RSMI in Chicago: The 2016 RSMI fellows will perform on the Dame Myra Hess Concert series at the Chicago Cultural Center at 12:15 p.m. on July 13 and 20; and on the Rush Hour Concerts series at St. James Cathedral, at 5:15 p.m. July 19. All three concerts will be broadcast live on WFMT. 

MISSION STATEMENT

Ravinia is an internationally renowned, not-for-profit music festival that presents outstanding performances by the world’s greatest artists. Ravinia’s principal objectives are:

· to present performances of a full range of classical music in its open-air Pavilion and enclosed recital halls, by the world’s greatest composers and musicians, along with a variety of other kinds of light classical, jazz and popular music;

· to maintain a beautiful park that is welcoming to all and attractive to families in which the music experience is enhanced by a beautiful environment and excellent dining opportunities;

· to enable gifted young performers to study under great teachers and perform in concert settings; and

· to develop broader and more diverse audiences for classical music through education and outreach programs and by maintaining affordable ticket prices.

2016 SPONSORS

Ravinia is a not-for-profit that earns about half its annual operating revenue to achieve its mission through ticket sales. The rest comes from support of private donors, foundations and corporate sponsors. Everyone involved at Ravinia would like to thank the following major sponsors for their support:

· Lead Classical Sponsor: Allstate Insurance Company

· Featured Sponsors: BMO Harris Bank; Discover, Official Card; Exelon; Hyundai, Official Vehicle Sponsor; Midtown Athletic Club, Official Club; Terlato Wines, Official Wine Sponsor; United Airlines, Official Airline

· Season Sponsors: Beam Suntory; Ernst & Young LLP; Fortune Brands; Illinois Tool Works; Jenner & Block LLP; Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP; Kirkland & Ellis; PNC Bank; RBC Wealth Management; Steinway Piano Gallery of Northbrook, Official Piano Sponsor; Wintrust

· Program Sponsors: Baizer Kolar P.C.; Baxter International, Inc.; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois; Consilio; Deloitte LLP; Grant Thornton LLP; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; KPMG LLP; Latham and Watkins LLP; Mesirow Financial; Mayer Brown LLP; Perkins Coie; The PrivateBank; RSM US LLP; Stella Artois and Goose Island Beer Company, Official Craft and Import Beer Sponsor; Walgreens

· Individual supporters: In Memory of Keene H. Addington II; Megan P. and John L. Anderson; Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation; Harriet Bernbaum; Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Crossroads Consortium; In Honor of Sandra K. Crown; The Dancing Skies Foundation; The Firebird Consortium; The Deane A. and John D. Gilliam Foundation; Welz Kauffman and Jon Teeuwissen; Lori Ann Komisar and Morris Silverman; Jo and Newt Minow; Holly and John Madigan; Roslyn and James Marks; Sharon and Eden Martin;  Negaunee Foundation; The Planets Consortium; Pinkert Industrial Group; Sue and Tom Pick; Diana and Bruce Rauner; Ravinia Associates Board; Ravinia Women’s Board; The Smart Family Foundation, Inc.; In Memory of Howard A. Stotler; Audrey L. Weaver, in loving memory of Michael D. Vogan; Lynne and David Weinberg; Joan Wing and Family, in Memory of Jack Wing; Nancy Zadek

GENERAL INFORMATON

· Location: Ravinia is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay Roads in Highland Park, about 20 minutes north of Chicago. The Metra Union Pacific North line stops right at Ravinia’s main entrance. On-site parking is limited, so Ravinia runs a free, handicap-accessible bus service to and from remote lots, mostly along the railroad line. Parking on residential streets is prohibited by City ordinance, and violators will be ticketed by local police.

· Drop-offs: Personal cars, driver services (such as Uber), and taxis may not drop guests off on residential streets. The general drop-off points are the Braeside Metra Station and the main (west) gate. Local police will ticket violators.

· Secondary Market: Ticket buyers should be certain to obtain tickets through Ravinia.org. Ravinia is not affiliated with any secondary-market ticket sellers and cannot be held responsible for fraudulent tickets. Tickets for some shows will sell out to donors prior to public sales. The best way to obtain tickets to the summer’s hottest shows is to become a financial supporter of the not-for-profit festival.

· No Smoking: Smoking of any type, including “vaping” and use of electronic cigarettes, is prohibited on Ravinia’s grounds and on Highland Park streets. There are designated smoking areas in Ravinia parking lots.

· Security: Guns, explosives, and other weapons are strictly prohibited at Ravinia. Guests will be subject to bag search and a “wanding” of their person upon entrance and re-entrance both to the park and to the Pavilion. Those refusing cooperation will not be allowed to enter.

· Weather: Ravinia concerts go on rain or shine. Should a concert be canceled due to severe weather in the area, Ravinia will make every effort to contact ticket buyers. Guests can monitor local Highland Park weather through the National Weather Service (ZIP code is 60035).

· Box Office: Tickets for these events and the rest of the summer 2016 lineup may be requested by Ravinia donors at the Affiliate level and above beginning March 9, and the Friend level on March 16. Bravo- and Encore-level donors can begin requesting lawn tickets on April 18. General public ticket sales begin at 5 a.m. on April 26, at Ravinia.org. The Ravinia Box Office phone lines will open for orders on May 10 at 847-266-5100. For more information, please visit Ravinia.org.

· ALL ARTISTS AND PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

If/Then is a contemporary musical that deals with the challenging question of “What if…?”. Through powerful singing and dynamic staging, it tells us two parallel stories of Elizabeth, a divorcee moving back to New York City after many years away. One day, in Madison Square Park, she has to make a decision – go to a show with a new friend, or to a protest with an old friend. From there, the musical takes us through both story lines, swapping back and forth with quick costume changes and the spin of a set. The two story lines are distinguished in part by Elizabeth adopting the nickname Liz and glasses, or Beth and contacts but as each story takes off in its own direction, you need to pay attention to avoid getting mixed up.

Just as If/Then takes us through two side by side stories, there are two varied perspectives on the show overall. On one hand, the show tells a unique story, is cast with incredible singers who bring heart to the music and it challenges you to really think about how much weight we put on that question of “what if…”. On the other hand, it lacks story development and never establishes a connection with the audience to really care about any of the characters, even Elizabeth as she tackles the age old problem of “can women really have a career and a family”.

The show oozes the New York superiority complex and the sets and costumes ensure that you do not forget that fact. The set design is made up of movable industrial pieces that could be rearranged to move us from the park, to the subway, to offices and apartments. Maps of NYC were projected on the back screen helping to transport us around the city as we follow Liz/Beth on their adventures. Costumes were simple, capturing day to day looks of people of the big apple and fitting in perfectly with the look and feel of the show. The choreography varied between structured and intentional movement around the stage which worked well to breathy, modern moves that felt overly choreographed and out of place.

What carries this show along with the polished set design and costumes is the singing. Jackie Burns as Elizabeth sung her heart out. Beyond her, the entire cast were all phenomenal singers including Tamyra Gray as Kate, Matthew Hydzik as Josh and Janine DiVita as Anne. There were multiple times during the show that their voices saved emotionally flat scenes.  

Initially this show has everything on the surface that one might expect to get out of a Broadway musical and the execution of the production was flawless however, all of these qualities of the show lie on the surface with nothing beneath it. Outstanding vocals and set design will only go so far when both the story and characters are lacking any kind of true depth. 

If/Then is playing at the Oriental Theatre through March 6th. Concerned about what you are missing if you don’t go? Buy your tickets here. Choose not to go? Then it won’t change anything for the worse and you likely won’t be asking yourself, “What if?”

Pop Waits, currently being performed at the Neo-Futurarium, is a smart and innovative production that takes audience members on a journey into the psyche of rock stars Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. Co-created by Molly Brennan and Malic White, the two are also featured in this well-written play/musical, each giving dynamic performances that are as much high energy as they are genuine and nothing short of sensational. 

Upon entering the theatre, one is met with a couple musician dudes strolling around the stage with guitars area joined in song by a female accomplice whose velvety smooth voice is immediately attention grabbing. Song lyrics are being written on a chalkboard that creates the stage’s background.  Brennan and White casually sift about nearby talking with audience members before taking their seats, possibly even at the two-top tables set up along the edge of the stage. It’s casual yet interest in what will happen next already peaks. Not long after, the band kicks in and we are thrust into the minds and makeup of Waits and Pop as interpreted by the show’s creators.   

Brennan and White delve into the depression and pain of each rock icon explaining how it is transferred into music of which so many of us have identified. The possibility is thrown around that each have hidden behind their rock personas to avoid being…well, themselves – everyday people. 

Brennan more than admirably portrays Tom Waits (raspy voice and all) while White plays a keyed up Iggy Pop that can be electrifying at times. Aided by a fantastic band that features Elisa Carlson, Nick Davio and Spencer Meeks, the production often alternates from an engaging, and often humorous piece of storytelling to a full on concert in what we can imagine would be CBGB’s in its heyday – crowd surfing and all. Making the show even more entertaining is the fact that Carlson, Davio and Meeks frequently trade instruments and add a few other sounds such as the violin and accordion, showing a great range of musical versatility. 

Though drawing several laughs and musically pleasing, serious topic matter is explored in depth such as deep depression and suicidal ideation. What do you do when you fear seeing a therapist because an expert opinion on how fucked up you are will only confirm that you’d rather be dead than numbly plowing through this world? Yes, there are a few hard-hitting moments but plenty of laughs and music make this an extremely balanced production. 

As the show begins, we are alerted that the right to five Tom Waits songs for use in the show have been denied for the time being. That said, a handful of songs (and very good ones at that) written by Molly Brennan and Spencer Meeks are inserted into the production that fit ever so perfectly into the Pop Waits’ theme such as “Heaven’s A Bar in Chicago”, “Witches” and “Ode to Gretel”. There are also several Iggy Pop favorites that are performed including “The Passenger”, “Search and Destroy” and “Lust for Life”.

Directed by Halena Kays, Pop Waits is a very unique theatre experience that is thought provoking, darkly humorous and even audience interactive at times. Brennan and White pour their hearts into their roles taking on these tortured rock stars with a raw passion that Pop and Waits themselves would certainly be proud of.

Highly entertaining, Pop Waits flat out rocks. Pop Waits is being performed at the Neo-Futurarium through March 12th. For more show information visit www.NeoFuturists.org.    

Kinesics. As defined in the programs that are handed out at Marc Salem’s Mind Over Chicago, kinesics is a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic body motions (such as blushes, shrugs, or eye movement) and communication. In other words, Marc Salem knows when you are lying despite what might come out of your mouth. Claiming that you can actually receive more information via body language than actual verbal communication, Salem sets the stage for some mind-blowing experiments that you will no doubt attempt to try (and most likely fail at) when you get home from the show.

A student of the human mind for over thirty years, Salem uses a combination of kinesics, mentalism and magic tricks to stun the audience over and over again for ninety straight minutes. Using jokes that often hit or miss (as Salem even has fun with a few of the bombs – making them successful after all) along with savvy mind-bending techniques, crowd members are in for a very unusual and entertaining evening. Salem is not shy about gathering volunteers from the audience, searching out doctors for some experiments and police officers for others. Though people, phrases and words are picked at random for nearly every segment, Salem is never fooled always stunning the audience with a correct prediction (written on paper ahead of time) to the quiet murmurs of “how could he possibly know that” or more simply put, “wtf!?”.  

In one of my favorite Salem “tricks” or “observations”, the master of non-verbal communication picks five audience members to join him on stage. Each person then draws a picture while Salem looks the other way. The pictures are then collected and shuffled and given to Salem. Of course, when we are shown the not so artistic pictures that the volunteers rushed to draw, that’s funny in itself. Salem then tells the five audience members to deny that they drew the picture that he holds in front of them whether they drew it or not and goes down the line, one denial after another. In a matter of seconds, Salem hands the picture with its matching artist, explaining that the slightest tell gave them away. Truly fascinating. Just as amazing, in another demonstration Salem also predicts a single word randomly picked out from an entire newspaper by a volunteer. “This is the stuff!” The man behind me excitedly told his friend. That’s pretty accurate.

Likeable and quick–witted, Salem’s quirky sense of humor and entertaining audience interactions could almost be a show in itself. But when combined with just the right amount of intrigue and inconceivable feats, Salem’s arsenal is lethal. Each portion of the show is as interesting as the next never leaving a dull moment.

Performer, magician, mentalist, comedian – whatever you want to call him, be prepared to laugh and be especially prepared to get stupefied. Marc Salem’s Mind Over Chicago is also filled with clean humor, so it’s the perfect show that an entire family can enjoy.

My first question after seeing Salem read people so accurately was, “Why hasn’t he been approached by the F.B.I. or something of that nature?” Well, he has. Salem has served as a consultant to both law firms as well as law enforcement agencies as one of the chief experts in Kinesics, of which he works closely with its founder Ray Birdwhistell. He has also been featured on many television programs including 60 minutes, Regis, Motel Williams and CNN. Touring around the world to the tune of sold out Broadway and off-Broadway productions, Salem should find the same success at his new home in Chicago’s Apollo Theater.

Whether you are a fan of having your mind blown or just want some good laughs, Marc Salem’s Mind Over Chicago comes highly recommended as a show that will truly entertain from beginning to end. Marc Salem’s Mind Over Chicago is being performed at The Apollo Theater in Lincoln Park. For more show information visit www.ApolloChicago.com. 

This excellent stage production of the 2013 musical Far from Heaven was based on Todd Haynes‘ 2002 motion picture of the same name. 

Far from Heaven is set in 1957 Hartford, Connecticut, well before the advent of the sexual revolution. Cathy Whitaker played by Summer Naomi Smart discovers that her handsome, successful businessman husband Frank is having affairs - with other men! Frank was played very well and very selfishly - if not compassionately - towards his wife whose world is crushed unexpectedly by actor Brandon Springman. 

After a time of trying to convert her husband back to heterosexuality by a psychologist, Cathy and her husband realize the emptiness and futility of their sexless and coldly critical relationship continuing just for the sake of the children.

Cathy's new gardener and widowed single father of a ten-year-old daughter, Raymond Deagan (Evan Tyrone Martin), becomes her friend and the scandal of her own life in spite of their necessarily platonic enjoyment of each other's company.

Evan Tyrone Martin has a wonderful rich smooth voice, arguably the best in the show and a nice natural quality to his acting. Summer Naomi Smart is stunning to look at as the real life "Stepford Wife" whose world comes crashing down when she tries to surprise visit her husband on a night he is "working late again" and gets the shock of her life when she finds him in the office in the arms of another man.

I've seen Ms. Smart in many musical comedies but this is the first time I have seen her really let loose in a dark way, especially in the scene when she confronts her husband about his homosexual affairs and lets out a terrifying and mournful wail that truly came from deep inside her character’s psyche. It was nice to see her tackle then take the reigns on this multi-dimensional role.  

Grant Saban‘s set seemed too much like a doll house to me, very one dimensional in color and shapes but perhaps that was intentional in terms of the subtext of the repressive 1950's. However, William Morey‘s gorgeous period costumes, which reminded me of a cross between Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore's beautifully tailored and colorfully designed outfits in their respective series, brought the whole set to life.

Bri Sudia‘s performance is rich and dynamic as Cathy’s best friend Eleanor, who is very sympathetic about the sexless and lovlessness of Cathy's picture perfect marriage yet deserts her best friend over the issue of an interracial friendship. All of the supporting characters and girlfriends of Cathy Whitaker in this production do an excellent job in their respective roles and deliver as many ironic laughs as possible with subject matter that really is just a lot of sad statements about the wasted loves of many marriages in the fifties - marriages, which were built on lies and social and financial convenience rather than genuine love and real sexual attraction. 

Turning this subject matter into a musical may have made it more fun and palatable, but also detracted from the seriousness and tragedy of a woman who has given birth to two children and ends up totally alone, a single mother in the fifties, because of years and years of lies from a man who was supposed to be her best friend and true love. Yet the accompaniment of a great live orchestra really brings this sometimes somber score to life when needed. 

Finely directed by Chuck Larkin, Porchlight Musical Theatre's Far from Heaven is playing at Stage 773 through March 13th. For more show information on this absorbing and well-pieced-together production, visit www.prochlightmusictheatre.org.  

It's hard to make popcorn look unappetizing, but "The Flick" succeeds. Annie Baker's Pulitzer Prize winning play, begs the question, are you actually friends with the people you work with? Under the direction of Dexter Bullard, The Steppenwolf Theatre confronts this challenging new play. 

The play begins in the dark with a grand overture like in the epic films of yore. The Flick is a rundown, single showing room, movie theater in a small New England town. When twenty-year-old Avery takes a job at The Flick, he unknowingly disrupts the dynamic between the lifer employees: Sam and Rose. Avery is a young man struggling with depression. In almost annoyingly repetitive scenes steeped in film trivia, he opens up to his co-workers who he hopes are his friends. 

With the prevalence of multiplexes, independent movie houses have been forced to retire 35 mm film in favor of digital projectors. Instead of the bulky reels, movie theaters are basically just pushing play on a DVD. Avery is appalled at the idea of digital film and the future of the art form. Baker argues an intriguing point about the future of movies and in a way, the future of the world.

Baker also seems intimately familiar with the struggles of working class America. She's careful not to satirize it, or let her characters off too easy. The most bittersweet moments of her lengthy script occur while the characters perform menial tasks. There's a great deal of comfort in consistency, and it's in these long hours that people reach out to whoever is around them. Often the working world is disappointing, and there's really nothing more depressing than listening to someone complain about work. "The Flick" asks if we're more loyal to our paychecks than our co-workers. 

Like "Gone with the Wind" this play takes a great deal of patience. The plot slowly unfolds in scenes lengthened by silence. While some may find this pacing difficult, it's in the stilted lines and long pauses that the emotional honesty of this script lives. Baker spends a lot of time exploring her character's life philosophies. 

Performances are strong in this small cast. Caroline Neff as the alt-chic Rose is hilarious and heartbreaking. Danny McCarthy as middle-aged Sam, plays the everyman with such likable charm, that the nihilist ending sneaks up on you. "The Flick" is a play you'll spend a lot of time with both in and out of the theater.  

What happens when a 1970s dance diva goes into hiding as a nun in a neighborhood parish, you might ask? Well, let’s just say she definitely makes an impact. After Delores witnesses a murder by her boyfriend (a gangster who is married), the sassy disco queen is thrust into a witness protection program by the Philadelphia Police Department where she assumes the identity of a nun, much to the dismay of Mother Superior. Two completely different worlds collide, as the strict and disapproving Mother Superior is forced to work side by side with Delores, who is more about living on the wild side and prefers beer and cheesesteak sandwiches over the church served mutton. Though completely at opposite spectrums from each other the two eventually teach each other valuable life lessons, which plays out nicely in this humorous and charming script.  

When we first hear the weak, out of key singing by the nuns, it doesn’t take us long to figure out that Delores, a seasoned vocalist, will serve a useful purpose in her new surroundings. We just don’t’ realize how amusing the journey will be.   

Based on the Whoopi Goldberg hit film, Sister Act is a ton of fun. Not only does the production nail the 1970s, parodying the era to perfection with spot on costume design and stereotypical character traits, but it is plenty funny and has a slew of enjoyable song and dance numbers such as “Take Me to Heaven”, “It’s Good To Be A Nun” and “Sister Act”.

Pairing perfectly are Hollis as Mother Superior and Broadway veteran Stephanie Umoh as Delores. Umoh is absolutely adorable in the role while Resnik displays an acting presence that of the talented veteran she is. It is not Resnik’s first run at the role as she had played Mother Superior is national touring productions in the past. Umoh and Resnik’s chemistry make this production work ever so smoothly as they play off each other flawlessly. And though both Resnik and Umoh each provide show-carrying caliber performances, they get a lot of help from a wildly hilarious and talented ensemble.    

Every time gangster Curtis Jackson and his band of cronies come onto the stage you can expect a few good laughs. Mark Hood as lead thug, TJ, often steals the show with his far out boogie-like moves and 1970s jive talking while Todd A. Horman as Joey also makes several splashes as the wannabe hard ass sidekick. The gang hits the audience full throttle and are highlighted in their very funny number “Lady in the Long Black Dress”, a smooth ode to the ladies where they each think they are God’s gift to women.   

Mary Robin Roth, Marya Grandy and Lillian Castillo add a lot of oomph and personality to the flock of nuns while Johnathan Butler-Duplessis shines and Eddy otherwise known as “Sweaty Eddy”, the Philadelphia cop whose rich vocals really come to life in “I Could Be That Guy”.  

Don Stephenson’s directorial debut at The Marriott Theatre is “right on” while Melissa Zaremba works her magic on the show’s choreography, making this a well-rounded production that has a bit of everything one would look for in a musical comedy. 

Thoroughly entertaining, Sister Act is playing at Marriott Theatre through April 3rd.  For tickets and/or more show information visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.  

I haven't enjoyed a full night of dance as much as these three pieces presented by Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre in a very long time, the first a world premiere and two marvelous pieces back by popular demand.

The world premiere is Ashley Page’s Tipping Point. Page refers to Adès’ music as the “primary investigator”, transforming its dark, dramatic tones into physical form. “It’s not easy to write so specifically about an abstract dance work that hasn’t been created yet,” he said, “but I want to stress that this will not be a narrative ballet… My task as choreographer is to try to harness this complex, often powerfully dark material and make it ‘visible’ to the audience.” And Ades does just that.

In Tipping Point twelve dancers, sometimes in pairs or groups of three, sway and are swept away by the music in beautiful free flowing gowns which reveal a hint of red or orange colors each time they leap, which is very powerful to watch. 

Although Page mentions this piece is not a "narrative" one, it does seem to allow the audience to unleash our own inner narratives while watching especially as it ends with a couple "trapped' or perhaps "saved" in what seems to be a box made entirely of white light. 

With lush, yet melancholic music by Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, Jiří Kylián’s 1981 creation (performed by the Joffrey four years ago) its inspiration is Edvard Munch’s Dance of Life portrait from 1899 of a group of women staring hopefully at the sea.

In "Forgotten Land" six couples move in and among each other, sometimes dancing with modern and complex movements of joy and other times pulling apart in anger. It seems that all are haunted by some memories of loved ones and sometime delight and revel in their memories - while other times they are overcome with despair defeated or aggravated by the same ghosts floating like foam put of the gray seas  painted on the massive backdrop behind them.

The story ballet RAkU is artistically honest and truly narrative with a smashing score by Shinji Eshima. RAkU retells with beautiful video screens and exquisite choreography the torching of Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion in 1950, the work of an evil monk sexually obsessed with the Emperors wife. With the emperor away engaged in battle, the Monk takes advantage of the lonely Empress and after a frantic dance to get away from what seemed a dance meant to comfort her, she is raped by the priest, thrown finally way up against a giant white wall like a butterfly finally pinned into a glass case. Then the monk sets fire to her castle which was also her temple and their home. 

When her dutiful soldiers return and find her in this bedraggled state, using her last sword as a cane in order to crawl across the stage as if she still believes she has the strength to avenge her family, they have the awful duty of presenting her with a box full of the ashes of her own home and possibly the Emperor himself.

It is a moment in ballet that I will never forget when the Empress, played with magnificent emotion and perfection to craft and detail by the phenomenal Victoria Jaiani, takes down her jet black hair and pours the white ashes her own face and body before succumbing to her wounds with one last graceful breath and the deathly uncurling of her graceful white fingers and legs. Brava! 

I highly recommend seeing the well-chosen pieces in "Bold Moves" for a full night of dance that will leave you feeling both refreshed and deeply moved at the same time. 

How do you categorize a musical that is part comedy, part drama, and part burlesque? The answer is: you don't need you. Like Kander and Ebb's later popular Broadway hit Chicago, Cabaret uses flashy and often funny nightclub performance as a device to embellish and expound upon the more serious and sometimes grim events of the story. In Chicago, shameless homicide by two murderesses is explored through jazzy nightclub acts, while in Cabaret, the grisly beginnings of WWII and the anxious pall it casts over the characters' lives is explored through fearless, garter-brimming club performances.

Cabaret is a unique musical, one that will sneak up on you and knock you in the chin if you try to pigeonhole it. The songs are inordinately catchy and the story turns unpredictably. On opening night at the inaugural show of the newly named Private Bank Theatre, I was surprised to hear so many shocked reactions from the audience around me. Every Nazi reference was met with gasps, one short scene of drug use left the audience deadly silent, the never-even-mentioned-by-name subject briefly implied by Sally's doctor visit caused an audible "Oh my God!", and Cliff's apparent bisexuality was received with total confusion. "But he kissed a boy. How could he fall in love with a girl?" Please. If audiences could survive it in 1962, they should certainly be able to handle it now. The reactions only serve to prove that Cabaret has a timeless impact.

When American self-described "starving novelist" Cliff (a capable if slightly bland Lee Aaron Rosen) travels to Berlin in pursuit of literary inspiration, he discovers it in the form of the buoyant and provocative English cabaret dancer Sally Bowles (a character brilliantly committed to by Andrea Goss) and the seedy nightclub crowd with which she surrounds herself. They soon begin living together and befriend landlady Fraulein Schneider (a subduedly wise Shannon Cochran) and fellow tenant, the Jewish Herr Schultz (a cute and gentle Mark Nelson), the latter of whom begin a sweet but eventually controversial romance. Sally and Cliff's lives are an ecstatic chaos of gin and sexual liberation until Cliff's friend and confidante Herr Ludwig (flawlessly portrayed by Ned Noyes) reveals his disturbing true colors, triggering the destruction that floods the characters' lives from that point on and effectively bursting their bubble of delusion. The omniscient Emcee of Berlin's sordid Kit Kat Club (a delightfully snarky Randy Harrison) guides the viewer between the actual plot events and their corresponding cabaret acts.

My favorite of the over-the-top club performances cleverly mirroring the real life drama is the titular showstopper "Cabaret." Many folks, likely many of the shocked theatre-goers seated around me, may associate this song with a charismatic, triumphant Liza Minnelli from the 1972 film (or even an older, sequined-out Liza cheerily vamping her way through a showtune medley) and thus were not expecting the heavier tone rendered in the stage version. At this point, Sally has lost everything. She's alone, she's ill, she's broke, she is out of a job after this final performance. Her life has spiraled into a living hell. Goss made a powerful impression as Sally throughout and nothing showcased her acting talents more than her raw, enraged delivery of this song. The eerie juxtaposition of Sally's unabashed ruin with jaunty lyrics celebrating a wildly fun, carefree lifestyle gave me chills, the last line all but screamed at the audience before she knocks down the mike stand in her fury.

This is a musical that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. It will not meet your expectations, in the best way possible.

Cabaret is playing at the Private Bank Theatre at 18 W Monroe now through February 21st. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster or by going to BroadwayInChicago.