Displaying items by tag: Vika Lvova

Having seen (and adored) Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol 17 years ago, I was thrilled to experience this holiday classic once again this year. Though having undergone many changes over the years, Goodman’s gorgeous production of Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas tale has kept the most important bit: the message of kindness and redemption. Now in its 41st year, under Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper’s direction for the sixth year, it’s still a reassuringly uplifting Christmas story.

As the story goes, one Christmas Eve Ebenezer Scrooge, a banker, is visited by four ghosts: The Ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley (Kareem Bandealy) who died on Christmas Eve seven years ago, The Ghost of Christmas Past (played by Molly Brennan), The Ghost of Christmas Present (by Jasmine Bracey), and The Ghost of Christmas Future (Brean Arzell), in succession. Larry Yando returns for his 11th season as Scrooge, and he’s wonderfully expressive in his portrayal of a stingy bitter old man undergoing character transformations as the Ghost of Christmas Past unrolls Scrooge’s life events, helping him recall himself as a frightened young boy at a boarding school all the way through his failed marriage. Yando’s Scrooge is vaguely aware of how terribly unkind he’s being to everyone around him but seems to see no reasons to change. But that’s because playful Molly Brennan’s Ghost of Christmas Past, dressed in pink and black and wearing pigtails, floating above the stage like a circus acrobat, is a mostly friendly ghost. It is not until Scrooge is presented with grim visions of his future by the cloaked Ghost of the Future that he begs for a second chance.

Children actors are especially wonderful in this production; their singing and dancing, along with live band under the Music Director Malcolm Ruhl, add plenty of charm to the play. The impressive stage design with everything from luxurious bed draped in soft fabrics, props silently appearing from under the stage, and frequent effortless movement of scenes which somehow doesn’t require a pause or light dimming - it’s like a well-oiled Swiss clock. That mastery combined with wonderful acting and beautiful singing make up for a high-quality entertainment. But as I’m watching the show, I can’t help but think of how I could try to be better, nicer and a more generous person. It is indeed the moral of the story that resonates with us all and brings audiences back every year: a reminder that it’s never too late to be better. Not just on Christmas, of course, but that’s a good start.

For more information on showtimes and tickets, visit www.goodmantheatre.org.

The Joffrey Ballet opens 2018-2019 season with the return of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s modern re-telling of Swan Lake to the Auditorium Theatre four years after its first premiere in Chicago in 2014.

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-77, it was originally a ballet in two acts, named The Lake of the Swans. Choreographed by Julius Reisinger, it premiered in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater in 1877 but was poorly received by the critics. Nearly twenty years later, the music score undergone changes by Riccardo Drigo, who added various other Tchaikovsky’s pieces to the original score for the choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's 1895 revival of the ballet, consequently re-named Swan Lake and performed in four acts.

Christopher Wheeldon’s masterful re-telling of Swan Lake is based on that latter version of the ballet, as well as Edgar Degas’ paintings circa 1870’s, of the Paris Opera backstage, where ballet rehearsals were often attended by the male patrons of the arts.

In Wheeldon’s version of Swan Lake, the story begins at the Paris Opera during the rehearsal for the opening night of Swan Lake. The Principal Dancer who portrays Prince Siegfried in the classical ballet gets so lost in the ballet fantasy, that his world becomes full of illusions. Fantasy is superimposed on reality until he can no longer distinguish between the two. In love with his beautiful dance partner, he’s painfully aware of the advances of the Patron who is always lurking around during the rehearsals, making unsavory proposals to ballerinas. In his mind, he turns into prince Siegfried, and finds himself at the lake, where he sees a beautiful maiden telling him that she had been cursed by an evil sorcerer to stay in swan form during the day until someone falls in love with her. He imagines that the maiden is his dance partner and the sorcerer is the patron.

The technical skills of Dylan Gutierrez as Siegfried are truly superb; his dancing is as beautiful as it is emotionally charged. Odette/Odlie’s role is danced by the magnificent Victoria Jaiani, who is floating on air, like she always does, effortlessly performing the most highly technically challenging pirouettes.

By the Second Act, the ballerinas so perfectly capture the essence of the swans, they seem to have lost their human form and become transformed into birds. This resemblance and the white costumes of ballerinas separate Siefried’s fantasy from reality in the ballet. In the Third Act, it’s back to reality: the stage comes alive with action; it’s a gala evening to celebrate the new production of Swan Lake. The fancy legwork of the cheerful Pas De Quatre (The Dance of Little Swans) does not disappoint; beautifully performed by Anne Gerberich, Jeraldine Mendoza, Edson Barbosa and Greig Matthews. Followed by the sexy Russian, Spanish, Czardas and Burlesque dances, the colorful costumes (by Jean-Marc Puissant) are in stark contrast to demure lakeside scene; this party is so much fun. Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra led by Scott Speck blends Tchaikovsky’s music with dance so perfectly that not a moment is out of sync; it’s divine.

Joffrey’s Corps de Ballet indisputably consists of world class dancers whose technical skills and ballet mastery make every performance exquisite; every one of their moves is executed with razor-like precision. Combined with brilliant Wheeldon’s choreography and gorgeous Tchaikovsky’s music, Swan Lake is a treat for the senses. In short, it is magnificent.

For more information on this beautifully executed production, visit www.joffrey.org.

It’s that spooky time of year when we crave cheap candy and scary movies, and when deserted storefronts suddenly pop their doors open to sell Halloween costumes. Strawdog Theatre Company launches its 31st season with the world premiere of Masque Macabre, a Halloween-y show inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Written by ensemble members Aly Greaves Amidei and John Henry Roberts and company member Cara Beth Heath and directed by Co-Artistic Director Anderson Lawfer, Janet Howe and Eli Newell, Masque Macabre is an immersive theatre experience.

The play seems like quite an ambitious undertaking. Strawdog Theatre has converted its entire space into a colorful house (scenic design by Tom Burch, props design by Lacie Hexom), set as a farewell party for a young filthy rich entrepreneur. Every room has a purpose: there’s one with a mad alchemist mixing colorful liquids and talking to a creature in a fish bowl, an antique bath tub perfect for storing a dead body, a room with dozens of human skulls made of glass. It sounds like fun.

Before the show even starts, the actors and audience hang out in the theatre lobby. Like with many haunted houses the audience is asked to sign non-disclosure waivers but are then shown a short video/ introduction and given masks to wear. We are encouraged to move around the house, following the drama that unfolds in real time. It starts out with a great promise of fun and there are a few rules to follow (“don’t touch anything’, “only speak when spoken to”, etc). There are fourteen horror stories to follow and many scary conversations to eavesdrop on. Actors dress as party guests (great costumes by Virginia Varland!) move between various rooms and closets enacting scenarios of revenge, murder, and other drama, occasionally engaging audience members in small talk and tasks, like holding a flash light.

In my opinion, immersive theatre, if done right, is the most exciting theatre entertainment there is. Plays like [last year’s] For One and [this year’s returning] Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story are wonderfully creative and intense, and truly are an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, Strawdog’s Masque Macabre lacked both the intensity and substance; there’re really no cohesive stories to follow, most dialogues are confusing, and actors seem to be at a loss for words a lot of times. And, most disappointing of all: it’s not even remotely scary, and that’s the real crime. In short, Strawdog’s Masque Macabre still needs to live up to its full potential in order to be the great immersive theatre experience we have come to expect from so much talent behind this production’s team. This production just never really comes together like one would hope. Lots of potential here. The idea is there, but it’s not quite ready. Strawdog has put forth many strong shows over the years, but I wouldn't be so quick to add this one to the list quite yet. 

Masque Macabre is being performed at Strawdog Theatre through Halloween. For more info on this production visit https://strawdog.org.

Who doesn’t like magic? I love to be fooled just as much as the person next to me. Make me believe in supernatural powers and I’ll admire everything that’s dished out, even if some of it is a little loose and perhaps lacks a certain showmanship. Well, magician Brett Schneider accomplishes just that: he’ll blow your mind and make you believe in real magic; he’ll guess your innermost thoughts (or is it outermost thoughts, since he asks you to have them on the forefront of your mind)? I don’t know how that works, I was very impressed with his mentalist techniques. The only thing is: I can’t say that I was visually bedazzled, but then again, I need a real spectacle. Brett’s style is very down to earth, unassumingly casual, there’s really no eye candy of any kind, just a simple stage surrounded by the audience, which he boldly promises to unite in the name of magic. Everyone gets involved before the show even starts: you’ll be handed small pieces of paper and pencils and asked to write stuff down and then place them in a glass bowl. The audience is an active participant in most tricks, and everyone is delighted to oblige. It’s a great show in its own right.

Brett Schneider has been performing magic professionally for over 20 years. His work has received numerous awards; he’s also an actor who has worked with Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Lookingglass, Roundabout Theatre, Actors Theatre Louisville, and many others around the country.

A one-man show, Communion: An Evening of Magic is written and performed by Brett Schneider and directed by Elana Boulos. It plays September 13-22, 2018 at The Den Theatre’s Upstairs Main Stage; there’re only 6 performances currently scheduled. Tickets are available at thedentheatre.com. Recommended for ages 13 and up.

There’s something so effortlessly optimistic in the way the old meets the new in the charmingly vintage Chopin Theater. And it’s just the perfect fit for The House Theatre of Chicago that calls Chopin Theatre home. The House Theatre’s 17th season opens with a brand-new work written by guest artist Bennett Fisher and directed by Monty Cole, Borealis.

The main character of the play, a spunky thirteen-year-old girl named Cosbi (played by Tia Pinson) lives in an old rickety house with her brother Absalom, who works for an oil-mining corporation. Absalom’s part is played by The House Theatre’s veteran Desmond Grey, whose credits include The Nutcracker, Hatfield and McCoy, Death and Harry Houdini, as well as many others. When one day Absalom goes to work on the oil fields but then fails to come home, instead sending his sister a heavily redacted letter, worried Cosbi immediately sets off for Anwar, Alaska to find him. Armed with a sharp axe and a strong will to succeed, she makes her way through the jungles of the corporate world, encountering some hilariously bizarre corporate types (wearing cool outfits (design by Izumi Inaba) ) along the way. Some helpful employee at the corporation gives her a very important book on corporate communication strategy, and it proves indispensable. The vague language of the book works like magic, as no one is quite sure of what those words and phrases really mean, for as long as they sound authoritative enough. In Borealis a fairy-tale-like world is superimposed on the reality of Corporate America. Protocols need to be observed, the right pass will get you through the door, and coffee is the most important fuel. A highly coveted pastry (it sounded like a more complicated version of a cronut) can make or break your day. Corporate America never looked more fun.

The rest of the seven actors cast are Johnny Arena (Death and Harry Houdini, The Sparrow), Ben Hertel (Death and Harry Houdini, A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch, etc.), Paige Hoffman (Cave with Man, The Sparrow), MckKnzie Chinn (The House debut) and Karissa Murrel Myers (The House debut), some of them playing multiple parts. Scenic design by Eleanor Kahn deserves a special mention. A narrow catwalk-like stage is equipped with a wild mechanized contraption that is capable of unfolding, effectively turning itself into an extra stage, or simply used as a prop in a scene. Walls move and doors get spun around, creating an illusion of extra space and speed in the chase scene.

The House Theatre’s Borealis is being performed at Chopin Theatre through October 21st. For more information visit www.thehousetheatre.com.

The renowned Israeli choreographer and director of Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin, is the spotlight of this year’s Hubbard’s Summer Series, 40th Season at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The program features DecaDance, a reimagining of Naharin’s most celebrated pieces and recreated every 10 years. Deca Dance/ Chicago was created specifically for Hubbard Street’s current company.

DecaDance/Chicago features excerpts from Minus 16 (1999), KYR (1990), Mabul (1992), Anaphase (1993), Zachacha (1998), Naharin’s Virus (2001), Three (2005), George and Zalman (2006), Max (2007), Seder (2007) and Sadeh21 (2011).

Most pieces of the show, in both music and choreography, are very Avant-guard: decidedly not particularly pretty, occasionally disturbing, frequently puzzling. The program has a certain bi-polar quality; even playful pieces have some sadness, even despair woven throughout. Naharin’s analysis of modern society is evident in one of the First Act pieces: it features several female dancers dressed in black elegant dresses, moving with some redundancy; the soundtrack being somewhat more important than the dance itself. It starts layering verses, from the top: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities.” And again: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities, pay your taxes” …copulate”, etc. It goes on and on, ever so slightly past the point of being amusing.

But the show does get much better in the Second Act. The most entertaining piece, involving audience participation, has a group of dancers (both males and females) dressed in black suits and black hats (costume designer Rakefet Levy) leave the stage and venture out into the audience, looking for dance partners. It’s a fun, light-hearted piece, and a very well received one.

The evening’s most intense work is an excerpt from Minus 16. It premiered in 1999 in Israel, then made its US debut the following year. Set to Passover song “Echad Mi Yodea”, it has a super cool tribal drum beat and drama to spare. And again, though “Echad Mi Yodea” is a juvenile Hebrew song recited around Passover table and designed to teach children some foundations of Hebrew religion, the dance is turned into a display of anguish and despair. Dancers, dressed in black suits and hats, are seated in chairs arranged in a semi-circle. They stand up and bend backwards one by one; the last dancer to stand up violently falls forward from his chair, as if being shot. As the verses accumulate and build up, the dance is repeated over and over. The dancers eventually shed their clothes and throw them into the center of the circle. A pile of clothes and shoes in the center looks vaguely like the grim reminder of history’s events of the past. It’s theatrical and hypnotizing. Much like the rest of the show, it clearly has a message.

The immensely talented Hershey Felder’s new solo act, Our Great Tchaikovsky, is the latest in a series of plays about world’s greatest composers and musicians, including Gershwin, Chopin, Beethoven, Bernstein, et al. that span nearly two decades. Directed by Trevor Hay and written by Hershey Felder, the play is being performed at the Steppenwolf’s upstairs theatre.

The play-with-music is a study of Russia’s greatest composer, his secret life and mysterious death. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s music is masterfully woven into the story, as Felder, a classically trained pianist [and impressive singer] plays excerpts of Tchaikovsky’s compositions on stage, from “The Seasons” to “The Nutcracker”, which was conceived while on tour in America, as we learn from the play. Having spent 18 months researching his subject and making the most use of Tchaikovsky’s personal diary and correspondence, Felder paints an intensely intimate image of the composer; his struggles to impress his critics with his compositions while fiercely concealing “who he really was”. Tsarist’s Russia was a notoriously closed-minded and oppressive country, and sexual deviations from “the norm” were not tolerated. And thus, Tchaikovsky spent most of his life feeling deeply ashamed of his homosexuality and fearful that, if found out, he would be sent to Siberia. Composing music was his only outlet for the soul... that and a steady stream of lovers, sometimes dangerously young ones.

Thus, an image of a true artist emerges: hugely talented, largely misunderstood and constantly depressed; a tortured soul. Nevertheless, he “loved everyone and was loved by everyone”, except, perhaps, his critics, who even declared the ballet “The Nutcracker” to be “void of any creativity” when it first came out. Right.

Felder gives Tchaikovsky an upbeat attitude, though the diary entries tell a different story. Having suffered from melancholy his entire life, the composer’s cause of death remains a mystery, despite the fact that Russian authorities insist that he died suddenly at the age of 53 from contracting cholera. Alternative theories include suicide, murder on the orders of the Tsar, and order to commit suicide. Interestingly, Russian authorities also declared that there’s absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Tchaikovsky was homosexual. Some things never change in Russia.

Our Great Tchaikovsky is being performed at Steppenwolf Theatre through May 13^th. For more information, visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Returning to the Auditorium Theatre after a long 20-year absence is Hubbard Street Dance Chicago with its 40th Anniversary Spring Series. This edition spotlights Spanish born Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, who joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2005, and was named Choreographic Fellow in 2008 and became the company’s first Resident Choreographer in 2009. He’s a recipient of multiple awards, including prestigious Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance.

The show is a progression of Cerrudo’s works, from old to new. It has a pleasant start with his earliest piece, Lickety Split, originally performed in 2006 at the Harris Theater as part of the Inside/Out Choreographic workshop. Celebrating athletic femininity and confident masculinity and set to music by renowned songwriter Devendra Banhart, Lickety Split is about modern love and romantic relationships. It’s very beautiful and has well balanced energies.
But then something completely unexpected happens. The spotlight is on a balcony where a captivating, extravagantly dressed and coiffed female (Rena Butler) is seated, casually talking to the audience about the nature of reality. She is smoking a pipe, while blowing our minds with [Alan Watts’] philosophical concepts. Amazing.

And so the drama begins. More new age philosophy is injected into the show when David Schultz walks out on stage, wearing a cane and delivering another serving of food for thought. The following piece, Off Screen, though highly theatrical, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Inspired entirely by film, it makes lighthearted mockery of Italian musicals and romantic European movies. The music is comprised of 16 passages from various movie scores. Off Screen features seven dancers layering gorgeous fluid movements as if in a dream, their dancing defying gravity and somehow helping to get across the spiritual points introduced earlier. Off Screen was Cerrudo’s third work created for Hubbard Street back in 2009.

After the intermission, it’s the energetic Silent Ghost that originally premiered in 2015 at the Aspen Santa Fe ballet. It feels tribal yet romantic, despite the monochromatic costumes.

The grand finale of the evening is the world premiere of Out of Your Mind. This piece brings everything together: the mysterious monologues earlier in the show, the flow and progression of the pieces, the dreamy dancing. What makes it futuristic is the pulsating energy, and the shapes and configurations of the dancers. At some point, orderly chaos ensues on stage, dancers moving in waves [and somehow particles]. Set to the soundtrack of the soothing voice of the contemporary philosopher Alan Watts, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful and uplifting experience. The piece was inspired by Alan Watts’ lectures called “Out of Your Mind”; Cerrudo borrowed the music that was used in the audio of the lectures and used it in this piece. I’d say contemplating God possibly never looked more spectacular.

Gone are the days of traditional theatre when actors and audience members were politely separated by at least an imaginary buffer zone. Enter Southern Gothic, written by Leslie Liautaud, created by Carl Menninger and Amy Rubenstein, and directed by David H. Bell, with its concept of “immersive theatre” where the audience members (only 25 are allowed per each show) are given an opportunity to be a “fly on the wall” at a birthday cocktail party in Ashland, Georgia in the summer of 1961.

There’s really no stage, the entire set is a replica of a southern mid-century house; it is meticulously designed by Scott Davis and complete with the kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom and a back porch. Every fabulously authentic detail of the house, including the furniture, dishes, the actors’ costumes, as well as the food and drinks, are spot on. And if going back in time sounds exciting, then being able to snoop around the house, open the kitchen cupboards and the fridge, and eavesdrop on intimate conversations is a dream come true!

And speaking of dream come true: just because the audience is “invisible”, doesn’t mean that they can’t sample that delightful mid-century American cocktail party fare: the spam-topped crackers, bright red jello dessert and the retro cocktails occasionally being passed around. All that is sure to put one in the mood for the unfolding drama; and there’s plenty of drama.

Four couples get together at Ellie and Beau Coutier’s house to celebrate Suzanne Wellington’s 40th birthday. Alcohol flows freely and guests are mostly enjoying themselves, when the good times turn sour once drunken guests start spilling their dirty secrets.

The hostess (beautifully played by Sarah Grant) is having an affair with one of the guests, Charles Lyon, a charming politician (Brian McCaskill), whose wife Lauren, a very wealthy woman with her own secret [or two] is pre-occupied with her problems. The birthday girl (a superbly colorful and lively Brianna Borger), whose reputation for being obnoxious precedes her… well, she is just very hungry because the party caterer was being held up and she’s reduced to dining on saltine crackers. It’s a very intimate play, made more so by being so physically close to the actors. There’re several plots going on, and as events intensify, it is virtually impossible to follow through on every one of them, which makes the entire experience sort of customizable. But as the sounds of crickets are heard outside the windows, cool 60’s vibes palpable throughout – it’s a good feeling to jump back to the simpler times. Just be sure not to bump into actors as you try to take it all in.

Opened in 2015, Windy City Playhouse prides itself on providing non-traditional high quality theater experience starting with a welcoming full-service bar in a luxurious lounge. Theatergoers are encouraged to stay after the show and mingle with the actors.

Southern Gothic is being performed as an open-ended run at Windy City Playhouse. For more show information visit http://windycityplayhouse.com.

*Now extended through July 29th

Loosely based on a true story of the two infamous feuding families- Hatfield and McCoy – and inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the namesake musical takes place circa 1865 in West Virginia.

McCoy family loves to stage home plays and write poetry, while Hatfields spend most of their time drinking whiskey and planning revenge against McCoys. It’s mostly un-clear what started the hostility between the two families, but both parties are very much into it. The families occasionally take a break from killing each other for the annual talent competitions. There is a 3-piece live band on stage consisting of Matthew Muniz (Music Director/ Keyboard), Jake Saleh (Upright Bass), and Jess McIntosh (Fiddle). Actors sing, play acoustic guitars and mandolins. New music created for the play (Shawn Pfautsch and Matt Kahler) represents Americana styles across generations, from bluegrass to 2017 pop.

During one of such competitions, McCoys’ young daughter Rose Anna (sweet-voiced Haley Bolithon) accidentally falls in love with Hatfields’ young son Sam (Bradley Grant Smith); the two love birds immediately conspire to get married and thus reconcile their families once and for all. But the other family members do not trust each other, so things don’t exactly go as planned.

Interesting choreography bordering on dance combined with great period costumes (by Emily McConnell) makes for a visually enticing show. Director Matt Hawkins, who is also a fight choreographer and movement director, incorporated several dance-like fight scenes into the play with terrifying outcomes, and those are some of the highlights of the show.

Lengthy monologues peppered with Bible quotes, as both patriarchs are fond of searching Bible for quotes to justify their actions - the play has a strong Christian presence. But despite many great passionate performances, most memorably by Robert D. Hardaway as “Devil” Anse Hatfield, Marika Mashburn as Levicy Hatfield and Stacy Stoltz as Sarah McCoy, it is vaguely reminiscent of a high school play as it lacks certain emotional maturity, especially considering the horrifying subject matter.

Rivers of fake blood, loud guns and violent knife stabbings – Hatfield and McCoy takes no prisoners, quite literally. Tragic ending serves as a cautionary tale: “There ain’t no winning in war”.

The House Theatre Company’s Hatfield and McCoy is being performed at Chopin Theatre through March 11th. For more show information visit www.chopintheatre.com.