I doubt anyone would contest the appeal of a feel-good musical for the post-pandemic, pre-election, peri-MAGA year of 2023, and "Brigadoon" is just that: a feel-good show with overtones of fantasy and romance.

The story has two NYC businessmen wandering astray on a hunting trip in Scotland and happening upon the village of Brigadoon – a most peculiar village, as Act One makes increasingly clear. Tommy Albright (brilliantly played by Conor Jordan) and Jeff Douglas (Zachary Linnert), despite their friendship, are about as different as two men could be. Tommy has, to all appearances, a perfect life: perfect job, perfect fiancée, plenty of money and seemingly without a care in the world. Still, Tommy feels there’s something missing, and yearns to find he-knows-not-what. Jeff is more settled as dogged bachelor and tenacious tippler . He meets Tommy’s dreams with staunch rationality: Jeff believes only in what he can see, hear, feel, taste … like that.

They get lost trekking through the Scottish highlands and, though the map shows no settlement nearby, they follow the sound of music to find a group of men and women preparing for the wedding of Charlie Dalrymple (Luke Nowakowski) to Jean MacLaren (Susannah Harvey). Perhaps the wedding is the reason they’re dressed so queerly? for everyone is garbed in traditional Scottish dress … traditional for 1747, that is! The people speak oddly, with mysterious references to getting the wedding over before ‘the miracle’.

Jeff, more than a little inebriated, wants only a chance to sleep it off, which Meg Brockie (Madison Kauffman) eagerly offers. She leads him into the heathered hills, but once there reveals she has no intention of letting him sleep, delightfully expressed in the song “The Love of My Life”.

Meanwhile, Tommy’s eye has been caught by the beautiful Fiona MacLaren (Sarah Obert) and he insists on accompanying her as she goes to gather The Heather on the Hill. I trust I won’t be accused of a major spoiler by revealing that they fall in love; their duet It’s Almost Like Falling in Love is one of the show’s best-known songs.

Still, as Jeff points out, there are things that need explaining, and Fiona takes them to the eccentric Mr. Lundie (cleverly played by Timothy Wolf), who explains that in 1747 the town, to avoid being hexed by a traveling troop of sorceresses, was placed under a very special spell: the village of Brigadoon exists for but a single day every century; when the populace goes to bed at the close of that day they don’t awaken until 100 years in the future. And there’s a major catch: nobody can leave Brigadoon or the entire populace is doomed – kind of like Hotel California expanded to the scope of Jonestown.

Performances were universally superb. The voices of all principals – Sarah Obert (Fiona), Luke Nowakowski (Charlie), and Isa Ramirez as Maggie Anderson – were strong and true, particularly Sarah Obert’s clarion soprano. I single out Madison Kauffman (Meg Brockie) for her astonishing enunciation of some wickedly rapid lyrics without her tang getting tungled even once. And I single out Conor Jordan (Tommy) because, even in a comprehensively magnificent cast, his splendid performance stood out as exceptional. Not eclipsing the others, mind – that can create problems – but I found Jordan’s singing, acting, and dancing to be extra-specially special. [Yeah, I usually have a favorite in every cast – so sue me.]

The cast surrounding these principals was equally gifted: Stan Austin as Stuart Dalrymple, Bob Sanders as Archie Beaton with Will Leonard playing his son Harry; Susannah Harvey playing Fiona’s sister Jean MacLaren and Kent Joseph as their father Andrew. Timothy Wolf was an adorably discombobulated Mr. Lundie. The rest of the villagers were Jane Ashton (Delaney Good), Maggie Anderson (Isa Ramirez), Frank (Jimmy Hogan), and Kate (Anna Marie Abbate), with Adam Raso covering Sandy/Angus. The Ensemble added breadth and depth: Emma Jean Eastlund, Theresa Egan, David Geinosky, Dee Kimpel, Olivia Russell, Alex Villasenor, and Swing Renee Dwyer. It’s a big cast and I wish I could comment on each individual but have to settle with unanimously stunning.

The performers were brilliant; unfortunately much of the production tTeam didn’t quite meet their standard. Stage space was limited, but I’m accustomed to the really small stages of the storefront theatres I love, and Scenic Designer Ann Davis made clever use of the space, complementing the action of the play with multiple levels and alternate entrances. Not so much though with Props Designer Emmett Wickersham, who allowed some serious anachronisms: in the very first scene I was jolted by Tommy carrying a canvas duffel prominently emblazoned with the Ralph Lauren Polo label.

Hair, Wig and Makeup designer Alice Salazar, with Assistant Melanie Saso, did a nice job with some remarkably hirsute characters, but the wardrobes created by Costume Designer Jazmin Aurora Medina and Assistant Kristen Brinati were … meh. Scots clan plaids are distinctly singular and mean something; it’s not just a form of checkered cloth, and the kilts and flyplaids for "Brigadoon" were not authentic. Speaking of flyplaids, I understand the rationale for securing it twice – the dances are quite vigorous. Scotsmen manage, though … and I was very disappointed to catch a glimpse of inauthentic dress (or, more properly, undress) under the kilts. As for the girls, their dresses were pretty, but in no way memorable. Design is all about minutiae and details, and these fine points were neglected in "Brigadoon."

"Brigadoon" demanded a cast well-versed in three domains: acting, singing, and dancing, with the latter two dependent on Sound Designer Vija Lapp and Music Director / Conductor Michael McBride’s 7-piece orchestra. On the whole it was grand, supporting but not overwhelming the cast, though I do wish McBride had found a bagpipe. Lighting Designer Andrew Meyers skillfully evoked the shifting environments, from bright celebration to nubilous mystery.

The fights were well choreographed by Amber Wuttke, likewise the work of Intimacy Choreographer Elena Patterson; and the Scots dialect, Coached by Kathy Logelin, was spot-on. Sasha Gerritson Directed, and her Assistant Clayton Cross was also Choreographer. His dances were superb, incorporating elements of the Scottish fling and the Strathspey travelling step into each ceilidh throughout the show – presumably influenced by the consulting Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers. Dance performance was magnificent, sustained by Dance Captains Anna Marie Abbate and Isa Ramirez. Kudos to all collaborators, and of course laurels for a wonderful cast of dancin’ fools!

And speaking of collaboration: raves and plaudits for Stage Manager Allison Gonzalez. She and her Assistant Ethan Colish deserve recognition as authentic Cat Herders for bringing this show off! [BTW, have you seen this brilliant cat herder clip? It was a halftime ad for some long-ago Superbowl).

"Brigadoon" is emblematic of the Golden Age of musicals, in which all three domains – acting, singing, and dancing – play key roles. Prior to the 1920’s musical theatre was still evolving from variety shows, which might include singers, magicians, acrobats, and other divers offerings – Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan demonstrating ‘finger language’ was popular. Over time these disconnected acts took shape as vaudeville and revues, where the variety of acts had a central theme. The Jazz Age, 1920’s through 30’s brought operettas to the stage, produced by the likes of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and teams like Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

In the Golden Age of Musical Theatre, 1940’s thru 1950’s, Lerner & Lowe joined their contemporaries in producing book musicals – plays where songs and dances were fully integrated into a serious dramatic story, aimed to evoke genuine emotions, with fully three-dimensional characters performing songs and dances motivated by situation and character. Some outstanding examples of book musicals include “My Fair Lady”, “West Side Story”, and “The King and I”. Into this welcoming environment Lerner and Loeb brought "Brigadoon."

The 1960’s-‘70’s saw a major shift in style, as is to be expected in such turbulent times. Experimentation with rock musicals like “Hair” accompanied social commentary, as in “Fiddler on the Roof” and “A Chorus Line”. Stephen Sondheim flourished in this pre-contemporary era, as did Kander and Ebb and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The millenium seemed to turn back into more comedic offerings, and we’ve yet to see what the 2020’s will bring.

Me, I like dramas focusing on social issues but in general I hope for a strong swing toward original works that experiment with alternative genre.
How about you? Where would you like to see musical theatre turn? For today escapism is appropriate, and "Brigadoon" delivers! "Brigadoon" runs through November 12 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Maybe it’s good for a theater reviewer sometimes to be … befuddled? Disquieted? Stupefied? Certainly my companion was. He’s not new to things theatrical, but has seen little of Chicago’s signature storefront ‘tiny black box’ theatres that I love so much. So Redtwist Theatre's "Wolves" was a pretty strenuous piece to cut his teeth on!

"Wolves" is presented as "a gay re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood." This description is decidedly misleading; "How Her Hood Got So Red" might be closer. The script is by Steve Yockey, who served as co-executive producer for "Supernatural," a Netflix series. Yeah, "Wolves" fits right in with that. So do not attend "Wolves" thinking ‘fairy tale’ (and for god’s sake do NOT take the kids!). The only real tie to Little Red is the axe hanging prominently on the wall. If you faint at the sight of blood you’ll miss half the show. Just sayin’.

Let me introduce the guys: Ben (Joshua Servantez) has recently moved from a small town to the big city, a transition that has elevated his neurotic anxieties to a truly alarming level. It doesn’t help that his ex-lover Jack (Gardy Gilbert) has moved in as a roommate / friend … and you know how well that sort of arrangement tends to work, especially when they have disparate views on what ‘ex’ means. We get much of this backstory from the Narrator (Monique Marshaun) who, with a snap of her fingers, stops the action mid-syllable and saunters onstage for appraisal, elucidation, and explication, including her ever-more-probing exegesis of the guys themselves.

Here’s how the story unfolds. Narrator has been trying to get Ben a little better acquainted with reality, but you know how it is with anxiety – logic truly doesn’t help. At length he just crawls into bed and pulls the covers over his head. Jack appears, resplendent in black lace bodystocking, black leather harness, and an adorable red velvet … what was that? Not a hoodie, not a cloak … let’s go with "abbreviated hooded frock." (I simply must interject an impassioned plea for Costume Designer Madeline Felauer to make one of those for me!)

Gardy Gilbert (Jack) and Joshua Servantez (Ben) in "Wolves" from Redtwist Theatre

So now here’s Jack, dressed to the nines and looking thoroughly delectable. He tries to sneak out of the apartment but Ben wakes and they embark on a deranged folie au deux: Jack wants to go to the bar but Ben insists it’s dangerous. There are people … no, wolves … out there in the dark, and they’re sure to rend Jack limb from limb. Ben offers orange chicken, Netflix, Yahtzee – anything! But these tempting alternatives work about as well as you’d expect with a guy who’s in the mood to get laid. [Ben offers that as well – remember those disparate views I mentioned? – but that’s a no-go too]. Our sympathies vacillate between Ben, who’s authentically (if psychoneurotically) terrified; and Jack, who’s now thoroughly frustrated on several fronts.

Jack finally makes it out the door, leaving Ben to obsess over wolves in the dark. The Narrator commiserates and eventually manages to get him back into bed and a fractious sleep.
He is (thank god!) still sleeping when Jack returns with his trick (Michael Dias), whom he insists on calling Wolf. A truly hilarious scene follows – Jack makes inept advances but is preposterously ambivalent about jumping Wolf’s bones, in yet another case of distinctly disparate views! Ben wakes up (naturally) and has the predictable reaction, particularly when Jack introduces his new inamorato as Wolf. At length Ben goes reluctantly back to bed.

If I go any farther I’ll start running into spoilers. Suffice it to say that, unlike Little Red Riding Hood, the carnage is not the final outcome but just another plot twist. [Note: The theatre considerately marks the seats where you might get splashed.]

The production was truly awesome. The set is the first thing you notice of course, and Scenic Designer Rose Johnson left plenty of room for the (considerable) action: one couch, one drinks cart, and one bed (in a weird little alcove festooned with red streamers), and that’s it. Oh, no, wait: there’s also an axe. With Costume Designer Madeline Felauer they’ve created a totally dichromatic production – everything, but everything, is red and black. And I’d be remiss not to repeat kudos to Felauer’s costumes. Ben and Wolf were dressed normally (in black and red), but Narrator Marshaun was gorgeous in a teensey weensey little black dress and stiletto heels. And as for Jack … Gardy Gilbert gave Felauer a stunning canvas to work with, and she made him stone scrumptious.

They all acted as good as they looked, truly! – but I have to give a hefty dose of the credit to Lighting Designer Piper Kirchhofer for helping to set the emotional tenor of each scene. It ain’t easy to light that tiny black box, but she managed famously! Same goes for Music Director Philip Matthews and Sound Director Angela Joy Baldesare; together they gave us just the right aural backdrop. Just out of curiosity, I wonder how often in their career Props Designer Evy Burch has had to provide an actual bucket of blood (for Mashaun to drizzle and dapple and dump).

I regret to say that the violence wasn’t always convincing. It may have been my perspective, off to extreme stage left, but I think Fight & Intimacy Director Courtney Abbott still has some work to do. Mind, my bar is set high – just last week I saw Duchess of Malfi, and the Babes with Blades rival Quentin Tarantino for gratuitous gore!

I’ve already said all four actors were superb, but I’m not going to just leave it at that. Servantes (Ben) was masterfully neurotic – he’ll probably have to get over a few tics behind this role! Narrator was a challenging part, but Marshaun was perfect, and super-funny! Gilbert (Jack) managed the ultra-rapid badinage masterfully, and Dias (Wolf) simply rocked my world.

"Wolves" is perhaps one of those hybrid pieces: it’s comedic but not a comedy; it’s about love and sex but it’s not a romance; tragedy doesn’t really fit either, and calling it slasher would be oversimplifying. Yockey braids all these genre together into a droll, poignant, blood-curdling whole.

The "Wolves" script is all about timing: one must act at exactly the right split second to keep the duologues surging along at breakneck speed: Ben and Jack had a great many ultra-rapid exchanges with never a bobble. And the abrupt finger-snap stop-actions giving Narrator the floor were executed flawlessly. That kind of precision is only possible with exceptionally skillful direction. Luckily, WOLVES was directed by Dusty Brown, with Assistant Kezia Waters. Brown is awesome, and they did their usual splendid job with "Wolves."

FYI, Brown is also Redtwist’s artistic director, so look for lots of good stuff from Redtwist this season. Their next production, Larry Kramer’s iconic NORMAL HEART, is almost sold out already, despite its not even having definite dates yet! Redtwist has a grant from City of Chicago for renovation, and will put on a new face and extra amenities without sacrificing its signature little black box vibe.

My increasing cognizance of all that’s happening behind the scenes has given me special appreciation for the Stage Manager, and my hat’s off to Raine DeDominici. "Wolves" was a complicated show. What does a stage manager actually do? Everything.’"Wolves" could have been total bedlam; would have been, without DeDominici’s extraordinary guidance and governance. Kudos, kudos.

In summary: do not buy tickets to "Wolves" if you’re looking for a pleasant, relaxing evening. Expect to leave "Wolves" feeling bewildered, rattled, stunned, disquieted … and awestruck. One final caveat: when I left the theatre I was really glad it’d been a matinee and the sun was still shining. In fact, I’m going to try to limit myself to matinees for a while. There’s "Wolves" out there in the dark.
"Wolves" plays at Redtwist Theatre through November 5

"Duchess of Malfi" is another winner from Babes with Blades Theatre Company, a troupe I have loved for 20 years. As part of its core mission, Babes With Blades uses stage combat to "tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy." Stage fighting is an interesting vehicle for social justice; the mere existence of an all-woman stage fighting company is a statement in itself.

Another reason I love Babes With Blades is the consistent excellence of their work. I’ve never seen a bad production. John Webster's Jacobean-period play "Duchess of Malfi," written in 1613, is also set during that period, an age characterized by corruption and immorality in the upper classes of society. Major themes of Jacobean drama included injustice, religious conflict, and questioning of the social order. Both tragedies and satires were popular. "Duchess of Malfi" is a little of both.

The plot has numerous convolutions but the basic theme is: the widowed Duchess (Carrie Hardin), a woman of noble character as well as birth, loves her humble steward Antonio (Clara Byczkowski). Her brothers Ferdinand (Shane Richlen), and the Cardinal (Carlos Wagener-Sobrero) vehemently oppose any remarriage of their sister—for obvious dynastic and estate purposes—and they hire ex-con Bosolo (Maureen Yasko) to spy on the couple. The lovers—no fools they—suspect chicanery, and Antonio dispatches his cherished friend Delia (Hazel Monson), to Rome, there to meet with Delia’s friend (and ex-lover) Julia (Carina Lastimosa), who is the Cardinal’s current mistress.Surely she can winkle out what the dastardly duo is up to.

One can see how this imbroglio is destined inevitably to end in the sort of carnage that The Babes do best. 

But let’s discuss the production first. The crew of "Duchess of Malfi" includes no specific vocal coach, but the players mastered Webster's "anfractuous" (to use an 18th century word) and highly convoluted language. But here the problem is not the language but the script itself. Playwright John Webster is besotted with his own voice. Shakespeare’s ornate language never loses track of the story, but Webster has a lamentable tendency to throw in superfluous verbiage simply because he can, resulting in a nearly inscrutable script.  

Director Hayley Rice and Technical Director Line Bower made shrewd use of the limited stage area to tell the story. Adroit blocking created narrative sketches through cunning placement of individuals and groups. Scenic Designer Marcus Klein and Props Designer Meg X. McGrath brought the story to life with minimal but eloquent objects. I had a bit of pregame instruction in lighting; enough to let me know Lighting Designer Laura J Wiley used them adroitly. The special lighting of the first murder was both powerful and poignant.

Fight Choreographer Maya Vinice Prentiss, with Assistant Stephanie Mattos and Fight Captain Hazel Monson, collaborated to make each fight purposeful. Intimacy Designer Jennifer L Michelson with Intimacy Captain Shane Richlen made every touch, every kiss, tell its own story. The effectiveness of Sound Designer Kiera Battles’ music is best described by saying I didn’t hear it; it simply wove itself into and through the action. This production would have been an ordeal for any but the best Stage Manager. Happily, Esau Andaleon rose to the challenge magnificently.

I’ve saved my fave for last: Jennifer Mohr’s costumes were absolutely sensational! Elizabethan Burlesque is the best descriptor for her masterful compilations of velvet trunkhose, starched linen ruffs, and brocade doublets with fishnet stockings and high-heeled boots. And Bosolo’s hair! – I can’t describe it, you’ll just have to go see it for yourself. The overall effect was garish, incongruous, disquieting – and perfect!

Best of all, of course, were the actors, who acted through the script so effectively that words were barely necessary. Yasko (Bosolo) absolutely rocked my world -- not surprising, as her 10 years with BWBTC have given her prodigious expertise on and behind the stage. Richlen (Ferdinand) underwhelmed in the first act but Act Two gave him the material he needed to shine. I absolutely loved Monson as Delia, that devoted friend. Wagener-Sobrero’s Cardinal was the only time I’ve seen a Bible wielded as a weapon! and not just a bludgeon, mind.

I loved absolutely everything but the play itself, which would definitely have benefited from judicious editing. But Webster has been dead four centuries so rewrite is a no-go. It takes a genius to make a mess into a masterpiece, and the Babes totally nailed it!

Very highly recommended, "The Duchess of Malfi" runs through October 21 at The Factory Theatre, 1623 W Howard Street in Chicago.

I happen to like theatre that has topical and social significance. If you do too, then Idle Muse Theatre's production of "Jane: Abortion and the Underground" is a must-see!

The women's organization Jane developed from feminist thought, with a 1960’s ‘women’s lib’ group centered at the University of Chicago, which was a flashpoint for student political action – you know, the good ol’ days.

As young radicals battled racism, poverty, and the Vietnam War, women began getting fed up with their "brothers" still expecting them to cook, take notes at meetings, and copulate. (A prominent activist during the period, when asked, "What is a woman’s position?" replied' “Prone.”) Women encountered significant pushback: How could they waste their time on this girly stuff when there were so many important issues out there? But the women of Jane recognized that women are disproportionately impacted by all these issues. Injustice works by limiting a person’s autonomy, their ability to shape their own future; to achieve parity women must have autonomy over their bodies.

The play "Jane" is structured around writer Paula Kamen’s history of the Jane organization, beginning with author Kamen (played by Laura Jones Mascknin in voice-over) interviewing Heather Booth (played by Jillian Leff), a key person in the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union and one of the Jane organization's founders. As Heather begins relating Jane’s history, other actors appear and the stage morphs into fictional vignettes of the group's history, interspersed with monologues lifted verbatim from Kamen’s interviews with hundreds of the women (and one minister from UC) who ran, used, aided and abetted this feminist collective named Jane.

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" leads us through the evolution of Jane, the service organization. It started when Heather was asked to help a friend find a doctor (male, of course) for an abortion. Word spread – god knows there was need! – and soon Heather was getting too many calls to manage alone. She united fellow feminists to form a group known officially as the Abortion Counseling Service of Women's Liberation or simply Jane. Initially, Jane did simply counselling, directing the women to male doctors, but the fees were out of reach for many of the women who called Jane. Worse, some doctors expected (or simply helped themselves to) sexual favors.

From left: Elizabeth MacDougald, Aleta Soron, Jillian Leff, Catrina Evans and
Caty Gordon in JANE: ABORTION AND THE UNDERGROUND from Idle Muse Theatre
Company now playing through October 15 at The Edge Theater Off-Broadway.

In 1971 Jane learned that one of their most-used doctors lied about his credentials -- he wasn’t a doctor, but a Vietnam medic. In a dazzling leap of courage they recognized that if he could perform an abortion safely, so could they. Between 1969 and 1973 (with passage of Roe), Jane had provided abortions for 11,000 women, primarily low-income women who could neither travel to where abortion was legal nor pay a local physician.

The staging of "Jane" was an ingenious and very effective way to demonstrate the organic nature of Jane’s development, from a favor to a friend to a counselling service, expanding to accommodate up to twenty women daily, and finally including members of Jane as active abortionists. Scenic Designer Wynn Lee created an evocative set: a student apartment, with other locations realized through projected images and cinematics (by Laura J Wiley, assisted by Baylee Speer and Britany Pearson on Lights), while Sound/Music Designer LJ Luthringer kept us rooted in the 1960/70’s with Ledd Zepplin, the Beatles, Santana, and the like. Tristan Brandon managed the many props, including a massage [operating] table.

Morgan Manasa directed the cast of 11 (many playing multiple parts) with Technical Director Line Bower. Rosie Kooi was Stage Manager with Assistant Beth Bruins. Costumer Designer Elizabeth Monti provided convincing apparel for the entire cast  Ruth (Jennifer Mohr), Nancy (Jamie Redwood), Judith (Meghann Tabor), Alice (Elizabeth Macdougald), Jody (Kristen Alesia), Micki (Catrina Evans) and Lory (Aleta Soron); for housewife Sunny (Caty Gordon) Monti unearthed a perfectly hideous 1960’s housedress! Doctor C (Troy Schaeflein) needed only a white coat and (startling in 2023) a cigarette, with Reverend Parsons (Joel Thompson) in buttoned-up black.

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" is an impressive piece of theatre that I highly recommend for everyone. In addition to the excellence of script, actors, and crew, my recommendation of "Jane" is based in politics; 2023 is a dangerous time for women’s autonomy. Mobilizing people to defend that autonomy is critically needed. I also have an intense personal attachment: My godmother Betty Roberts was a member of Jane, and helped me get an abortion with Jane in 1970. I was 16.
 
"Jane" is a terrific experience. I learned a lot, I recalled a lot, and I got a whole lot scared for tomorrow’s women ("The Handmaid’s Tale"?). I’m proud of how Illinois is managing the issue so far, but not every pregnant woman can travel to Chicago for their abortion, especially with time being so much of the essence. A first trimester abortion is less risky than a tonsillectomy or wisdom tooth extraction, but every additional week increases both the risk and the cost. Young peoples’ attitudes are nothing like they were in 1969, and I don’t know how many women like Heather and Ruth are out there. If things go really bad in November 2024 we’ll need a new Jane, even here in Illinois. To the barricades, Sisters!

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" runs through October 15 at The Edge Off-Broadway and comes very highly recommended.

A CHORUS LINE is one of my all-time favorite shows and, having recently reviewed MadKap / Skokie Theatre’s production of HAIR (and loved it), I arrived at the theatre in a very pleasant state of anticipation. And hey! CHORUS LINE actually exceeded my high expectations!

HAIR is, as everyone knows, a musical; so is CHORUS LINE, but it’s even more a dance production, an added challenge for any company. Short answer: choreographer Susan Pritzker did a phenomenal job. The ensemble dancing was tight and coordinated, with excellent utilization of available space. Set Execution by Scott Richardson and Barry Norton optimized that available space by remembering ‘all that’s really needed is the Music and the Mirror’, and Dance Captain Ben Paynic (who also plays Larry) led them brilliantly. Patti Halajian’s costumes were thoroughly authentic and timeless. And I loved her bio, which informed us that ‘she lives alone in a big, haunted house with her 3 cats and 6 sewing machines, all of which demand her constant attention.’ I personally live with only one of each, and they demand constant attention, so I can’t imagine how Patti manages – but she does, she does!

There are always opening-night glitches in the sound system, but I know Sound Technician Brian Bedoya will have the microphones working perfectly by the next show. And speaking of sound, massive kudos to Music Director Jeremy Ramey and Sound Designer Chris Cook. The musical score is the soul of CHORUS LINE, and this production nurtured that soul so tenderly. Master Electrician Maddy Shilts and Lighting Designer Pat Henderson’s lighting worked beautifully to illuminate the dancing and coordinate it with the music. The cast as a whole was magnificent, and Stage Manager Ayla Sweet excelled in bringing this complex and ambitious work to triumphant fruition.

I saw CHORUS LINE on a Broadway stage way back in the late ‘80’s, but I’ve listened to the soundtrack a hundred times. There were some terrific dramatic scenes that aren’t on the soundtrack, providing lovely moments of ‘I didn’t know (or remember) that!’ I assume most folks are also more familiar with the score than the stage production, so I’ll praise the cast individually via the songs.

We begin with I Hope I Get It, instantly showcasing the creative work of choreographer Pritzker and Director Wayne Mell, with Assistant Miranda Coble. As the actors file onto the stage, they appear to be milling about aimlessly, but actually they’re following complex and very well-thought-out ensemble choreography, setting the ambiance. Casting Director Zach (played by Sean M.G. Caron) introduces the 18 characters by having each step forward with their name, birthplace, and age. Nobody just rattles off the data (these guys are actors remember?), and we get our first sense of each person: e.g. Sheila (Erin Renee Baumrucker) establishes herself as a vamp who’s just turned 30 and is “really happy about it” – yeah.

But Zach wants more, and he begins asking people to relate a bit about themselves, particularly what brought them into dance.  The answering songs alternate between playful and poignant: “I Can do That” by Mike (Tyler Meyer) is followed by the more unsettling And, with Bobby’s (Maddy Shilts) ‘uniqueness’ [read: queerness] getting him abused in school and Richie (Khnemu Menu-Ra) admitting “There ain’t no scholarship to life!”.

Next is my personal favorite: At the Ballet, an exquisite and lyrical song about childhood pain. Sheila (Erin Renee Baumrucker) admits “life with my dad wasn’t ever a picnic”; Bebe (Rae Robeson) insists “different is nice but it sure isn’t pretty”, and Maggie (Emma Drazkowski – who is, incredibly, a new graduate – you go girl!) poignantly recalls “… and I’d say, ‘Daddy I would love to dance’”. All three concur that “I was happy … I was pretty … I would love to” … At the Ballet. My companion and I couldn’t resist lip-syncing along. And Drazkowski’s soaring triune “at the ballet … At the Ballet … At the Ballet!!!” was thrilling! Brava!

Kristine (Madison Jaffe-Richter) and her husband Al (Ben Isabel) [who was brilliant as Margaret Meade in HAIR] warble out Sing, a deadal duet very well executed. Menu-Ra (Richie) launches the company into a wonderfully convoluted performance of Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love. We hear painful adolescent confessions from Greg (Trevor Hendrix) and Mark (Jason Sekili) while Judy (Whitney Marie Wolf) wails “Tits! When am I gonna grow tits?!” Marcela Ossa Gómez performs Diana’s Nothing, and next, who doesn’t love Dance 10: Looks 3? Val (Lili Javorka) dishes up a grand slam.

Tension between Cassie (Sarah Sapperstein) and Zach (Sean M.G. Caron) detonates into Cassie’s pivotal solo, The Music and the Mirror. Sapperstein’s voice was awesome! [more about that later – just let me finish the score]. The initial performance of One was brilliantly choreographed and directed, with sections muted to hear Cassie & Zach talk, then the company returning to full voice.

An accident during the Tap Combination spurs Zach to ask the unforgiveable question: “what will you do when you can no longer dance?” Everyone insists, of course, that they’re always going to dance, but ultimately Diana (Gómez) gets real, and her sublime solo draws the company into the gorgeous What I Did for Love. Finally, the spectacular reprise of One featured the entire company, including Vicki (Elizabeth Bushell), Connie (Madelynn Öztaş), and Don (Chandler Paskett). It was totally splendiferous, and though I noticed Paul’s gold lamé hat slipping down over his eyes, Luis Del Valle never missed a step.

When writing a positive review – and I give CHORUS LINE five stars! – I always look for something to criticize, to provide balance, so here’s my criticisms.

Granted, it’s not easy to find an actor who’s both dancer and diva: when casting Cassie does one choose a dancer who can carry a tune, or a singer who can follow choreography? In Music and the Mirror Sapperstein demonstrated a spectacular set of pipes! but she needed markedly – noticeably! – simplified choreography. Cassie being too good a dancer to dance in a chorus is a key plot point; Music and the Mirror, the only extended solo dance routine of the show, simply doesn’t bear that out. 

An important aspect when displaying any artwork is the frame. In dance, one speaks of the danseur providing a frame for the ballerina; his lifts can make her appear weightless or like a sack of groceries. One must select the proper frame to enhance a beautiful photograph or painting: using a sleek polished chrome frame for an ornate neoclassical painting creates an aesthetic disharmony – a marvelous frame mismatched with magnificent artwork. Zach’s essential role in CHORUS LINE is to frame the work, but I experienced aesthetic disparity between Caron and A CHORUS LINE – a splendid artwork enclosed in a pleasing but disharmonic frame. On the soundtrack I love Zach’s exultant peals of “Five, Six, Seven, Eight!”, proclaiming his passion for music, for dance, for theatre. This passion is critical to Zach’s character, and to the spirit of the show, and I simply did not feel that passion from Caron’s Zach.  This stellar production deserves a concordant frame.

I love CHORUS LINE, and (above paragraphs notwithstanding) I love MadKap’s production of it – I will keep a close eye out for MadKap / Skokie productions!

A CHORUS LINE runs at Skokie Theatre through the weekend of October 8 – a nice long run – leaves you no excuse not to see it!

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

*Author note: I could not have written this review – nor most of those preceding! – without the knowledgeable and insightful help of my companion Eva Hare. Their encyclopedic cognizance of the modus operandi (as well as modus vivendi!) backstage has enriched my life as well as my reviews.

A CHORUS LINE  originally conceived, directed, and choreographed by Michael Bennett, 1975. Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-choreographed by Bob Avian.

Coming-of-age is a subject with universal appeal across the arts.  Playwright Jonathan Keebler makes it fun by putting it to music composed by Ryan Korell in GAY CARD, playing at Pride Arts Center through September 24.

Logan (Ben Ballmer) is saying goodbye to the horrors of high school and is totally stoked to celebrate his college enrollment by coming out in a big way. To this end, he chooses the dorm called ‘Diversity House’. His best friend Melanie (Sophie Murk) does the same, as they’ve always been ‘there for each other’.

Logan quickly learns that it’s not that simple; there are many prerequisites to being issued a GAY CARD. In her role as Logan’s adjuvant braniac, Melanie steers him towards GayCardBlog-dot-com, where Logan is told he must decide what kind of gay boy he’ll be. His outrageous ventures into what he considers ‘Twink’ and ‘Artsy Gay’ (among others) are celebrated in song and dance.

At Diversity House Logan and Melanie find the voraciously heterosexual house mother Danielle (Rachel Carreras) and recovering jock Justin (Nathaniel Thomas). Corey (Joey Alvey) and July (Maya Radjenovich) present themselves as blissfully bi, while Graham (Freddy Mauricio) is somewhat mysterious – which naturally makes him alluring.

The GayCardBlog is brought to dramatic life by the Blog Trio – Michael Idalski, Adelina Marinello, and Elijah Warfield – who personate Logan’s pilgrimage with lascivious lyrics and appalling apparel – well done, Costume Designer Shawn Quinlan!  Ensemble numbers are completed by Kyle Johnson and Dance Captain Haven Sydney Denson.

Did someone say dance? Choreographer Britta Schlict gives us one spectacle after another, assisted by Jordan Ratliff, who is also Assistant Director under Pride Arts’ Artistic Director Jay Espaῆo. Espaῆo, Sound Designer Valerio Torretta Gardner and Music Director Robert Ollis navigate every number to near-balletic synchrony, even the full-ensemble extravaganzas. Sound Engineer Kat Tilt and Lighting Designer Kyle Anderson weave the story across the stage, with illustrative assistance from Projections Designer Eme Ospina-López. The few props are well-managed by Props Designer Hannah Dains. A large cast and near-continuous action present a challenge deftly met by Stage Manager Dakota Allen, assisted by Reagan Stevenson.  No nudity (rats!) but Intimacy Director Garrett McCann has some kissing to choreograph. And I loved the brilliant set created by Scenic Designer Brett Baleski, with its multiple levels painted in Miro-esque asymmetrical blocks.

Performances overall were outstanding. Ben Ballmer as Logan was in perpetual motion – supple, vivacious, and indefatigable – I’ve no idea how he kept that going! I’d swear his jumps soared a full yard off the floor – Air Ballmer! But, though his dancing was spectacular, it’s his sensational voice that really blew me away. Singing solo, duet, or choral; accompanied or a capella, his voice carried the show, strong and clear and true.

Actually, every voice in the cast was excellent. Sophie Murk’s [Melanie] superb soprano was exceeded only by her fortitude: during her most crucial solo her microphone repeatedly broke off, cut back in for a couple of measures, then failed again – a performer’s nightmare! Losing your mike is dreadful, but having it randomly cut in and out is calamitous! I’m sure Ms Murk had plenty to say about it backstage, but in front of the audience she was totally unflappable. The ovation she received was only partially (though deservedly!) for her singing; a significant portion was an accolade to her sang-froid.

Freddy Mauricio [Graham] also had a splendid voice, but it was eclipsed by Ballmer’s far stronger one, which also sometimes shrouded Murk’s performances.  It can be a real dilemma, from casting through rehearsal and into performances: how to manage the disparities in the cast’s endowments. It is, of course, the sort of predicament directors long for, but that doesn’t necessarily make disentangling it easier.

Live theatre, even in the biggest houses, was decimated by covid, and there’s much speculation about how to revive it. Theatre, particularly my beloved tiny storefront houses packed with sensational talent, is a Chicago hallmark. A couple of seasons at Second City is virtually a prerequisite to joining the cast of Saturday Night Live!  Everybody knows about Gary Sinise, but dozens more actors have been launched to fame from the Chicago stages. It’s imperative we maintain that heritage.

Trivia break: many think Chicago’s nickname of Second City is because its live theatre is second [only!] to NYC. Actually, the name is a legacy of the great Chicago Fire – we now live in the Second City that rose like a phoenix from its own ashes. Now where was I? Ah yes – how to help a Second Stage arise from the wreckage left by covid.

Debates rage: lower ticket prices to entice audiences, or raise them to pay artists a living wage? Present thoughtful, cutting-edge plays exploring society’s most pressing issues, or fill the stages with absurdity to provide escape from said issues? The Chicago Tribune has been running a series of op-eds on the subject, speculating on how best to support theatre.  Well, I’m a simple sort o’gal, and to me the solution is simple: attend more theatre!

GAY CARD has no deep social significance; it explores no critical current issues and poses no intellectual challenges. But if you’re in the mood for a very well-performed bit of musical fluff, see GAY CARD!

GAY CARD is being performed at Pride Arts Center through September 24^th. For tickets and/or more show information click here.

THE LIGHT has a cast of two, placing enormous demands on both actors, but Jazzma Pryor as Genesis and Rich Oliver as her partner Rashad rose to the challenge splendidly. Under the direction of Tim Rhoze, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s Artistic Director, THE LIGHT is an in-depth examination of heterosexual relationships, particularly those between Black women and men.

THE LIGHT begins on a high and happy note: Rashad has bought an engagement ring to celebrate his and Genesis’ two-year anniversary. The felicitous evening hits a snag, however, when Genesis objects to an event Rashad has arranged for them. In trying to understand Genesis’ demurral, a dark incident from the past is exposed; its toxic influence escalates as details grudgingly emerge. The script is tight and compact, without superfluous elements – unusual for a play that is focused on emotions rather than actions.

Loy Webb’s brilliant script depicts a relationship crumbling before our eyes – and theirs! It’s written from a woman’s point of view, displaying the male animal’s archetypal bewilderment regarding issues of emotion. Women are from Venus, men are from Mars. Everybody knows that.

But THE LIGHT goes far deeper. Webb uses Genesis and Rashad to examine a wide host of emotions: how they arise, how they are perceived, how they are countered – and particularly how they diverge, even contradict, between female and male. Yet despite its gynocentric bias THE LIGHT manages not to browbeat or bully the other half of the species. Men in the audience – the ones I spoke with, any road – did not feel threatened, but acknowledged that Webb’s depiction was authentic and perceptive. Other men may have gone home to stick pins into pictures of their moms. One never knows …

THE LIGHT is also focused particularly on Black couples, emphasizing those flavors of misogyny peculiar to Black men, and the stereotypical images of both women and men in Black culture. Still, I found Webb’s insights to be more broadly applicable – tough to do, but Loy Webb manages in THE LIGHT.

A two-person cast has special challenges for the director as well as the actors, and Tim Rhoze did an exceptional job. THE LIGHT was more than simply a beautiful play; it was contemplative and thought-provoking; even disturbing. It illuminated aspects of my own life and relationships, including some I would rather have left in shadow. This sort of reluctant introspection requires an exceptional script, brilliant actors to bring the words to life, and shrewdly mindful direction to interpret and guide the whole.

The set is, of course, the first thing one notices upon entering the theatre, and I was instantly riveted. Co-Set Designers Tim Rhoze and Shane Rogers used minimal furniture and Costumer Lynn Baber followed his lead with simple clothing. Both measures helped prevent distraction from the stunning background painted by muralist Jess Patterson. Half a dozen abstract women’s faces in shades of blue and crimson set the atmosphere and provided the backdrop for Lighting Designer Hannah Wein to use the lights as almost a third character, particularly during the final moments of the show. Kara Roseborough was Sound Designer, as well as (with Assistant Alexis Harris-Dyer) maintaining global oversight as Stage Manager.

I’ve been consistently impressed by the performances at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theater. FJT has remained committed to its mission: to celebrate Black and African-American experiences through diversity and creative excellence. “Umoja! …. Working Together in Unity” is the foundation upon which FJT has built this exceptional venue. I saw AMERICAN SON in November 2022; my review begins: “You know that breathless moment of silence after the curtain falls and before the applause begins? That moment doesn’t happen often, and it always indicates a truly extraordinary performance.” This magic moment, this ultimate accolade happened again last Sunday at the close of THE LIGHT. Need I say more? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

THE LIGHT will play at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre through August 20.

CYMBELINE? CYMBELINE?? I’d not even heard of Shakespeare’s CYMBELINE. Wikipedia admits it’s “one of Shakespeare’s lesser-know plays”. There’s a great deal of speculation on the whys and wherefores of its obscurity but now I know the answer: CYMBELINE has remained largely unknown because it hadn’t yet been played by Midsommer Flight.

There’s debate over CYMBELINE’s genre – tragedy? comedy? romance? – but Midsommer Flight’s Director (and founder) Beth Wolf is absolutely certain: CYMBELINE is a comedy, and a hilarious one! While staying true to the original script, she has directed the (superb) actors to make it incredibly funny by via expressions, postures, and gestures.

The storyline is as simple and convoluted as all The Bard’s plays. King Cymbeline (Barry Irving) lost his sons Arvirargus (Juliet Kang Huneke) and Guiderius (Logan UhiwaiO’Alohamailani Rasmussen), kidnapped in infancy and raised by Belarius (Jessica Goforth). Cymbeline is therefore determined to get a true-born prince by marrying his daughter Imogen (Ashley Graham) to dreadful prince Cloten (John Drea), royal son of his Queen (Talia Langman). Imogen, however, has fallen in love with and secretly married a commoner who was orphaned at birth and therefore named Posthumous (Keenan Odenkirk) [and they wonder if this is a comedy??]. King Cymbeline learns of the nuptials and banishes Posthumous to Italy, leaving Imogen to fend off the loathsome advances of nasty little Prince Cloten.

Meanwhile, the evil Queen plots to murder both Imogen and Cymbeline using a deadly poison concocted by Doctor Cornelius (Jillian Leff), But Cornelius, no stoopnagel, suspects funny business (the wrong kind) and hands over a harmless sleeping draft. The Queen passes the potion to Imogen & Posthumus’ loving servant Pisanio (Bradley Halverson), telling her it’s a medicine.

In Italy Posthumous meets Iachimo (Shane Novoa Rhoades), a dodgy sort of bloke with whom the gullible (not to say rather thick) Posthumous makes a most imprudent wager: Iachimo bets that he can seduce Posthumous’ wife Imogen snicker-snatch (erm … sorry, snicker-snack). Imogen retains her virtue, but Macho Man Iachimo can’t accept being trounced (Italian, remember?), and presents false evidence of her capitulation to Posthumous.

When Pisiano (the faithful servant who everyone confides in} tells Imogen of Iachimo’s treachery the irate young princess determines to find Posthumous and set the record straight. Imogen shows herself smarter than her boo by dressing as a boy for safer travel. She christens her trans self Fidele, for faithful.

Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to disclose that, after various sophistry, skullduggery, knavery and chicanery, everyone is reunited, reinstated, and restored. All the bad guys are foiled, and a happy ending is had by all – all the good guys, any road.

Typical Shakespeare, yeah?

Jillian Leff as Doctor Cornelius in Midsommer Flight's 'Cymbeline'.

What’s not so typical is Midsommer Flight’s management of this gallimaufry.

This is the third year I’ve reviewed a Midsommer Flight production and I’ve been consistently impressed, but CYMBELINE was more than impressive – it was truly awesome.

Founded in 2012, it is Midsommer Flight’s mission to bring quality, accessible performances of Shakespeare to Chicago communities. Accessible is key here: too many people don’t bother to even try understanding Shakespeare’s vexatious language and convoluted plots. Midsummer Flight makes this intimidating material accessible at several levels: financially by offering all performances for free, culturally by casting diverse artists, textually by working with actors to bring iambic pentameter into comprehensible language, geographically by touring to different areas of the city, and physically by performing in public spaces – specifically, Chicago Parks. I saw CYMBELINE last weekend, July 14, in Gross Park. Each weekend they’ll perform Friday and Saturday night in a different park: Kelvyn Park at Logan Square, Nichols in Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, and Touhy in Rogers Park. Check Midsommer Flight’s website for details.

The performance is prefaced by the actors briefly outlining the plot to orient the audience to the play’s action; this Cliff’s Notes intro was really helpful. Midsummer Flight also offers musical diversion from a troupe of five minstrels (Jessica Goforth, Bradley Halverson, Juliet Kang Hunecke, Jillian Leff, Andi Muriel, and Aloha Rasmussen); there are also a few a capella songs, all composed and directed by Jack Morsovillo.

Scenic and Props Designer Jeremiah Barr manages the problems of an outdoor setting by wisely choosing Less is More. The sets, after all, will travel to several different open-air stages, so he keeps them starkly uncluttered. Likewise, Costume Designer Rachel M Sypniewski makes simple cloaks and mantles that can be donned in a tent, yet vividly distinguish the characters.

CYMBELINE, like all Shakespeare’s plays, includes quite a bit of intimacy and fighting (though the beheading occurs offstage), deftly directed by Maureen Yasko, Jillian Leff, and Chris Smith. Stage Manager Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe, with assistant Ayla Sweet, keep the proceedings vigorous and vivacious without degenerating into pandemonium.

Special kudos to Text Coach Meredith Ernst! As I said earlier, making iambic pentameter comprehensible is a major problem with Shakespeare, but in CYMBELINE I heard and understood virtually every word. And congratulations, of course, to Director Beth Wolf and Assistant Christina Casano, who transformed an undistinguished and ambiguous play into a thoroughly successful comedy.

The actors, of course. They made innuendos and improper phrases irresistibly funny, using facial expressions, posture, gesture, and all the other tricks in an actor’s toolbox. A special shout-out is due to Jillian Leff, who made the stodgy Doctor thoroughly waggish. It takes a gifted actor to have the audience howling through her report from of the Queen’s deathbed.

Bradley Halverson’s Pisanio was also prime. Shakespeare doesn’t usually give much stage time to menial characters, but Pisiano was a key role, juggling allegiances from all-powerful King and Queen to beloved Imogen and Posthumous. 

My absolute favorite was John Drea as the ghastly prince Cloten. His comedic gestures hovered perilously close to slapstick – jumping up and down and shaking his fists like a tantruming toddler – but he remained safely high camp without descending into pratfall – hysterically funny but never Three Stooges.

Comedy was amplified by the actors often playing directly to the audience, winking to bring us in on a joke or making us complicit with an aside. This can be difficult to manage without breaking character or disrupting flow, but this cast pulled it off without a bobble – good work, Casting Director Karissa Murrell Myers!

Well, that’s about it for my review. In short: CYMBELINE by Midsommer Flight is absolutely marvelous – see it!! It’s playing through August at various Chicago Parks – find the one you want to visit and bring lawn chairs and a picnic, like at Ravinia.

But wait just a tic: in these perilous times I needs must append some commentary.

As MAGA condemns drag shows and bans books, they would do well to wipe the shelves of Shakespeare, for his plays are rife with gender fluidity. At the Globe all female parts were, of course, played by cross-dressing males, who enacted romance and desire with the other male actors – men kissing men right there on the stage OMG! Gender-swapping characters, like Imogen/Fidele in Cymbeline, are key in As You Like It, Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice, and of course Twelfth Night. Gender is also critically explored in tragedies like Hamlet and Othello, and Lady Macbeth’s dominance over her husband is totally discordant with societal expectation. Her cry, “Unsex me!” hints that Shakespeare found much amiss in Elizabethan society's dictum of “the natural order”.

Same-sex romance is acceptable in Shakespeare as well. In Twelfth Night, Duke Orsini falls in love with the young man Cesario, but is undismayed when ‘he’ is revealed as Viola (though he continues to refer to her as ‘boy’ during his proposal). Boy, girl … whatever, he wants it. His wife Olivia also falls for Cesario, largely because she admires ‘his’ feminine ways, and when she marries Viola’s twin Sebastian (believing him to be Cesario/Viola), he assures her that, like ’Cesario’, he is ‘both maid and man’.

The Buggery Act of 1530 made sodomy a capital offense and punishable by death, defining the rigid expectations of heterosexuality. Still, 17^th century England saw many examples of same-sex relationships: King James I and King William III, for example, each had several male lovers. We can assume that what went on in the King’s chambers was also happening in less august beds. After all, gender fluidity was a cornerstone of the Elizabethan rule. In her oration to the troops gathered to fight the Spanish Armada Elizabeth says, “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England ....” Good ol’ Liz. I’ve always liked her.

In high school I was fascinated with Henry VIII and his desperate attempts to wring a healthy boy from his pox-ridden testicles. Then his daughter, the child he disowned and condemned (not to mention orphaned) goes on to become one of England’s most revered sovereigns. Take that Henry, you misogynistic, mistaken, misanthropic, myopic, misguided monomaniacal monarch! I’ve always loved that by the time he got to his sixth wife Henry was actually henpecked – though his brain was tapioca by then; he may not even have noticed.

But I digress.

SEE CYMBELINE!! Even if … especially if you don’t like Shakespeare.

Whenever I review a theatre company for the first time I get a bit of "first date nerves", especially when a suburban company (unabashed City snob, c’est moi) is doing such an iconic show. The stakes were even higher cos this was my first time seeing HAIR – I was a little too young in 1968 and somehow never got a chance in the intervening years (never mind how many).

Skokie Theatre Company proved I was in good hands. The cast members greeting guests on the street set the mood, and I was charmed when Woof (Sam Hook) blew me a kiss from the stage. And then Dionne (Niki-Charisse Franco) began to croon the opening bars of ‘Aquarius’ and I relaxed. I knew I could sit back and enjoy the show.

HAIR includes copious profanity, overt drug use and full-frontal nudity, but there was so much MORE to love! Let’s start with the music: several of the songs, from ‘Easy to be Hard’ and ‘Good Morning Starshine’ to the iconic title song are still around today, but I hadn’t realized how very many songs are in Hair: 27 in Act One alone, and all wonderful: ‘Donna’, ‘Hashish’, ‘Colored Spade’, ‘Air’, and the fabulous ‘Initials’. And who knew HAIR had an actual plot? The cast was enormous: nine principals plus five in The Tribe – and each better than the last.

I could say HAIR was flawless, but that would set you wondering just how much of the Kool-Aid I drank; besides, there were a couple of teensy flaws. Sound Designer Chris Cook needs to make some small adjustments with the microphones -- for the most part the soloists came through, but I missed much of Crissy’s (Bridgett Martinez) solo. Mind, this sort of readjustment is routine for first-weekend performances, and my sitting in the front row may have been part of the problem.

Scenic Designer Scott Richardson and Props/Set Decorator Barry Norton wisely kept it simple: the tie-dye background effectively recalled the era, and multiple levels gave Director Derek Van Barham (with Asst. Directors Miranda Coble and Brennan Urbi) plenty of options for staging. Urbi, as Movement Asst, did a hell of a job with nearly continuous dancing and cavorting; good job he had the aisles to expand into. Beth Laske-Miller’s costumes were spot-on, evoking the flower-child tie-dyed-hippie-freak symbols of protest. She accentuated the principals just enough to distinguish them without dissociating them from the Tribe as a whole. And I loved the pansexual vibe that Intimacy Director Christa Retka achieved. Overall, the mood was effervescent, unselfconsciously joyous and totally infectious: we were all drawn into the Tribe.

I love seeing shows with this companion cos I learn so much from them. In one of my early I reviews I asked them, “Just what does a Stage Manager do?” Their reply: “Make certain every person and every prop is in exactly the right place at precisely the right time.” Their guidance let me appreciate what a phenomenal job Stage Manager Amanda Coble did with HAIR. Keeping a cast of 14 on cue through every moment of a 90-minute first act (and the 2^nd act as well); staging, with Musical Director Jeremy Ramey, a total of forty songs, at least 36 of them ensemble pieces … she pulled it off without a bobble.

My companion’s standard for Light Design is ‘if you notice the lighting, they’re doing it wrong.’ Lighting Designer Pat Henderson met, even surpassed this standard with a basic kit used to full advantage. She utilized every possible source of illumination, stage lights, house lights and spotlights, using one particular center-stage spot super-effectively. I loved Musical Director/Conductor Jeremy Ramey’s brilliant idea of placing Shraga Wasserman (Berger) and Joey Chelius (Claude) in the band during Sheila’s (Alexandria Neyhart) solo ‘Easy to be Hard’, bringing the men into the scene and the song without choreography or lines.

Okay, what am I forgetting? Director … stage manager … music … intimacy … aha! The cast!

In a word, ridiculously talented. Okay, that’s two words, and they aren’t mine but Julie Peterson’s (Jeanie), but I’m totally with her on this, for both cast and crew. There was not one single weak voice in the cast, not one. I saw Shraga D Wasserman play Roger in RENT and, though I wrote a ‘Highly Recommended’ review, I remember that Wasserman’s talent outshone the rest of the cast, making for a slightly unbalanced production. No such problem here! Wasserman’s Berger was as good or better than their Roger in RENT, but the cast of HAIR was so stellar that their genius fit in seamlessly. That face of theirs! like living Silly Putty, so incredibly mobile.

I already mentioned that Sam Hook (Woof) stole my heart when he threw me a kiss, and my infatuation grew with his every appearance on stage. It’s hard to believe he’s still a student; I hope he stays in Chicago so I can follow his career.

Claude (Joey Chelius) had perhaps the heaviest dramatic role and his acting was most definitely up to it during the hallucination sequence and the finale. Hud (Justice Largin) was gorgeous and ‘I’m Black’ was a brilliant piece. I already mentioned that Niki-Charisse Franco as Dionne wowed me with her opening performance of ‘Aquarius’, singing with near-operatic potency. The other three principal women, Sheila (Alexandria Neyhart), Jeannie (Julie Peterson), and Crissy (Bridgett Martinez) had equally powerful voices. Ben Isabel was absolutely hilarious as Margaret Meade.

Which leaves The Tribe: Jonah Cochin, Jack Chylinski, Cristian Moreno, Chevy Dixon Saul, and Hannah Silverman. I reiterate: there was not a single weak performer! Jonah Cochin stood out for his delightfully bawdy contribution to ‘Black Boys’.

HAIR revived a lot of old memories for me, both good (dyeing my own love beads) and not-so-great (nightly body counts on TV). The rebellions of the 60’s/70’s shaped what American culture is to this day, and HAIR captured it all: peace and protest, music and drugs, love and fury. In 1969 HAIR was the counterculture’s manifesto. Today it’s a documentary, and a must-see!

MadKap Production's HAIR is being performed at Skokie Theatre through July 30^th. For tickets and/or more information, click here.

OBAMA-OLOGY is about privilege, as experienced and explored by Warren, a young gay Black man, recently graduated from college who takes a job with the 2008 Obama campaign. He arrives in a near-frenzy of excitement, but his ardor rapidly shrivels in the bleak streets of East Cleveland. Warren, ably played by David Guiden, is bewildered at the other volunteers’ indifference – even hostility – to his college education.

Warren is mystified at his volunteer peers’ indifference to his accomplishments, and only gradually does he become aware of the hierarchy he unconsciously assumes – with himself, naturally, at the top of the food chain. Guidan’s depiction of Warren’s grossly overblown excitement when one of his recruits shows up at volunteer headquarters is brilliantly acted. Still, we fully understand Cece’s hesitancy. Warren’s shock at finding her ‘functionally illiterate’ further alienates her; we’re impressed that she hangs in so long, and almost relieved when she drops out after Warren’s offer to fix her with adult literacy classes.

Scenic Designers Tim Rhoze and Evan Sposato choose bright colors for a seemingly simple set design that is surprisingly versatile. Stage/House Managers Barbara Reeder and Lexx Dyer use it very effectively to punctuate the brief, rapidly moving scenes, assisted by Lighting and Sound Designers Michael Rourke and Daniel Etti-Williams. Simple announcements, (e.g., “campaign headquarters”) keep us grounded in time and space. Casting director Lynn Baber selects a small (and excellent) cast: David Guiden is Warren, with all other characters beautifully played by Chris Jensen, Tuesdai B. Perry and Em Demaio. Baber’s costumes help us tell one character from another, but this differentiation is largely accomplished by the actors’ skill and the excellent direction by Fleetwood-Jourdain’s Artistic Associate Bria Walker. I admit I arrived at the theatre ten minutes late (damn the Red/Purple Line Howard Station balls-up!); still, I very quickly caught up with what character(s) were currently onstage.

OBAMA-OLOGY is billed as a comedy and there were indeed some hilarious moments: the local volunteer trainee whose idea of outreach runs along the lines of ‘Yo! Niggah! Git yer black ass to the polls!’, and the aggressively ‘woke’ couple who address other volunteers as ‘sistah soldier’. Excellent acting makes these scenarios truly droll without descent into slapstick. OBAMA-OLOGY is also advertised as drama; there are definitely some dramatic scenes, particularly those involving Warren’s parents exiling their queer son. My companion is into neologisms and called OBAMA-OLOGY a ‘dramedy’, but I would have liked it better if it had been one or the other.

OBAMA-OLOGY’s primary appeal for me was its portrayal of how easy it is to oversimplify the deeply complex phenomenon of privilege in our society. Wikipedia says of playwright Aurin Squire: Many of Squire's plays revolve around multiracial societies in transition or America's changing cultural make-up. His work reflects the Latino, African, Caribbean, African American, and Jewish cultures he grew up around in South Florida. Given this heritage, I’m disappointed at how superficially Squire (through Warren) approaches the critical issue of racial hierarchy in America.

When Warren is told, he must speak to people on their level, he not only cheapens that to speaking in Ebonics but, more importantly, clearly views it as a descent for him. His reaction to Cece’s literacy – the urge to ‘fix’ her – is so very white! Only near the end, when he and his partner endure a traffic stop, does Warren begin to get the memo about black and white in East Cleveland. That vignette could have been crucial, but it’s demeaned by its vanilla outcome. True, OBAMA-OLOGY was written in 2014, pre-George Floyd, but not pre-Rodney King! The play’s ending is equally classic white fairy tale: Cece has (1) gotten her GED, (2) gotten a job, and (3) gotten pregnant – and this is meant to be a happy ending! There a thousand far more interesting things Squire could have done with Cece.

I don’t much care for comedy; I chose OBAMA-OLOGY because shows I’ve previously seen at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre were exceptional, and I will continue to watch the Fleetwood-Jourdain’s seasons hoping for more. OBAMA-OLOGY was light, pleasant, and fairly funny, but definitely not thought-provoking.

Through June 25th at Fleetwood-Jourdain at the Noyes Cultural Center. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.