Displaying items by tag: chicago theater

The Y2K era was a wild time to be a girl. Bubblegum pop juxtaposed against futuristic silver-scaled sets, female artists viciously pitted against one another in the media, women and young girls being viewed as simultaneously pure and virginal and corrupt and sexual deviants. All of these themes are perfectly captured in the millennial time capsule of a play The Love Object now playing at Raven Theatre.

On the eve of Ramona's sold-out stadium tour, her best friend and trusted assistant Paula announces she is leaving to pursue her own artistry. Fearing the loss of her closest confidante, Ramona reveals that a sex tape she made is about to be released, tainting her image (and ticket sales) forever. Will Paula stay and clean up Ramona's mess one more time or finally escape the oppressive celebrity machine for good? The Love Object is a contemporary adaptation of Euripides' Hippolytus, examining the hyper-sexualization of women celebrities, the power struggles of interracial friendship, and the tragedies of late-stage capitalism, all through the bubblegum veneer of an early 2000s pop superstar.

Much like its Greek predecessor, The Love Object, the characters within the play all have a bit of blindness that prevents them from understanding the other's perspective; Ramona, played by Emily Holland, failing to understand why Paula would want to leave, Paula, played by Kaylah Marie Crosby,  failing to understand the loneliness of stardom, and Simon, played by William Anthony Sebastian Rose II, failing to understand the complexities of female choices and consequences of his own actions. The undercurrent of purity and sexuality throughout the play is represented not only in the main protagonists but also in the supporting back up dancers, Tish, played by Cat Christmas, Randy, played by Spencer Diaz Tootle, and Kylie, played by Mollyanne Nunn, all of whom have their own squabbles with one another while also viewing Ramona through both lenses of a virgin and a sinner.

Looking back at the bubblegum pop era through the social context of today we have sure come a long way. We as a society were awful to young women, judgemental, critical, and downright vicious. Time allows us to look back on that period with a kinder viewpoint, one that is not so polarized. Being able to view The Love Object through the same lens affords us the ability to equally despise the vain pop star and be sympathetic to her loneliness of lacking in any real or substantive friendships, or to resent the assistant and her actions and also embrace the karmic justice of our f-around and find out world. With a minimalist futuristic set, early 2000s pop culture references, superb acting, and a storyline every millennial woman can relate to, The Love Object is a perfect time capsule for this fall theatre scene and one sure to entertain.

The Love Object, presented by The Story Theatre at Raven Theatre (6157 N Clark St, Chicago), runs through November 3rd. Ramona’s tour is selling out fast so be sure to grab your tickets with backstage access at www.raventheatre.com/season42/. 

Have you ever jumped on a crowded L train and wondered just why there were so many people on it? Where did they all come from? Where were they all going? Who were they going to meet? What were they going to do when they got to their destination? When I ride the L I get sonder, the feeling of realizing that everyone has a life as full and complex as your own. It's the idea that everyone is the central character in their own story, but also a supporting cast member or extra in other people's stories. We never quite know what people are going through and we cannot rely on that glimpsed impression to truly understand. It is this theme that is at the heart of Milo Imagines the World, a new musical now playing at Chicago Children’s Theatre. 

Milo Imagines the World follows a young boy who uses art to process the realities of growing up with an incarcerated parent. Audiences join Milo and his big sister, Adrienne, on an urban subway ride. Adrienne is at odds with her little brother and does her best to tune him out, while Milo passes the time by drawing colorful pictures of the other passengers, imagining the wonderful lives they must lead. Once the train reaches its destination, Milo understands that you can’t know anyone’s story just by looking at them.

Adapted by Terry Guest and directed by Mikael Burke, Milo Imagines the World is a world premiere musical based on the book of the same name by Newbery-winning children’s author Matt de la Peña and illustrator Christian Robinson about a young boy who uses art to process the realities of growing up with an incarcerated parent. “By telling Milo’s story, we have the opportunity to expand what children in Chicago see on stage,” says Guest, who is himself the child of an incarcerated parent. “We are reflecting their stories back at them and making them feel less alone. Milo is so many of us, and it’s an honor to bring him to life on the stage.” “This play is a ride, a musical odyssey of imagination, a journey from house to home,” adds Burke. “Through vibrant songs, expressive dance, and a whole lot of imagination, this magical, musical journey takes audiences through the mind of a child, as he learns to see the world as it really is.” 

Just like riding public transit, the play took you to some expected and unexpected places. The ensemble cast embraces the humorous, creative, and imaginative world that Milo, played by Ian Thigpen, imagines as he is riding the train. You don’t quite know where he and his sister, played by Livia Robin are going, but the tension slowly builds just as it does on a commuter train; that hurry-up-we’re-going-to-miss-our-train-and-throw-off-our-whole-day feeling while simultaneously providing an escape and reprieve from the outside world. Thigpen and the Chicago Children’s Theatre ensemble cast expertly build this tension culminating in the bittersweet reality that so many children in the US experience. The story and the musical find a way to address the impact of incarceration on families while fostering a sense of wonder, joy, hope, and resilience. It is an absolute gem of a piece and is sure to move audiences for decades to come.

Public performances continue through November 10, Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., with a large number of weekday morning matinees for school groups. Milo Imagines the World is recommended for ages six and up and a run time is approximately 60 minutes. Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org, call (312) 374-8835, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for tickets, you don’t want to miss this incredible journey.

Like the waves lapping along the shores of Lake Michigan, there is another wave that is hitting Chicago; a nostalgia wave. From high waisted jeans, bold neon colors, even scrunchies and side ponytails, the 1980s are riding high in Chicagoland. But it isn’t just Chicago. In the 2020s, the currents of the nostalgia wave have infiltrated every aspect of our culture from movie franchise remakes like Top Gun, to chart topping synthpop-new-wave hits like The Weekend’s Blinding Lights or Dua Lipa’s Love Again. And that same wave is riding high onto the theatre scene bringing a seminal cult classic film to life in the most spectacular way. Gen X and elder millennials buckle up and hold on tight, because we’re going Back to the Future – in musical form. And Back to the Future: The Musical has officially set its destination for Chicago in 2024.

Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical is adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and directed by the Tony Award®-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy® winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”), alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.”

When Marty McFly is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time- traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself... back to the future.

The most impressive aspects of this musical aren’t the songs or the familiar storyline but the sheer visual spectacle that is the DeLorean. Using an amalgamation of lights, sound, screens, and immersive and malleable stage designs, you follow the DeLorean has it travels through space and time, the sets seamlessly and breathtakingly transitioning from the 1985 to 1955 and back again. The clocktower scene alone had the audience sitting at the edge of their seats, wondering how the engineers, designers, choreographers, and illusionists pulled off such incredible feats. It was visually stunning and Broadway in Chicago never disappoints with its stage presentation and craft. 

For the nostalgic lovers of the movie, the classic storyline, witty one-liners, and your favorite characters are all here. For musical lovers, you’ll love the classic songs played throughout the play such as “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B Goode,” while tapping your toes to new musical numbers like “Gotta Start Somewhere,” “Pretty Baby,” “Something About That Boy.” For theatre lovers, Burke Swanson as George McFly and Zan Berube as Lorraine Baines, Marty’s parents, look identical to their film counterparts, down to the mannerisms, chemistry, and comedic timing, coupled with their vocal talents, you’ll be rooting for these two to get together faster at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Cartreze Tucker, who plays Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry, steals the audience’s attention with his vocal range and prowess and Don Stephenson who plays the incomparable Doc Brown will have you rolling with laughter with his lingering zingers while he cleverly breaks the 4th wall.

Like any good Doc Brown invention however, Back to the Future: The Musical was a bit glitchy. Technical difficulties like mics cutting out to music being so loud it drowned out the musical talent, ensemble actors simply marking their movements versus performing all out, and some lead actors not hitting their marks at all (or their notes), the musical’s second night definitely had some issues as it got going. But once the plutonium was installed and the flux capacitor was engaged following the first few musical numbers, the musical hit the magic 88 and was able to right the space time continuum. Despite these early challenges, this musical is well worth the trip for the special effects and illusions alone.

Back to the Future is a cult classic that is bound to make many more revivals in future nostalgia waves. With Back to the Future: The Musical now making its national tour, this musical is sure to be a crowd favorite and hopefully replace some outdated or antiquated musicals like The Music Man and Hello Dolly (don’t come for me musical thespians! I said what I said).

Back to the Future: The Musical is now playing at Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph St). Tickets are available at www.BroadwayinChicago.com. But just like the blip in time it only runs through Sept 1st so don’t miss your opportunity to ride the wave and go back to the future to experience this incredible show.

We all can do with a little more magic in our lives. Myths and Gods, magic and fantasy, these are the foundations of the stories we’re drawn to. They have a way of pulling us in, making us believe, and letting us escape the world around us, even if it is for only a few short hours. Magic can be found all over Chicago, take it from any die-hard Cubs fan; though it may not happen often, when we see magic, it stays with us. A little bit of that same magic is alive and well on the North Shore as the Skokie Theatre takes on The Lightning Thief: a Percy Jackson Musical.

The Lightning Thief: a Percy Jackson Musical is based on the popular novel of the same name by Rick Riodan. The musical follows Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old boy who newly discovers that he is a demigod and goes on a quest to find Zeus' missing lightning bolt and prevent a war between the Greek gods. With the musical’s book written by Joe Tracz and music by Rob Rokicki, this production has something for people of all ages. The musical first premiered on Broadway in 2014 with a rewrite and expansion run in 2017 though it hasn’t been widely performed in Chicagoland and it’s a shame. The musical is funny, witty, and simply magical.

Skokie Theatre only added to the charm of The Lightning Thief, the intimate vintage theatre lending itself to the production. Do not be deceived. This was no local community or high school production. The talent that brought this mythical story to life could grace any musical stage in Chicago and hold their own. Chicagoans will no doubt know the name P-Jay Adams who portrayed Percy Jackson, their pitch and vocal prowess a slice of magic in plot-moving musical numbers like “The Day I Got Expelled,” “The Campfire Song,” and “Killer Quest!” Adams led the plucky, youthful, and inclusive ensemble cast from the East coast to Los Angeles where the underworld resides. Delivering witty one-liners, embodying the characters of Gods and their angsty half-blood children, The Lightning Thief ensemble cast brought the mystical story to life and made us believe in the magic of the theatre.

While a Chicago theatre goer might not put Skokie or the North Shore on the map by comparison to so many powerhouses within the city, there is some kind of nostalgic magic at Skokie Theatre. Given the opportunity, Adams and many members of the ensemble cast could easily step onto any Broadway in Chicago stage. If given the production budget of a show like Death Becomes Her, The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical would have the potential to make a spectacular run in Chicago.

The Lightning Thief: a Percy Jackson Musical is now playing on select dates at the Skokie Theatre located at 7924 Lincoln Ave in Skokie, IL through July 28th. Tickets are now available for purchase here. Lightning might not strike twice so don’t miss your chance to add a little magic to your evening and mock The Gods with your favorite demi-godlike hero.

When we think of summertime in Chicago, we probably wouldn’t associate it an existential play set in a small Russian town filled with woe and dread and longing. That style of play would fit better with the dark winter days. But like a required literature course in high school, or a classic novel from another century we had to read, it’s often later that we realize why we took that course, why we read that book Like Chicago itself, with its long dark winters, there is a beautiful tapestry of people with thriving, complex lives, with dreams and desires sometimes unrealized or just out of reach. That is at the theme at the heart of Anton Chekhov’s classic Three Sisters, now playing at Invictus Theatre for a limited time.

Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short-story writer. Chekhov is often referred to as one of the three seminal figures in the birth of early modernism in the theatre. Chekhov was a physician by profession. "Medicine is my lawful wife," he once said, "and literature is my mistress." The playwright penned Three Sisters in 1900 and the four-part play was first performed in 1901. This seminal classic chronicles three and a half years in the falling fortunes of the four children of a recently deceased Colonel in the Russian army, notably three sisters: Olga (played by Maria Stephens), Masha (played by Katherine Schwartz), and Irina (played by Ellie Duffey). They have been living in a small town in Russia for the past 11 years and yearn to return to the excitement of Moscow. Their dreary provincial life is enlivened only by the arrival of the Imperial Army. The sisters' dreams of a new life are crushed when their brother marries a woman they consider ill-bred and mortgages the house.

Like the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, the eventuality of a courtship in Netflix’s One Day, like a Bears dynasty, the three sisters within the play long for something more than their lives. Throughout the first act they long to work, to contribute to society if only to fight the boredom a privileged life affords them. In the second act, they loathe work and long for a life of elegance and ease. Throughout the play they and others put Moscow on a pedestal, often whispering the name with reverence, like a prayer, as though the city would hold the promise to their happiness, the end to their misery. Juxtaposed against minor characters who are happy and contented, the stark contrast forces the audience to determine if the protagonists are justified in their woes or drowning in their self-made misery.

Chekhov’s Three Sisters has a timeless staying power that still resonates in the modern world and is a perfect existential piece to juxtapose against the beautiful Chicago summer evenings. Invictus Theatre Company took on the lofty goal of putting on the production as the first run in its new home at The Windy City Playhouse in Irving Park. Paul Schmidt’s translation and condensation of the four-part play into two acts highlights all the key points and themes. Set against an intimate and enchanting set by Kevin Rolfs, Director Charles Askenaizer transports us to the small Russian town filled with existential woe, philosophical debates on life and love, and bridges the centuries with this timeless classic.

As summer kicks off in Chicagoland, don’t pine for an evening out or promise yourself you’ll see this play one day. Seize your Moscow and see Three Sisters. Three Sisters is playing in a limited run at Invictus Theatre at The Windy City Playhouse at 3014 W Irving Park Rd through July 14th. Tickets are available at www.invictustheatreco.com. ваше здоровье.

It’s often said that in the workplace you should refrain from talking about politics and religion; too personal, too easy to offend someone. Throughout my working years the only topic of conversation that has caused controversy is that around children; Do you have any? Are you trying for one? You’re having another? Well why don’t you want a kid? They’re the best thing. They’re the worst thing. In my experience, there is no topic more invasive or sensitive topic to bring up in the workplace than pregnancy and childbirth. Oscar Wilde once said that ‘Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.’ While there is no greater culturally universal experience than pregnancy and childbirth, the way we approach these conversations has changed and should continue to change. In the artistic medium of Theatre, BABY the musical, now playing at the Citadel Theatre, neither helps to change these conversations nor helps us view our lives in a different way.

BABY the musical follows three couples on a university campus deal with the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of the universal experience of pregnancy and upcoming parenthood. There are the college students, Danny and Lizzie (played by Ben Ballmer and Madison Jaffe-Richter), in their junior year of college barely at the beginning of their adult lives facing an unplanned pregnancy; Pam and Nick (played by Katie Engler and Mark Yacullo) the thirty-somethings, having trouble conceiving but determined to try, Alan and Arlene (played by Joe Lehman and Julie Bayer) and the middle-aged parents, looking forward to seeing their last child graduate from college when a night of unexpected passion lands them back where they started.

Originally written and premiering on Broadway in 1983, BABY was updated in 2004. Twenty years later, the play needs another revision if not retired entirely. While pregnancy and birthing is an integral part of life and universal across all cultures, this musical performing in 2024 is as dated as Hello, Dolly or The Music Man; time capsules of a bygone era that simply doesn’t resonate with audiences today as they did in the eras they premiered. The musical is predictable, filled with overplayed tropes and stereotypical cliches, but the musical is really a love letter to pregnancy which for many is not possible and not a walk in the park. There are incredible plays that look at pregnancy, birthing, and parenthood through satirical, dramatic, or humorous lenses. BABY the musical’s only lens is that pregnancy is wonderful and everyone should do it regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in, broke college student, infertility troubles, unhappy older couple, everyone should want a baby. This type of art doesn’t reflect life as it’s viewed today.

Citadel Theatre’s ensemble cast performed beautifully with the material they had to work with. The trouble is not in their musical talents or acting abilities, the trouble with BABY is it simply is outdated and can’t stand on a modern stage. The way we as a society approach pregnancy nowadays has changed. More modern musicals such as Mom! The Musical or MotherFreakingHood! approach the same conversation in a way that resonates with audiences today, steering away from tropes to tell real, raw, stories of the pitfalls, trials, and highs of pregnancy. Even with an update in 2004, it’s been 20 years since it’s been revised and 40 since it was created. Watching the play, despite the exceptional cast, staging, and direction at Citadel, it simply felt tired and outdated, and at times downright cringy. Life can be cringe but art shouldn’t be.

BABY the musical is now playing at the Citadel Theatre (300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest) through Sunday May 19, 2024. Tickets are available on the company’s website at www.citadeltheatre.org.

On any given day, when I walk out my front door, I’d see a quiet suburban street. Most families stay within their, rarely venturing out unless the temperature is a cool-but-warm 70 degrees, content with their healthy skepticism of their neighbors, keeping to surface level ‘how-do-you dos’ or ‘how-is-the-family?’ There’s not a sense of engagement let alone community.  The concept of community is an abstract one but something that people crave, something they need in their lives. But what makes a community?The places?The familiarity or the routine? The melding of business and residential living? Or is it the people? These are the questions that come up when viewing the exceptional Broadway National Tour of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In The Heights, now playing at Marriot Theatre.

In The Heights takes place on a hot and sweaty day in the summer of 2008 in Washington Heights, New York City. On a corner bodega, Usnavi de la Vega, welcomes us to his neighborhood and introduces us to his community. We meet Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood’s resident matriarch and grandmother who raised Usnavi, and Sonny, Usnavi’s cousin, Daniela and Carla, local salon owners, Kevin and Camila Rosario, who manage a cab service, and Vanessa, Usnavi’s crush who wants out of the barrio, the Rosario’s daughter Nina who is returning home from Stanford with a secret, and runs into Benny, his father’s employee at the cab service. As the community moves about their day, we see the struggles and challenges each person faces in and out of the barrio; feeling unwelcome, discriminated against, cut down, undervalued. Amidst their own personal crises, the neighborhood itself is under attack from gentrification, businesses being bought out for cheap by big realestate investors, eager to remove teh culture and heart of the neighborhood. As the heat rises, passions and tempers flare, and the barrio goes dark, a once in a lifetime occurence changes the trajectory of the neightbod, uniting them in ways that allow them to move forward together towards a bright future. 

The Marriot Theatre continues to produce incredible shows each season and finds exceptional local talent that rivals any NYC Broadway cast. There was not a single member of the ensemble cast of In The Heights that was not talented beyond measure, their energy and vibrancy pulling you in and bringing you along for the entirety of the 2 hr and 20 min run time. Start with the captivating Joseph Morales as our narrator, Usnavi with Paola V. Hernández spicy and vulnerable Vanessa, add in the singing talents of Yasir Muhammad and Addie Morales as the young lovers, Benny and Nina, mix in the humor of  Jordan Arredondo as Benny with the heart of Crissy Guerrero’s  Abuela Claudia, and finally throw in smooth-as-honey vocals from Lillian Castillo, Andres J DeLeon and the sexy and rhythmic dance moves of Wesley J Barnes and Kiana Rodriguez and you have an ensemble case ready to step onto Broadway and sweep the Tony’s. The cast was energtic, fun, passionate, and heartfelt, and truly made the audience long to be part of such a community.  In The Heights features a live orchestra secretly nestled within the 360 degree theatre. The immersive stage allows the audience to feel like they are a member of the cast, every angle and corner utilized to portray the NYC neighborhood. The lighting, the music, the staging, everything was en pointe for this production of In The Heights. Chicago theatre lovers will be remiss to not see such a whirlwind portrayal of what is sure to be a play with lasting staying power. 

The portrayal of community within the play is one of shared struggles and successes. When Nina returns home from Stanford, feeling like she has lost her way, her community reminds her of her talent and prowess. Nina herself is reminded of not only where she comes from, but where her parents came from to build a foundation to give her a better life. She’s able to refocus and ground herself, and find her way again. After Usnavi’s bodega is looted, Sonny enlists the help of Graffiti Pete, played by Phillip Wood, to symbolize home and community on the bodega’s gate, signifying to Usnavi where his heart has been all along, right there in the barrio with his chosen family. Director James Vásquez says it best, “with the help of Lin Manuel Miranda’s brilliant and specific score, which has changed the idea of what musical theatre can be, we zoom in to get a closer look at one particular community. They fight to remember who they are where they come from, but also look to the future and dream of who they can become.” If a neighborhood is a body, the bodega would be the head, but the people would be the heart, and that is the true essence of In The Heights. Community is about what you make it to be, and who makes up that heart.

Though my community isn’t nearly as engaging or centric as the one portrayed in In The Heights, I walked away from Marriot Theatre feeling light, hopeful, and a part of a larger community than just what makes up my cul-du-sac. The Chicago Theatre community is supportive, vibrant, and diverse. They lift each other up and come together to experience real, authentic voices. The community is welcoming and fun and one that draws me back in every time. Not every community is made up of a corner store or city block, or even a quiet tree-lined street in greater Chicagoland. There are thousands of communities to discover in Chicagoland and beyond. Whatever makes up your community, I hope it is filled with love, hope, happiness, and has a soundtrack that Lin Manuel Miranda himself would be envious of. 

In The Heights runs through March 17th at The Marriot Theatre at 10 Marriott Dr, Lincolnshire. Tickets are available at www.marriottheatre.com.

It’s a truth universally known that the holidays aren’t always a great time for everyone. Holiday traditions and expectations can often leave us feeling emotionally void or overwhelmed, particularly with how bleak 2023 has been for so many. But in every darkness there is joy to be sparked and light to be found, if one is willing to look for it. This holiday season I discovered a shining light in the The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show at Auditorium Theatre. 

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show is an internationally acclaimed holiday variety show returning to Chicago following the massive success of their previous holiday tours. Co-written, co-created, and starring global drag icons and RuPaul’s Drag Race stars BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon, fans braved the winter cold to witness a fabulous spectacle, whip-smart comedy, and creative song parodies embodying and cleverly critiquing holiday traditions. 

The holiday show harkens back to classic comedy variety shows that used to dominate television and stage. Jinkx and DeLa are an iconic and dynamic duo, with quick and witty banter and humor that is conflict free, a rarity in today’s comedic world. Even more impressive is that the show is entirely helmed by the queens themselves, with BenDeLaCreme in the producer and director’s chairs.  Too often, queer and drag stories are written and produced by people outside of the community. The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show and BenDeLaCreme Presents are reminders why authentic queer storytelling is not only necessary but should be widely celebrated. BenDeLaCreme says, “With all the hatred, darkness, and misinformation flying around our world today, it is an honor and a privilege to spend the holidays with tens of thousands of audience members each year, creating joyous community spaces where we can gather strength through laughter and celebration. Whether you consider it the most wonderful time of year or the most troubling, we’re here to tell you… you’re right! So let’s make it our own.” Monsoon adds, “It’s been a wild year, so let’s end it wildly. DeLa and I strive to entertain while we enlighten and enliven. The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Show is not only a moment of respite, but also of community, at a time where we need our chosen family and community most of all. So add us to your holiday plans, or let us BE your holiday plans— either way, you’re welcome to join us.”

The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Show is a shining light within the darkness, and truly a magnificent experience. The Auditorium Theatre audience were loyal followers of Jinkx and DeLa, many having seen their 2023 show in multiple cities on their tour, while others were back for their yearly tradition of seeing the iconic duo perform. In talking with Jinkx and DeLa, we learned this year’s holiday show changed the formula of the variety show, pairing the usual sweet vs. spicy duo as a united front, emphasizing the core message of togetherness and unity amidst an ever divisive and polarizing world. At the end of the show, the stars beseeched the audience to carry the joy, laughter, and love exuded and felt throughout the show out into the dark world; to spark that light within others and be the light so needed in the darkness. With everything that has happened in 2023, and the last few years,  Jinkx and DeLa have channeled their worry, frustration, and anxiety into a beautifully crafted show filled with lightness, and have created an enduring and worthwhile holiday tradition sure to be enjoyed for years to come.

Though the tour only visited Chicago for one night, this show is sure to become a staple in Chicagoland, only growing and getting better with time. One of the prevailing themes of this year’s variety show was that while our traditions anchor us to the holiday season, we can consistently look within ourselves and our communities to create new traditions or adapt and grow our old traditions. And most importantly, if we cannot find a light within the darkness, we ourselves can be the light for those around us. I cannot wait to add The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Show a must-see holiday tradition and I’ll see you all there in 2024.

This year’s tour will run through December 30 across the US, UK, and Canada with the show that proves they’re still the reigning “queens of Christmas'' (Entertainment Weekly). Tickets are available at JinkxandDeLa.com. 

As twinkling Christmas lights return to Michigan Avenue and holiday themed bars pop up in trendy neighborhoods, Chicagoans are kicking off their pre-winter days by flocking indoors. Fortunately for us, Chicago theatre continues to deliver an exceptional lineup of classic holiday favorites and new ingenues hoping to become a staple in the cold winter months. One such production is “Christmas With Elvis” by Terry Spencer Hesser, directed by Dexter Bullard playing at the charming Chopin Theatre.

“Christmas With Elvis” tells the story of a lonely, anxious and slightly angry woman who discovers, on Christmas Eve, that her ex-husband is getting remarried. Before she can indulge in her misery, the very dead and not too debauched ghost of Elvis Presley appears in her apartment. The two-person cast features Brenda Barrie (Trudy) and Victor Holstein (Elvis).

The premise of “Christmas With Elvis” is captivating; a lonely woman with a bevy of mental and physical health issues puts on an old vinyl record, Elvis crooning “Are you Lonesome Tonight.” Answering the vinyl record, she soon gets to answer Elvis, the King, in person as he appears in her Chicago apartment. After getting past the initial shock, both characters begin to share their feelings as they unpack what brought them to that moment on Christmas Eve. As wonderful as the premise it was, the play itself had some consistency issues with the character development. Trudy is plagued with a bevy of health issues from anxiety to alcoholism to an eating disorder. With so many issues, it struck me as odd that when Elvis questioned Trudy about what an eating disorder was, she replied crudely with “it’s a diet that works.” It wasn’t the fault of the actor, it was just dialogue that didn’t quite fit. In the same first act, Elvis chastises Trudy by telling her he didn’t drink as much in life as she claimed, only to turn around and order an entire case of Jack Daniels to be delivered along with eleven dominos pizzas for them to eat. Little lines and moments like this pull you out of the magical moment, quaking your eye at the oddity of the dialogue. The starkest example of this was at the end of the first act, Trudy admitting to Elvis she wasn’t a huge fan of his music, even when he was alive, as Elvis flips down her couch into a bed. The scene moves rapidly to Elvis crooning out some of his biggest hits to Trudy, while Trudy writhe like a sixties Elvis fan, driving herself to orgasm as the doorbell rings with their delivery.

There were some incredibly tender and raw moments of dialogue between Trudy and Elvis, Barrie and Holstein had a real chemistry that was palpable throughout the two actor’s time on stage. Holstein had incredible vocals and truly captured the King’s mannerisms and cadence, even if it were a bit stereotypical. From the moment Barrie walked onto the stage she commanded your attention, able to portray a woman alone in her apartment, admittedly not in her finest moments or appearance. She played a lonely and broken woman, finding solace with an icon and the simplest of Christmas lights. The characters Hesser created could have really driven deep into the parallels the characters had, gone deeper into the concept of loneliness. It was noted in the playbill that someone “did not understand Elvis until they got divorced,” indicating it took a certain mindset and mood to really understand the sadness, love, and loneliness captured in Elvis’ music. While that was the prevailing theme of the play, some of the attempts at sarcasm and levity fell flat or fell back on commonplace language and stereotypes, when the material and premise offered and promised more.

Overall, Barrie and Holstein were an incredible duo to watch. Holstein’s renditions of "Love Me Tender", "Don't", and “Blue Christmas” felt like you were listening to Elvis incarnate, and Barrie is a Chicago talent that will have a long and prosperous career ahead of her. For a magical night out, “Christmas with Elvis” is a dramedy with a lot of potential, promising to, at least for the evening, stay off the blues during this Christmas season.

“Christmas With Elvis” is now playing at the Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division, Chicago through January 7. For tickets, visit www.Chopintheatre.com.

When my husband announced that his company holiday party this year was 80s themed, my first thought was that it had been done before. I’d donned enough leg warmers and sported enough side ponytails at enough parties. My second thought was why not the 90s? Surely in 2023 people want to worship another decade? But when I read Chicago was getting American Psycho: The Musical, I dug out my favorite oversized blazer and headed to Wicker Park to watch the book-turned-movie-turned-musical that encapsulated and glorified the very decade I dared to criticize..

The cast was led by the showstopping talent of Kyle Patrick as Patrick Bateman, the stylish and sadistic center of American Psycho. Patrick’s performance was riveting, one couldn’t take his eyes away from him. He perfectly captured Bateman’s devilishly attractive and hypnotic presence, pulling you in with his charm and wit, turning psychotically evil effortlessly before falling back into his charm. The range Patrick displayed as Bateman was nothing short of breathtaking. The murderous chemistry between Patrick and John Drea as his nemesis Paul Owen was haunting and electric, their bravados embodying the 80s and their fight staging choreography scarily convincing. The play was accompanied with an indulgent soundtrack with original numbers like “Cards” and “Not a Common Man” along with seminal 80s bangers Everybody Wants to Rule the World and of course Hip to Be Square. You were dancing in your seat along with the cast.

The play was set appropriately on a cat walk, white business cards adorning the path, the cast using the cat walk to seamlessly transition from the Tunnel nightclub Tunnel, to the gym, to the office, to Paul Owen’s apartment, the entrances draped cleverly with white tarp. The choreography, directed by Breon Arzell, was nothing short of art. Arzell was able to take extremely difficult and violent scenes and make them hauntingly captivating. In one particularly sexually violet scene (read the book or watch the film if you are curious about this referenced scene), an adonis-like Patrick puppeteered two women, played by Emily Holland and Quinn Simmons, through a series of graceful movements, simulating a sexual throupling without being obscene, and navigating the violence with dignity, masked through the art of dance. Such scenes were made to be very effective thanks to Kokandy's incredibly talented Intimacy Coordinate Kirsten Baity and Fight Choreographer Kate Lass. 

(left to right) Kyle Patrick and John Dreain Kokandy Productions’ Chicago premiere of American Psycho: The Musical

The book-turned-movie-turned-musical has real staying power. Comments Director Derek Van Barham,  It’s horror, it’s satire, it goes for the guts and getsinto your head. And it’s all tinged with that David Lynchian unease of ‘What is actually happening?’ Extending that question of uncertainty into the live experience, we’re playing with what we show vs. what we don’t show, what you see vs. what you think you saw. A lot is going to be left up to the audience.” American Psycho: The Musical has many themes that are still applicable and relatable today. If I concede that the musical glorifying the 80s is still relevant and significant in 2023, then by proxy the 80s are still relevant and significant today, meaning I must find neon bangle earrings to match my leg warmers this holiday season…

Kokandy Production's American Psycho: The Musical runs through November 26, 2023 at The Chopin Studio Theatre (1543 W. Division St., Chicago). Tickets are available at https://www.kokandyproductions.com/american-psycho/.

*Extended through December 10th