Displaying items by tag: Lisa Loomer
Review: 'Roe' at Goodman Theatre
Roe V Wade might be the law of the land now, but playwright Lisa Loomer’s new play “Roe” suggests that it’s always been on shaky ground. Directed by Vanessa Stalling, ‘Roe’ makes its area debut at Goodman Theatre with a big cast of familiar faces.
In “Roe” Lisa Loomer pieces together the life stories of both the plaintiff (Jane Roe, played by Kate Middleton) and the ambitious young lawyer Sarah Weddington (Christina Hall) who argued the case all the way to the supreme court.
Like the old telephone game, stories have a way of changing from telling to telling. The origin story of Roe V Wade is complicated and varies depending on who you ask. Lisa Loomer digs deep into the hearsay and rumors to compose what feels like a thorough account. When she’s unsure, or she found conflicting versions of the same event, she uses character asides to clarify. The effect brings a humorous tone to what could be a dreary subject matter for some.
The play is a non-linear, often scattery, look at the process it took to win the case as well as the checkered past of Roe, later outed as Norma McCorvey. While many American women champion the right to choose, it’s hard to avoid the exploitation narrative that would ultimately lead McCorvey to a tabloidy life in the years following the case.
What could sound like a living history report, is anything but. Instead, Loomer’s use of structure and theatrical storytelling make this play leap off the stage. She’s good at finding the heart of the historic figures she’s writing of. The cast also brings a lot to the material. There’s something tragic and relatable to Kate Middleton’s performance. She really gets into the psyche of someone easily taken by the whims of the world around them, and sadly getting taken advantage by them too. Her transition from Jane Roe plaintiff to internationally known figure and subsequent rejection of abortion says a lot about the state of reproductive and religious education in America.
“Roe” is not a play about abortion, that’s only part of the story. The irony is that the famous plaintiff never did get the abortion she sought. As Sarah Weddington once argued, this isn’t a case about being pro-abortion. This is a case about a woman’s right to decide what is best for her own body.
Roe V Wade changed America, but even almost 50 years later it’s still being challenged by the religious right. Abortion was legalized on a national level as a result of the case, but when you include all the stipulations, its hard to call it entirely legalized. In fact, some states today have less than five clinics that perform abortions. Every election cycle, more and more restrictions are made on abortion. “Roe” makes a case for why we cannot have collective amnesia on the facts of this case. It serves as an education as well as a rallying cry to anyone in America who calls themselves a feminist.
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival returns January 15-26, 2025
21 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreThe Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is pulling strings to raise funds this fall, offering three exclusive sneak peeks of…
Oil Lamp Theater Announces the Cast for its 2025 Season Opener: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), Jan. 24 - Feb. 16, 2025
21 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreOil Lamp Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its first production of the 2025 season, The Complete…
Half-Price Holidays return to Hot Tix as Chicago theatres get festive for the 2024 holiday season
21 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreChicago theatres will present a wide variety of festive plays, musicals, dance, and comedy offerings this holiday season. In support,…
Steep Theatre Back Early 2025 with A Slow Air
20 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreSteep Theatre will kick off the new year with the Chicago Premiere of David Harrower's A Slow Air, directed by Steep…
Announcing cast of A Nativity Tribute in Driehaus Museum's historic Murphy Auditorium, presented in partnership with African American Museum of Performing Arts
20 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreThe Driehaus Museum and the African American Museum of Performing Arts (AAMPA) announce the casting for A Nativity Tribute, an adaptation of Langston Hughes' gospel…
Delightful Send-up of 1930s Musicals, 'Dames at Sea' Nearly Sunk by Bad Sound
18 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewOverall Citadel Theatre’s ‘Dames at Sea’ has a smashingly great cast of singers and dancers, perfect for a musical comedy…
'Blue' Holds Mirror to Race in America
18 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewWhen Francesca Zambello, director of The Glimmerglass Festival, commissioned an opera about race in America, the country was reeling from…
Review: 'Falsettos' at Court Theatre
17 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewEven 40 years later, the AIDS crisis continues to shape American life. Long before Hollywood brought AIDS stories to the…
Disney's The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane: An Inspiring and Delightful Production Celebrating Girls' Unique Voices
16 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI thoroughly enjoyed Drury Lane's enchanting stage production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid from start to finish. While few are…
Pegasus Theatre Chicago Announces Dates, Plays and Playwrights for the 38th ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL, Jan. 5 - 26, 2025
15 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatrePegasus Theatre Chicago is proud to announce the authors and plays being presented at the 38th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, January 5 - 26,…
A Christmas Cabaret: A Magical Night with Thee Ricky Harris!
14 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreGet ready to dive into the holiday spirit like never before on December 7th and 8th with A Christmas Cabaret…
Moving, Engaging 'Every Brilliant Thing' Shines at Writers Theatre
14 November 2024 in Theatre in Review“Every Brilliant Thing,” places unusual demands on its lead character, Narrator. Jessie Fisher delivers a carefully calibrated performance from a…
Northlight to produce world premiere adaptation of Little Women
13 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreNorthlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2024–2025 season with Louisa May Alcott's…
Music Theater Works Announces its LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL Cast and Creative Teams, Dec. 19 - Jan. 19
13 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreMusic Theater Works is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the final production of its 2024 season, Legally Blonde:…
Lookingglass Announces Cast and Creative Team for the World Premiere of CIRCUS QUIXOTE, Jan. 30 - March 30, 2025
13 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreAfter pausing its operations last year to reorganize and create a new business model, Chicago's Tony-Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company, in association…
BrightSide Theatre to present JEKYLL AND HYDE IN CONCERT January 17-26, 2025. Full cast announced!
13 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreBrightSide Theatre has announced that it will perform the long-running hit Broadway musical JEKYLL AND HYDE in a concert presentation…
Hell in a Handbag's Rudolph THE RED-HOSED REINDEER Returns December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025 at Center on Halsted
12 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreHell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to open its 2024/25 Season with the 25th anniversary edition of Artistic Director David Cerda's* holiday classic Rudolph…
A Humorous Homage to History: The Marriage of Figaro Dazzles at The Lyric Opera
11 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewSometimes history has a way of repeating itself and it’s not always for the better. Try as we might to…
Do You Want To See Some Magic: Frozen The Broadway Musical at Paramount
09 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewThroughout our busy lives we often seek out the new. It is easy to see the allure. Beginnings offer a…
Irving Berlin's Magnificent White Christmas at Marriott Theatre: A Joyous and Heartfelt Celebration for Everyone
08 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI've always had a deep fondness for the two timeless films Holiday Inn and White Christmas. These movies feature outstanding…
Sixth performance added! Steppenwolf Theatre Celebrates the Holidays with Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas
08 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreDue to popular demand, Steppenwolf Theatre is pleased to announce Jane Lynch's A SWINGIN' LITTLE CHRISTMAS has added a sixth and final performance to its nearly sold-out…
THE JOFFREY BALLET CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAYS WITH RETURN OF CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON'S CHICAGO-SET THE NUTCRACKER
07 November 2024 in Upcoming DanceThe Joffrey Ballet's critically acclaimed reimagined classic, The Nutcracker by two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, returns to the Lyric Opera House, 20 North…
Lifeline Theatre presents “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” for the holiday season, Nov 29 – Dec 22
07 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreLifeline Theatre brings their first MainStage production of the 2024-25 season to the stage with Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol. Tom Mula's holiday tale…
Shucked coming to CIBC Theatre in January
07 November 2024 in Upcoming TheatreIndividual tickets for SHUCKED, the Tony Award® winning musical comedy The Wall Street Journal calls "flat out hilarious," will go on sale on…
Blood and Brilliance: Invictus Theatre’s ‘Macbeth’ Stands Tall in Chicago Theatre
07 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewInvictus Theatre Company’s latest production of The Tragedy of Macbeth, adapted and directed by Sarafina Vecchio, delivers a potent, intense…
A Spell-Binding Reinvention: "Leroy and Lucy" at Steppenwolf
05 November 2024 in Theatre in ReviewNgozi Anyanwu’s Leroy and Lucy, in its electrifying world premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre, takes the legendary tale of Robert Johnson’s…
The Babes with Blades are a DREAM! A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
30 October 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI’ve delighted in Babes with Blades since they began in 1997, and they are never more delightful than when slashing…
Chicago Tap Allstars' Holiday Performance WINTER WONDERLAND Returns for One Performance Only - Saturday, Dec. 14
30 October 2024 in Upcoming DanceChicago Tap Allstars, a collective of Tap dance artists and organizations brought together by M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Chicago Tap Theatre, is proud to…
Steppenwolf Theatre's LEROY AND LUCY - October 24 – December 15, 2024 - World Premiere!
30 October 2024 in Upcoming TheatreSteppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 49th season with the world premiere of Ngozi…
'Into the Woods' an Exciting Musical Fairytale Mashup at Chopin Theater
29 October 2024 in Theatre in ReviewI’ll admit it: I knew little about “Into the Woods” before seeing the new production at Chicago’s Chopin Theatre. I’m…
Latest Articles
-
Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival returns January 15-26, 2025
Written by Buzz Center StageThe Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is pulling strings to raise funds this fall, offering three exclusive sneak peeks of the amazing puppet artistry of one of next January’s most hotly anticipated festival performers, presented in highly intimate, exclusive living… -
Steep Theatre Back Early 2025 with A Slow Air
Written by Buzz Center StageSteep Theatre will kick off the new year with the Chicago Premiere of David Harrower's A Slow Air, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Robin Witt. Witt was at the helm for Steep's recent critically-acclaimed production of Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for…
-
Oil Lamp Theater Announces the Cast for its 2025 Season Opener: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), Jan. 24 - Feb. 16, 2025
Written by Buzz Center StageOil Lamp Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its first production of the 2025 season, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield with new revisions by Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, January 24 -…
-
Half-Price Holidays return to Hot Tix as Chicago theatres get festive for the 2024 holiday season
Written by Buzz Center StageChicago theatres will present a wide variety of festive plays, musicals, dance, and comedy offerings this holiday season. In support, the League of Chicago Theatres has again created a comprehensive Holiday Theatre Guide, available at https://chicagoplays.com/chicago-theatre-guide/. A list of shows with additional details about…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.