This show, performed at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, was promoted in Buzz Center Stage (www.buzzcenterstage.com) last month as an upcoming event, and here’s the skinny on the actual performance. Spoiler alert! It was terrific – but let me share some details.

We were greeted at the door by the choreographer, Ginny Ching-Yin Lo – she was obviously thrilled about this premiere of her tenth and latest work, ENLIVEN. This friendly personal introduction was characteristic of the entire show – IDENTITY is committed to connecting with their audience. Filmmaker Spence Warren took time to speak with us both before and after the show. He sat near us and I loved watching as he bopped and wriggled through the performance, clearly very invested in the action.

IDENTITY PERFORMING ARTS is a very diverse company:  Josephine Castillo, Mark Gonzalez, Mackenzi Bolyard-Pizaῆa, Amelia Harris, Audrey Hartnett, Wilson Hicken, Hayley Midea, Hanley Simpson, and Tiana Thompson were all onstage variously through the evening. Their minimalist costumes brought uniformity to their diversity, rendering each individual genderless and monochromatic, it is characteristic of IDENTITY to showcase each dancer’s personal brilliance while melding them into a unified whole.

The choreography was totally unique: balletic, gymnastic, flexible, and asynchronous. My companion was reminded of Cirque du Soleil – though I’ve not seen Cirque myself, I find his comparison apt. Individually and corporately, the dancers were agile, buoyant, and ever graceful. Even their most ethereal and flowing passages were imbued with a singular vivacity, a brio and zeal that spoke eloquently of each artist’s love for what they do.

Spence’s fifteen-minute film KINDRED was sandwiched between performances. In it they danced through various rooms of a (perfectly gorgeous) modern home: Pliés and port-de-bras using the dishwasher as a barre, fold overs in the living room, and several maneuvers in the bathroom. Oh dear – I’m not making this sound very good, but it was absolutely magical! Seeing the dancers perform in a home rather than on a stage personalized the work, ‘bringing it home’ in a literal sense. Eit seemed even more magical when Spence admitted to us that the entire series had been filmed in a single 8-hour day!

Ginny Ching-Yin Lo is IDENTITY’s founder, choreographer, and Artistic Director. Her works have been performed in France, Germany, and China as well as the US. It is IDENTITY’s mission to ‘connect, create, and affirm’, using dance to express societal issues and heal the community.  Since its founding in 2016 IDENTITY has striven to carry dance to the underserved, to those who have limited access to its magnetic appeal.  

There is but one additional performance of ENLIVEN, Saturday 18 November at Studio5 Dance Center in Evanston. And keep watch for Spring and Fall performances in 2024!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

It’s hard to find words to describe DEEPLY ROOTED DANCE THEATRE’s performance. Phenomenal …  wondrous … magnificent … incredible – all these and more apply but even all together they’re insufficient to the task.

DEEPLY ROOTED DANCE THEATRE, a Chicago-based dance company, has been expressing the transformative power of art through dance education and performance since 1996. In their own words, Deeply Rooted Dance ‘reimagines and diversifies the aesthetics of contemporary dance by uniting modern, classical, American, and African American traditions in dance and storytelling’. That last word, storytelling, is uniquely cogent. Friday night in the Auditorium Theatre every dance told its own story within a program that formed an artistic digest of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre’s history.

The first chapter was Junto [translation “Together], choreographed in 1990 by Kevin Iega Jeff.  Junto was comprised of three episodes: a duet with Rebekah Kuczma and Mekeba Malik, a quartet of Emani Drake and Ahmad Hill, Nyemah Stuart and Sam Ogunde, and a second duet with Alyssa MacCullum and Louis Pearson.  Costume Designer Victoria Carot expressed Pat Metheny’s jubilant music in vivid primary colors: each pair of dancers wore leotards of radiant blue, red, yellow, or verdant green. Sarah Lackner was Lighting Designer for this and every piece, and was masterful, including in some numbers of various images projected against the back of the stage. Stage Manager Gwenne Godwin, with Assistant Razor Wintercastle, molded all components into an exultant whole.

The revival of 53 Inhale, choreographed by Gary Abbott in 2009, recounted Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre’s middle years, expressing Abbott’s ‘heartfelt tribute to the artists in my life’. Cherae Grimes, Joshua L. Ishmon, Mekeba Malik, Sam Ogunde, Taylor Ramos, and Nyemah Stuart performed in costumes designed by Victoria Carot.

NOTE: The Aud Theatre had a program kerfuffle, and I had no program to refer to and make notes on until Intermission; apologies in advance for any errors.

Vespers, a perennial favorite, was choreographed in 1986 by Ulysses Dove; he also designed the original costumes, redesigned by Lea Umberger. The dance began in a pas de deux with Emani Drake and a straightback chair; gradually she was joined by Taylor Ramos, Alyssa MacCullom, Heather Cagle, Rebekha Kuczma, and Nyemah Stuart. Mikel Rouse’s “Quorum” provided an electronic percussive score that displayed the dancers’ lithe and dynamic elegance. Gravity-defying leaps and the interrelationships and energies between the six women combined beautifully.

This was Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre’s company premiere of Mama Rose, a solo performance by Emani Drake to the music of Archi Shepp / Jasper Van’t Hof. Victoria Carot designed the beautifully austere black costume. Choreographer Keith Lee dedicated this work to New York dance icon Thelma Hill. Emani Drake’s brilliance is, naturally, most gloriously appreciated in solo performances, but I’m just as enthralled by her ability to integrate with other dancers without eclipsing them – like Cassie in A Chorus Line.

A pause followed Mama Rose, giving the stage crew time to carefully sweep the floor so the finale could safely be performed barefooted. Deeply Rooted often performs barefoot, a striking feature one doesn’t commonly see in professional dance, for the obvious reason that a dancer’s feet must be as cherished as a pianist’s hands and a singer’s throat. I experienced the absence of footwear as a powerful statement for the final chapter in this chronicle of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.

The finale was a World Premiere of the entire 30 minutes of Madonna Anno Domini, choreographed by the company’s Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer. Costumes, an ‘inspiration from Men Ca Acnem’ were stylized street clothes, eloquently drab. The soundtrack was unique, as much spoken as musical, began with excerpts from President Barak Obama’s 2008 victory speech in Grant Park and Aretha Franklin singing The Long and Winding Road. Culoe de Son and Alev Lenz were followed by Sinead O’Connor, with a rich narration running throughout, one phrase of which stays with me: “take my ex-cannibal’s kiss and make a revolution”. Madonna Anno Domini was an anthem to 200 painful and triumphant years of struggle for racial equality, and specifically three generations of civil rights work in Clarke-Springer’s family history. Madonna Anno Domini was about persistence and about community, about tyranny and leadership, and the complex aftermath of all that empowerment.

The audience is a vital part of any performance, and never more so than with Deeply Rooted Dance. I’m not given many opportunities to be, as a white woman, in the minority. In a crowd. As always it was both compelling and effectual, but as a reviewer it was challenging. The Auditorium Theatre was packed, yet within the throng there was a powerful atmosphere of kinship; a kinship that did not include me: the stranger at a family reunion, writing a review from the outside looking in. I mention it to put my views in context.

It seemed that every dancer – certainly every one of the principals – had a squadron of family and friends in the audience. They applauded for every brief solo or pas de deux, never disruptive, just enough to herald their specific and loving support. And after the final curtain the dancers beckoned everyone – Artistic Director, Rehearsal Director, Executive Director, Choreographers and Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all – onstage for ovations, flowers, and hugs.

Family. Community.

Eloquent.

November 3^rd’s was a single-night performance, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you attend DEEPLY ROTTED DANCE THEATRE at the first opportunity.

"The Night of the Hunter" is not a feel-good play, but it is a very good one, exceedingly well performed and produced. Playing at City Lit Theatre through December 3 it was adapted for the stage by Shawna Tucker from the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb.

It is based on the true story of Harry Powers, a serial killer hanged in 1932 in Clarksburg, WV. 

John Harper (Alex Albrecht), driven to despair in the Great Depression, impulsively robs a bank, killing two people. He stumbles home and gives the $10,000 he stole (an exorbitant sum in 1932) to his nine year old son John and little Pearl, who’s not yet four. Before surrendering himself to the police he extracts from young John a pledge to always protect both his little sister and the money, cunningly hidden inside Pearl’s favorite dolly.

Harper’s cellmate in Moundsville Penitentiary is Powers (Bryan Breau), a con man who murders widows once he’s reaped their savings. Unable to winkle the secret from Harper before he’s hanged, Powers is eventually released, and promptly heads for Harper's tiny Appalachian hometown to try his luck with the widow.

Kendal Romero and Bryan Breau in "Night of the Hunter" at City Lit Theatre.

The struggling young widow Willa (Kendal Romero) is waiting tables at the cafe – the hub for town gossip – and speculation on “Where did he hide the money?” has become a town obsession. Willa swears her husband never told her, but most don’t believe her, especially Powers, and he proceeds to charm her, along with the rest of the town. Bryan Breau is indeed tantalizing as Preacher; one wonders, with café owners Icey (Sheila Willis) and Ben (Alex Albrecht) at Willa’s hesitation to accept his proposal.

Mary Margaret McCormack is full-grown and taller than Pearl’s ‘elder’ brother John (Jacqui Touchet), yet she plays the role of Pearl so credibly that one sees not the actor but the little girl. McCormack eloquently depicts the turmoil and distress of a little bitty girl burdened with far too big a secret, especially as, unlike John, Pearl is enchanted with her "new daddy." But she trusts her big brother, even when she’s sure John is wrong.

Jacqui Touchet’s John was just as persuasive: a youngster poised at the transition from childhood into manhood, forced too early into the role of "man of the house," only to be challenged by a man John neither likes nor trusts. Touchet gave an authentic picture of a boy trying to protect his mother and little sister from a man that everyone insists is a good man, a Man of God; a “Preacher.”

Sheila Willis was brilliant as Icey, a scold and a quidnunc with the classic heart of gold and generally good intuition … except about Preacher. Other townsfolk – Ruby, Miz Cunningham and Birdie – were variously played by Rich Cotovsky and Simmery Branch.

I was impressed by Kendal Romero’s interpretation of Willa as an ineffectual woman whose instinct to refuse Preacher capitulates under peer pressure, only to be verified on their wedding night, when Preacher declares their union will be platonic. Evidently he’s not quite ruthless enough to bed a woman he intends to defraud and then kill – what a guy, huh?

Willa is naturally disheartened by his rejection, but under his high-falutin’ pretexts and vindications (not neglecting to mention an Apple from a certain Tree), her disappointment and chagrin mutate into shame at her own depravity. She seeks to purge herself by active participation in the Preacher’s tent revivals where her testimonies, a savory amalgam of titillation and self-loathing, garner huge collections. But it's still not enough for Preacher; he’s haunted by the image of that $10,000.

Director Brian Pastor divided the action into multiple brief vignettes separated by commentary from the Narrator Shawna Tucker, who also wrote the stage adaptation. Set Designer Jeremiah Barr built a very simple set, ably lit by Lighting Designer Liz Cooper, whose raised platform created multiple levels and facilitated rapid transitions using only a couple of benches and a café table. The apparel chosen by Costume Designer Rachel S Parent effectively illustrated each character: ‘accidental’ glimpses of Pearl’s little-girl underpanties complemented McCormack’s portrayal of the child, and dropping Willa’s hemline below that of other townswomen clinched her irresolute persona.

I’ve seen the work of many violence choreographers and Paul Chakrin’s was top shelf, and Stage Manager Ayla Sweet choreographed the swift scene changes expertly. The Depression-era Appalachian accents were adroitly piloted by Dialects Coach Carrie Hardin.

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.