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It’s a rare treat to get to experience anything as unique as Manual Cinema’s production of ‘Frankenstein’ at Court Theatre. With several productions of ‘Frankenstein’ going on this year, one might wonder how they’re each distinguishing themselves. Manual Cinema’s original adaptation is just that, a manual cinema. Told with intricate shadow puppets on classroom overhead projectors, ‘Frankenstein’ is like spending the evening in a toy box.

In a collaboration with Court Theatre as part of their season, Manual Cinema returns to University of Chicago where they started. The company was formed in 2012 by University of Chicago faculty members and has since evolved into an internationally acclaimed performance art troupe. Manual Cinema still resides in Chicago.

This theatrical production of ‘Frankenstein’ is unlike anything you have ever seen. Drew Dir’s concept closely follows Mary Shelley’s novel and even includes an intermittent story arc about how Mary Shelley came to write ‘Frankenstein’. Unlike a traditional play, this production contains no spoken dialogue. Instead, the cast furiously dashes around the set creating a visual splendor on several overhead projectors. Though, there are scenes of more traditional acting or, pantomime, layered into the play as well. The show is projected onto a main screen but it’s nearly impossible not to sneak away glances to the corners where the visuals are being created. A live orchestra beautifully scores the play with original music composed by Kyle Vegter and Ben Kauffman.

This production is riveting. Not only are the projections and music sumptuous but the shadowy atmosphere created by Manual Cinema is haunting. The staging is set up in a way that encourages the audience to watch how the projections are created. The story is somewhat simplified but in that simplicity is an almost pop-up book version of Shelley’s classic horror story. The cinematic score propels the action and provides an emotional component to the piece. The two-hour run time seems to breeze by and you’re left not wanting the excitement to end.

‘Frankenstein’ is Manual Cinema’s sixth full length show but hopefully that means there will be plenty more. If you’re wondering which ‘Frankenstein’ to see this fall, this is the one. There is surely nothing else like it.

Through December 1st at Court Theatre. 5535 S Ellis Avenue. 773-753-4472

The setting is a drought-stricken Midwest cattle town. Sheriff File (played by Denzel Tsopnang) and the town folk set the mood as they lament that “the earth is burning, crops is bad, and land is dry” in opening number “Another Hot Day” of BoHo Theatre’s presentation of 110 in The Shade.

But it’s not all bad news as one cattle ranching family, H.C.(Pops), Noah, and Jimmy get the welcome news that sister Lizzie’s Coming Home. Lizzie (played by Neala Barron) has been visiting kin, in the hopes of finding a husband. Her quest for love however was as fruitless as the drought-damaged trees.

When fast talking charismatic Starbuck (played by Tommy Thurston), a self-proclaimed “rainmaker”, comes rolling into town proclaiming that for a measly $100, in advance of course, “it’s gonna rain all through the mornin’. It’s gonna rain all through the night. It’s gonna rain all day tomorrow, Now, won’t that be a sight!” the town is whipped into a frenzy.

Beyond the frenzy and excitement (and tension) as we await the promised rain, we witness many layers of emotion in the characters, including insecurity and self-doubt, internal conflict, family conflict, and ultimately love and hope.

Neala Barron (Lizzie) gives a very emotionally raw performance. Her body language and facial expressions were honest and believable. In “Simple Little Things”, I had tears in my eyes. I truly felt compassion towards her character. Her vocal performance was superb!

Tommy Thurston (Starbuck) gave an equally strong though less emotional performance. His charisma and energy were perfectly matched to his portrayal of the fast-talking con-man, yet he successfully and believably toned it down for the more intimate scenes. Vocally, I felt that the fast pacing of some his songs challenged his depth of breath and dropped off just a little.

Denzel Tsopnang (File) was strong as the third lead. While his role didn’t command as much attention his performance was reserved as the role required. His vocal performance however was first class from the opening number and throughout.

H.C. Noah, and Jimmy (Peter Robel, Billy Dawson, and Christopher Ratliff) were excellent in their supporting roles. They each played an important role in the emotional depth of the story.

The production design and technical direction was outstanding as well, specifically the use of lighting to either set a mood, the special effects of thunder, lightning and rain, and the working windmill were more than I expected in this mid-size venue.

Directed by BoHo Theatre Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan, this production is rich in emotion, converting this simple romance into a deeply moving story of family conflict, loneliness, love and hope. While this entire production, because of its strength, could transfer easily to a bigger stage, I am happy to have been able to experience the intimacy and the emotion in this mid-size venue. The ensemble size fit the production and filled the stage nicely; the production never felt cramped in this sized theatre.

BoHo Theatre’s production of 110 in The Shade is a MUST SEE for this theatre season!

At Theater Wit thru Dec 16, 2018.

Siegfried, the third installment of Richard Wagner’s monumental cycle, The Ring of the Niebelungen, opened in a comic-book fairy tale, if not quite mythical version this past Saturday evening to an enthusiastic full house at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In the preceding two seasons, the prologue, Das Rheingold and then Die Walküre were presented in this production directed by David Pountney. The final opera, Die Götterdämmerung will be mounted next year, and all four will be performed in the 2020 season. It will sell out quickly to an international audience of Wagnerites who fly all over the world to see the complete Ring, so buy your tickets as soon as you can!

Richard Wagner was a flawed human being. His music is not. It is the very pinnacle of 19th century German romantic opera, from which later, great composers went this way or that, but never higher. Bad people can write good music, just as good people can write bad music. I would never vote for the man if he were running dog catcher (apologies to dogs), but you should never miss any opportunity to hear his magnificent music dramas performed live in a major opera house. With Sir Andrew Davis expertly leading the outstanding Lyric Opera Orchestra, which is the true star of the show, Siegfried is a “must see”. Especially magnificent were the low brass, complete with Wagner tubas, invented just for the Ring. But this is Chicago, and the ghost of Georg Solti lives!

The very first thing that Wagner Newbies instinctively worry about is the seemingly daunting length of Wagner’s operas. DON’T! Think of it as an evening spent binge watching three or four episodes of Game of Thrones, with time to go get a beer and a snack after each episode. If you allow yourself to be carried along by the current of the glorious music, as a leaf floats on a rushing stream, there is little awareness of the passing time. We’ve been to a lot of shorter operas that have felt far longer. There aren’t many better ways to spend a few hours of your life.

Since the pivotal Jahrhundertring production of The Ring celebrating its centenary in 1976, directors and designers have almost religiously eschewed the traditional, and often caricatured, horned helmets and breastplates, letting their imaginations run wild and leaving us at the mercy of regietheater. This production of Siegfried is much more watchable than the one last presented by the Lyric over a dozen years ago, but some over-the-top and over-done business took away from an otherwise workable, if lightweight version. The scenery, originally designed by Johan Engels and now in the hands of Robert Innes Hopkins, is creative and fanciful on a large fairy-tale, rather than legendary, scale. The tall, movable scaffolds on either side of the stage, which mimic imagined stage machinery from ancient Greek drama, serve a multitude of useful and imaginative purposes. The production elements, including the inflatable oversized giants in Das Rheingold, and the dragon Fafner in this opera, take the work out of the realm of profound allegory and make it whimsical – too whimsical perhaps, along the lines of Sendack’s Where the Wild Things Are. We thought on more than one occasion “you should bring the grand-kids to see this!” And maybe you should, so that one day they will return to see a grown-up production.

The story picks up about 18 years after Wotan (king of the gods) left his favorite daughter, Brünhilde, sleeping on a rock surrounded by fire. He did this as punishment for disobeying her father by trying to help Wotan’s bastard son, Siegmund who was conceived with a mortal human, in battle against Hunding, the abusive husband of Siegmund’s twin sister, #metoo, Sieglinde. Siegmund was then killed, as Wotan’s wife and the Goddess of Marriage, Fricka commanded. Siegmund’s magic sword, Notung, was broken to be repaired only by a hero who does not know fear. Sieglinde died giving birth to the son that she and Siegmund conceived in an adulterous and incestuous moment of passion. That son, little Siegfried (remember him?), was raised by the dwarf Mime, not out of the kindness of his heart, as he would have Siegfried believe, but knowing that one day the orphan would grow up to be the great hero that will recover the stolen magic ring (yes, the Ring) which is guarded by the dragon Fafner (who used to be a giant), allowing Mime to rule the world, instead of his brother Alberich, who had the ring made from a lump of gold found in the Rhein river. Are you keeping up? If it seems a little confusing, no worries; in these operas someone will say what has happened before, what is going to happen, then it will happen, and then someone will say what has just happened because of what happened before. The projected titles in English by Colin Ure distilled Wagner’s sometimes dense prose into understandable, if somewhat prosaic dialogue, making it easy to follow the story.

The opening scene is set in the secluded hut where Siegfried, now grown, lives alone with Mime. Yet, as conceived by David Pountney and Johann Engels, this strangely takes the form of a nursery or day care classroom. Children’s drawings cover the wall, oversized table, chairs and a play pen filled with toys relentlessly remind us that Siegfried is young, naïve and ignorant of the world outside of this little abode and the surrounding forest. In answer to Siegfried’s questions about his parentage, Mime answers that he himself has been both father and mother to the boy, which probably explains why Mime is sporting a ladies negligee over his pants and boots. In this get-up, with his strong arms bared, images of Corporal Klinger from MASH were hard to dispel. Nevertheless, while Mime has taught him much, Siegfried has never learned what fear is.

Sigmund’s broken sword, Nothung, able to be repaired only by a hero who has never learned to fear (see above) is now in the possession of Mime. The dwarf’s familiarity with fear renders him manically frustrated in his inability to re-forge Nothung. However, since Siegfried has never known fear, he is able to repair his father’s sword, aided by a white-board easel of step by step instructions and a shipment of necessary equipment intended to look like it came from Amazon Prime (you know the label), and carried in by Mime’s mimes. We’re not making that up. They actually had mimes. Seventeen of ‘em. They were good mimes. Giant bellows high in the scaffold fan the flames, and the water tub to cool the hot steel even comes with a little rubber ducky. If you think that sounds a little silly, it actually did work in that fairy tale, if not grand mythical, way.

Siegfried was sung by Burkhart Fritz, making his American operatic stage debut. His burnished voice has a welcome sweetness, unusual in a dramatic tenor voice. Yet, Fritz is a little underpowered for a house the size of the Lyric, demonstrating just how hard it is to find singers capable of modern Wagnerian demands. He sang exquisitely in Act Two in “Dass der mein Vater nicht ist” and in the exchanges with the bird during the “Forest Murmurs” scene. However, the “Forging Song” in Act One lacked the budding virility and exuberance of a young man ready to slay a dragon and fall in love for the first time. Fritz is a fine actor and he played his role with energy, sincerity and integrity. Unfortunately, he was costumed in a way that made him look anything but heroic, and much more like Charlie Brown just before Lucy pulls the football away. Every time he left the stage we silently implored, “Please, oh please, change your costume and come back looking like a hero!”

Matthias Klink, Opernwelt magazine’s 2017 Singer of the Year and in his Lyric Opera debut, brought great physicality and commitment to the insidiously creepy role of Mime. He used his clarion and multi-colored voice fearlessly to bring out the grotesqueness and depraved disingenuousness of the sly, evil character, singing beautifully at times, yet with moments of such intentional, albeit appropriate ugliness, that we feared for his vocal health. That kind of singing is very exciting, in a Roman Circus live-or-die sort of way.

Wotan, incognito as “The Wanderer” is nobly and sympathetically sung by Eric Owens. His rich, deeply hued voice conveys the universal majesty of the king of the gods, the intimate sadness of a father who has lost two of his favorite children and is estranged from a third, and the crushing pathos of a great leader who knows his reign is coming to an end. (It’s hard being a god in opera.) His instrument does not possess the overwhelmingly booming power of notable Wotans of the past, such as Hans Hotter, but it is more beautiful and moving. Mr. Owens is splendid in the role and eminently capable of filling the shoes of the great James Morris, even as Morris’ commanding Wotan is still vivid in our hearts and minds.

The Act Two forest setting is a simple, but enchanting forest of sail-like conifers which hides the lurking dragon and its lair. The mimes were now bearing large green leaf-like glow-stick sculptures. We’re not sure why, but it was pretty. Alberich reappears from when we last saw him two operas ago in Rheingold, looking like a homeless vagrant with all of his possessions in a modern day shopping cart, along with his severed arm macabrely preserved in a glass case. Alberich hopes that when Mime and Siegfried attempt to kill the dragon, they will both die and he, Alberich, can reclaim the magic treasure. If nothing else, these guys have stamina. The talented bass Samuel Youn returned as Alberich with his strong voice and appropriately disturbing characterization.

Fearless Siegfried now engages Fafner, the giant who has turned himself into a dragon to guard his treasure. Patrick Guetti, a former member of the Ryan Center program, with the help of a little amplification for his off-stage singing, has terrific chops for the part. The fight with the giant inflatable dragon was as exciting as anything you might see at the movies, with massive claws which would at times completely cover the singer and a fearsome maw of gargantuan teeth. Siegfried is able to whack off a piece of the dragon’s tail, which keeps twitching as the hero disappears from sight to make the fatal blow, causing the dragon to deflate. In his death throes, Fafner changes back into a giant, run through by Notung, spilling green blood. Ew. Siegfried tastes a drop and gains the ability to understand the Forest Bird, which first appeared in Act I as a puppet looking like a creature from a Dr. Suess book. In Act II, the Forest Bird was charmingly portrayed by another Ryan Center alumnus Diana Newman. She sang prettily and deserves extra points for bravery, perched as she was on the edge of the railing way up above the stage in Valhalla.

Siegfried, who still hasn’t experienced fear, takes the ring and the magic helmet, Tarnhelm, and having also gained the ability to read Mime’s thoughts, learns the dwarf was planning to drug and kill him. Who knew dragon’s blood had such power? And so, Siegfried must now kill Mime. Who ever said opera is boring? If only opera producers would have the courage to understand that it’s not.

In Act Three, Wotan goes to seek the advice of Erda, the primeval Earth Goddess, to find out how to keep the gods from becoming irrelevant. BTW, Erda is also the mother, with Wotan, of Brünhilde, the girl asleep on the fiery rock. Emerging from her subterranean sleep, Erda can listen to Wotan, but knows that the events already set in motion cannot be altered. Ronnita Miller was absolutely terrific in the short role with a voice of tremendous beauty and an astonishing low register.

So far, so good; one could quibble about this, that or the other thing, in particular the lack of gravitas in the production, but up until that point, the performance was engaging, interesting and told the story. Sadly, the final scene was a terrible disappointment. When Siegfried overcomes the flames surrounding the former Warrior Maiden, Brunhilde, we are in store for some of the most sublime, romantic, and erotically charged music ever written as the young pair discover each other. Killing a dragon was nothing compared to meeting a woman for the first time, and Siegfried finally begins to understand fear. (If you haven’t figured it out for yourselves yet, she’s his aunt.) It started promisingly enough, with their innocent trepidation, in spite of their instant attraction, but then the scaffolds turned to reveal little rooms on opposite sides of the stage, brightly painted, with balloons and a pink kiddie chair for Brünhilde and a little blue kiddie chair for Siegfried. Yes, they are young, innocent, naïve, immature etc. etc. Duh, we get it. But holding hands and swinging them back and forth, they looked more like Hansel and Gretel than the passionate couple destined to change the world forever. When they finally reclined on the grassy knoll in a copulatory embrace, it wasn’t romantic or sexy, it was just awkward. Bear in mind, Siegfried looks like Charlie Brown and Brünhilde looks like the Saint Pauli Girl. We can only hope this will be revised for the 2020 remounting. Soprano Christine Goerke, who was thrilling as Brünhilde in Die Walküre (not to mention the title role in Elektra and as Cassandra in Les Troyen), has the goods; a full dramatic sound, strong stage presence, intelligence and good acting instincts, however, she sounded as if she wasn’t quite warmed up. Could have been just one of those days, could have been having to lie still on a fiery rock for half an hour before she had to sing, no doubt she will be in better form in the future.

The Fat Lady says: Go see Siegfried!

Performances continue through November 16. Only three more performances!

For tickets: www.lyricopera.org or call 312-827-5600.

And save a few days of PTO to see the entire Ring here in 2020.

Five hours is a long time to do anything. A five-hour German opera loosely based on incest can sound even longer when given the choice on a Saturday night. That said, Lyric Opera’s new production of Wagner’s ‘Siegfried’ feels anything but long. ‘Siegfried’ is the third installment in Wagner’s four-opera ‘Ring’ cycle. Beginning in 2016, the Lyric has endeavored to produce the entire cycle with next year being the conclusion. David Pountney returns to direct this exciting production.

‘Siegfried’ is the most mysterious of the four ‘Ring’ operas. For as many people familiar with ‘Die Walkure’, just as many will have never heard of ‘Siegfried’. It is within this opera that the musical tone of the cycle shifts. Wagner took a twelve-year break in his work on the ‘Ring’ cycle and by the time he finished ‘Siegfried’ his style had changed. The music begins playfully in Act I as young Siegfried (Burkhard Fritz) learns to sword fight with his androgynous keeper, Mime (Matthias Klink), who attempts to forge swords strong enough to slay the dragon Fafner. Siegfried proves too strong and each shatter. Mime knows if he can convince naïve Siegfried to kill Fafner, the ring and its power can be his, should he kill Siegfried. A soaring second act takes place in the woods while hunting and killing the dragon. Curiously there isn’t a single female voice until nearly three hours in. It is here where Wagner’s work on the opera takes a break.

Act three Siegfried is introduced to Brunnhilde, who happens to be his aunt. Lyric welcomes back Christine Goerke in the role of Brunnhilde as she previously appeared in ‘Die Walkure’ last season. This is where Wagner picked it back up and the music becomes noticeably darker and more exciting. Burkard Fritz and Christine Goerke give spectacular performances. Their voices blend seamlessly throughout the romantic second half.

Pountney’s vision for the lesser produced ‘Siegfried’ is fascinating. Continuing with his theater-within-a-theater concept, the first scene begins in a psychedelic child’s nursery. While some may see it as absurd staging, it’s vital staging. Juxtaposed with the cinematic Wagner music, the neons in blacklight bring opera into the twenty first century. Staging for that forest in Act II is what makes this a truly memorable experience. The talented Lyric orchestra matched with stunning visuals and lighting effects created by Poutney are quite arresting.

Young people, have no fear, you can go to the opera and actually enjoy it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those interested in ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Game of Thrones’ perhaps consider from where those familiar plot lines whence came. The Lyric does an admirable job appealing to young audiences with an outstanding new production of an infrequently produced Wagner classic.

Through November 16th at Lyric Opera. 20 N Wacker. 312-827-5600

This was an interesting production that oddly enough had very little to do with radio. ‘Radio Culture’ is a one act play with a somewhat unique concept where just one actor holds a speaking role.

TUTA’s home theatre space (4670 N Manor in Chicago) is a small little place that makes you feel at home upon entering. I grew up in that neighborhood and the idea of having a small theatre in that area never even crossed my mind. I give a lot of credit to the people putting on these smaller productions since there isn’t very much money coming in outside of donations that are crucial in keeping the theatre going. You gotta really love what you are doing when you work with small, or storefront, theatres.

The setting takes us to a Russian construction site. The small audience is literally in a room under construction. This is a plus as we get a true intimate theatre experience that is about as up close and personal as you can get.

Kevin V. Smith plays Volodya who lives in Minsk with his parents. He acts more as narrator to the events, speaking in the third person. The whole play basically takes place in a day in the life of the Russian construction foreman who finds comfort in the classical music he listens to as the program Radio Culture is pushed across the airwaves. Natalie Ferdova does an impressive job in translating this story from Russian to English while Amber Robinson gets a nod for some very creative direction. Huy Nguyen and Wain Parham complete the ensemble with non-speaking roles.

This is one of those ideas that probably wouldn’t work as well on the big stage since the intimacy of the production is one of the attributes that makes this play so special, though the story is engaging and peaks one’s interest throughout. At times, the actors were right in front of you making eye contact, as if they were in your own living room.

The visuals don’t exactly make or break the performance but get the point across while the dialog was written in such a way that it was very easy to follow. I really want to give a shout out to Smith for his ability to flawlessly rip out 70 minutes of very convincing dialogue. A true professional, there was never a hesitation in his delivery and he truly keeps your attention through the entire play.

I would without hesitation recommend going to see ‘Radio Culture’ at TUTA.

‘Radio Culture’ is being performed at TUTA Theatre through December 2nd. For tickets and/or more information visit www.tutatheatre.org.

*Extended through March 3rd

What makes a life extraordinary? Is it the chance meetings with celebrities, surviving world war or is it all the love that surrounds us? ‘Lady in Denmark’ by Dael Orlandersmith makes its world premiere at Goodman Theatre under the direction of Victory Gardens’ Artistic Director, Chay Yew.

Orlandersmith is known for her non-traditional approach to theatre but ‘Lady in Denmark’ feels a little more familiar in style and content. Orlandersmith’s work was last seen at the Goodman in the spring when she starred in her one-woman play ‘Until the Flood.’ Her 2007 work ‘Yellowman’ was shortlisted for the Pulitzer. Orlandersmith tends to write single-actor pieces in which storytelling turns into character and dialogue. While the idea of one-woman-play might have some running for the exits, trust that ‘Lady in Denmark’ will hold your attention, and without the 2-drink minimum.

‘Lady in Denmark’ is basically a 90-minute monologue from the point of view of Helene (Linda Gehringer). She’s nearing 80 and cleaning up the birthday party she’d just thrown for her late husband who’d died shortly before. While turning over sides of Billie Holiday records, Helene relates the story of her life. Helene is a fictional character who lived through the privation of the German occupation of Denmark in WWII. The music of Billie Holiday has been the through-line of her life.

Between Orlandersmith’s script and Gehringer’s performance, this play touches on so many things. Linda Gehringer tells the stories of Helene’s life with such magnitude that you nearly feel like you lived the memories yourself. An impressive Danish accent contributes to a real sense of authenticity in this play. You quickly forget that this character is indeed fiction. Gehringer’s incredibly human performance reaches a peak by the end when she tells us about her husband’s illness and death. Orlandersmith includes some nuggets of wisdom on the idea of grief. While we never meet Helene’s husband, we cry for her loss just the same.

Helene tells us how she survived the occupation, managed to host a dinner for Billie Holiday in her home in Denmark but also married the love of her life and created an entire life for herself in America. Some may only think of the time they had a celebrity in their home when they take stock of a life, but Orlandersmith shows us a woman who appreciated every ounce of love in her life. There’s a lot of humor in this play but it’s well balanced with bittersweet ruminations on loss and grief. And of course, a killer soundtrack.

Through November 18th at Goodman Theatre. 170 N Dearborn. 312-443-3811

I had high expectations for Cosmologies as I read the promotional material in preparation for attending the show’s opening at The Gift Theatre. The opening scene also gave me hope (briefly) as it was humorous and set the viewer up for the anticipated “existential absurdist comedy.”

Instead the audience was witness to an intellectual “terrestrial battle” (to use the playwright’s words) that while absurd, as promised, was also manic and tragic in the end.

In the opening scene, young high school buddies Eric (feature actor Kenny Mihlfried) and Milt (Gregory Fenner) awake in a hotel room in an unfamiliar city, Chicago. Eric is a wide-eyed curious youth running from his past. Milt has been duped into joining him on his adventure but quickly comes to his senses (and sobers up) and catches the next bus back home, leaving Eric to fend for himself in his absurd adventure.

Over the next two and half hours, the audience is invited to join Eric’s out-of-body experience that intertwines his childhood fascinations, his abusive father and his unhealthy love for his mother.

The story is moved along (or dragged down) by countless monologues by Eric. While successful early in Act One in conveying Eric’s quirky, nerdy personality, then showing some humanity or hidden insight, these monologues would been much more effective in smaller quantity. Instead there were so many that towards the end of Act One they were becoming tedious and I was becoming disengaged and hearing only “blah, blah, blah.”

In spite of my failure to connect with the playwright, the all-ensemble cast performance and the set design were both strong.

Kenny Mihlfried is the featured actor and carries the weight of the script throughout. His portrayal as a troubled introvert teenager (probably ADHD) was very sympathetic.

Darci Nalepa (Teddy/Mom) had the most range and depth of character, in my opinion, as she used her stage presence and visual expression to portray both a victim and an abuser. She was an unlikely “hero” that I was rooting for.

James Farruggio and John Kelly Connolly were both strong although slightly stereotypical/predictable in their potrayals of Richard and Convict respectively.

The set design and props were whimsical and helped convey that what we were witnessing imagery not reality. The Fisher Price Telephone and the bright green plastic gun were essential to the absurdity. I do however question the decision to not use real liquid in the gin bottle or some morsel of real food on the plates. Eating and drinking “air” seems so easy to remedy, especially when the gin was an important element of multiple scenes.

As the opening show audience in this 50-seat theatre was a mix of reviewers and supporters, I observed a mixture of audience response. I look forward to reading other reviews to see if I missed the mark. For more information on this production visit www.thegifttheatre.org. Through December 9th at The Gift Theatre.

Hello, Dolly! starring Betty Buckley
Oriental Theatre thru November 17, 2018

Tony Award winning superstar Betty Buckley is featured in the title role of this revival of the 1964 Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! based on Thornton Wilder's 1955 play The Matchmaker. For theatre enthusiast, it’s a familiar story…and it’s so nice to have you back where you belong!

Set in New York in 1895, Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi is a fast-talking matchmaker and meddler whose been hired to find a new wife for grouchy “half-a-millionaire” feed store owner Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen). Vandergelder travels from his hometown of Yonkers to New York City with the intent of proposing to widowed hat shop owner Irene Molloy (Analisa Leaming). But Dolly secretly schemes to prevent Vandergelder from popping the question to Irene, for one simple reason - the matchmaker, who is also widowed, wants to marry him herself.

Back in Yonkers, Vandergelder’s feed store clerk Cornelius Hackl (Nic Rouleau) and his sidekick Barnaby Tucker (Jess LeProto) shut down the store so they also can journey to New York in search of adventure and possibly a kiss. When they wander into the hat shop and cross paths with the owner Irene and her chatty clerk Minnie Fay (Kristen Hahn), the stage is set for a madcap game of cat-and-mouse as they escape the suspicious Vandergelder.

Director Jerry Zaks and Choreographer Warren Carlyle pull out all the stops in this fast-moving story that includes a bustling parade and a jam-packed New York City courtroom. The high point of the adventure is the famous Harmonia Gardens Restaurant scene. It is a true showstopper with the high energy choreography in “The Waiter’s Gallop” followed by the grand staircase entrance of Dolly herself, as she is welcomed “home” by the entire restaurant staff performing the title song.

Ms. Buckley and Mr. Stadlen have a good rapport even if it felt as if Ms. Buckley’s stage presence overpowered the more understated performance of Mr. Stadlen. But Dolly is a larger than life personality and requires a larger than life performance like Ms. Buckley delivered, even as she appeared to be battling a cold/sniffles.

Rouleau and Leming had perfect chemistry in their respective roles. Leaming’s performance of “Ribbons Down My Back” was one of (if not THE) strongest vocal performances in the show.

LeProto and Hahn were excellent in their supporting roles as comedic sidekicks, unwilling accomplices, and young lovebirds.

The entire performance including the production and design were more than worthy of the standing ovation!

Hello, Dolly! will be on stage at Oriental Theatre through November 17th. For more information visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.

Just in time for Halloween comes Hell in a Handbag’s The Golden Girls: Bea Afraid! The play’s name itself probably tips most off that audiences will be in for one helluva ride. Handbag found much success in the past couple of years creating their own hysterical episodes of The Golden Girls, Vol 1 was extended twice and moved to a larger theater while Vol 2 also made waves. So, a Halloween special featuring our four favorite seniors – why not?

Artistic Director David Cerda and company are working double time right now performing in Artificial Jungle at 7:30 p.m. (through October 28th) followed by Bea Afraid! at 10:30 p.m. To say this theatre company works hard is an understatement. And one thing is for sure – there’s a whole lot of funny in each production.

Bea Afraid! gives us two Halloweeny episodes, the first a clever whodunit that gets sillier by the second (that’s a good thing) followed by a demon possession that you will never forget. As laughter-filled as the second episode was, my friend walked away saying, “That actually kind of scared me.” So, laughs and scares – the best of both worlds – the treat followed by the trick. Between scenes Golden Girls trivia is held and tongue-and-cheek prizes are handed over to the lucky winners, such as the lady who sat in front of me that was handed a tube of anti-itch crème. How well do you know the gals?

Cerda returns as Dorothy displaying the same dominance over the role that helped make Vol 1 such a smash hit while Ed Jones reprises his role as Rose and commands a laugh just about every time a line is delivered. Adrian Hadlock also rejoins the cast and again nails the role of Dorothy’s razor-sharp witted mother, Sophia. Grant Drager is ever so saucy as our beloved, loose-legged, Blanche, a role that AJ Wright played so well in the first of the hilarious franchise. The cast is rounded out by such brilliantly humorous talents as Chazie Bly, Michael S. Miller, Michael Rashad, Duane W. Taylor, Robert Williams and Maureen SanDiego, who stars as the evening’s hostess.

Created by David Cerda and directed by Becca Holloway, this is a Halloween show not to be missed. Handbag gets another feather in their cap for yet another hysterical production, leaving us to eagerly await the next Golden Girls adventures - please say there will be more!

The Golden Girls: Bea Afraid! Is being performed at Stage 773 through November 2nd. For tickets and/or more show information visit www.handbagproductions.org.

It’s 1916 in Great Britain when this story opens as 17-year-old Private Tommo Peaceful (played by Shane O’Regan) attempts to stay up all night to try to remember everything. There is a sense of urgency throughout the 80-minute monologue as Tommo flashes from present to past as his watch ticks ahead to whatever awaits him in the coming dawn.

Private Peaceful, based on a children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, is a one-man play that takes us through Tommo’s short life. Tommo, as narrator of his own life’s story, shares two vastly different tales of his young life, beginning with his first day of school.

As a jubilant young boy growing up in rural Britain, Tommo relives his childhood of fun, and innocence and adulation as he recalls childhood memories of his big brother and idol Charlie, school mate Molly, and his challenged brother “Big Joe”.

When Charlie and Tommo enlist in WWI the tone of the monologue changes, as Tommo’s loss of innocence though the experience of trenches, and blood shed, and death transforms him. From the battle lines of France, Tommo conjures up the horrors of war, the terrible conditions, the death of fellow soldiers, and the relationship with the hellish Sergeant Hanley who hates his brother Charlie.

This is a moving story about the loving relationship of Tommo and his brother Charlie, so intimately linked that they would go to war together. This is also a poignant story about the costs of war, and who ultimately pays the price.

Adaptor and Director Simon Reade in describing his direction of this children’s novel intended “to embrace the kind of play-acting that you can imagine a child enjoying in their own bedroom: tipping their bed over and saying ‘this is a trench’ or being in a field one moment and then in the middle if a market square the next, simply by articulating it. For adults watching it, it reawakens our childlike imagination.”

With this minimalist approach, the story telling relies on the audio and visual cues to frame the story along with the talents of an energetic Shane O’Regan in a truly believable portrayal of a 17-year-old boy with both a clear-eyed youthfulness as well as an opposingly clear eyed view on the horror and inhumanity of war.

Because of his O’Regan’s immense talent, Tommo morphs (throughout his dialogue) into Charlie, Molly, Big Joe as well as 20 others. O’Regan brilliantly weaves the character between a wide-eyed young boy, a toothless old woman, an enemy soldier, and the cruel Sergeant Hanley.

In such an intimate theater as Greenhouse Theatre Center, the audience is able to embrace the minimalism and find the underlying emotions. In the end, the story is a mix of both joy and tragedy that audiences should enjoy. Judging from the ovation, my fellow audience members would agree.

As a final nod to Mr. O’Regan’s talent, I was amazed that he didn’t break character when a very rude audience member’s cellphone started playing marching band music. PLEASE turn off your cell phone when entering a theatre!

Private Peaceful is being performed at The Greenhouse Theater Center through November 11th. More more information on this event visit www.greenhousetheater.org.