Displaying items by tag: Chicago

When I first saw The Color Purple more than a decade ago, it was the touring company that, at the time, featured American Idol singer Fantasia Barrino. Ten years ago seems like such a simpler time – a time in which the show’s star power and striking sets were the draw, a time where the play’s message was of course crucial and necessary, as it was 30 years ago when the film was made, or a few years before that when Alice Walker published her Pulitzer-winning novel that formed the basis for the motion picture and the musical. But ten years on, the current touring production of The Color Purple is one stripped of all frills, and more needed, as it present its stripped-down and powerful message at a time when our world has changed so much, in both the voices trying to tear it down, as well as those calling for positive change.

The show is playing at Adler and Sullivan’s masterpiece, The Auditorium Theater, usually quite a place to see a show. But I’ll get my sole nitpick out of the way here, and it has to do with the size of said theater. With the stripped-down feel of this production, the Auditorium’s vastness swallowed the show’s sights and sounds at times – the bare-bones set feeling small on the huge stage, the music finding its way into far-off corners and crevices.

That being said, the benefit of the above complaint is that the show’s power – both from its story and this cast – is allowed to shine. When the audience isn’t focused on nifty set-pieces and faces once seen on the TV screen, the message and the messengers become the focus.

First, the messengers. The cast is wonderful. Adrianna Hicks leads the way as Celie, going from beaten and beaten-down to proud and powerful. As the character finds herself and her own self-worth, Hicks stands a little prouder and sings a little louder. The source of much of Celie’s woe, Mister, is played by Gavin Gregory, whose voice cuts through the Auditorium’s enormity, and who plays the reverse of Celie’s route – from dominant to defeated – every bit as well as Hicks’ onstage journey. Carla Stewart is saucy and sassy as juke-joint sensation Shug Avery. N’Jameh Camara is stunningly innocent as Celie’s long-lost sister Nettie. And J. Daughtry provides much-needed levity as Mister’s son Harpo. As Harpo’s wife Sofia, Carrie Compere steals the stage whenever she takes it, as a strong woman of color – in a time when women of any color dared not show strength – who had the audience rooting and roaring for her.

But The Color Purple’s message is what really grabbed the Auditorium’s audience – people who are today trapped in a world where injustice grows, the weakest and neediest are not only ignored but abused, and things only seem to grow darker by the day. It’s a message that change can happen, if the good speak out and act out. It’s a message that love can win. And it’s a message that this production of The Color Purple shouted out to the theater’s rafters, leaving the theatergoers on their feet.

The Color Purple is only here on a limited run through July 29th. For tickets and more show information visit www.broadwayinchicago.com. 

When Million Dollar Quartet hit Chicago, it was only scheduled for a month-long trial run at the Apollo Theatre. MDQ was the fascinating story about that historic night when Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis met together at Sun Records Studio, the place where they all got their start. They had some laughs and jammed the night away, never to reunite again. Well, we all know what happened. Million Dollar Quartet became a staple show in Chicago and ran for multiple years before finally closing its doors. The show’s writer and director, Floyd Mutrux, now takes us to the beginning when Elvis Presley met Sun Records owner Sam Phillips (Matt McKenzie) as we watch a musical career blossom like we have never seen before and will most likely never see again. The show, Heartbreak Hotel, could very well have a similar success than its predecessor, because it is packed with all the right ingredients to be another smash hit.

Performed at the Broadway Playhouse, Heartbreak Hotel gives us a glimpse to the future success of Presley, starting the show with a scene from the 68’ Comeback Special. Then we go back – to the beginning – where a young, shy Elvis (Eddie Clendening) sheepishly walks into Sun Records to record a song that he’d like to give his mother for her birthday. Prior to his visit we overhear Sam Phillips saying how if only there was a white young man who could capture the essence of the blues and make it his own – he’d become a sensation! Timing is everything. Not overly impressed with him, Phillips assistant asks Elvis what kind of music he likes to sing. Gospel – and thankfully, some blues. But Phillips sees potential after he hears him. After a few sessions of Elvis trying to get his sound at Phillips direction, it is during a break when Elvis and the studio musicians monkey with the blues tune “That’s Alright Mama” by speeding it up and adding a “rockabilly” sound to it, that heads turn, and it is realized they might just have a rising star on their hands.

The story takes off from that point as we see Elvis’ popularity take off, his record more in demand by radio listeners and a slew of sold out performances while touring, including his time with the Louisiana Hayride, a traveling show with several acts that included the likes of Johnny Cash, Johnny Mathis, Hank Williams and even Willie Nelson. Local disc jockey Dewey Phillips (played with precision by Colte Julian) can hardly keep up with the requests to play Elvis’ records. Elvis quickly outgrows Memphis. Of course, the smell of success attracts those who would like to take advantage of such. Enter Colonel Tom Parker (Jerry Kernion). Parker, a former carnival promoter, is as sleazy as they come, but he does have some big ideas and an endless supply of promotional gimmicks up his sleeve. Elvis, now too big for Sun Record’s distribution, is on the verge of being bought out by RCA – and Parker wants to manage him – for 50% of the profits. Well, Elvis does decide to go with Parker, and the rest is history as he becomes the most popular entertainer of all time.

Heartbreak Hotel mimics the style of Million Dollar Quartet in the way the songs are performed to be larger than life, capturing the excitement of the era. A highly animated, slap-happy stand-up bass player (Zach Lentino tearing it up as Bill Black), a twangy guitar with tasty fingerwork (Matt Codina as Scott Moore), big backing vocals and dancers, and, of course, a whole lot of Elvis make for plenty of electrifying action. Many numbers are co-performed by the song’s original artists, Geno Henderson very impressive in multiple roles of B.B. King, Jackie Wilson, Ike Turner and many others. By doing so, we admire, and appreciate, the origin of many songs and the artists that wrote them, and we marvel at Elvis’ creative vision to which he took those songs to a place unimagined at the time. The play hints that Sam Phillips coined the phrase “rockabilly” regarding the music of Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys, though his music traveled to places far beyond as his career matured.

Heartbreak Hotel is packed with early Elvis hits such as “Jailhouse Rock”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, “All Shook Up”, but also contains other greats like Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene”, Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” and The Drifters “Money Honey”. Eddie Clendening does a really nice job in capturing the essence of Elvis from executing the moves we know so well to exuding the boyish charm and naivety the future King of Rock and Roll displayed in his younger days. The cast as a whole is well worth the wait and the band just as sensational, Zach Lentino the oft scene stealer with his happy-go-lucky bass antics. Other standouts include Katherine Lee Bourne in multiple roles, Erin Burniston as Elvis' girlfriend, Dixie Locke and Andrea Collier also in multiple roles.

Heartbreak Hotel is the extraordinary, energy-driven prequel of the highly successful Million Dollar Quartet, giving us not only a fun fact-filled history of the beginning of rock and roll, but also an exciting ride from beginning to end thanks to one power-packed musical performance after another. It is a show that can be enjoyed over and over again and is sure to stick around for a lengthy run. Clap along, laugh and enjoy what is sure to be Chicago’s next big show. This show is not just a must see for Elvis fans, but for all rock and roll fans alike.

Highly recommended.

Heartbreak Hotel is currently being performed at Broadway Playhouse. For tickets and/or more show information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

"Like a cat on a hot tin roof” in English. UK old-fashioned “like a cat on hot bricks”. The phrase is used to describe someone who is in a state of EXTREME nervous worry.

Think about the above definition of the saying "cat on a hot tin roof". It really is descriptive of a type of animal cruelty to watch a cat struggling while its tender feet burn on a metal roof heated in the hot sun of the South. It is really quite extraordinary, the fact that gay playwright Tennessee Williams used this analogy so long ago to describe his character "Maggie the Cat's" precarious position in life having been born without money and being forced to kiss up to her husband, and her father in law, day and night due to their sexist selfishness. 

In Williams personal favorite piece of work, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” focuses on a wealthy Southern family as the story goes behind closed doors to expose their deceptions, insatiability, sexual wants and superficiality. The 1958 film of the same name starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives and Madeleine Sherwood, quickly made William’s tale of dysfunctional familyhood one of his most popular, and one that has made waves on the stage ever since its premier date on March 24th, 1955. Drury Lane Theatre is the latest to mount this classic work and they do it just right. I thoroughly enjoyed this lavish and forward-thinking production from start to finish.
 
Director Marcia Milgrom Dodge does a fantastic job reviving this widely known, classic Tennessee Williams play so that it resonates with modern audiences on many levels. 

In the past, set in 1955 Mississippi, interpretations of the play seem to concentrate on whether or not Brick, the handsome but deeply depressed, alcoholic and unemployed ex-football star is a homosexual because his best friend killed himself over accusations that he might be "in love" with Brick.  

This energetic, fast moving production with the bright breezy, less tormented, "Maggie The Cat" played by Genevieve Angelson with a great sense of humor and normalcy, shows that the REAL issue here is that all of the women characters are equally devalued and left financially dependent in the most worrisome way. See the above definition of the saying " cat on a hot tin roof" whereas a woman such as Maggie is put into such a compromised position by the men in their lives whether it be their husbands, or, in this case, their father in law Big Daddy, played with real menace and ferocity by Chicago actor Matt Decaro. 

Big Mama, Big Daddy’s wife is played by Cindy Gold. Gold does a magnificent job of showing the audience that her character has been demeaned over the years by the completely selfish, ego-maniacal Big Daddy, who refuses to allow his wife of forty years one iota of control over their money, plantation (land) or life choices, even when faced with the prognosis that he has incurable cancer. 

Anthony Bowden has much of the sexy, languid appeal needed for the role of Big Daddy's favorite son, Brick, one who can do no wrong yet sometimes comes off as too young to really convey the desperate nature of his position in life, having no money, no heir and no job prospects. 

I really liked that Angelson’s portrayal of "Maggie the Cat" is played to show that Maggie the cat is NOT evil just because she does not want to have a brood of children like her sister in law with her "five screaming brats with no necks". Nor is her "Maggie" a raging nymphomaniac just because she keeps urging the husband she loves, Brick, to let go of his morbid preoccupation with his friend’s death and make love to her again.  

A wonderful scene which I had not really noticed before occurs between Big Daddy and Brick wherein Big Daddy tries to tell Brick that even if Brick did have relations with his best friend, it doesn't mean he is gay (as if that will comfort him) and Brick finally makes it clear that he is not angry with Maggie so much as he is with himself.

The real reason for Brick's depression and withdrawal from life is that when his friend called him in distress, obviously suicidal over the fact that Maggie called him out on whether or not he was "in love" with Brick or not, Brick does the unthinkable and hangs up on his best friend - just hangs up the phone without a word. Brick feels that his final cold betrayal of his friend’s urgent plea for understanding that day was what prompted his best friend’s suicide - and he may just be right. 

I highly recommend this production for those who enjoy the beautiful, ageless Pulitzer Prize winning writing of Tennessee Williams and for the well thought out performances of many of Chicago's great character actors and actresses. 

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is currently being performed at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook through August 26th and carries with it as much heat as Chicago’s 90-plus degree summer days. Full of engaging exchanges, powerful performances and a brilliantly designed set of a dilapidated plantation mansion interior that subtly predicts its occupants impending doom, this play entertains from Maggie’s opening monologue to its very end. For more show information, visit www.drurylanetheatre.org.

“Victims of Duty” starts with Madeleine (Karen Aldridge) sitting aside a clawfoot tub where she knits silently as her husband, Choubert (Guy Van Swearingen), reads the newspaper from his chair. Breaking the silence, she finally asks if there is anything knew in the news. There is not. Same old, same old. Their conversation centers on the humdrum of society. We sense a strong boredom between the two. Madeline enjoys the theatre, but Choubert points out how mysteries are so predictable – crime, detective (Michael Shannon), solved. It is then a knock is heard at their neighbor’s door. The two make little of it. Not much longer, the knock is heard at their own door. Enter the detective. This excites Madeline. She asks him to come in, but at first he says he can’t stay. He’s running late, he shows them his watch. He then comes in. He just has a few questions to ask them. When the two are asked about a missing neighbor, “Mallot with a ‘t’ at the end”, the mundane quickly turns into an introspective journey filled with twists and turns (literally) Choubert and Madeline will never forget.

Written in 1953, French-Romanian playwright Eugene lonesco taps into his own psyche in what is considered his most biographical piece. Choubert’s voyage includes real-life experiences of lonesco such as his tumultuous relationship with his father and a memory where he holds his mother’s hand along the Rue Blomet just after the bombing. “Murder for Two” is as penetrating as it is suspenseful as Choubert is forced to face his deepest fears. Michael Shannon as the detective or “Chief Inspector” is as powerful as they come as he guides Choubert through every step into his subconscious. He plays his character with ferocity and yet with a vulnerability that we can easily relate to as viewers, and to see the passion that Shannon so often exudes on the big screen in such an intimate setting is almost overwhelming. Karen Aldridge also puts forth a powerhouse performance as Madeline and does so by going through a gamut of emotions without skipping a beat. Rounding out the main trio is Guy Van Swearingen as Choubert who not only impresses with finessed acting ability but adds plenty of meat to the role with a strong physical performance, most of which is done while soaking wet. Richard Cotovsky (Mary-Archie Theatre fame) also makes a splash (again, literally) as French poet Nicholas D’eu.

Astutely directed by Shira Piven, takes this one-act play and runs with it showing provocative imagery at just the right moments to add to the show’s intensity. With an artistic team of Danila Korogodsky (Production Designer), Mike Durst (Lighting Designer) and Brando Triantafilou (Sound Designer), all the right touches are in place to make this a truly unique theatre experience. And smartly so, Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald brings back Shannon and Swearingen who reprise the same roles they undertook in 1995 when the play first hit A Red Orchid Theatre. To round out the list of returnees, Piven also directed the play’s first run while Korogodsky was on hand as Production Designer.

“'Victims of Duty’ was the very first show I ever saw at A Red Orchid,” says Fitzgerald. “I am not entirely sure lonesco’s investigation of life made logical sense to me at the time, but it made perfect emotional sense and was viscerally stunning. So much so, that I knew I needed to work with these people in this space. That was 1996. With many of the originals returning, the investigation promises to go even deeper.”

Outside of memorable performances and its unusual setting, what makes this play so engaging is how much is left to the audience’s interpretation. Undoubtably, there are several certain moments that will relate heavily with many. There are several questions posed in the concentrated 90 minutes. Are we the victims of duty? Is it because of our place in the system that our actions should be forgiven to those we affected negatively? For instance, as Choubert speaks with his father – a former soldier - whom he has been so filled with anger for so many years, perhaps realizing that the chain reaction set off by his father’s “duty” must be recognized as the source of certain intrinsic behaviors that could not be helped rather than taking all actions at such a personal level. Maybe he should forgive his father. Maybe we should all have a deeper understanding of those around us and realize how being in such a system, whether the role that had to be taken on, has affected those they love.

Highly recommended.

“Victims of Duty” is being performed at A Red Orchid Theatre through August 5th. For tickets and/or more information visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org.

Margaret and I have had to wait nearly thirty years to enjoy another production of Emerich Kalman’s “Die Csardasfurstin”, often translated as “The Csardas Princess” or “The Gypsy Princess”, and Folks Operetta’s production running at Stage 773 through July 22 was well worth the wait. The Csardas, or Czardas, is a Romani gypsy dance which starts out slowly and builds to a wild, exciting finish. The plot is by no means original – it’s the classic story of the rich young industrialist, Edwin Weylersheim, falling for the low-born and “cheap” cabaret singer, Sylva Varescu, who is socially unacceptable to Edwin’s upper class family. Generally accepted as the finest of Kalman’s compositions and the most popular operetta in European houses, “The Csardas Princess” inexplicably has been overlooked in the United States in favor of the vastly overdone, yet not in the least superior “Fledermaus” and “Merry Widow”. Not to disparage two lovely operettas, but after having seen or performed in dozens of Fledermice and done an equal number of Widows, we have no need to ever see either again. Many thanks to Folks Operetta for bringing this delightful gem to Chicago in an enthusiastic performance.

Written in 1915 at the inception of The Great War, “The Csardas Princess” presages the racial and class distinctions, political upheaval, and economic disaster which would wrack Europe for the next half century. The subtle reference to the strife that was soon to envelope the world gives it an edge completely lacking in other popular operettas. After all, Varescu is a Romani gypsy name and the Csardas is a Magyar song form. This would have been blatantly obvious to a Viennesse audience in 1915, and both ethnic groups soon would become victims of Hitler’s racial cleansing. With a thoroughly competent new translation by Artistic Director Gerald Frantzen, some of the original period references were diminished, but were replaced by subtle references to our current social and political state of affairs which made “The Csardas Princess” unusually relevant to the 21st Century audience.

“Csardas Princess” was charmingly and crisply staged by Gerald Frantzen, in a way that made complete sense of a typically convoluted plot. The only rather odd staging devices were an opening unaccompanied “prequel” featuring the three principal characters as children. Although well performed by the silvery voiced Clara Frantzen as Sylva, Kaden Krumrei as Edwin, and Emily Churchouse as Edwin’s cousin Stasi, the implication that Edwin and Sylva knew each other from childhood blurred racial and class distinctions, diminishing the essential dramatic conflict later on.  The other device introduced Sylva Varescu, the Csardas Princess and star of the Orpheum Theater in Budapest, along with her supporting glamorous chorus girls, as mere working girls in a factory. That would work, if one was intentionally trying to make a socialist statement about downtrodden workers vs. aristocratic factory owners. In that case there needs to be some kind of conflict between the workers and management. There wasn’t. Instead, there was a chorus of very attractive women dressed in shapeless industrial smocks making the scene seem like a rather staid and Puritanical cross between the urchins from “Annie” and the cigarette girls from “Carmen”.  Most importantly, it prevented the audience from understanding the star power of the glamorous diva Sylva and the source of Edwin’s extreme infatuation with her. Once the smocks came off however, they revealed pleasingly attractive and flattering period costumes by Patti Roeder.

The Thrust space in Stage 773 is by no means an ideal venue for a fully staged opera with orchestra, but Folks Operetta dealt with the limitations with aplomb. Stage 773 is essentially a black box space with no orchestra pit to provide balance between orchestra and singers, and without blocking sight lines for the audience. Folks Operetta solved the problem by positioning the orchestra upstage of the scenery with a video monitor in the house for the singers to see Conductor Mark A. Taylor. This was a daring and risky decision, but Mr. Taylor is an extremely talented and stylistically sensitive conductor who never once allowed the excellent 19 piece orchestra to overwhelm the singers, while maintaining an exquisitely tight ensemble without any direct contact with the stage. We don’t know if credit is due to Mr. Taylor for the impeccable diction of every single singer, but they understood that good diction is a product of good vowel production and not the over-pronunciation of consonants. Not a single word was missed. Kudos to Folks Operetta, as well, for allowing us the luxury of Harp player Lillian Reasnor. The “harp” stop on a synthesizer could never have replaced her.

Katherine Petersen provided a lovely presence and well produced lyric soprano to the role of Sylva Varescu, usually sung by a fuller spinto soprano. Her self-assured honesty and directness, her sympathetic vulnerability won our hearts. However, as the famous diva, she seemed a bit reserved and lacked the effusively glamorous “star power” which the Csardas Princess of the Orpheum would require.

Jonathan Zeng was an elegant and dashing Edwin Weylersheim. Handsome and slim, he was the perfect picture of a young lover. His reliable tenor voice handled the role with ease. Kalman was not always kind to his singers, and the first duet for Sylva and Edwin lies in a particularly difficult tessitura, which Mr. Zeng and Ms. Petersen negotiated successfully. We have followed Mr. Zeng since he was a student at Western Illinois State University. He has talent, but seemed to hold something back, both vocally and personally.  We think that he may have projected more personal and vocal warmth, tenderness, and passion if he had been allowed to play Edwin as real nobility, instead of as just the son of a wealthy industrialist.

Emma Sorenson, as Edwin’s cousin Stasi, was a revelation. If you can imagine Gina Davis with the voice of Kiri Te Kanawa, you would have an approximation of the impact of Ms. Sorenson. Her tall, slim beauty and warm open presence fills the stage. Her portrayal of Stasi, which often comes across as somewhat bitter and bitchy, was full of wittily impish fun and empathy. We plan to keep an eye on Ms. Sorenson.

Every operetta depends upon an indispensable ensemble of comprimario, or character roles to provide plot twists and conflict, as well as providing expository information to move things along. This “Csardas Princess” benefited tremendously from their contributions. William Roberts brought a luxuriously ample, warm voice and expansive charm to the role of Boni, the bon vivant who acts as Sylva’s manager and accomplice in the Act II ruse to crash Edwin’s engagement party to Stasi. His portrayal was reminiscent of P.D. Wodehouse’s Wooster, albeit on a big-house operatic scale. It was a blessing to hear Bill Chamberlain as Boni’s partner in crime, Feri. His seasoned professional voice, touching humanity, and wry humor were the perfect foil for Mr. Roberts’ bloviating and provided a centering influence for the production. And as Edwin’s mother, Anni Weylersheim, Rosalind Hurwitz’ sparkling wit and energy demonstrated that it is not only the young who enjoy romance. They were joined by a youthful but talented chorus of eight very talented young performers who constantly projected enthusiasm for both the production and the music. We haven’t seen a group of singers collectively have so much fun in years.

“Csardas Princess” continues its run at Stage 773 on West Belmont St. through July 22. Future plans for Folks Operetta include a “Reclaimed Voices” series featuring the works of composers who have been long overlooked, primarily because of the political and racial climate which enveloped Europe in the 20th Century. We look forward to this ambitious series.  

The OperaSwains, Bill and Margaret

It’s a tough time to be a straight white male. Playwright Ellen Fairey returns to Chicago with a new play called ‘Support Group for Men’ now running at Goodman Theatre. Fairey’s work was last seen in Chicago when the now defunct Profiles Theatre produced her smash hit ‘Graceland’ in the mid-00s. Directed by one of the city’s foremost directors, Kimberly Senior, this of-the-moment play is certain to hit home for locals.

‘Support Group for Men’ isn’t exactly a winning title, but it does fit the bill. In it, four men of various ages and ethnicities meet weekly to discuss personal problems they’re having. Fairey took the idea from a real-life friend of hers who told her about a support group he went to for lonely men. Without that piece of info from the playbill, this scenario would seem somewhat unplausable. That said, how sad that there are so many lonely people out there that don’t seek company?

Fairey sets her four characters in Wrigleyville. There’s tough guy Roger (Keith Kupferer), new agey Brian (Ryan Kitley), sensitive Delano (Anthony Irons) and token millennial Kevin (Tommy Rivera-Vega), but it’s the entrance of Alex (Jeff Kurysz) in drag that changes the course of the evening. While most of the dialogue is topical and relevant, the jammed-in Chicago references ring very false. Suburbanites may appreciate the cultural shout-outs but really, how many locals actually go to Weiner Circle?

This is not to say the play is bad. Fairey’s characters discuss the things in everyday pop culture that are so fluid for the young, but so confusing for the middle-aged. Her points about middle-aged men feeling winnowed out are devastating. It almost answers the question of “why do people commit mass shootings?”

Roger is established as the main character and his monologue about the realization of middle age and the feeling of being invisible is heartbreaking. Keith Kupferer is perfectly cast for this role. When the Chicago stage needs an everyman, Kupferer is the guy for the job. There’s a toughness to his look, but a wealth of sensitivity just below the surface.

This is a comedy and though it does try to reach for depth, it often comes up empty. The problem here is that Fairey isn’t saying anything that hasn’t already been said better by other writers. Though, it is important for mainstream, suburban audiences to see themselves in a play. If they can’t relate, then how can a play make them see the world differently? Fairey’s play is a light-hearted referendum on male privilege and it’s easier to swallow a little criticism with some comedy. Is this a play everyone in America needs to see? No, but it’s a play that has themes everyone in American should be discussing.

Through July 29 at Goodman Theatre. 170 N Dearborn. 312-443-3811

Hell in a Handbag is at it again, this time following up last summer’s smash hit The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes with a Volume 2 that might even be funnier than its predecessor, if that’s even possible. Last year, Handbag’s Golden Girls was so successful it added a second run at Stage 773 after an already extended run while at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville.

Like last time, the show opens with that ever-so-popular theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend" that is eagerly sung along with by audience members.

I have to stop right here and THANK David Cerda "for being a friend"!

I grew up in Miami, Florida, watching The Golden Girls on TV with my mother who had just returned to the work force after a 30-year hiatus at First American Bank after the men in our family had left our home due to tragic disability, genetic Ataxia (cerebellar atrophy).

As two gals trying to keep a household afloat on our own, the recurring themes in the show about a woman's right to independence and struggling to make ends meet, trying to date again after divorce etc. all really gave my mom, Joanne, and I a sense that we were not alone in our struggles, not by a long shot. In fact, my mother Joanne Newmark-Katz, actually interviewed Bea Arthur and other stars like Ricardo Montalban back in the day as an English/ Journalism Major from Purdue University! My mom fondly remembers speaking to Bea Arthur backstage at The Coconut Grove Playhouse where Bea actually gave her a kiss on the cheek and ever so graciously thanked her!

Now, flash forward to 2018 and my mother Joanne is 84-years-old, a true Golden Girl and we are BOTH fighting for her life and financial well-being again. 

For me, in this totally stressful, very real "episode" of our lives, getting to have a few hours of superb acting and comedy by Jeff Award Nominee and dear friend, David Cerdas' Hell in a Handbag ensemble is like two hours in paradise, because in these turbulent times particularly trying for the elderly and disabled -- laughter is still the BEST medicine. 

Hell in a Handbag Artistic Director David Cerda wrote the show which parodies the famed 1980’s sitcom where four women who share a home in a Miami Senior Community are not ready to stop living life to the fullest. The show, still widely popular today and followed by a whole new generation, is the perfect target for Cerda’s rich and pinpoint lampooning.

Cerda again takes the treasured TV show to new heights, his knack for delicious camp blazing its way to what should be yet another summer hit for Handbag.     

Blanche is played by Grant Drager (A.J. Wright handling the role last year). Drager encapsulates Blanche’s flirty, southern charm with just the right amount of cheekiness and is stupendous in the role. Adrian Hadlock returns as Dorothy’s quick-witted mother who wisely and desperately needs to appease her roommates or be sent back to the dreaded "Nursing home". Hadlock trades jabs with dry as a martini wit and, as last year, steals a good share of scenes delivering razor-sharp barbs that are perfectly timed in Cerda’s hilarious script. 

Dear, sweet and naïve Rose is played once again by Ed Jones who is sheer perfection in the role.  Jones’ flawless timing and subtle expressions make Rose as endearing as she is funny. And Cerda as Dorothy? Priceless! Each add their own spice to the entrée but it is Cerda, Jones, Drager and Hadlock together that makes this production a veritable feast for the eyes, ears and arthritic funny bones!   
 
With every Handbag production comes a hysterical ensemble and Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is no exception. A series of hilarious performances are also offered by Chazie Bly, Michael Rashid and Michael Miller with fun-tastically talented ensemble member, audience wrangler and hostess, Lori Lee. 
 
Excellent stage and costume design, smart humor, a talented cast and a side-splittingly funny script make Golden Girls Vol. 2 an all-out, highly uniquely fun experience.
 
Golden Girls' Lost Episodes are more relevant than ever because they wisely combine humor with a cascade of compassionate understanding of each woman's precarious lifestyle when reaching middle or old age and the very real desperation that ensues when four women try to keep a household afloat in a man's world. David Cerda really comprehends and makes funny the things that push mother/daughter love and girlfriend to girlfriend love to its limits. 
 
The adventure continues! Created by popular demand, Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is as uproariously funny as ever. Perhaps (fingers crossed) a Vol.3 is on the horizon in what will hopefully become an incredibly fun summer tradition.
 
Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes Vol. 2 is being performed at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville through September 7th. Visit http://www.handbagproductions.org/ for more info. 

Call your mother seems like the resounding theme of Jen Silverman’s new play ‘The Roommate ‘now running at Steppenwolf. Directed by famed television and stage actress Phylicia Rashad, this new play explores the often overlooked lives of women over a certain age.

Sharon (Sandra Marquez) is a middle-aged woman living alone in a big house in Iowa. Her simple life is turned upside down when a mysterious new roommate, Robyn (Ora Jones), from the Bronx moves in. Though Robyn is careful not to answer all of Sharon’s questions, she helps get Sharon out of her shell. While the play is mostly a sit-com style comedy, it goes deep on how women in their 50s can sometimes become invisible to even their own children.

The play is well written and very funny, but it’s the two actresses that really make this. Marquez and Ora Jones are both ensemble at Steppenwolf and it’s a rare treat to see two such accomplished actresses show their comedic skills in this light-hearted comedy. Marquez’s performance is transformative from start to finish. Her delivery and timing is pure midwestern homemaker, reminding us all of our own mothers just a little bit. Her character’s naivety about the world at large is endearing. Ora Jones plays the cool talking roommate Robyn. Jones has a lot of stage presence. There’s something both intimidating and soothing about her performance. The play’s revelations should make her character seem untrustworthy but the chemistry between her and Marquez makes you questions whether someone’s past is who they are today.

Phylicia Rashad is best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the Cosby Show. She’s wise to distance herself from that now. Since then she’s appeared on Broadway and has moved on to directing. Rashad knows sit-com. She also seems to have a real understanding of these two characters. This show could have easily played for the “shock the old lady” trope, but instead there’s a real heart at the core of this new play. It may not change the world, but it’s a play that makes an observation about what happens to our moms when we grow up and fly the nest.

Through August 5 at Steppenwolf Theatre. 1650 N Halsted. 312-335-1650

It’s nearly summertime in Chicagoland. As the weather turns warm, our minds inevitably turn to music festivals, picnics, and long lazy nights filled with cold drinks, good friends, and somewhere that combines all of these into one experience: Ravinia. Ravinia opened their 2018 season in May and has since had a continuous string of award winning and talented artists of all genres. The first week of June brought cool offbeat rhythms with Stephen Marley and Matisyahu.

Stephen Marley, the Jamaican-American reggae artist opened the evening as the warm air began to turn cold. Guests bundled under blankets and sipped warming liquors from the new Lawn Bar as the eight-time Grammy award winning musician took the stage and filled the night with the unmistakable elements of calypso, blues, and jazz filled the night air. The musical prowess of the Marley family never ceases to astound me. Like his father, Bob Marley, Stephen plays so naturally. The slow tempo of the music lent itself perfectly to Ravinia’s laid back charm.

After the sunset, and the temperature dropped, Matisyahu took the stage to a thinning crowd; a colorful light show emanated from the stage and a man flooded in white light took the stage. His beatboxed segued into a heavy bass, fast paced song complete with electronic keyboards and the familiar calypso from the previous performance. While stylistically his set had some familiar reggae elements, the blending of hard rock and hip-hop beats distinctively changed the mood and feel of the night. Matthew Paul Miller, most commonly known by his stage name, Matisyahu, is a Jewish-American reggae artist blending Orthodox Jewish themes with reggae, rock, and hip hop beatboxing sounds. The music was far more quick paced than Marley’s opening set, and didn’t quite fit the feeling of Ravinia. Listening to Matisyahu’s music alone with headphones you can hear where he draws his inspiration. From the Jamaican inspired rhythms with klezmer elements it is as unique as Reggae’s initial influence in the sixties. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate well in this venue. Given the chance to see him perform at The Riv, Metro, or Aragon Ballroom, again with Stephen Marley, I’d jump at the chance.

To be a good show, the artist and the venue must be a good fit. Both are needed otherwise the experience falls short. Still, the feeling of summer is alive and well at Ravinia. With the impressive 2018 lineup scheduled, be sure to put Ravinia on your 100 days of summer list. Scheduling and tickets for Ravinia can be found at https://www.ravinia.org/.

Jules Verne wrote one of the first science fiction novels in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, the story of three travelers who find themselves imprisoned on the Nautilus, a submarine captained by the megalomaniacal Captain Nemo. The novel was light on political detail, though Captain Nemo occasionally claimed to use his supremacy in the seas to right wrongs committed on land, especially those perpetrated by colonial powers. Nemo’s reasons were more fully articulated in Verne’s follow-up, The Mysterious Island, elements of which become the framing device for this Lookingglass Production, adapted by David Kersnar, who also directs, and Althos Low (aka Steve Pickering). Ensemble member Kersnar shows a deft hand and strong familiarity with the resources he can muster to bring the undersea world of the novels spectacularly to life, though the attempt to explain Nemo’s vengeful politics weighs the production down.

At its heart, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas is an entertaining yarn, filled with hair-raising encounters with monsters, encounters made more terrifying by the fact that they take place in the unforgiving confines of the world’s oceans, with their more ordinary terrors. Kersnar and Low have done a remarkable job of bringing this world to the stage, staying true to Verne’s vision while making updates that make the story more accessible to contemporary audiences. One of these is changing the gender of the marine biologist who recounts Nemo’s travels and scientific discoveries. Pierre Aronnax and his aide-de-camp, Conseil, are recast as Morgan Aronnax and Brigette Conseil. This proves to be a strong choice in terms of storytelling, as it makes a little sense of Aronnax’s initial sympathy for Nemo, as both have felt the sting of being underestimated by those in power. The creators have assembled a team of artists and designers who are up to the task of bringing the tour of the seas to the stage. Todd Rosenthal’s set contains a toy-theater proscenium for the wide-angle shots of the ocean, from the sinking of ships to the horrors of the drowning sailors to the view from the windows of the Nautilus. The Nautilus itself is realized as an exterior platform that rises and tilts precipitously as the story demands, and hints at the confinement of the underwater craft that can be accessed only through a small hatch. Costume designer Sully Ratke combines story-telling and function, creating designs that capture the altered states of the characters as their journeys unwind, as well as their backgrounds and social stations. Props by Amanda Hermann avoid getting too steampunk, but capture the Victorian aesthetic of the novel, reminiscent of the original illustrations. However, it is the more ephemeral design elements that really transport the audience to the depths: sound designer Ric Sims and lighting designer Christine Binder immerse the audience in locations from New York City, the decks of various water crafts, to the depths of the seven seas. Floating in this aural and visual landscape are the puppets designed by Blair Thomas, Tom Lee, and Chris Wooten and athletic actors performing Sylvia Hernandez Di-Stasi’s brilliant aerial choreography, which allows the characters to float and dive beneath the waves. The puppets themselves are worth the price of admission: lifelike and magical at once, they float behind and off the stage to invite audience and characters fully into the terrors and wonders of the oceans.

The play begins with a group of refugees from the American Civil War meeting the man who enabled them to survive their escape, Captain Nemo, now older, alone and questioning his prior life as a terror of the seas. It then flashes back to where the book begins, introducing French professor of natural history Morgan Aronnax, who receives a last-minute invitation to join the crew of the USS Bainbridge, under Captain Farragut, who is commissioned to seek and destroy whatever is terrorizing the seas—be it craft or creature. Aronnax postulates a giant narwhal in a scene that brilliantly establishes her character and her position vis-à-vis her male colleagues. Kasey Foster does an admirable job of injecting charm into the generally no-nonsense and humorless professor, who is almost as single-minded in her pursuit of knowledge as Nemo in his pursuit of vengeance and domination. Kareem Bandealy is hampered by a script that does not allow him to fully realize the zealous evil of Nemo—despite his powerful presence and overbearing bluster, he gets bogged down in the scenes that switch to introspection and long-winded revelation. Scenes that allow him to do this while perpetrating acts of terror (the sinking of a naval vessel, for example) serve the plot much better than dinner time polemics and elegiac remembrances of his role in the Great Mutiny of 1847, which led to the losses that spurred his vengeance against imperialism. Rounding out the quartet that forms the center of the narrative are Walter Briggs as the cheeky Ned Land, a harpooner brought on board the Bainbridge to help destroy the monster responsible for the deaths of so many sailors, and Lanise Antoine Shelley as Conseil. Briggs brings the right balance of swagger and empathy to his role, and Shelley makes a good audience foil for the occasionally delusional professor, pointedly and humorously reminding her of the realities of their positions as women in a male world, and then as prisoners (not guests) of the mad Captain Nemo. Nemo’s “guests” also prove themselves to be up to the physical challenges of taking on human and cephalopod foes (Shelley has a brilliant and harrowing encounter with the latter). The rest of the cast—Thomas J. Cox, Joe Dempsey, Micah Figueroa, Edwin Lee Gibson and Glenn-Dale Obrero--provide some of the most striking moments of the evening and fill the stage with a multitude of supporting characters. Cox anchors the crew of Civil War wanderers and helps flesh out the alternate narrative. Joe Dempsey makes an impression as Pencroff, whose gratitude towards Nemo fuels his understanding and as the surprisingly open-minded and humorous Captain Farragut. Edwin Lee Gibson brings stalwart nobility to Cyrus Smith, one of the men who encounters Nemo in the first scene, and a roguish pragmatism to the self-serving constable who allows Ned Land to board the U.S.S. Bainbridge with a little persuasion from the Captain. Micah Figueroa and Glenn-Dale Obrero also fill the ranks of the Civil War escapees (with a humorous turn from Figueroa as the naïve Harbert), as well as handling the bulk of the fighting and diving, including an amazing sequence of pearl diving that captures the best of Lookingglass’s take on Verne’s novel—providing spectacle and social commentary in a seamless melding of physical theater, puppetry and characterization.

It’s not perfect, but 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas has enough to satisfy young (tweens and up) and old. Though it tries valiantly and not always successfully to engage with the political themes of human rights and colonization, ultimately it is buoyed by a strong sense of good old-fashioned story-telling. The breathtaking special effects, aerial dance, puppet magic, and a committed and capable cast who can match the acting and physical demands of the spectacle more than make up for some ponderous philosophical ballast. There is enough food for thought to inspire conversation, but the focus, as it should, remains mostly on the undersea journeys of the Nautilus and its willing and unwilling crew members’ battles with Kareem Bandealy’s power-hungry Nemo and the natural perils of the seas. It is well worth hopping on board to witness the sea battles, sea spiders, fish, squid and other undersea wonders dreamed up by Lookingglass’s team, under the assured direction of David Kersnar.

20,000 Leagues Under the Seas runs through August 19, 2018, at Lookingglass Theater, 821 N. Michigan. Performances are Wednesdays-Sundays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm. For tickets and more information, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org or call 312-337-0665.

*Extended through August 26th