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CONVERSATIONS|PicksInSix®Reviews featuring short form critical reviews and podcasts with authors and influential leaders in the arts, media and business.
In memory of Rich Hein aka “Liz Lauren” whose decades-long contribution to Chicago theatre is immeasurable, we include here over 100 images of shows reviewed by PicksInSix® Reviews that have featured his extraordinary work over the last decade.
Read More“Wonderful World” Has Saints Marching In!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
The new Broadway bound musical “A Wonderful World” conceived by Christopher Renshaw and Andrew Delaplaine starring James Monroe Iglehart in a commanding performance as the immortal jazz icon Louis Armstrong is playing now in a limited engagement at the Cadillac Palace through October 29.
As told through the eyes of his four wives–an ever-present Greek chorus of exceptionally powerful vocalists and gifted performers—who anchor the critical turning points of Armstrong’s career, Aurin Squire’s book follows a linear arc from the turn of the 20th century to the early 70s infused with feature performances and explosive, picture perfect, dance routines.
Director Renshaw and choreographer Ricky Tripp have amassed a stellar ensemble who move in and out of the best of Armstrong’s musical legacy on a stunning, scenic landscape created by Adam Roch and Steven Royal that, with Toni-Leslie James’s eye-popping period costumes, provide for truly majestic transitions from the gritty, speakeasys and jazz clubs of the 20s and 30s to a stylized Hollywood soundstage. It’s a visual feast!
At the center of the story—and the major challenge that separates “A Wonderful World” from other musical biographies about entertainers—is Armstrong’s sheer versatility and talent as an innovator and improvisor. The internationally beloved Black performer, musician, composer and singer had a larger-than-life stage presence all his own. Offstage, the pitfalls of Armstrong’s career and his personal, and very public, stand against racial inequality make him a far more complex personality. Iglehart, whose Broadway credits include a Tony Award as the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin,” brilliantly captures the whole man—Armstrong’s charismatic smile, ebullient energy and the rich, raspy, signature quality of his vocals—in a wide-ranging and fascinating portrayal of a confident, gregarious personality filled with abundant amounts of passion for making music and for making whoopee.
The women—all saints marching into Armstrong’s life with captivating performances by Daisy Parker (Khalifa White), Lil Hardin (Jennie Harney-Fleming) and Alpha Smith (Brennyn Lark) and Lucille Wilson (Ta'Rea Campbell)—hitch their wagons to the charming star hoping to make their dreams come true. That is until they realize that Armstrong’s insatiable desire to perform and the freedom that a life on the road offers works contrary to his dream to settle down in a home with a family of his own.
Even though that storyline wrestles a bit with the kind of dramatic thrust necessary to fully connect with all the characters, it always comes back to the music exquisitely arranged and orchestrated by Michael O. Mitchell and Annastasia Victory. And this show is loaded with pulsating dance numbers that place Armstrong at the center of it all in memorable songs like “You Rascal You,” “Heebie Jeebies” and “Black and Blue” and alongside DeWitt Fleming, Jr. in the terrific tap sequence of “When You’re Smiling.” But it is Iglehart’s performance of Armstrong’s last and most enduring classic “What A Wonderful World” that you will want to be humming on the way home.
PHOTO|Jeremy Daniel
A WONDERFUL WORLD
A New Musical
About The Life and Loves
of Louis Armstrong
BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Cadillac Palace
151 West Randolph
through October 29
TICKETS
OFFICIAL SHOW WEBSITE
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago
PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC
HISTORY NEVER HAD IT SO GOOD!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner
“HAMILTON” has returned to Chicago, and everyone is freaking out. Thursday’s opening night performance at The James M. Nederlander Theatre attracted a buzzing full house of people eager to experience the incredibly catchy delight that is the “HAMILTON” phenomenon. So much so that the audience cheered the moment the lights went down. Then Aaron Burr started his introduction of Alexander Hamilton, and if the backs of everyone’s bopping heads could talk, they’d have said to me: “I know every single word to this song, and I love it.”
Now, I have only seen “HAMILTON” this one time, knew maybe two songs going into opening night and most certainly was outnumbered by the repeat show goers. For years I have heard people rave about the award-winning musical’s unique storytelling of American history and great songs. For most of those years I also admittedly leaned into a contrarian disposition and assumed these people were more or less overreacting. Now, I get it.
Just about every song in “HAMILTON” is a hit. Standouts from opening night include “My Shot” because it hits like a genuine call to Chicago to join in the revolution and “RISE UP” for freedom. “Burn” because of the beautiful lyrics infused with heartbreak and bravery. “The Schuyler Sisters” because the irresistible pop melody catches like wildfire in the phrase “look around, look around” that we hear throughout the production.
Deon'te Goodman as Aaron Burr delivers a powerful performance of “Wait for It.” Throughout the production, Goodman excels in exercising restraint and then, if only for an instant, seemingly breaks free and moves with his impulses. His performance showcases Burr’s inner conflict of wanting power and prestige but being hesitant to look beyond his reservations and take risks. Other notable performances include Jared Howelton as a show-stopping Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Nikisha Williams as a moving Eliza and Neil Haskell as a hilariously sneering King George.
As for storytelling techniques, the choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and the talented ensemble’s execution thereof, deserves equal if not greater recognition than the toe-tapping songs and creative lyrics. Much of the story relies on the ensemble’s movement. This includes the numerous styles of dance that weave us from streetscape, to bar to war with grace, power and excellent control. The ensemble also carries in props and set pieces, moves slow-motion bullets in duels and ultimately sets the stage by keeping the audience engaged and intrigued. A job well done in meeting the energy of this non-stop production but somehow also creating the necessary breathing room to take it all in.
Yet, “HAMILTON” does conjure up some ambivalence. There’s conflict between enjoying the show, respecting it for redefining theater and feeling weird about clapping along in celebration of an American nationalism that oversells mainstream history and the American dream that hard work can get you anywhere. We know that’s not true for all of us, but indulging in that narrative for the show’s quite long run-time does open the door to connecting with something better, which is the show’s examination of personal experiences that cannot be separated from larger political structures. Much of “HAMILTON’s” impact is in exploring what it means to be enough, finding community, the limitations of intellectualizing emotions and the power of grief and deep vulnerability. There’s revolution to be had in our collective human experience, and “HAMILTON” is the wildly entertaining reminder to lean into the movement and not throw away your shot.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.
PHOTO|Joan Marcus
Official Show Website
Tickets
Ham4Ham Lottery
Cast
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago
PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC
Can I stay here all night?
Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner
“What the Constitution Means to Me” leaves a profound impact on the audience by way of whip-smart and engaging storytelling from playwright Heidi Schreck and director Oliver Butler, played exuberantly by Cassie Beck in the national tour of the two-time 2019 Tony Award nominated play that opened Wednesday at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place. In a captivating narrative of her personal journey with the United States Constitution, we spend time with the fifteen-year-old Schreck on a Rachel Hauck set designed to look like the American Legion Halls where she competed in debates about the Constitution for college scholarship money.
Teenage Schreck loved the Constitution and had high hopes for its continued potential as a living, breathing document essentially twisting and bending to afford us basic human rights. She held tightly to this love and also tightly to her family history without the emotional capacity to yet relate her familial trauma to this country’s long history of violence against women, indigenous people, Black communities, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ folks.
As the play progresses, we watch her connect the dots. Schreck’s older self weaves in anecdotes and deeper, critical analysis of the Constitution and seminal constitutional law cases. In the very capable hands of Beck, Schreck’s narrative thrusts us into facing staggering statistics about epidemic levels of domestic violence against women and severe inequities faced by immigrants, pointedly acknowledging her own privilege as a white woman throughout. In rapid succession, she also beautifully captures the struggle that inhibits many of us from honestly engaging with the Constitution, those in power who interpret it and the Constitution’s impact, on a deeper, personal level. Looking inward in this way requires transcending political talking points and disassembling preconceived notions and tired schoolbook narratives to truly connect with where we have been and need to go collectively… DING!
The bell rings. Times up. In a great auditory transition to the next topic, the American Legion Hall debate moderator, played by Mike Iveson, abruptly stops Schreck mid-monologue and instructs her to talk about the second clause of Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Iveson sits in the corner throughout the play, largely silent with a grimace as Schreck pushes his comfort level. I particularly loved when Iveson’s character sheds the moderator role and presents as himself, a gay man. He tells a story illustrating the complexity of struggling with masculinity while directly participating in patriarchal oppression, and I thought to myself “How much more can she possibly cover? Can I stay here all night?”
I could have. She covered so much. I learned so much. I cried and also laughed heartily because Schreck does a good job inserting blistering humor which Beck delivers with pinpoint comedic timing in a well-rounded performance that transitions smoothly from the often harsh and tragic to laugh-out-loud funny. The live debate about the future of the document between Beck and high school student Emilyn Toffler adds a dynamic that is both real and fun audience participation. I thoroughly enjoyed Toffler’s excellent performance but do wish a local Chicago high school student participated in this portion instead.
“What the Constitution Means to Me” ultimately fosters important dialogue surrounding the continued fight for human rights and one’s personal journey through growth and change. It’s entertaining, challenging and shines a very real light on the relatable struggle to keep pushing toward hope despite it all. Wailing and wailing and wailing … forward and forward and forward.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2020 and currently practices as an attorney in Chicago.
PHOTO|Joan Marcus
BROADWAY IN CHCAGO
presents
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE
Water Tower Place
through November 7
WEBSITE
TICKETS
FEATURE: PicksInSix Q & A - Cassie Beck - October 20, 2021
For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago
PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC
Teatro ZinZanni Spreads Love and Joy
Guest Contributor | Ron Keaton
Teatro ZinZanni’s exciting new production in the Spiegeltent ZaZou on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel in the Chicago loop is the first show that has opened downtown in the almost-post-COVID-19 era and there were a surprising number of folks in attendance all eager to be entertained. The show, conceived and directed by Norman Langill, is a theatrical experience that draws from several European and New World traditions of commedia dell’arte, vaudeville and burlesque, and is a one-ring circus with sketch comedy, magic and even a bit of Ed Sullivan’s format. The entertainment variety is intense and quite a feast for the audience’s palate that, along with the sumptuous dinner and drinks, make for a high-flying evening all around.
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