PicksInSix Review: A Raisin in the Sun - Court Theatre

What Happens To A Dream Deferred?
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Lorraine Hansberry’s arresting triumph “A Raisin in the Sun” is playing now in a brilliant production at Court Theatre. Directed by Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent, the 1957 play—penned by the 27-year-old Hansberry and largely based on her own experiences growing up on the South Side of Chicago—has been lauded since for its defining influence on American theatre, the sheer poetry of the text and its stirring depiction of an urban Black family and their individual dreams for a better life.

Randle-Bent has amassed a powerhouse company, led by the remarkable performances of Shanésia Davis as Lena ‘Mama’ Younger, the matriarch of the family; her impulsive son Walter Lee, played on an emotional edge by Brian Keys; a moving and truly sentient turn by Kierra Bunch as Walter’s pregnant wife, Ruth; Martasia Jones as the progressive daughter Beneatha; and, Jeremias Darville (who alternates with Di'Aire Wilson) as Travis, the youngest son and hope for the next generation in the family.

Set in a cramped South Side tenement in the late 1950s amid the segregation and racially restrictive covenants of the era that fueled the redlining of neighborhoods, Mama and the Younger family are expecting a $10,000 death benefit payment, the legacy of her late husband’s lifetime of service and sacrifice for the family. There is debate about how the money should be spent, but not about who is the decision maker.

On one side, Walter pleads with Ruth to join him in convincing Mama to invest the sum in a liquor store that he hopes will both raise his stature from the service job he has been trapped in and provide a better life for everyone. Ruth and Beneatha, who is studying to be a doctor, both agree that it is Mama’s decision, leaving Walter to make a direct appeal that Mama rejects in favor of her own dream: a home of their own. Once that decision sinks in, Walter embarks on a three-day bender that threatens his employment and alienates everyone in the family. In a true act of trust and love, Mama makes a concession that leads to trouble ahead for the Younger family.

Along the way, we watch Beneatha evolve from a bobby socks college student to free-spirit, influenced by the scholarly atmosphere she inhabits during the day and the attention of George Murchison (Charles Andrew Gardner), a relationship she is far less attracted to than the new ideals of Joseph Asagai (Eliott Johnson), a charming Nigerian suitor who introduces her to a culture that awakens a passion within her. Julian Parker (Bobo), Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner) and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson) round out the superb cast.

Andrew Boyce’s robust scenic design—an elevated, angular stage framed in a series of large-scale urban-themed panels behind the detailed close quarters of the Younger’s meager row house flat—provides multiple obscure and semi-obstructed interior views while serving as a fascinating template for cast movement in, out and within the space. Maximo Grano De Oro evocative lighting, Willow James’s subtle sound design and superb costumes by Raquel Adorno with Jeanette Rodriguez elevate Court Theatre’s production of “A Raisin in the Sun” to a new artistic standard for this enduring American classic and the show to see now in Chicago.

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Court Theatre
presents
A Raisin in the Sun
5535 S Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

Extended through March 23, 2025

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TICKETS
(773) 753-4472

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PicksInSix Review: FALSETTOS - TimeLine Theatre Company - Court Theatre

“Things Rarely Go According To Plan.”
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

The flawless production of “Falsettos”—one of the most enjoyable, heartfelt and moving productions you will ever see—opened Saturday in the intimate Abelson Auditorium at Court Theatre. The show is directed by TimeLine co-founder and Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling and presented in partnership with Court.

“Falsettos,” a two-time 1992 Tony Award-winning musical, has a fascinating origin story. With music and lyrics by William Finn and a book by Finn and James Lapine (Into The Woods), it began in 1979 as Finn’s—and Playwrights Horizon’s—first musical “In Trousers” about the trials and tribulations of Marvin, a gay Jewish man coming out and presented in, what was then, the unique and evolving sung-through format.

In 1981, Finn teamed with Lapine on “March of the Falsettos”—which later became the first act of “Falsettos.” Set in 1979, the story begins as Marvin and his wife Trina separate on the news that Marvin is moving in with his male lover, Whizzer. In an attempt to keep Trina and their young son Jason together as a family, Marvin steps up sessions with his therapist Mendel. When Mendel falls for and marries Trina, Marvin’s possessive and passive-aggressive nature impacts his relationship with everyone, including his pre-Bar Mitzvah son who begins questioning his own sexuality. Marvin’s need for a monogamous relationship with the more free-wheeling Whizzer leads to the breakup, and although Marvin is inconsolable, he has matured and become better able to relate to Jason when his son needs him most.

It's important to note that “March of the Falsettos” is set prior to the widespread awareness of HIV or AIDS and deals, often hilariously, with the complex dynamics of the personal relationships and acceptance of the changing social norms of the time.

Following the explosion of the AIDS crisis, Finn and Lapine returned in 1991 to pen “Falsettoland” which will become Act II of “Falsettos.” Set a year later in 1981, when the family is moving on while Marvin still yearns for Whizzer, who reenters his life and rekindles the relationship. Two additional characters are introduced—Dr. Charlotte and her lesbian lover, Cordelia—who live next door and become fast friends with Mendel, Trina and Jason. It is Dr. Charlotte who recognizes that ‘something bad is happening’ and it is not long that “Falsettoland” takes on a whole new powerful storytelling line all its own.

Bowling, movement director William Carlos Angulo and music director Otto Vogel have assembled an amazing cast. In the role of Marvin, Stephen Schellhardt displays an extraordinary range of emotions teetering between the need to be loved and respected and the frustration, resentment and rage he feels from and toward the family he desperately wants to salvage. Jack Ball expertly plays Whizzer, the carefree gay man with needs of his own, who is quick to recognize that Marvin may want more from him than he is willing to give but later reconciles with Marvin in a way that is moving and real, particularly as he is forced to face his own mortality. .

Sarah Bockel’s Trina tugs endlessly at our heartstrings. She is an open book of emotions, channeling both keen comic sensibilities and a enormous capacity for empathy. Jackson Evans gives a terrific multi-faceted performance as the intellectually neurotic Mendel, savoring every comic moment with child-like enthusiasm while expertly delivering the more serious interchanges with Bockel and Jason (Charlie Long, who alternates with Eli Vander Griend). Long is a superb young talent and in step, stride for stride, with everyone on stage. Sharriese Hamilton is perfect as the compassionate Dr. Charlotte and partner for Cordelia, played beautifully by Elizabeth Stenholt, who round out the company of gloriously nuanced voices who deliver this fast-paced, challenging score with precision and ease.

Amel Sancianco’s scenic design ingeniously places the band shrouded on the second level within the multi-colored stage wall that is highlighted by three doors and an oculus window that is utilized effectively throughout the show. The open style chessboard tile floor plan serves to magnify one of the main themes and allows for effortless scene changes which keep things moving along briskly. Lighting and sound designs by Maggie Fullilove-Nugent and Stephanie Farina and period costumes by Teresa Ham are all excellent.

For those of us who lived through this period, TimeLine’s “Falsettos” is a moving tribute to the memory of all who passed and renews our commitment to those whose lives have been immeasurably changed. For everyone else, it serves as a reminder of the importance of cherishing our relationships and instills in us a better understanding of the universal power of love, kindness and acceptance.

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

Editors Note: The TimeLine alliance with Court follows critically-acclaimed productions of “OSLO” and “The Lehman Trilogy” with Broadway in Chicago and the recent transfer of the stunning production of Tyla Abercrumbie’s “Relentless” to Goodman Theatre in 2022. TimeLine’s Artistic Director PJ Powers has tapped into an excellent model that requires a long view for the future, the coalescing of like-minded theatre administrators and boards willing to take a sizable financial risk, and mining sufficient sponsor and donor funds for the arts in a very tentative post-pandemic production climate. That long view applies to just about every facet of the arts right now with no better example and track record of unqualified success than TimeLine Theatre Company. While construction continues on the new center for theatre, education and community engagement at 5035 N. Broadway slated for a 2026 opening, the current season is being staged in partnership with institutions across Chicagoland. “Falsettos” is the first of three such partnerships that will continue next year with The Theatre School at DePaul University and Writers Theatre in Glencoe. For more, read TimeLine’s excellent BACKSTORY publication available online here.

TimeLine Theatre Company
and Court Theatre
present
FALSETTOS

EXTENDED
through December 15, 2024

Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis Ave
Chicago, IL 60637

WEBSITE

PROGRAM

BACKSTORY

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

ARCHIVE

PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC