PicksInSix Review: JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Hilarity, Heartbreak Weaved Together at ‘Jaja’s’
PicksInSix Review | Ed Tracy

Jocelyn Bioh’s vibrant “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater unfolds in a series of fast-paced scenes over a single day in a Harlem salon. The year is 2019, but it could be last year, last month or even this week, considering the looming era of uncertainty. It’s here that during the comings and goings of clients we learn about the promise of immigrant life in America, sisterhood and the struggle for social and economic independence. The show also delivers high-spirited comedy that’s baked into the richly defined characters who create their art one lovely strand of hair at a time.

The salon itself has an ecosystem all its own. Jaja (Victoire Charles), the owner of the salon, is getting married and her daughter Marie (Jordan Rice), the high school valedictorian who is currently managing the salon, has her hands full with a trio of seasoned braiders— Bea (Awa Sal Secka), Ndidi (Aisha Sougou) and Aminata (Tiffany Renee Johnson)—who hold back nothing with each other. A fourth braider, Miriam (Bisserat Tseggai) has a powerful immigrant story that plays out in a conversation with one customer over the course of the play.

Chief among these spirited and feisty entrepreneurs is Bea who was there at the beginning with Jaja (the shop was Bea’s idea, after all) and Ndidi who Bea claims has been stealing her clients and her livelihood. Bea also irritates Aminata, whose marriage is on the rocks, but Aminata gives as good as she gets. There is general agreement that Jaja, who has built the business from the ground up and brought along each of them in one way or another, could be making a mistake, despite the celebratory toast they share when Jaja stops by. How this all plays out, and how the women support each other, is at the heart of the story.

The ensemble is rounded out by the exceptional talent of Melanie Brezill and Leovina Charles who cover a fascinating array of salon clients and Yao Dogie who plays the neighborhood merchants and Aminata’s husband, James.  

Director Whitney White’s ensemble is brilliantly supported by a Tony-nominated artistic and technical team that includes Nikiya Mathis, who received a well-deserved special Tony Award for Hair and Wig Design, and Dede Ayite who received the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. Among the four additional nominations—including White for direction and Bioh for Best Play—are David Zinn’s expertly detailed set design and original music and sound by Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella.

Bioh’s uproarious comic banter leads to a stellar, finely-crafted, gut-punch of reality in “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” that offers a powerfully moving statement on the immigrant experience. The show, a coproduction with Arena Stage, Berkley Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse, is playing in a limited run at The Yard through February 2nd and tickets are already in high demand.

PHOTO|T. Charles Erickson

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
JAJA’s AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING
The Yard
Navy Pier
through February 2, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: The Comedy of Errors - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Comedy of Errors – “Thanks. Very Much!”
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

In perhaps one of the most inspired and hilarious opening scenes in recent memory, Barbara Gaines launched her final stage production as Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Founder and Artistic Director not with a hearty hail and farewell, but instead a hilarious delivery.

Four of them actually.

The seafaring journey that follows for two sets of identical twins at the center of chaos and confusion is just the beginning of a wild and wondrous adventure. Gaines’s uproarious, over-the-top adaptation of “The Comedy of Errors” is really two shows, in fact, weaved together as one. Shakespeare’s tale of mistaken identities, mischief and mayhem is framed by an altogether new and fascinating story all its own—magnificently conceived by Gaines and brilliantly written by Ron West—that is set on a 1940 London soundstage. The developing storylines of the players is underscored by terrific musical performances, frequent Luftwaffe bombing raids, live Foley sound effects and just the right amount of hijinks and slapstick.

The play centers around the twins who are separated soon after birth by a shipwreck at sea.  Now adults in Ephesus, Antipholus from Syracuse (Robert Petkoff) and Antipholus from Ephesus (Dan Chameroy), along with their servant twins, Dromio of Syracuse (Ross Lehman) and Dromio of Ephesus (Kevin Gudhal) find themselves confounding Adriana (Susan Moniz), the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, her sister Luciana (Melanie Brezill), the merchant Angelo (Brezon Arzell) and virtually everyone else.

Lehman also plays Dudley Marsh, the director of the film storyline and married to Veronica (Moniz) who is having a torrid affair in plain sight with Emerson Furbelow (Petkoff). Meanwhile Lord Brian Hallifax (Gudhal) is forever posturing for and expanding upon his stage real estate at every opportunity with hilarious consequences. Add to this powerhouse quartet the likes of Phil Sullivan (Chameroy), a dashing, aviator and crooning heartthrob for the charming Lillian Castillo (Marian), with the accident-prone stage manager Charles Chittick (William Dick) and you have the makings of a comic ensemble that’s on fire all night.

A spectacular set design by James Noone evokes the grandeur of filmmaking in a bygone era. It’s a gem that benefits from the stagehands quietly and effortlessly moving on and off in the context of the film shoot. The Courtyard Stage is awash with color and detail from Ken Posner’s lighting design, Mieka Van Der Ploeg’s stunning costumes and Lindsay Jones’s crisp sound and original music.

In a show filled with superb featured character roles, Ora Jones (Abbess), Adia Bell (Fanny) and Bruce A. Young (Monty/Duke) all stand out. Greg Vinkler shines as the ruddy Admiral Philpot and as his brother Eddie Philpot, funnyman Bill Larkin provides the oft-repeated phrase of the night that everyone will be saying to Barbara Gaines in appreciation of her decades of commitment to making Shakespeare accessible to everyone: “Thanks. Very Much!”

PHOTO|Liz Lauren
Barbara Gaines|Joe Mazza

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Courtyard Theater
Navy Pier
through April 16

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PicksInSix Review: 'NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN' Northlight Theatre

“FOLLOW THE RHYTHM OF YOUR HEART.”

The Northlight Theatre production of Christina Ham’s stunningly raw and musically rich 2016 play “Nina Simone: Four Women” directed by Kenneth L. Roberson that opened Friday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, is a stirring exploration of Simone’s creative journey in the wake of the September 13, 1963 murder of four African-American girls -- 14 year-old Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, and 11 year-old Denise McNair – in the KKK bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The tragedy of the girl’s death inspired Simone to compose “Mississippi Goddam,” “Old Jim Crow,” “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” and the iconic “Four Women,” and ignited her passion against social injustice, segregation and discrimination during the civil rights movement. 

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Set inside the ruins of the church in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, ‘Four Women’ features the gifted Sydney Charles as Simone, a musical force of nature, who rose from humble beginnings to the forefront of the jazz music world before her ideology was forever shaken and altered by the devastating attack. Simone’s transitional moment is at the core of the piece that the captivating and confident Charles deftly unearthes in the lush boundaries of her vocal range and a commanding performance that blisters with depth and empathy.

The play resides securely alongside Simone’s dreams and creative aspirations, evolving from a series of anguished, defiant, and, ultimately, hopeful conversations using the framework of her music as a rallying cry, never diverting away from the searing memory of the four girls fate or the civil unrest that is brewing.

Deanna Reed-Foster (Sarah), Ariel Richardson (Sephronia), Melanie Brezill (Sweet Thing) and Charles are the ‘Four Women’ of Simone’s profound elegy to the memory of the girls and who they might have become. As each identifies and struggles with African-American stereotypes, legacy and misunderstanding, Simone implores them as a group to rise up and “follow the rhythm of your heart.”  Through their individual stories, and the rich, soulful and powerfully rendered musical performances, a deeper understanding emerges of heritage, common ground and the conflicts between the women and everyone around them.

Christopher Rhoton’s robust scenic design is a constant reminder of the deadly aftermath of the attack. The stark lighting and sound by Lee Fiskness and Lindsay Jones accentuate Michael Alan Stein’s costumes which define each of the four women. The talented Daniel Riley is the on-stage accompanist and music director.

Northlight’s production is one of eight others currently planned in the months ahead which led American Theatre magazine to name Ham among the top 20 most-produced playwrights of the 2018-19 season. There is also a companion piece for young audiences, “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963,” which was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the bombing and debuted at the Kennedy Center and 47 other locations around the country.    

PHOTOS|Michael Brosilow

NORTHLIGHT THEATRE
Presents
NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN
through March 2nd

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
9501 Skokie Blvd.
(847) 647-6300

WEBSITE
TICKETS
CHRISTINA HAM WEBSITE

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PICKSINSIX Review: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

“OH GOD HOW I MIST YOU!”

Oh pod how you tease… Seymour Krelborn has a lot of problems. He lives and works at a flower shop on skid row. His boss is not very nice to him. He is in love with his co-worker Audrey who is being abused by her boyfriend, the sadistic dentist who enjoys causing pain. Then there is the sick plant he discovered during a solar eclipse that he has been fretting over. Nothing works, no matter what he tries. “I’ve given you plant food and water to sip. I’ve given you potash, you’ve given me zip! Oh god how I mist you. Oh pod how you tease. So please – grow for me.”

Captivating performances… ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, now playing at Drury Lane in all its joyfully macabre and touchingly poignant splendor, is the product of the first collaboration of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken — an early ‘80s time capsule for the team who later developed Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ before the 40 year-old Ashman succumbed to AIDS in 1991. The Drury Lane incarnation, keenly directed and choreographed by Scott Calcagno with musical direction by Roberta Duchak, includes a top-notch company led by the captivating performances of Kelly Felthous and Will Lidke whose star-crossed love story — like just about everyone else — runs smack into the jaws of a ravenous leafy bottom feeder.

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Richly enjoyable comic romp… Things are looking up for everyone early on around the Mushnik Flower Shop. Seymour has a thing for Audrey who imagines a better life of her own. And while business is booming, Mr. Mushnik worries that Seymour’s new-found popularity could disrupt the first real opportunity in years to balance the books. Of course, there is only one key ingredient that helps make Audrey II, the aforementioned bottom feeder, grow. Once things start to sprout there is no turning back for the young and ambitious Seymour whose wish to escape the dead-end prospects of a skid row existence to live happily-ever-after with Audrey are only a few gallons of hemoglobin-enriched plasma away. It is all a clever setup for the dark and richly enjoyable comic romp that follows.

Powerhouse voice… Kelly Felthous is on fire as Audrey with a powerhouse voice that flows effortlessly through the beautiful anthems ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ and ‘Suddenly Seymour’. Felthous evokes a truthful innocence that aligns perfectly with Will Lidke’s frenetically awkward charm. Ron E. Rains is perfect in the role of Mr. Mushnik, and shows off some nifty footwork in ‘Mushnik and Son’ with Lidke. Steven Strafford, in multiple roles including Dr. Orin Scrivello D. D. S., nails ‘Be A Dentist’ and ‘Now’. Rounding out the ensemble in plain sight is the fabulous trio of Melanie Brezill (Ronette), Candace C. Edwards (Crystal) and Melanie Loren (Chiffon) who, with Strafford, make the cast appear much larger than it is with split-second costume changes and high-energy numbers including the title song and ‘Skid Row’ where Edwards particularly shines.

Eerie and fiendishly fun… Audrey II is voiced by the incomparable Lorenzo Rush, Jr. and animated by puppeteer Matthew Sitz. The teaming of these two seasoned performers bring the eerie and fiendishly fun Martin P. Robinson designed plant to glorious life. Rush’s deep, booming, blues vocals in ‘Git It’ and ‘Suppertime’ rock.

Be careful what you wish for… 1313 Skid Row is realized in the efficient and rugged staging by Kevin Depinet, enhanced by Ryan O’Gara’s lighting design and Linda Myers costumes. Chris Sargent directs The Little Shop of Horrors Band in this throughly entertaining musical sendup that just might have you whispering, “Be careful what you wish for.” and “Don’t feed the plants!” on your way home.

PHOTOS|Bruce Beiner

Drury Lane Theatre
Presents
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS 
through October 28, 2018
100 Drury Lane
(630) 530-0111

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PICKSINSIX Review: LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET

“DANCING TO THE BEAT OF LIFE”

All you need to know is … The seven-year-old future zoologist CJ is on his way to his Nana’s when we meet him in the opening moments of the world premiere of Last Stop on Market Street directed by Henry Godinez now playing at the Chicago Children’s Theatre. He is savvy enough for his age, but not comfortable in a neighborhood vastly different from his own and is nervously counting down the hours until he will be back at home with his parents and his aptly-named canine pal, Doggy. With only the security of his backpack, a few bucks in his turtle pillow, and his cell phone, tablet and headphones, CJ is not at all prepared for what comes next. After first applying sugar, Nana tells it like it is and draws a line by singing “All you need to know is that I said so!”

A glorious, inspiring and heartwarming journey … As you might imagine, things get off to a rocky start, mostly because CJ is convinced, as most seven-year-olds are, that he is in charge. That begins to change as the two embark on Nana's regular crosstown adventure to the other side of town. Through her wise and insightful observations, CJ learns that the excitement of discovery is as much in the journey as it is in reaching the destination. And what a glorious, inspiring and heartwarming journey it is!

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Bowl of soul … The new musical adapted by Cheryl L. West with a hip score by Motown legend Lamont Dozier and his son, Paris Ray Dozier, is based on the 2016 Newbery award-winning children’s book written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Add the considerable stage and vocal talent of E. Faye Butler, a terrific ensemble with musical direction by Andra Velis Simon, ingenious staging(John Musial), choreography(Stephanie Paul), costumes (Izumi Inaba), sound(Ray Nardall) and lighting(Alexander Ridgers), and with a bus that appears virtually out of nowhere, Last Stop on Market Street is truly a “bowl of soul” for all ages.

Magical chemistry … Parents and fans of the book, written for preschoolers, will thoroughly enjoy this expanded stage version of the touching story of a bus ride across town for a young boy, played at the Saturday afternoon opening performance by the endearing Kei Rawlins (sharing the role with Alejandro Medina) and his no-nonsense Nana, the incomparable Butler. There are a lot of lessons to learn and this show is a real conversation starter for youngsters five and up. Every one of the fascinating characters influence CJ in his quest for answers including (in multiple roles): the bus driver, Mr. Dennis (Breon Arzell), the blind musician, Vernon (Jesse Bhamrah), the rapper Tat Man (Brian Keys), Butterfly & Posey (Melanie Brezill), and a young homeless girl Jojo (Kirra Silver).

Every morning brings a new song … the Dozier score rocks a range from the jiving opening company number “Hello, Goodbye” to the poignant “Servin’ Up Love” … Butler’s “Cause I Said So” and “Praise the Lord” are terrific. You are sure to be humming “The Beat of Life” on the way home.

Next stop: Minneapolis … Director Godinez and his team have created an ingenious, colorful panorama of urban neighborhood locations. For those of us without prior knowledge of the material, our discovery is as fulfilling as CJ’s. For that reason alone, you should climb aboard and make a date to see this show running through May 27th. Bring a youngster. Support the Greater Chicago Food Depository with a donation. Buy the book in the gift shop and get ready for a heartwarmingly wonderful hour of entertainment. After the CCT engagement, the next stop: Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis, also directed by Godinez. 

PHOTOS|CHARLES OSGOOD

CHICAGO CHILDREN's THEATRE
Presents
A New Musical
LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET
through May 27th
The Station
100 S. Racine Avenue
(312) 374-8835

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