PicksInSix Review: Back to the Future-The Musical-Broadway in Chicago

“It works. It Works. IT WORKS!”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

It’s hard to avoid the what-if’s of time travel when it comes to the 1985 Robert Zemeckis film “Back to the Future” and its two sequels that have been entertaining audiences over the last 40 years. Jettisoning back along the space-time continuum to intentionally—or unintentionally—reorder events, change the future or restore balance to the universe has always been the stuff of classic science fiction storytelling.

The original “Back to the Future” was a real crowd-pleaser and a revelation for those of us around at the time. Sure, we had home movies, photo albums and family histories, but we could only imagine the past through the memories of those closest to us. Years from now, those memorable moments will be documented on a digital device in all formats, but obviously none of that existed when we were first introduced to a youthful rock n’ roller and his eccentric pal, the physicist who discovers a way to go back in time 1985 style. Taking the story from film to a live stage version creates some challenges and provides a splendid opportunity for eye-popping special effects.

At the opening of the national touring production of the John Rando directed “Back to the Future—The Musical” on Wednesday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, I realized there was now a new generation introducing live theater to a much younger version as evidenced by a family of five sitting directly in front of me.  It was apparent to me that somewhere along the line I had taken for granted Doc Brown’s childlike wonder or the campy awkwardness of George McFly as he heroically confronts Biff in a parking lot, but not this crew.

For at least one of the three boys ranging in age from eight to mid-teen, this show was a first and they had a blast! Their joyous, wild enthusiasm for the extraordinary special effects and the techno star of the show—a slick, shiny DeLorean DMC-12 that makes a series of dramatic entrances and exits—was infectious. As avid young fans, their enjoyment was enhanced by the story as well because of its close proximity to the film and as a result, they followed along intently. And while we all know pretty much what was coming next, the Bob Gale book wisely stays within the margins and allows the stage version of “Back to the Future-The Musical” to evolve into a night of fun-filled family entertainment with more than enough whimsy and heart to wow the crowd.  

Or to borrow one of the Alan Silvestri/Glen Ballard lyrics sung by Doc Brown (a terrific role for Don Stephenson) when he first discovers proof of the viability of the flux capacitor: “It works. It Works! IT WORKS!” From Caden Brauch’s energetic portrayal of Marty McFly coaching the younger version of his dad George (a hilarious Burke Swanson) in “Put Your Mind To It” and the sultry Zan Berube’s rendition of “Pretty Baby” as the youthful Lorriane Baines in her bedroom with a trio of singers to Cartreze Tucker knocking the stuffing out of “Gotta Start Somewhere” as the young Goldie Wilson with the multi-talented ensemble and Stephenson’s blissful ballad “For the Dreamers,” this show has something for the young-at-heart of all ages.  But, oh that car is the real star!

When the original 2020 production was shut down in its first week due to the pandemic, you can bet that producers had no idea that four years later productions of “Back to the Future—The Musical” would be running concurrently in London, on Broadway and now in a 28 city national tour through August 2025. Safe to say that Marty, Doc and all the rest will be back in time well into the foreseeable future.       

PHOTO|Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
National Tour
BACK TO THE FUTURE—THE MUSICAL
Cadillac Palace Theatre
through September 1, 2024

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BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

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PicksInSix Review: The Lord of the Rings-A Musical Tale - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

“We Hobbits Like A Good Tale!”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Wizards, Hobbits and Elves have taken up residency in a Middle-earth all their own at Chicago Shakespeare Theater with the U.S. Premiere of the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece “The Lord of the Rings-A Musical Tale” that opened Friday in The Yard, CSF’s state-of-the-art 700-seat venue. The show, directed by Paul Hart, boasts awe-inspiring special effects, whimsical puppetry and a superb, multi-talented Chicago cast to tell the story of Bilbo Baggins (Rick Hall), Gandolf (Tom Amandes), Frodo (Spencer Davis Milford), Samwise (Michael Kurowski), and the rest of Fellowship of the Ring who save mankind from destruction.

With book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and music by A. R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightgale, “The Lord of the Rings” incorporates actors as singer/musicians in what is largely a play with music versus a traditional musical. Characters move throughout The Yard’s massive space, in, out and above the audience with eye-popping surprises along the way, not the least of which is the impressive entrance and commanding performance of Tony Bozzuto as Gollum, who is everywhere all at once.

The dense story of the journey to Mordor by Frodo and Sam to destroy the ring in the foundry where it was forged has been streamlined in such a way that those not familiar with the story can follow the evolving action even if many of the characters come and go in the blink of an eye. There is more than enough here for loyalists as well although the overall pace would be improved by reducing the 2 hour and 45 minute run time, not including the 15 minute intermission.

There is remarkable, and often startling, puppetry early on—and one additional confrontation that took everyone by surprise—which when combined with the live action sequences elevate the mystical nature of the piece. Those familiar with Peter Jackson’s film trilogy will not be disappointed, but may do well to manage their expectations as this show is more about the characters and story.

Chicago audiences are fortunate to have the premiere here at Shakes through September 1. Later this fall, the production travels to the 2,379-seat Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, the locale that Jackson chose for Hobbiton, the mythical shire that today is an international tourist destination for Tolkien enthusiasts.  At three times the size of The Yard with an expansive proscenium and lift system, the Civic, built in 1929 is an atmospheric theatre—one of only seven in the world—with a unique skyscape of stars and clouds which will surely allow audiences an enhanced experience for the show.

So it was natural for me to feel that in its present form, “The Lord of the Rings-A Musical Tale” still has some room to coalesce for its next date with destiny. Staging Tolkien’s epic fantasy is a high order for the stellar cast of Chicago-based talent who are leading the way and more than up for the task. An adventure of a lifetime for sure.

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale
through September 1

The Yard
Navy Pier

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PicksInSix Review: The Bridges of Madison County - Dunes Arts Summer Theatre

“Spinning By In One Split Second”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Francesca (Kristianna Dilworth) and her husband Richard “Bud” Johnson (Gabriel Reitemeier) have overcome multiple challenges to forge a life on a 300 acre farm in Winterset, Iowa with their two teenage children Michael (Jackson Mikkelsen) and Carolyn (Emma Radtke). As “The Bridges of Madison County” opens, she sings hopefully of the life they have built together, one we find out along the way that is not at all what she envisioned as a young girl growing up in Italy during World War II. She would meet Bud after the death of her soldier fiancé, leave Naples as it was being brutally torn apart and arrive in America to start anew, learning the language and all that comes with raising a family.

Now, years later in 1965, Francesca’s feelings of isolation in the Midwest, trapped within the daily routine of her life, are all consuming. So, with little enthusiasm for the Indiana State Fair and more for reading a book and watching the sky go by, she decides to stay behind alone as Bud takes the kids and a two-ton steer to the 4H national competition. The separation feels natural in a way: Bud, Carolyn and Michael are excited about the event and Francesca admits that having no plans at all for the few days by herself will be a liberating experience.

When Robert Kincaid (Max DeTogne), a National Geographic photographer on assignment, arrives at the door of the Johnson home, Francesca offers to ride with him to the location of Roseman, the last bridge he needs to photograph and the first step on a path that leads the two together into a passionate affair that presents both unimaginable opportunities and a potentially devastating outcome.

The Dunes Arts Summer Theatre production, the brilliant and sensitively staged work of Artistic Director Steve Scott, features the equally superb music direction of Andrew Flasch who renders the rich Jason Robert Brown score brimming with melodies and counter melodies with ease. The book by Marsha Norman is based on the bestselling novel by Robert James Waller that also spawned the 1995 film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood.

The Dunes ensemble, whose impressive vocal harmonies add depth and nuance to the piece, are led by the extraordinary performances of Dilworth and DeTogne in lead roles. Dilworth, a St. Louis native who now lives in Arlington, Virginia, is simply stunning in all facets of the deeply layered role of Francesca expressing the complexity of a woman at a turning point in her life, upended by passion, conflicted and longing for a path to what could be.  I have long admired DeTogne’s work in Chicago and this may well be one of his finest performances to date, delivering a strong, yet sensitive man who understands the enormous consequences of his deep, abiding love for Francesca.

Director Scott also successfully navigates two delicate relationships in the piece: the ebb and flow between Francesca and Bud, a finely-paced line that Reitemeier follows impeccably with depth and understanding while displaying his own exceptional vocal skills; and, Marge (Kim Lampl) and Charlie (Jim Lampl), the down home neighbors who recognize what is transpiring and provide the caring support that Francesca will need to sort things out. Framed in a sleek modular set designed by Micheal Lasswell, fine costume work by Emily Chidalek with evocative lights and sound by Arturo Pozos and Jake Tillman, the Dunes production of “The Bridges of Madison County” is a moving and memorable evening of theatre not to be missed.

PHOTO|Andy Neal

Dunes Arts Summer Theatre
presents
The Bridges of Madison County
Michiana Shores, Indiana
through August 11

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PicksInSix Review: Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil - Goodman Theatre

“What A Lovely Place To Die.”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The long-awaited, world premiere of the musical version of John Berendt’s epic book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” directed by Rob Ashford and choreographed by Tanya Birl-Torres opened Monday in Goodman’s Albert Theatre with all the opulence that befits a true crime story set in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. There in the darkness at the start the voodoo priestess Minerva (Brianna Buckley) is revealed whose reach into the past beyond the world of the living has a mystical and spiritual impact on believers searching for otherworldly assistance.  At the center of the unfolding story is the stately, upper-crust of Savannah society whose sole purpose it is to know the business—ahem, the “historical legacy”—of everyone else. In between, there is a bizarre cavalcade of characters who frame the true-to-life story that compelled Berendt to move from New York to Savannah to tell it.

Berendt’s contribution to Savannah’s legacy spawned a four-year run as a New York Times bestseller, a major motion picture directed by Clint Eastwood, and now, three decades later, the musical faces head-on the challenge of condensing all of the complicated relationships, visual imagery and dramatic energy into one, robust, marketable production that will appeal to a universal audience. Or more specifically, three distinct audiences— one composed of diehard fans who have been immersed in the book and film and have even visited the city that Sherman spared in his 1864 March to the Sea and that Berendt has made famous (or to some, infamous); those who have either read the book or seen the film, but not both; and, those to whom the musical will be their first introduction to the material.

I met one of those people in that last group in the lobby at intermission. He was curious about the format of the book, had just purchased an autographed hardcover—Berendt was in the house and took a deserved bow at curtain call—and was mildly perplexed, but genuinely excited, about where things were going. As the questions kept coming, it occurred to me that each of these adaptations—book, film and musical—are so vastly different from each other that I could spend a lot of time, and more than space allowed, highlighting similarities and differences and never get around to the purpose at hand. So, I politely suggested that Part I of Berendt’s exceptional book brought us to, more or less, precisely where we were at intermission of the musical—a shooting in the Mercer House, built by the great-great grandfather of Johnny Mercer, has left the owner and sole occupant facing trial for the murder of his male lover. Based on what had happened thus far I admitted that it would be anybody’s guess how things come together in Act II.

Bernedt’s story is as much a true crime drama as it is a reflection of Southern aristocracy. And although Taylor Mac’s script refers to it as “a work of fiction inspired by a non-fiction book,” adding that “Dramatic license is used, honey,” the central figures in this drama are a combination of real people or composites of others. Jim Williams (Tom Hewitt), The Lady Chablis (J. Harrison Ghee), Danny Hansford (Austin Colby) and Emma Dawes (Sierra Boggess) and the Preservation League Ladies bring much of Berendt’s whip-smart dialogue to life, which those familiar with the book and film will find satisfying. Many who know the material will be listening for those pearls amid Mac’s reimagined timeline framed in Christopher Oram’s magnificent scenescape that vividly recreates the antebellum grandeur of the city in one moment and exposing the eerie, gothic nature of Bonaventure Cemetery in the next.

With Berendt’s richly defined characters in place, the musical challenge is to build and sustain suspense along a fairly predictable arc that leads to Williams public condemnation and multiple trials and Ashford has infused a zesty, comic wink and nod along the way. The over-arching element that stands alone in this treatment is the magnified contrast between the confident flamboyance of J. Harrison Ghee’s brilliant portrayal of Chablis, the transgender Empress of Savannah against Hewitt’s measured and less charismatic, but increasingly cold and calculating Williams whose Teflon charms serve him well at every turn.

With so much attention on the comic relief of Emma and the Preservation League Ladies storyline, some of the finer aspects of Berendt’s work—most notably the trial scenes that serve to elaborate on the facts of the case in the book—are conjoined together in one number of composer and lyrist Jason Robert Brown’s score. And while Brown’s impressive musical stylings and expert music direction by Thomas Murray include “Mercer House,” “Since My Mama Died,” “True Crime,” “What A Ride,” “Reasonable Doubt,” and “Restoration,” and prove to be essential to the story, there is a smattering of numbers that attempt to hold a weaker subplot together. These sections feel both forced and out of place to the point that the eventual message of equality that is trying to find a light of its own lacks the necessary inspirational spark.

Depending upon where in the audience categories you may fall, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” will leave you with a range of conflicting emotions. In its current iteration, the choice of replacing a universal narrator with characters telling their own stories places a lot of responsibility on the audience who clearly serve here as both author of the story being told and as a participating partner with Lady Chablis’s clever and enjoyable repartee. How that story transcends to a Broadway stage rests on the enormous talents of Ghee and Hewitt to keep things on track.

And, if you see a dogless dogwalker or the late night ritual of burying dimes and pouring rainwater anywhere near Times Square in the not-too-distant future, you will know that there are other spiritual forces at work.   

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
WORLD PREMIERE

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Albert Theatre
through August 11, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: Ain't Misbehavin' - Drury Lane Theatre

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ - Revival Worth Waiting For!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

For those looking to enjoy a soulful and spirited night of jazz music, consider a visit to Drury Lane Theatre for the wildly entertaining revival of Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz’s 1978 Tony Award–winning musical revue, “Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show.” 

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” celebrates the music of legendary Thomas “Fats” Waller, a popular and influential performer who first studied classical piano and organ before becoming a master of Harlem stride piano playing. The production features over 30 of Waller’s captivating melodies and an incredibly talented cast that brings to life Waller’s prolific songwriting skills with an impressive range of artistry that captures all the emotions of Waller’s catalog from the heartfelt and sultry moments to the upbeat and comedic.

Director E. Faye Butler set the production in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood to share its history through Waller’s music. Butler and choreographer Mz. Flo Walker-Harris do a remarkable job in staging an old fashioned good time, right here in Chicago, and the creative team similarly soars with a set, costumes, wigs, hair and makeup that truly transport and transcend — Andrew Boyce (scenic designer), Lee Fiskness (lighting designer), McKinley Johnson (costume designer), and Kevin S. Foster II (wig, hair and makeup designer).  

The rich vocals of the five-member cast, under the musical direction of William Foster McDaniel and sound engineering of Stephanie Farina, make it so easy to lose track of the time and to get lost in the thrill of it all.  While each song shines in its own right, a few must be highlighted. James T. Lane, Alanna Lovely, Alexis J. Roston, Micah Mixon, Lorenzo Rush Jr. are sensational in “Black and Blue” in reaching heavenly harmonies together. Lorenzo’s comedy chops shine in “Your Feet’s Too Big,” and Lane is too smooth in “The Viper’s Drag.” Other standouts include “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Mean to Me” and the jubilant audience interaction in “Fat and Greasy.”

Perhaps the best part of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is just how entertaining it is from start to finish. As soon as the show begins, a vibrancy takes hold and pulls the audience into an evening of celebration and delight. It felt good to connect with the stories that unfolded with each song and to fully embrace the feeling of, well, feeling good. 

“Ain’t Misbehavin’” is something special and in the words of Waller himself “the piano’s thumpin’ The dancers are bumpin'. This here spot is more than hot. In fact, the joint is jumpin.’  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Justin Barbin

DRURY LANE THEATRE
presents

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’
The Fats Waller Musical Show
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace
through August 18, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: Talley's Folly - Dunes Arts Summer Theatre

Lovers Reunite in Dune’s “Talley’s Folly”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The second production of the 2024 Dunes Arts Summer Theatre season is Lanford Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Talley’s Folly,” the second installment of Wilson’s Talley Trilogy that includes “Fifth of July” and “Talley and Son.” Released as a prequel to the critically acclaimed “Fifth of July” set in Wilson’s hometown of Lebanon, Missouri and chronicling the Talley family in 1977, the two other installments are set thirty three years earlier on the same day: July 4, 1944.

While “Talley and Son” plays out in the Talley homestead as a confrontation between generations about the future of the Talley family and is chronologically first in the trilogy, Wilson wrote and set “Talley’s Folly” in an isolated and decaying folly on the estate where Sally Talley (Amanda Tomczak), a young nurse, reunites with Matt Friedman (Rob Morris), a middle-aged Jewish accountant who returns to rekindle the romance of the previous summer and to propose marriage.

Directed at Dunes by Morgan McCabe, the two-hander unfolds over the course of ninety-seven minutes on an elaborate and impressive dockside set designed by Michael Lasswell with evocative lighting by Arturo Pozos. In the early evening, Matt awaits the arrival of Sally who has vigorously avoided him over the past year since their passionate liaison yet seeks him out. One might expect a more heartfelt reunion, but Sally’s abrupt and immediate admonishment comes as a shock to Matt. There are reasons for Sally’s behavior, we learn, as things progress. At the same time, Matt discloses the stunningly severe, inhumane treatment his family has endured as they fled Nazi oppression.

Early on, “Talley’s Folly” feels like an ill-fated love story, particularly as we discover the clash of Sally’s southern roots and Matt’s Jewish heritage. When the couple first met in the summer of 1943, the tide of the war had not yet turned so we are left to imagine the two lovers finding their emotional escape together within the fear of the time and isolation of the folly. That hopefulness, dashed by the family’s wholesale rejection of the affair, leaves only Matt’s dogged persistence to bring them back together.

Morris and Tomczak dive into these two challenging roles with gusto and there is a sense that their destiny is to escape together when all is done. Tomczak’s Sally is a strong, southern survivor whose life, shaped by fate, now offers few hopeful alternatives. In playing to the uneasy pressure and remorse to abide by her family’s wishes, Tomczak often overshadows the genuine love and affection that lies just beneath the surface and is desperate to reveal itself. Morris, whose lively character sets the tone of the piece, is effective in breaking through those emotional barriers to find common ground. And while satisfying, the production would benefit from the hint of playfulness that lovers have in such a secluded rendezvous to help elevate the humor in Wilson’s text while sustaining the moments of confrontation and drama in the piece as the two face the prospect of a challenging, post-war future together.

“Talley’s Folly” runs through July 14 at the Dunes theatre and is followed by “The Bridges of Madison County” with book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, directed by Dunes artistic director Steve Scott opening July 26. 

PHOTO|Dunes Summer Theatre
Dunes Arts Summer Theatre
presents
Talley’s Folly
Michiana Shores, Indiana
through July 14

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PicksInSix Review: Little Bear Ridge Road - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

METCALF IN MESMERIZING RETURN AT STEPPENWOLF
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Samuel D. Hunter’s brilliant new play “Little Bear Ridge Road” now enjoying an extended world premiere run at Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater might not have ever happened if Tony Award winning director Joe Mantello and iconic Steppenwolf Ensemble member Laurie Metcalf had not approached Hunter to develop a project for Metcalf.  

That was a little more than a year ago and the resulting work traces the reemerging relationship between Metcalf’s irascible character Sarah and her gay nephew Ethan (Micah Stock), the last surviving members of the Fernsby family who are navigating the aftermath of the death of Ethan’s estranged father. Ethan has arrived on Sarah’s doorstep near Moscow, Idaho with little more than a writing degree and the wherewithal to rent a hotel room for a few days let alone the weeks he would need to settle his father’s estate. Sarah lives a private, secluded life alone on Little Bear Ridge Road, her 40 year nursing career shrinking to three shifts a week and is not at all excited that Ethan may now be her house guest for an undetermined period of time.

Things move quickly in conversations between the two, exposing Sarah’s unbridled opinions and hilariously mundane lifestyle, Ethan’s conflicted relationship with his father in the years prior to his death and his own disheveled personal life and uncertain future. The combination of Metcalf and Stock, with Mantello’s expertly paced direction, allow the series of crisp early scenes of Hunter’s script to seamlessly define both characters.  As time passes, Ethan ventures out to a bar and hooks up with James (a rock solid performance by John Drea), who sees some potential in a relationship, but wants to slow things down at first. As that relationship takes shape, James finds himself in a revealing conversation with Sarah. Details about Sarah’s health challenges emerge, which have the two-fold effect of bringing the two men closer together and shifting the dynamics of the drama in Sarah’s direction.

Hunter’s writing is clever, succinct and punctuated by Metcalf’s marvelous presence on stage. Even as we revel in the robust early comic interaction of the play, it is the dramatic turn of the piece that elevates this drama, exemplifies Hunter’s exceptional storytelling ability and exposes the emotional core of the piece.

The elegant, stylized stage design by Scott Pask is set with a home theater seating unit that revolves to suggest alternate scenes. There is a lone ceiling fan above and an expansive, circular stage floor all enhanced by Heather Gilbert’s lighting design and Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design. The look of this show is clean, simple and amazingly effective.

Over the course of ninety minutes, Metcalf is a mesmerizing force on stage and a joy to watch, her flawless, wide range of comic timing and dramatic sensibilities on full display. Stock plays Ethan with a fragile, measured intensity that emerges in a definitive scene with Drea and then becomes unhinged in a stunning definitive confrontation with Metcalf. And when Meighan Gerachis appears in a brief but powerful and satisfying coda to the drama, we are left to ponder the importance of making choices that look forward with hope rather than backward with regret.

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY

Presents

WORLD PREMIERE

LITTLE BEAR BRIDGE ROAD
Downstairs Theater
1650 N. Halsted
Extended
through August 4, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: The Kite Runner—Broadway In Chicago

“Kite Runner” poignant, moving… and shocking.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

If you’ve never read the bestselling novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini—a tale of friendship between two Afghan boys and how their choices dictate their adult lives—you are missing a real treatise in the nature of youth growing up. And as the audience was witness to the luscious theatrical take of the novel by Matthew Spangler, playing at Broadway in Chicago’s CIBC Theatre through June 23, it is striking how many of the themes that progress throughout the story are so universal and timeless, both in the family dynamic and inside us all as individuals. Friendship, betrayal, bigotry, sacrifice, courage (or lack of), there is an endless touch on all these ideas. It’s a stark lesson for all in Afghan culture and tradition that becomes highly accessible to all who invest in the storytelling, which, even in its challenges, is first rate and quite articulate.

The play opens atmospherically with a tabla player, offering some gentle, syncopated rhythm on his hand drum set, even as the audience enters the house.  Most of the story then revolves around the main character telling his side of things. His name is Amir, a comparatively well-to-do boy whose family has servants. One of the servants is Hassan, who serves Amir not only in deed but in their relationship as best friends. The separation between them is never really forgotten, it’s simply cast aside when convenient for the two boys to enjoy each other in growing up. There is an annual kite competition and Amir and Hassan enter it. It’s not a normal kite fight, so to speak. Contestants also have to run down the competition while in the air, last man standing. Amir feels special pressure from his father Baba to participate, since Baba senses that his sensitive son is not up to all the expectations that are placed in front of him. As the father did as a youth, Amir (with Hassan’s expert help) stunningly wins the competition and find at least a little compassion and respect in Baba’s house, even if it’s temporary.

Amir and Hassan are menaced by a gang of young thugs, whose claim on the prize for the kite competition was interrupted. That gang, in its continual harassment of the two friends, steals the magic blue kite that wins the prize and physically assault Hassan in the process while Amir watches helplessly.  Amir acquires a growing, lifelong guilt for not having stopped the violence, and Hassan is so loyal to his friend and master that he takes whatever punishment comes. In fact, the guilt is so strong that Amir simply denies the friendship any more influence and even tries to plant a theft under Hassan’s bed, so that he and his family will be banished. To Amir’s utter surprise, Hassan confesses to a crime he did not commit. And a bigger surprise comes when Baba forgives him—something that shapes the father/son relationship for the rest of their lives.  Eventually Hassan and his father leave the house in shame, taking with them a dreadful family secret owned by both fathers. In the meantime, the country is invaded by the Russians (the entire story all takes place between 1973-2001), and so Baba and his family need to leave for their own protection and come to America, specifically San Francisco. And this is just Act I.

From then on, the family becomes somewhat Americanized. Amir becomes the writer he always wants to be. He meets his future wife Soraya, a teacher in her own right. They want to have children but cannot conceive and consider adoption. Her father, a general back home, distastefully rejects such a notion because of a “blood” consideration—a bit like the old notion “but you don’t know where that’s been” in his regard for adoption. You know, purity of the bloodline and all. And at this point, Amir goes back to Afghanistan to discover the moment in his own life where guilt can at last be assuaged and shape itself into a kind of redemption. It’s a part of the story that one needs to witness to understand its impact. It’s abrupt and shocking and very personal. And quick, almost too much for some. But it works in a grandly affecting manner, as a part of the entire directing challenge ably steered by Giles Croft, who also directed the Broadway production.

Truth is, this is a full ensemble play at its core; everyone is not only involved in character, but to support the story as props and musicians. The two most elegant and touching scenes they have are where kites are flown in a ritualistic, poetic presentation. There is also a gorgeous set of kite representations onstage that are used as a kind of combination curtain and backdrop to separate the scenes out, arriving onstage like a giant butterfly. Wind effects, background noise, all are offered up by the marvelous ensemble here. 

Ramzi Khalaf is a wonderfully effective Amir and does the really difficult task of narrator/actor a great justice. Shahzeb Zahid Hussain as Hassan grabs you hard and eloquently in his character’s vulnerability and loyalty. As the well-to-do merchant Baba, Haythem Noor is both menacing and vulnerable in trying to find a way to identify with the son Amir.  As Soraya, Awesta Zarif is properly reserved at first, only to finally open up to Amir in that awkward, loving way that all youth discovers love.  The entire experience here is poignant and moving. And shocking. And just what theatre, in my eyes, should be. It’s not at all like humming a tune from a musical, but leaving the theatre in a thoughtful mood.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Bekah Lynn Photography

Broadway in Chicago
presents
The Kite Runner
CIBC Theatre
through June 23, 2023

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PicksInSix Review: Love, Chaos & Dinner - Teatro ZinZanni

Teatro ZinZanni delivers high-flying entertainment!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

There was a genuine air of excitement for the opening on Friday of Teatro ZinZanni’s 2024 summer show in the magnificent Spiegeltent ZaZou on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel in the heart of the Chicago Loop Theatre District. There were several birthdays being celebrated and at least one bubbly bachelorette party having fun, the revelers being set apart from the rest of the glittery crowd with rhinestone-studded foreheads and matching eye shadow. At the main entrance on Randolph just off Dearborn, there is a savvy new mascot to mark the location: a four-foot pink elephant statue that beckons you to enter. From the lobby, guests are escorted via a private elevator to the main event that combines a wide array of topflight cirque acts, music, comedy, cabaret and a four-course dinner. It is a ride we have taken often since 2019 and this unique show would typically be more than enough to get the sold-out crowd on their feet.

But there was more.

Another event last week had people buzzing well before the lights went up. Teatro ZinZanni’s extraordinary featured vocalist LiV Warfield, a Chicago-based performer from Peoria, Illinois and a veteran of prior shows, appeared on America’s Got Talent on June 4 and received a Golden Buzzer from host Simon Cowell for the performance of her original song “Stare” which equates to a direct pass to AGT’s live show finale round. Those live final episodes begin in mid-August, so Chicago audiences will have at least the next two months to make their reservations to revel in Warfield’s exceptional talent in the Belgian Spiegeltent.

The entire production is under the artistic direction of founder Norm Langill and is directed by Teatro ZinZanni veterans Kevin Kent and Elena Gattilova under the superlative musical direction of Theodis Rodgers, Jr. with choreography by Mickael Bazajet, all framed in inventive set and properties by Shauna Frasier and the stunning costumes of Debra “Beaver” M. Bauer.

In addition to Warfield and the charismatic impresario Cunio who share the soaring featured musical segments, the show features an impressive company. Kent, a seasoned comic force of nature, plays the captivating clown queen Doily (and a lovestruck aviator, Amelia) whose hilarious, over-the-top antics and clever repartee with the audience appeals to all ages. The array of international cirque acts includes the high energy hula hoop artist Vita Radionova (another AGT finalist), the astounding contortionist and foot archer Elayne Kramer, Bazajet and Vlada Romanova (Micky and Vlada) a thrilling acrobatic dancing duo, and the superb aerialist Raphael Nepomuceno.

It all adds up to a high-flying evening of non-stop entertainment complimented by a delectable four-course menu from Chef Jacob Sutter. That menu includes a variety of main course choices and an expanded offering of appetizers, entrée upgrades and specialty cocktails. The bustling service staff and immersive nature of the artists add to the festive and fun atmosphere that make Teatro ZinZanni a terrific night out to dress up and party down at one of Chicago’s most unique and exciting performance venues.  

PHOTO|Elliot Fisher

TEATRO ZINZANNI CHICAGO
presents
LOVE, CHAOS, AND DINNER
Spiegeltent ZaZou
Cambria Hotel
32 West Randolph
14th Floor
Open Run

WEBSITE

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PicksInSix Review: Blithe Spirit - Dunes Summer Theatre

“I’ll Be Loving You…Always”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Is there a better way to introduce an audience to a superb regional theatre production of Noël Coward’s classic farce “Blithe Spirit” at the Dunes Summer Theatre than a hauntingly beautiful performance of Irving Berlin’s immortal love song “Always” by the enchanting spirit of the play herself? It’s one of many nuanced enhancements by director Michael Lasswell who has crafted a briskly-paced comic offering for the acclaimed summer theatre that opened its 73rd season on Friday night.

The word “crafted” is not used lightly here since in addition to directing an exuberant cast in a smart, spry and entertaining production of one of Coward’s most well-known and challenging works, Lasswell also contributed a stunning 1940s era scenic design. The creative elements of this show—Emily Chidaleck’s stylish costumes accented by Arturo Pozos’s flawless lighting design and the gentle but mystical touch of Jake Tillman’s sound design—and that exquisite performance at the top by Danielle Kerr, set the tone perfectly for all the enjoyable mayhem that follows.

The “Blithe Spirit” of Coward’s title is actually Elvira Condomine (Kerr), the long-deceased first wife of British novelist Charles Condomine (Sean Kelly) who is ‘materialized’ from the otherworld by Madame Arcati (Madeline Pell), an appealingly eccentric psychic who is invited for cocktails, dinner and a séance at the Condomine manor house in southeast London. It’s all a bit of a ruse by Charles who is working on a new project and hopes to gather research into the mixed up, mystic world in which Arcati resides. What starts out as after-dinner entertainment evolves into comic chaos as Elvira answers Arcati’s call and begins to wield her own special havoc first on Charles and then on his current wife Ruth (Danielle Bilderback) for her own ends.

While Ruth tries to rationalize the erratic actions of her husband, things start to fly about and Ruth senses the very real threat that Elvira’s spirit may be settling in to stay. So, it’s up to the spiritual prowess of Madame Arcati to bring things back to normal with a spell or two of her own.

Lasswell draws fine performances from Kelly and Bilderback who have to cope with the haunting presence of Kerr’s captivating Elivira. Pell’s brilliant comic turn as Madame Arcati is a laugh-out-loud riot. Rounding out the cast is Mary Jane Britton as the Condomine’s unwavering maid, Edith, Dean Johanson as Dr. Bradman and Stacy Nelson as Mrs. Bradman.

The Dunes Summer Theatre, the oldest continually produced company in Northwest Indiana, is under the artistic direction of Chicago-based theatre artist and director Steve Scott and managing director Elise Kermani. “Blithe Spirit plays through June 16 and the summer season continues with productions of Talley’s Folly (June 28-July 14) directed by Morgan McCabe and The Bridges of Madison County (July 26-August 11) directed by Scott – exciting and promising nights of theatre for the months ahead in Michiana Shores.

PHOTO|Dunes Summer Theatre
Dunes Arts Summer Theatre
presents
BLITHE SPIRIT
Michiana Shores, Indiana
through June 16

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PicksInSix Review: Black Sunday - TimeLine Theatre Company

‘BLACK SUNDAY’ – A Captivating Cautionary Tale
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

TimeLine Theatre Company’s world premiere production of “Black Sunday” written by Chicago playwright Dolores Díaz and directed by Helen Young, is a gripping drama about life in the harrowing days leading up to Sunday, April 14, 1935, when a dust bowl of epic proportions consumed the plains states with a devastating impact that reverberated across the nation.

TimeLine’s “Black Sunday” begins with a stunning cinematic prologue that traces the ecological impact of two decades of homesteading that initially reaped the rewards of the fertile prairie land but would ultimately disrupt and destroy the natural balance of the ecosystem. Drought and an increase in the jackrabbit population led to crop failure as coyotes preyed on farm animals created a perfect storm of destruction for the once promising frontier.

In the midst of this decaying situation, homesteaders who had flocked to the west with hope of starting a new life now faced a daily battle for survival. For one family—Pa (David Parkes), Ma (Michelle Moe) and Sunny (Angela Morris)— the heightened anxiety of living in squalor and fear as the impending winds blow all around them is palpable. Pa is a defiant settler, angry and unhinged but determined to keep his family together at all costs, even in the face of life and death. Ma is increasingly haunted by visions of the future, images and dreams that manifest themselves in a crude series of drawings that could hold the key to what is to come. Sunny has known only despair and isolation in her young life and now aspires to find any way to escape the hopelessness that she feels for her situation and the ruthless nature of her father’s control over the situation.

Díaz weaves into this family drama Jesύs (Christopher Alvarenga), a Mexican migrant worker who had hoped to start a new life for his family in California and Jim (Vic Kuligoski) a minister who has attracted the attention of Sunny over her mother’s protective objections. As the days click down on this intense drama and the gritty tension of the pending storm reaches a fever pitch, emotions flare and a stunning twist is realized.

“Black Sunday” is both a brilliant historical retrospective and a captivating cautionary tale for our time about the impact of climate change on our resources. The work also shines a light on the migrant workers story of the era and comes at a time when that story is being told to a new generation. Moreover, it stands as a powerful statement—then and now—about our personal responsibility to the environment and as stewards to our resources for future generations.

And “Black Sunday” steps in line as the final production in the 25-year succession of TimeLine’s rich dramatic storytelling in their Wellington location. Over the course of the next season, TimeLine Theatre Company will produce shows in association with Court Theatre, DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons and Writers Theatre as plans for a new home in Uptown take shape for one of Chicago’s most revered professional theatres.    

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
presents
World Premiere
BLACK SUNDAY
615 W. Wellington Avenue
through June 29

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PROGRAM

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PicksInSix Review: Death Becomes Her - Broadway in Chicago

“Death Becomes Her” - Masterful Musical Macabomedy!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The world premiere of the rollicking new musical “Death Becomes Her” opened Sunday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre combining an all-star cast with eye-popping special effects for a high-flying, side-splitting show. The book by Marco Pennette, with an original score by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, is remarkably true to the absurd 1992 film directed by Robert Zemeckis starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini about the search for immortality.

The new show is a masterful musical macabomedy with an unmatched, award-winning creative team led by director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli with music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and an equally outstanding cast starring Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber as the love triangle in the sights of the mystical temptress Viola Van Horn played by Michelle Williams who promises physical perfection and “Siempre Viva” (forever life) for a not-so-small fee and some stringent strings attached.  

At the heart of the storyline is the embattled relationship between the aging actress Madeline Ashton (Hilty) and struggling author Helen Sharp (Simard) who have been competing for the other’s riches all their lives. Everything Helen has Madeline wants which includes her doctor fiancé Ernest (Sieber) who is an easy mark for the wily starlet. The two are married which spirals Helen into a nervous breakdown.

Seven years pass and while Madeline and Ernest are trapped in an unhappy, loveless marriage, Helen emerges as a youthful, successful author seeking revenge for all of the misery Madeline has wrought. As she begins to plot with Ernest to put her out of the way so the two can live happily ever after, Madeline returns from her own meeting with Viola and the two face off, well, to the death. And that’s just the beginning of Ernest’s problems to keep the two looking fresh and fit in their forever lives.

At its best, the Mattison/Carey score—with magnificent orchestrations by Doug Besterman and dance and incidental music arrangements by Sam Davis all under the music direction of Ben Cohn—is terrific as evidenced by the electrifying crowd-pleaser “For The Gaze,” showcasing Hilty and the ensemble in the show within the show. Individually, Simard’s vocal and versatile comic abilities are on full display from the tortured, outcast in “Madeline” and “Falling Apart” to vengeful ex-lover who stands up for what she believes is rightfully hers. Williams’s stoic Viola, and the cast of immortals who surround her, delivers the soaring anthems “If You Want Perfection” and “I Warned You” in high style.  Sieber shines throughout as someone we can root for in “Till Death” and “The Plan” but it is the musical duel of Hilty and Simard evidenced in “Confrontation,” “Hit Me” and “Alive Forever” that propel the show forward to life ever after.

Derek McLane robust scenic design with Justin Townsend’s dazzling lighting provides the perfect backdrop for an array of magnificent costumes by Paul Tazewell. Peter Hylenski’s sound and Rob Lake spellbinding illusions  make the Broadway-bound “Death Becomes Her” a visual feast for the senses. Previews begin in October with opening scheduled for November 21, 2024, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, but you can see it now at the Cadillac through June 2.

PHOTO|Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman, 2024

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
presents
World Premiere
DEATH BECOMES HER
Cadillac Palace Theatre
through June 2, 2024

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SHOW WEBSITE

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

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PicksInSix Review: Judgment Day - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

“WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR HEAD?”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

There’s a deliciously hilarious show now playing in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a spritely, unabashed, comic romp that centers on a deceitful and wretched lawyer named Sammy Campo (Jason Alexander) who gets what everyone wants out of life: a second chance. The world premiere of “Judgment Day,” with a whip-smart, no-holds-barred script by Rob Ulin that’s loaded with laughs, casts the irrepressible Alexander as one of the most crass and insincere bottom feeders you will ever imagine, thanks as well to the crisp satiric direction of Moritz von Stuelpnagel.

Right at the top, coming on the heels of one of his greatest and most sinister of schemes, the throttled Sammy suffers a massive heart attack. During Sammy’s near-death experience, he is greeted in purgatory by an Angel (Candy Buckley) who appears to him as his former Catholic school teacher. No salvation here, though, as she welcomes the idea that Sammy will finally and forever be “attacked by pecking birds” and boiled in “flaming diarrhea” in Hell to pay for his sins.  

But, since there are always technicalities when you are dealing with matters of Heaven and Hell, Sammy is miraculously restored to the living, armed with a new mantra to accumulate points for good deeds that will realign the trajectory of his afterlife upward. All the insincerity that follows, spewing effortlessly from the irreverent Sammy Campo, begs the question: What will it take to turn this self-centered manipulator into a person worthy of the glory of Heaven?

Sammy first makes a pact with Father Michael (Daniel Breaker), a conflicted priest who jeopardizes his own well-being by ruffling the feathers of the by-the-good-book Monsignor (Michael Kostroff) by helping Sammy. There’s the hard luck story about Edna (Meg Thalken), a member of Father Michael’s congregation who is being evicted from her house for non-payment of her dead husband’s insurance claim. The third opportunity is the reconciliation with his love-lorn wife Tracy (Maggie Bofill) and son Casper (Ellis Meyers). As the relationship with Father Michael develops, Sammy reconciles with Tracy and settles in with Casper. Soon, even his steadfast and delightfully direct assistant Della (Olivia D. Dawson) begins to recognize glacial changes in Sammy’s demeanor. But the question of salvation remains to be answered and this is where “Judgment Day” must meet its maker.

In its best and most hilarious moments—and there are many—Ulin’s script clips along much like a television sitcom, dealing with our hard fast perceptions of spirituality, morality, sex and love. The lawyerly, contrary point of view that Alexander’s self-centered despot espouses is perfectly counterbalanced by Breaker’s everyman character. Ulin allows Father Michael to complete our thoughts at Sammy’s outrageous observations at every turn, whether in the confessional, on a stakeout of insurance adjuster Jackson (Joe Dempsey) or simply finding consolation and ultimately friendship on a park bench.

Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design elements transition from Sammy’s office to the confessional and Tracy’s home all framed in a massive faux stained glass backdrop that offers otherworldly opportunities for the combined efforts of Amith Chandrashaker’s lighting design, Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound and Tilly Grimes costumes. The open design allows Alexander full range of mobility, stepping in and out of scenes in search of his comic salvation in this highly entertaining piece that feels very much like it was heaven sent just for him.  

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
World Premiere
Jason Alexander
JUDGMENT DAY
through May 26

The Yard
Navy Pier

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PicksInSix Review: Midsummer Night's Dream - The Joffrey Ballet

WHAT A WEIRD AND REMARKABLE DREAM
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

Sometimes, a once clear line between dream and reality will blur. A fantastic and boundless dreamscape may blend into everyday surroundings causing tired eyes confusion as they awake and search for clarity in the recognizable. This uncertainty might conjure up an unease followed by an urge to ascribe meaning to the dream and the desire to still be in it. How chaotic and beautiful. Then, an alarm goes off. Time to start another day.

This is perhaps the best way to describe the immersive experience of The Joffrey Ballet’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” staged at the Lyric Opera House through May 5, 2024. The Joffrey Ballet first premiered “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by internationally renowned Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman in 2018. Now, the talented company closes its 2023-2024 season with its masterful return and by daring Chicago audiences to get real weird with it.

The first of two acts begins with a Dreamer (Dylan Gutierrez) in his bed seemingly dreaming before he awakens and joins a Hostess (Victoria Jaiani) for the Midsummer festivities. The curtains open to a visually stunning piece where the company dances amidst hay tossing up pieces in joyous synchronicity. The first act continues to weave through the summer solstice with rhythmic choreography around the maypole and a striking piece at a long communal dining table. The original lighting design by Linus Fellbom and recreated by Chris Maravich enchantingly transitions scenes from day to night before helping the audience later sink into the surreal in act two.

Ekman’s choreography blends classical and contemporary ballet. There’s freedom, fluidity and sheer fun that fills the stage throughout the production. The company connects seamlessly with each other, the set (Ekman) and the audience despite the massive size of the stage. They reflect dream-like scenarios through slow and precise movements and sprawl throughout the theater as both actual persons and shadowy figures on the walls. It is truly a vision.

The second act starts much like the first but quickly spirals into the large-scale absurdity of a wild dream. With widened eyes, audience members watch fleeting scenes of Headless men (Edson Barbosa and Davide Oldano) contorting on stage, floating tables, fish and bodies. The frenzy is magical to witness. Yet, one of the most impressive pieces in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” springs from a rare moment of tranquility amidst the dreamscape chaos. Adorned in sleepwear button downs, the women command an intoxicating beat and traverse the stage with stirring power and grace toward the end of the second act.

From start to finish, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a vivid celebration of love, dance, theatrics and wit. It blurs the lines between dream and reality and in doing so showcases the brilliance of leaning into imagination and sheer creativity. A must see.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Cheryl Mann

The Joffrey Ballet
presents
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Lyric Opera House
through May 5, 2024

WEBSITE

TICKETS

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PicksInSix Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone - Goodman Theatre

Riveting Performances Drive Goodman’s “Joe Turner”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

“A man forget his song, he forget who he is”… It was a line shared by Bynum Walker, a ‘conjure man’ whose awareness of life and people is reflected in Walker’s role as the compass, the conscience of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the staggering August Wilson play now at the Goodman Theatre through May 19.  There are several themes that flow throughout the play, all expertly articulated by Mr. Wilson—the song inside us all, identity, search, discovery, prejudice, the effect of money, the comparison of status, the supernatural, on and on.  It quietly inspires us to follow on one hand, then forcefully repels us with its stark reality on slavery and its influence on culture and society.

The story is so thick and full of imagery that it’s a real challenge to distill its essence in this forum.  It ostensibly takes place in and around the steel mills of 1911 Pittsburgh, focusing on the boarding house of Seth Holly (an easy, yet riveting portrayal by Dexter Zollicoffer), who charges guests a weekly rate “up front” and works at turning scrap metal into dustpans; and his wife Bertha (an elegant and comforting TayLar), whose natural ease belies her character’s real moral center in the house. And there’s a cast of wide-ranging tenants and visitors, whose performers all deserve kudos.

There’s the aforementioned Bynum Walker (Tim Edward Rhoze is eloquent, rock-steady and takes Walker’s purpose into firm hands); Rutherford Selig (a stoic, wonderfully deadpan Gary Houston), a peddler and ‘peoplefinder’ who visits the house on Saturdays; Herald Loomis (a dynamic presence from A.C. Smith), whose life was forever altered by ‘Joe Turner’, being kept in slavery for seven years, and whose search for his wife is both heroic and tragic; Mattie Campbell (the wonderful Nambi E. Kelley), a woman waiting for her own man to come home, but who wants to find direction through the eyes of others; and Jeremy Furlow (Anthony Fleming III in a real star turn), playing guitar, romantically preying on women and fighting his bosses all the way to unemployment.

Then there’s Molly Cunningham (Krystel V. McNeil, in a strong rendering of a character with conflicting impulses), a single woman on her own road, whose huge strain of independence tempts all the men in the house; Martha Loomis (Shariba Rivers skillfully inhabits her with both a sense of obligation and a feeling of dread), Herald’s wife, who is finally found after all the years of separation; Zonia Loomis (a simply heartbreaking presence by Kylah Renee Jones), who has accompanied her father on this endless quest at the tender age of 11; and Harper Anthony (the charming Reuben Mercer), whose scenes with Zonia result in a first kiss and a realization of growing up.

The grand Goodman spirit Chuck Smith, an avid and long-supportive interpreter of Mr. Wilson’s cycle, directs this play like a symphony conductor, with all the crescendos and quiet moments we can witness, as well as displaying Mr. Smith’s own deep affection for the playwright’s words and thoughts.  The not-so-abstract and stylish set design by Linda Buchanan shows an authority in understanding what’s needed to help tell this complex story.  And here’s something I’d like to mention.  It takes a real professional to keep this moving so smoothly and to affect how an audience perceives it all; the production stage manager Mars Wolfe surely had Mr. Smith’s vision in hand like it was personal.  Exquisite work.

Finally.  We began our reaction here with a referral to song, that we create our lives (or should) with a message of some kind.  Mr. Wilson recognizes that our message is indeed a song inside us, waiting to come out and be recognized in a world that doesn’t always know to do that.  “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” is a truly extraordinary piece of theatre, of storytelling, of the song that resonates for all of us within the human spirit. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
August Wilson’s
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

NOW EXTENDED
through May 19

TICKETS

WEBSITE

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PicksInSix Review: Guys and Dolls - Drury Lane Theatre

Shake the Dice. Save a Soul!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Looking for the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York with tough guys packing heat and cracking wise while a couple of old-time love stories unwind in locales as exotic as Havanna and the Hot Box Club? If so, then, the rock’em sock’em revival of the 1950 Tony Award winning “Guys and Dolls” now playing at Drury Lane Oakbrook is the show for you.  

Director/choreographer Dan Knechtges with co-music directors Roberta Duchak and Chris Sargent, who also conducts, have assembled an impressive ensemble of multi-talented performers for a highly-charged production showcasing the most cherished music and lyrics of Broadway’s legendary songsmith Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows based on Daymon Runyon’s stories and characters. The cavalcade of Loesser hits like the touching ballads “I’ll Know” and “More I Cannot Wish You,” the superb bigtime, song and dance spectacles “A Bushel and a Peck,” “Luck be a Lady,” and “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” make Drury Lane’s “Guys and Dolls” a musical extravaganza that pokes good-natured fun of the rough and tough guys and the glitzy glamor dolls from Runyon’s creative imagination.

As the story unfolds, the lovable huckster Nathan Detroit (Jackson Evans) has been unofficially engaged for 14 years to the vivacious Miss Adelaide (Alanna Lovely), headliner at the Hot Box Club. Adelaide is trying to get him to stop gambling and settle down to the life she has imagined all along. Meanwhile, Detroit and his ‘associates” Nicely-Nicely (Nkrumah Gatling) and Benny (Christopher Llewyn Ramirez) are trying to get a spot for some nightly action and stay a step or two ahead of the law in the process.

Against the backdrop of petty larceny and bawdy late night revelry, the dutiful missionary Sarah Brown (Erica Stephan), struggling to make a difference one sinner at a time at the Save-A-Soul Mission, falls hard and fast for the suave, high-stakes charmer Sky Masterson (Pepe Nufrio). When the love table turns on Sky, he finds himself suddenly searching for any way to win her back again including making good on his mark to fill up the evening prayer meeting to impress the zany General Cartwright (Heidi Kettenring) and save the mission from closing.

Drury Lane Theatre presents “Guys and Dolls” through June 9, 2024. More information and tickets HERE.

Stephan and Nufrio are perfect together. Their rich vocals and chemistry shine in the heartfelt Act I closer “My Time of Day/I’ve Never Been in Love Before.” Stephan, one of Chicago’s top performers, is simply marvelous. Nufrio’s smooth and effortless Sky is spot on in “My Time of Day,” and with the brilliant ensemble in “Luck Be a Lady.” Lovely sparkles as Adelaide, displaying excellent comedic chops in “Adelaide’s Lament” and singing, dancing and leading the Hot Box Girls in a sizzling version of “Take Back Your Mink” while chumming up with Evans’s hilarious and heartwarming Nathan for lots of laughs and their touching duet “Sue Me.”

Back at the mission, Gene Weygandt’s serves up a splendid Arvide Abernathy, Kettenring is a riot and everybody gets in the act when Gatling explodes into the rousing crowd favorite “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat.” Angela Weber Miller’s scenic design, framed in a glistening Broadway skyline, alternates seamlessly between the relatively solemn confines of the mission to the gritty underbelly of the city and the sultry Hot Box Club where Leon Dobkowski’s stunning costumes set the place on fire. All in, Drury Lane’s “Guys and Dolls” is a night filled of 7’s and 11’s for every high stakes roller in the audience.  

PHOTO|Brett Beiner

Drury Lane Theatre
presents
Guys and Dolls
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace
through June 9, 2024

WEBSITE

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PicksInSix Review: Peter Pan-Broadway in Chicago

Take Flight with Reimagined PETER PAN!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

“Peter Pan” opened in a limited run at the James N. Nederlander Theatre on Wednesday night with an audience full of children eager to watch the beloved characters soar off to Neverland. The wholesome production, directed by Lonny Price, maintains much of the magic of the original musical. Everyone was delighted the moment Peter Pan (Nolan Almeida) flies on stage to later search for and grapple with his mischievous shadow. In fact, all of the flying scenes are such fun with the best being the remarkable staging of the initial flight of Peter and the Darling children to Neverland.

This version also re-conceptualizes the story in important and necessary ways to create a more inclusive and less harmful portrayal of women and indigenous characters. These changes come from the additional book of Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse. Her telling gives a long overdue backstory to Tiger Lily (Raye Zaragoza) and the indigenous tribe now inhabiting Neverland. Each tribe member is the last of their people who have taken refuge on the island to preserve their culture before returning home someday. Tiger Lily and Peter also team up to run the island, and the two of them plus Wendy (Hawa Kamara) fight together against the pirates.

All of this is a great refresh to the original musical yet the production lacks depth and caters to a very young crowd. The narrative and dialogue only scratch the surface in addressing the full range of emotions and themes that have drawn so many into the story of a boy who refuses to grow up. “Peter Pan” focuses on innocence and imagination, and in turn leaves behind the more profound and at times darker feelings that arise when exploring concepts like home, preserving memories, motherhood and aging.

The musical is at its best, then, when leaning into spirited and cheerful musical numbers such as a tap dance from the Lost Boys and stage turtles, and when Peter Pan, Tiger Lily and the full company perform “Friends Forever” with endearing choreography and such heart.

Singularly, the actors do well in portraying their characters. Almeida plays Peter with confidence and charm. Kamara’s Wendy is warm and strong. Cody Garcia’s theatrics as Captain Hook are extravagant and entertaining. The pirates as a whole, though did not come across as gritty villains but instead goofy and cartoonish.

Yet, “Peter Pan” still brings plenty of enchantment to Chicago and will have many young audience members in wonder. The show runs through April 7.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | KAITLYN LINSNER is a Chicago-based attorney practicing construction and surety law.

PHOTO|Matthew Murphy

Broadway in Chicago
presents
PETER PAN
James N. Nederlander Theatre
through April 7, 2024

WEBSITE

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PicksInSix Review: Jersey Boys - Mercury Theater Chicago

Sweet, Sassy, Success Story, Richly Told!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Ed Tracy

After an electrifying opening on Thursday night at Mercury Theater Chicago,  “Jersey Boys,” the mega-hit Tony Award-winning musical has officially launched its first regional production in Chicagoland. Get in step, folks. This will be the hot ticket to get in town!

The Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice book follows the origin story of The Four Seasons, one of the top selling vocal groups of their, or any, time told from the perspective of each of the four guys who traded up from a Newark street corner to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Tommy DeVito (Adrian Aguilar), Nick Massi (Jason Michael Evans), Bob Gaudio (Andrew MacNaughton) and Frankie Valli (Michael Metcalf).

JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons at Mercury Theater Chicago through May 19, 2024.

Along the way, all night long, the memorable Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe hits keep coming, backed by the highly-charged Mercury Theater band under co-musical directors Eugene Dizon and Linda Madonia, and with choreography by Christopher Chase Carter, all under the co-stage direction of L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier.

And everyone on and off stage make it look easy, something that this magnificent show is decidedly not. With over 30 numbers, lots of moving parts, and barely over a dozen players covering numerous roles, Mercury’s “Jersey Boys” is a sweet, sassy, success story, richly told. Things move along at lightning speed on Bob Knuth’s mammoth, two-story scenic design framed with G. “Max” Maxin IV graphics that serve to both reinforce the story and provide multiple visual surprises. With Rachel Boylan’s costumes, lighting by Denise Karzcewski and Stephanie M. Senior’s sound design, this marvelous production is everything you could hope for.

The show also serves as a right of passage for a very select group of actor/singers at the top of their craft who can navigate a musical marathon of intricate harmonies, stage show choreography and the rigorous ebb and flow of a dramatic story that allows for multiple narrators to tell their own version of the story about friendship, family, overcoming obstacles and achieving success.

The multi-layered Mercury creative team hit solid gold with this extraordinary cast. Aguilar’s gritty, commanding portrayal of Tommy DeVito, the hardened, street smart leader of the group, propels the origin story forward at the outset while Evans’s superb, more introspective, troubled Nick Massi wins us over, particularly when the stress of keeping up wears him out.

The teaming of MacNaughton and Metcalf is inspired. MacNaughton’s pure voice and vocal range add depth to the musical mix and Metcalf has all the right stuff for the demanding vocal range and lush delivery of Frankie Valli—a star turn of the first order—charming and poised, with just the right mix of confidence and vulnerability.

Grant Alexander Brown shines as the ebullient matchmaker Joe Pesci. Starmaker producer/songwriter Bob Crewe is played by the multi-faceted Adam Fane who hires the group as backup singers to his corral of recording artists and becomes the pivotal driving force in their success co-writing with Gaudio. It’s in Crewe’s studio where the transformation begins, their unique sound starts to coalesce and the show throttles up. And true to the real-life rags-to-riches story, Gaudio delivers the chart busting hit they have been waiting for and “Sherry” vaults the Four Seasons on to fame, fortune and all the trappings that follow.

From top to bottom, strong supporting performances from the ensemble are delivered by Dan Gold (Nick DeVito), Eric A. Lewis (Barry Belson), Kayla Shipman (Mary), Jason Richards (Norm Waxman), Haley Jane Schafer (Lorraine), Carl Herzog (Gyp) and Maya McQueen (Francine).

When we get through the drama of it all, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons find their place in history, and Mercury’s “Jersey Boys” is on a path all its own–another milestone run on Southport for the foreseeable future.

Oh, what a night, indeed!  

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Mercury Theater Chicago
presents
JERSEY BOYS
3745 N Southport Avenue
EXTENDED through July 28, 2024

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PicksInSix Review: PURPOSE - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf’s Sterling “PURPOSE” Examines Family Dynamic.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

“I need to find my path again…” Thus spoke the Jasper family patriarch Solomon “Sonny” Jasper at the end of a challenging evening of family dynamic and self-examination.  Every character in this sterling production of “PURPOSE,” now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre through April 28 in the Downstairs Theater, hits a point in their lives on this particular day where each could utter these same words.  And the marvelous playwright Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins has seen to it that the audience has plenty of emotional and intellectual subject matter to chew on vigorously. I love a play that makes its viewers think in the moment, as it moves along its storytelling.

Indeed, the title is the rudder that pushes this piece forward.  We begin with an appearance by the youngest family member, Naz (our narrator and chief character focus in the play done in wondrous, properly questioning tones by Jon Michael Hill), whom we find has completed a trip to the Canadian wilderness in his newly-found avocation as nature photographer.  He’s left the divinity school that Sonny (Harry Lennix in a strong, dominant gait and attitude) has so wanted for that son, because his calling seems different. Meanwhile, his older brother Solomon Jr. (where Glenn Davis fully shines with who is arguably the most problem-laden character in the play) has just been released from prison for embezzlement and trying to find his way again.  In the meantime, Junior’s wife Morgan (an almost unrecognizable Alana Arenas, full of proper anger and consternation at a family so totally aware of its public image), is about to serve time herself for tax evasion.

In the midst of all this is the mother figure Claudine (Tamara Tunie is a real wonder here as she expertly offers a matriarch with hugely enabling responsibilities), whose awareness of the family’s public persona is always on guard and on point. She and the entire clan are surprised at the arrival in the middle of a snowstorm by Naz’s friend Aziza (Ayanna Bria Bakari in a generous and altogether charming portrayal), whose presence is necessary because she and Naz have haphazardly tried to help her have a baby, her own unique search for peace and purpose.

Every character in the play eventually finds a point where that wall of ‘purpose’ is prepared for the scaling. Jacobs-Jenkins knows his as a playwright, having assembled these characters in an almost epic-telling that ranks with the best this writer has witnessed in recent years.  Director Phylicia Rashad has helped map out the paths walked by these characters with genuine care and affection.  It is unmistakable that this play is an authentic comparison with the accomplished and colorful family of Jesse Jackson. Rashad helps us care deeply about the Jasper family, even in the middle of all the emotional chaos, with loving and gentle strokes. This production only enhances the Steppenwolf mystique as the American template for ensemble theatrical presentation.

“PURPOSE” brought to mind one of my favorite quotes. From the pen of American author/poet Stephen Crane:

A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

Hence, the search for one’s own purpose. And we all get to be a part of it.  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com
PHOTO: Michael Brosilow

Steppenwolf Theatre Company
presents

No Man’s Land

Downstairs Theater
1650 N. Halsted St.
EXTENDED
through May 12, 2024

(312) 335-1650

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PicksInSix Review: The Matchbox Magic Flute - Goodman Theatre

Reduced Retelling with Epically Goofy Grandeur!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Scott Gryder

The star-swirled proscenium of the Goodman’s Owen Theatre playfully invoked the essence of a childhood bedroom, ripe with stories to be told, creating the perfect backdrop for the opening night/world premiere performance of Mary Zimmerman’s “The Matchbox Magic Flute.” A spirited reworking of a centuries-old tale, this playful mini-rendition is the perfect introduction to the piece and the artform of classical storytelling, while maintaining a respectful reverence for the opera’s origin.

“The Matchbox Magic Flute” follows the adventures and trials of Prince Tamino, your stock prince charming. Along the way, he makes a bird-brained friend, Papageno, and they are tasked with finding and rescuing the Queen of the Night's daughter, Pamina, who’s been captured by a sinister fiend. A completely family-friendly event, this production takes the original Singspiel source material of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and powders it with a more floral, playful Gilbert & Sullivan operetta flair.

In keeping with the original operatic style, “The Matchbox Magic Flute” weaves together a spellbinding storytelling through song, with very minimal moments of dialogue, and the star-studded cast commits full tilt. In a way, as the text has been thinned, the characterizations and their goals have been inflated. Of the trio of Ladies, reminiscent of the witchy sisters of Hocus Pocus, First Lady Lauren Molina truly captures the manic intensity of over-the-top subtext, while later naturally transforming into the frolicking and foul beloved Papagena. As Tamino, the always-handsome Billy Rude plays a dependable Prince. Although beautifully layered in vocal range, Rude lacks a solid singing line in comparison to the rest of the cast. Speaking of, watch out, Maria Callas! The fierce, fiery vocals of Emily Rohm’s Queen of the Night truly strike fear in all hearts who share her stage! Even her dress flows with a magma-like rage as her vocal acrobatics sear. And, like mother, like daughter, Marlene Fernandez’s Pamina warbles a range of deep richness, while also enchanting with a soaring soprano. Pair Fernandez with the clownish Papageno of Shawn Pfautsch, part Piglet/part Tigger, and their schmaltzy repartee is endearing and amusing. Most vocally soothing is Keanon Kyles as Sarastro, whose basso profondo delivers chills and thrills.

Whether you’re a fan of the original story, or hardly familiar with it at all, you’ll be truly captivated by Chicago-favorite Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation and direction. Zimmerman is no stranger to this elevated artform, with a resume reaching all the way to the Metropolitan Opera. What she does with “The Matchbox Magic Flute” is combine her knack for musical theater timing with the grandeur strokes of opera, creating a youthful retelling. For the music, while lyrics sometimes edge more toward basic rather than inventive, music adaptors and arrangers Amanda Dehnert and Andre Pluess refreshingly revive these original melodies, succinctly capturing the frothy character motivations.

The more petite venue of the Owen Theatre helps to capture the matchbox concept of the show, further instilling the image that “The Matchbox Magic Flute” could be boxed up and set on wheels to travel from town to town, with a Jack in the Box ease. Even the dual role casting throughout emphasizes the traveling troupe aesthetic. Set designer Todd Rosenthal leans into the collapsible concept with tracked, sliding flats and effortlessly spun walls, painted pastorally and with brocade patterns. And what a delightful concept to have the orchestra in a raised pit at the foot of the stage, bringing the musicians into the action, sometimes literally, within arm’s reach of the vaudeville style stage.

The production elements of “The Matchbox Magic Flute” are so cleanly executed, it’s as if you could simply close the door on the Owen, latch it securely and then carry this marvelous musical moment onto another venue entirely; opening it like a music box to reveal the same darling show on the move. For patrons who don’t fancy themselves operagoers, or for anyone wishing to dabble in the genre, “The Matchbox Magic Flute” satisfies. The sure sign of a winning musical experience is when the melodies linger in your ear as you leave. And how could these tuneful masterpieces not, especially when so daringly and darlingly delivered? Bravi tutti!  

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SCOTT GRYDER received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for his performance in the one-man show BUYER & CELLAR. www.thescottgryder.com

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Goodman Theatre
presents
The Matchbox Magic Flute
Adapted and Directed By Mary Zimmerman
EXTENDED
through March 24, 2024

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