RECOMMENDED

“People who think they’re happy just haven’t thought about it enough.” This line, spoken by Alice Ripley’s character Diana to her psychiatrist in one of many doctor-patient scenes in this feel-not-so-good musical, conveys the complex emotional truths at work in this Tony and Pulitzer-winning show. “Next to Normal” chronicles the struggles of Diana and her family with her chronic mental illness as they stand by her and fight to live a “normal” life. It’s a sophisticated work, with a running subtext about our culture’s reliance on pharmaceuticals to “solve” our problems—not just our actual illnesses, but also the everyday strife of living in the modern world—by keeping ourselves in a medicated, drone-like state. (We used to rely on television for that!) At the same time, it tells truths about family far more universal than those usually conveyed in either the gothic dysfunction or saccharine optimism that predominate the stages these days. Here, the parents function not only as mother and father but also as lovers and companions; their kids have their own struggles playing out in a life completely distinct and separate from the life of the family. But of course no one escapes from home.

Chicago is being treated to a production as close to Broadway as we might get, with a spectacular set (that recalls the set of “Working”), made up of stacked compartmental rooms that hold not only family secrets, but also the band—really more like two bands, with the music’s blend of rock ‘n’ roll and more classically structured show tunes. And at the center of the show we have Ripley, who starred on Broadway and won a Tony Award for her performance. Read the rest of this entry »

Atalee Judy, Adriana Marical, Mindy Meyers, Emma Draves/Photo: William Frederking

By Lauren Kelly-Jones

In a white light-filled space, Shirley Mordine leans against the mirrored wall and watches her ensemble rehearse for “Next 2011,” their annual spring festival. It’s nice to see that even after forty-two years of directing Mordine and Co Dance Theater—the longest-running contemporary dance company in the Midwest—the founder still grins when the movement ends. “Good, damn,” Mordine laughs. “It’s cooking!”

The six-person ensemble moves around the white floor in silence, but “music” is provided by an orchestra of squeaks, exhales and passion, and above it all is Mordine’s encouraging voice. “You’re going to fall into space and he’s going to catch you,” she says to two dancers above the heavy creaking and the sweat. You can tell she knows, and has forever known, what she’s doing. But this director is no dictator.

In a pause between movements while rehearsing “LifeSpeak,” the brand-new piece that will debut at Friday night’s opening, Mordine walks into the space and stands among the dancers. “What do you think?” she asks, “That was good, what do you think?” This directing style is essential to Mordine and Co. “I interact and collaborate with the performing artists, so that I really try to involve them in the information and the performance itself,” explains Mordine. “I just love the idea of evolving work in a workshop process with the creative participation of the participants.” She is a director who shapes, encourages and pushes her ensemble—but they have a freedom to create, and they move together as only the most creatively intertwined groups of humans move. From the outside, you notice that there is this mesmerizing momentum that seems at once unique to each dancer and collective to the ensemble (who are “more mature in terms of age and experiences” says Mordine) as a whole.  Read the rest of this entry »

Anna Stephany and Ensemble/Photo: Liz Lauren

RECOMMENDED

A Chicago premiere, more than three centuries after a work was first performed? Welcome to Charpentier’s “Médée,” that seventeenth-century chestnut that as a byproduct of the court of Louis XIV fell into neglect until being rediscovered by the modern early music movement of the 1980s and nineties. It had been a long-stated desire of retiring Chicago Opera Theater general director Brian Dickie to present the Chicago premiere of this work—often considered the crown jewel of French Baroque opera—and this he did at long last, over Easter weekend.

This is the second of COT’s “Medea” trilogy that began with last year’s production of Cavalli’s “Giasone” (“Jason”) and which will conclude with next year’s production of Handel’s “Teseo” (“Theseus”). The carryover for all three productions is the sturdy presence of Baroque Band—the Chicago-based period-instrument ensemble that British violinist Garry Clarke founded here in 2007—and Scottish conductor and early music specialist Christian Curnyn who, as he did with “Giasone,” did a stunning job with his harpsichord continuo playing as well as keeping the action moving ahead in a spirited manner.  Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Lorena Minor

Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes makes challenging multidisciplinary theater, with long-running seasons that sell out in Mexico City. They have also increasingly become an intensive touring company known for characteristic rigorous research and self-aware discovery. Past shows in Chicago include “The Grey Automobile” at the 2003 Latino Theater Festival, which marked their Chicago debut, and “Monsters and Prodigies: The History of the Castrati,” their debut at MCA Stage in 2005.

This month they return in arguably their most exciting theatrical piece to date, in collaboration with the Chicago experimental music ensemble MAVerick. That’s because “El Gallo (the rooster): Opera for Actors,” which premiered at Festival de Mexico en el Centro Historico in March 2009 and was performed for a long season in Mexico City before its current tour, is a piece about the rehearsal period of a music piece for a concert. Co-created with British composer Paul Barker, the theater company merges the forms of theater and contemporary music through scenes of rehearsal, where the process is the core of the story—oh, and it’s sung entirely in a made-up language.

Founding director Claudio Valdés Kuri explains: “What you actually see is the rehearsal period of the piece for a concert, with an audition, the third rehearsal, the middle period of the rehearsal, the last rehearsal and then the performance. In this way, the audience shares the process.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tom Hickey, Michael Dailey and John Ferrick Photo: Chris Ocken

RECOMMENDED

It’s the power of imagination pitted against the crushing mundane in Strawdog’s latest; German playwright Manfred Karge’s hyper-poetic script examines the quest to find the extraordinary among the ordinary.

Unemployed miners Slupianek (Jamie Vann), Seiffert (Michael Dailey), Buscher (John Ferrick) and Braukmann (Tom Hickey) struggle to maintain their self-respect by re-enacting Roald Amundsen’s exploration of the South Pole in an attic, while attempting to avoid the demands of real life.

The ensemble’s up to the tough language, no easy feat. Vann’s robust enthusiasm keeps his colleagues going; Hickey’s flight of fancy as his character is drawn further into the fantasy is particularly affecting. Jennifer Avery is a compelling presence as Braukmann’s bottom-lining wife, who has her own ways of creating something to live for. Kimberly Senior’s direction doesn’t highlight the initial desperation that sets up the final implosion, but the storytelling is still effective. It’s a gripping escape attempt. (Lisa Buscani)

Strawdog Theatre Company, 3829 North Broadway, (866)811-4111. Through May 28.

Photo: Carolyn Faye Kramer

RECOMMENDED

The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is usually told from the side of the former: a preternaturally talented musician marries the love of his life, only to lose her to a viper’s sting. Orpheus travels to the underworld to find her, where he is told he can bring Eurydice back, as long as he promises not to look back at her during their re-ascent. Only he can’t help but do so.

By focusing on Eurydice’s experience, Sarah Ruhl’s play ends up becoming a treatise on loss and memory. And although imperfect, Filament Theatre’s production manages to make some of the play’s most striking and poignant moments utterly memorable.

Director Julie Ritchey maximizes the potential of the space at the Lacuna Artist Lofts with open, mobile, yet not unnatural staging, although the predominance of the wood flooring makes for a peculiar Hades. Peter Oyloe is appropriately aloof as an Elvis-type Orpheus, and his original music, along with Shannon Bengford, is stirring when it’s not too precious. Carolyn Faye Kramer evokes empathy in the titular role, as does Patrick Blashill as her father, and together the chemistry in their relationship often eclipses the romantic one. (Neal Ryan Shaw)

Filament Theatre Ensemble at the Lacuna Artist Lofts, 2150 South Canalport, (773)270-1660. Through May 29.

RECOMMENDED

A companion piece to Filament’s concurrent production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice,” Omen Sade’s original adaptation takes a completely different tack on the classic Greek story of the musician who through his talent convinces the underworld to give his dead wife back to him, only to lose her again and forever when he breaks his only promise—to resist looking back at her as they leave the underworld. Sade’s nightclub-set piece is hypnotic, pulsating, dangerous and vividly immediate.

It’s all due to Sade’s faith in the strengths and talents of his collaborators, who flesh out the otherwise straightforward, bare-bones retelling of the myth. DJ Puzzle as “Fate” scores the entire proceedings with a seemingly endless stream of samples and loops. Kyle Land’s lighting design is moody but never obfuscates. As the lovers, Kevin Barry Crowley and Audrey Bertaux-Skeirik are surprisingly talented musicians. The Nymphs are versatile and seductive groupies. The show-stealers, though, are the bouffons, as multi-purpose baddie-clowns who somehow manage to thrill and scare and evoke laughter all at once. It’s an electrifying and immersive piece of physical theater that inspires awe even as it paints a heartbreaking portrait of doomed love. (Neal Ryan Shaw)

Filament Theatre Ensemble at the Lacuna Artist Lofts, 2150 South Canalport, (773)270-1660. Through May 28.

Here’s the press release from Teatro Vista:

CHICAGO’S TEATRO VISTA ANNOUNCES 2011-2012 SEASON
CHICAGO’S LARGEST LATINO THEATER TO INTRODUCE ITS NEWEST RESIDENT WRITER CANDIDO TIRADO WITH TWO PLAYS –MOMMA’S BOYZ (RE-SET IN CHICAGO) AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF FISH MEN, A MULTI-ETHNIC ENSEMBLE TOUR-DE-FORCE – PLUS LUIS ALFARO’S OEDIPUS EL REY, A CHICANO TAKE ON THE MOTHER OF ALL TRAGEDIES  Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from About Face Theatre:

ABOUT FACE THEATRE
ANNOUNCES 2011-12 SEASON

CHICAGO (April 20, 2011) – About Face Theatre (Bonnie Metzgar, Artistic Director and Jason L. Held, Executive Director) is pleased to announce its 2011-12 Season, which includes THE KID THING by AFT Artistic Associate Sarah Gubbins, RUN, MOURNER, RUN adapted by Tarell Alvin McCraney and a brand-new production of RENT with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson.  The season will conclude with a new youth-driven project by About Face Youth Theatre on trans identity entitled WHAT’S THE T? EXAMINING THE “T” IN LGBTQ.   Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from American Theater Company:

AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY’S 2011-12 SEASON INCLUDES
THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF THE AMISH PROJECT,
PATRICK MEYERS’ K2, THE WORLD PREMIERE OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ ESCAPE,
AND A CO-PRODUCTION OF RENT WITH ABOUT FACE THEATRE   Read the rest of this entry »