Top 5 Shows

“Caroline, or Change,” Court Theatre

“A House with No Walls,” Timeline Theatre

“The Glass Menagerie,” Steppenwolf Theatre

“No Darkness Round My Stone,” Trap Door Theatre

“The Birthday Party,” Signal Theater

—Monica Westin

Top 5 Shows

“Jon,” Collaboraction

“A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant,” A Red Orchid

“Be More Chill,” Griffin Theatre

“Men of Tortuga,” Profiles

“Picked Up,” Neo-Futurists

—Nina Metz

Top 5 Theatrical Experiences

“Caroline, or Change,” Court Theatre

“Columnibus,” Raven Theatre

“As You Like It,” Writers’ Theatre

“The Comedy of Errors,” Chicago Shakespeare Theater

“Romeo y Julieta” (Staged Reading), Chicago Shakespeare Theater/Shakespeare in Español

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Guilty Pleasures

“Jarred: A Hoodoo Comedy” by Tanya Saracho, Teatro Luna

“Speech and Debate” by Stephen Karam, ATC

“Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl, Steppenwolf

“The Little Dog Laughed” by Douglas Carter Beane, About Face Theatre

“After Ashley” by Gina Gionfriddo, Stage Left Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 New Plays

“Kita y Fernanda” by Tanya Saracho, 16^th Street Theater

“The U.N. Inspector” by David Farr and James Sherman, Next Theatre

“Dead Man’s Cell Phone” by Sarah Ruhl, Steppenwolf Theatre

“Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat” by Yussef El Guindi, Silk Road Theatre Project

“Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts, Steppenwolf Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

 Top 5 Revivals

“The Maids,” Writers’ Theatre

“The Lion in Winter,” Writers’ Theatre

“Requiem for a Heavyweight,” Shattered Globe

“Plaza Suite,” Eclipse Theatre Company

“The Birthday Party,” Signal Ensemble Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Play Revivals

“Our Town,” Hypocrites

“The Lion in Winter,” Writers Theatre

“Requiem for a Heavyweight,” Shattered Globe

“Journey’s End,” Griffin

“M Butterfly,” BoHo

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Memorable Productions by a Smaller Theatre Troupe

“Multi-Purpose Doom,” Sandbox Theatre Project

“The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler,” Dog & Pony

“Termen Vox Machina,” Oracle Productions

“On My Parents’ 100^th Wedding Anniversary,” Side Project

“The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” (original mounting), Gift Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Directors

Ann Filmer for “Kita y Fernanda,” 16^th Street Theater

Charles Newell for “Caroline, or Change,” Court Theatre

Sean Graney for “Edward II,” Chicago Shakespeare Theater

William Brown for “As You Like It,” Writers’ Theatre

Greg Kolack for “Columbinus,” Raven Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Musicals

“Caroline, or Change,” Court Theatre

“Grey Gardens,” Northlight Theatre

“Tell Me On A Sunday,” Bailiwick Theater

“The Full Monty,” Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre

“All Shook Up,” Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 New Musicals

“Caroline, or Change,” Court Theatre

“Grey Gardens,” Northlight Theatre

“Songs for a New World,” Porchlight

“The Ballad of Emmett Till,” Goodman Theatre

“I Am Who I Am: The Story of Teddy Pendergrass,” Black Ensemble Theater

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Musical Revivals

“Tell Me on a Sunday,” Bailiwick Theater

“Sweet Charity,” Drury Lane Oakbrook

“1776,” Signal Ensemble

“Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Lovers of the Night,” Theo Ubique

“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Circle Theatre

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Worst Musicals

“Shout! The Mod Musical,” Drury Lane Water Tower

“Avenue Q,” Broadway in Chicago

“Dirty Dancing,” Broadway in Chicago

“Russian on the Side,” Royal George Theater

“Gutenberg! The Musical,” Royal George Theater

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Worst Musicals

“Dirty Dancing,” Broadway in Chicago

“The Kid from Brooklyn,” Mercury Theater

“Gutenberg! The Musical!,” Royal George Theatre

“Jekyll & Hyde—The Musical,” Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

“Sweeney Todd,” Broadway in Chicago

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Operas

“Manon,” Lyric Opera

“The Abduction From the Seraglio,” Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia

“Lulu,” Lyric Opera

“Porgy and Bess,” Lyric Opera (second cast)

“Don Giovanni,” Chicago Opera Theater

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Productions of Shakespeare

“As You Like It,” Writers Theatre

“Comedy of Errors,” Chicago Shakespeare

“Much Ado About Nothing,” First Folio

“Merchant of Venice,” Boho

“Twelfth Night,” City Lit

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Touring Shows

“Saint Joan,” Shaw Festival Canada, Chicago Shakespeare

“Cirque du Soleil: Kooza,” United Center

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” Broadway in Chicago

“My Fair Lady,” National Theatre London, Broadway in Chicago

“Jesus Christ Superstar,” Broadway in Chicago

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Holiday Shows

“The Christmas Schooner,” Bailiwick Theater

“A Dublin Carol,” Steppenwolf Theatre

“A Christmas Carol,” Writers Theatre

“Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular,” Rosemont Theatre

“The Seafarer,” Steppenwolf Theatre

—Dennis Polkow

Top 5 Comedy Shows

“Impress These Apes,” Blewt!

“Shatter,” Pat O’Brien’s solo show at Second City e.t.c.

“Steve and Jordan, Respectively” i.O. Theater

“Brother, Can You Spare Some Change?” Second City e.t.c.

“PennyBear: A Collection of Miniature Plays and Curious Diversions,” Apollo Theater Studio

—Nina Metz

Top 5 Female Performances

Janet Ulrich Brooks, “Golda’s Balcony,” Pegasus Players

Christina Anthony, “Brother, Can You Spare Some Change?” Second City e.t.c.

Erin Barlow, “Red Angel,” LiveWire

Sarah Goeden, “13 Dead Husbands,” Sansculottes Theater

Rachel Quinn, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Circle Theatre

—Nina Metz

Top 5 Male Performances

David Cromer, “Our Town,” The Hypocrites

Usman Ally, “Celebrity Row,” American Theater Company

Steve Wilson, “Red Angel,” LiveWire

Edward Thomas-Herrera, “The Last Days of Beast,” Live Bait’s Fillet of Solo Festival

Daniel Behrendt, “Beggars in the House of Plenty,” Mary-Arrchie

—Nina Metz

Top 5 Out-of-the-Box Performances

“Inner Space,” Joffrey Ballet’s American Moderns

“Walking Mad,” Hubbard Street Dance Winter Series

“The Young Ladies Of…,” About Face Theatre

“Dr. Egg and the Man With No Ear,” Redmoon Theater

“One on One,” Hubbard Street Dance Winter Series

—William Rogers

Top 5 Dance Shows by Chicago Companies

“The Sky Hangs Down Too Close,” Lucky Plush Productions

“Nuevo Folk,” Luna Negra Dance Theater

“De-Evolution of Mudwoman,” Breakbone DanceCo

“Vintage Modern,” Same Planet Different World Dance

“American Moderns,” Joffrey Ballet

—Sharon Hoyer

Top 5 Overrated Productions

“Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe,” House Theatre

“Dirty Dancing,” Broadway in Chicago

“Shining City,” Goodman Theatre

“The Glass Menagerie,” Shattered Globe Theatre

“Scenes from the Big Picture,” Seanachai Theatre

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

Top 5 Theatrical Disappointments

“Dirty Dancing,” Broadway in Chicago

“Les Miserables,” Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre

“Yohen,” Silk Road Theatre Project

“Richard III,” Strawdog Theatre

“Macbeth,” Greasy Joan & Co.

—Fabrizio O. Almeida

 

A pure spectacle of multicultural burlesque epic, but not usually in a good way. Visually gorgeous but fairly incoherent, the show’s biggest obstacle is that very little of it is actually comprehensible; instead, while many lines are in English, the actors speak in a number of languages that seem to reflect their ability to speak English rather than the importance of their words. For example, the actor playing Oberon doesn’t speak any English, which makes much of the plot hard to follow. In addition to the story getting lost, the acting takes a back seat as well, most of it quite weak except for Ajay Kumar as a charismatic Puck and Aporup Acharya as a Bottom who brings the only real element of real human character into the show. Director Tim Supple’s obvious Peter Brook influence doesn’t seem to be much updated, with drumming and sound that one might expect at a sort of “ethnic dancing/drumming” festival; and the show feels dated, all bright lights and flashy colors and excitement about the exotic without any critical element to it. It’s also immediately obvious that this production is something of a colonial enterprise rather than an independent theater company—in fact, Supple traveled for a year in India hand-picking actors for himself, a fact that sits uneasily over the show, which also moves much too slowly for all of the running and shrieking that happens onstage. The experience is of a colorful tornado of actors rolling on top of one another and climbing up and down ropes—but all this action doesn’t seem to really take us anywhere, especially when the lines recede into unintelligibilty. The ending borders on a love-fest, with actors singing, holding candles, and asking the audience to clap along with them, in a moment that would make Edward Said roll over in his grave; this is Orientalism at its most insidious.  (Monica Westin)

At Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater, 800 East Grand, (312)595-5600. Through December 7.

RECOMMENDED

Most DVD film commentaries are snoozefests, but on the original “Amadeus” commentary that was made for the laserdisc version in the mid-1990s, a fascinating and spirited argument takes place between “Amadeus” playwright Peter Shaffer and filmmaker Milos Forman, who directed the film version. Shaffer is thinking out loud that he never should have allowed Forman to talk him into having the lead character of the play, composer Antonio Salieri, tell his story to a priest rather than directly to the audience, as he does in the play. “No, no!” Forman scolds. “Peter, in the play, the people are THERE! This is a film, a projected shadow on a wall: when an actor on a stage looks into an audience’s eyes, it is engaged and drawn in. When an actor looks directly into a camera lens, the audience is reminded it is watching a film and loses its engagement and the whole thing comes crashing down as artificial.”

That difference is one reason that for all of the magnificence of the film, it is still far more engaging to have Salieri confide to you eye to eye rather than through a projected intermediary. As if to emphasize the point, director Gary Griffin has the two sides of the audience see the other side of the audience in a ceiling mirror as Robert Sella’s Salieri compellingly unspools his woeful (and yes, mostly fictional) yarn of jealousy and murder in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s brilliant new production. But the real surprise of this version is the character of Mozart himself, traditionally a cutout throwaway role that has often been the property of teen idols of yesteryear. Robbie Collier Sublett gives Mozart’s arrogance and vulgarity a credible context as well as shows us Mozart’s heart and soul in Act II. The contrast between a mediocre and great composer in every respect is drawn sharply and convincingly.

The one aspect that keeps this production from heading into the stratosphere is that with the exception of a single soprano who sings along with recordings karaoke-style, all of the music is canned. Finding a small, first-rate ensemble to play live Mozart in a city the size of Chicago would not be hard and would immensely enhance the proceedings. (Dennis Polkow)

At Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 East Grand (at Navy Pier), (312)595-5600, Through November 9, $54-$70.

RECOMMENDED

The only mistake I made in choosing to review Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new musical, “Willy Wonka,” is that I chose to do so on an empty stomach. With all that talk of—let me paraphrase Robin Leach here—chocolate wishes and candy-coated dreams, my sweet tooth couldn’t resist, not even in this bad economy, the over-priced three-dollar Willy Wonka chocolate bars on sale in the lobby. And how was it? Sweet and wonderfully satisfying. So was the chocolate bar.This hour-long, family musical adaptation of Ronald Dahl’s classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” imprinted in many of our memories thanks to the 1971 movie version starring Gene Wilder, retains and augments the famous Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley score (“The Candy Man,” “Oompa-Loompa,” “Pure Imagination”) but more impressively, thanks to a concise, funny and smart book by Bricusse and Tim McDonald, presents a far more satisfying conclusion/lesson. In the film, and if memory serves in the book, Charlie has two chances to betray Wonka. In this version, Wonka hands Charlie the proverbial keys to his candy kingdom after the boy simply confesses to one of his earlier gaffes. The message, it seems, is that everyone gives into temptation, makes a mistake and takes a fall, and yet it is in how you own up to it and what you do to rectify it that tells the world who you really are. Simple yet powerful. Sean Fortunato is delicious in the title role—this Wonka doesn’t “test” the children with sadistic glee as much as he has fun with them and delivers his lines with a wink-wink-nod-nod that will also amuse the adults. As Charlie Bucket, Patrick Andrews delivers buckets of charm and enthusiasm, and then some. And the rest of the eight-person cast, portraying multiple roles, make hilarious turns as the naughty children, oompa-loompas and adults. Director Joe Leonardo’s imaginative production, aided by a fine design team, mixes puppets, lasers, smoke and more colors than you could find in a crayon box, to match the original source material’s pure imagination. A delight on every level, and even for this sometimes-cynical big kid. Just make sure you eat beforehand. (Fabrizio O. Almeida)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. Wed-Thu 11am/Fri 2pm & 7pm/Sat 11am, 2pm & 7pm/Sun 2pm. Through Aug 17.

GQ and JQ (aka the Q Brothers) are taking the Chicago Shakespeare Theater stage this summer with “Funk It Up About Nothin’,” their “ad-rap-tation” of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Right off the heels of their international hit “The Bomb-itty of Errors,” “Funk It Up” is next in their ongoing attempt to translating the complete works of Shakes into the hip-hop idiom. I did not see their previous show, but if the current one is any indication, I am very grateful for that. I understand the impetus to marry the classical text with the hip-hop genre. The problem is the show does not feel authentically either. Instead of using the music to make what is great about Shakespeare accessible, namely the words and meter, it merely takes the plot and sets it to beats that come off more cute than anything else. There is also a healthy dose of cheap gay jokes and profanity that dilutes the family friendliness they seemed to be going for in the costumes, set and performance style. I love this idea on paper, but if you are a true proponent for Shakespeare or hip-hop you will want to stay away. (William Scott)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. Wed-Fri 7pm/Sat 7pm & 9:30pm/Sun 2:30pm. Through Aug 3.

RECOMMENDED

Director Barbara Gaines and writer Ron West are determined to shake off these recession blues and battle audiences’ wartime weariness using a frivolous little comedy concerning two sets of identical twins separated at birth and accidentally reunited years later amidst mayhem and madness. Ironically, in order to accomplish this they’ve adopted a play-within-a-play format for Shakespeare’s contribution, and ingeniously framed it within Mr. West’s: scenes that take place in recession-plagued and war-torn London, 1940, amidst the mayhem and madness of the Blitz. Does it work? Like gangbusters. Indeed, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s rarely produced “The Comedy of Errors” is an artistic triumph on almost every level and quite possibly, despite its frothy hi-jinks at heart, one of the most topical shows in town. The show transports audiences from the confines of Navy Pier to the cavernous interior of England’s Shepperton movie studios where a motley crew of artistic types and temperaments are committing Shakespeare to celluloid, all for the purpose of “entertaining the troops.” There’s the oozes-gravitas Shakespearean vet who must settle for a secondary role when an American pilot flying with the RAF is given the lead in an attempt to persuade America to join the war. The leading lady dallies with her strapping co-star when her director/husband isn’t looking. That co-star suffers from a hilarious bout of halitosis. Gaines’ deft comic hand has never been so confident, West effortlessly generates clever dialogue and compromising situations that add resonance and depth to “Comedy”’s scenes and a fine and funny ensemble—there isn’t a weak link in the nineteen-person cast—offers an outrageously enjoyable orgy of comic invention. In the end, the Shepperton Studio storylines all promise to work themselves out for the best, in the spirit of Shakespeare’s finale for “Comedy” and as a nod to that play’s most touching theme concerning families torn apart, reunited and all the more stronger for it. It’s a kind of pluck and spirit—especially useful in pugilistic times—that Shakespeare, Gaines and West clearly admire and celebrate here, and the reason for this production’s added resonance. (Fabrizio O. Almeida)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. This production is now closed. 

RECOMMENDED

A well-paced, stylish production that focuses attention on the latitude of Shakespeare’s language while adding artfully to the play’s meaning. Marti Maraden’s “Othello” focuses on the political of the personal, with subtle messages about imperialism, colonization and their microcosms in the domestic sphere. The brilliant set design and costumes tastefully reflect themes of colonialism, from white suits to North African lamps, while simultaneously bringing to mind a kind of surrealist, distilled Magritte painting. Iago, who steals the show, becomes a rabid imperialist who brings down Othello, the failed colonizer, with a particularly inspired Cassio and a perfectly pathetic Rodrigo. “Better to be much abused than to know it a little,” Othello declares, and indeed, the dread that accompanies the destruction of the dark man at the hands of white-suited men around him is remarkable. Somehow the actors also manage at moments to be gently ironic, tipping their hats to the play’s loaded history. The only actor who occasionally misses the mark is Othello himself, whose vocal and physical excesses make his character less interesting than it might have otherwise been. Overall an artistic, controlled and thoughtful production. (Monica Westin)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

Five fantastic, if somewhat overlooked, short plays by Samuel Beckett are presented by famed director Peter Brooks this week at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The stark precision of Brooks’ “Fragments”—minimal lighting and sparse set and prop pieces, with a running time of just near sixty-five minutes—keeps Beckett’s text front and center, brilliantly performed by three renowned actors— Marcello Magni, Kathryn Hunter and Jos Houben—perhaps best known for their associations with the provocative European company Theatre de la Complicite. This is Beckett as one dreams of seeing it—razor sharp, heartbreaking and delightfully funny at every turn. Hunter’s “Rockaby” in particular is exquisitely devastating. With it’s brief two-week run coming to a close on Saturday evening, time is running out to catch this must-see. (Valerie Jean Johnson)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. This production is now closed.

RECOMMENDED

Jackie Maxwell’s smart, elegant production nails George Bernard Shaw’s masterpiece, delivering powerful messages about ideology, nationalism and reality without compromising the tongue-in-cheek humor and satire of the play. Tara Rosling makes a stunning Joan, striking a perfect balance between gravity and grace in the vulnerable leader, while other actors foil her comically and tragically, keeping the audience on its toes as they maneuver between politics, melodrama and droll humor. Shaw’s writing, tightly and exquisitely crafted, is paced as flawlessly as the best comedy, particularly in a chilling, rhetorically brilliant speech by the inquisitor at Joan’s trial. Technically sound, with an understated but graceful set that perfectly matches the timelessness of the story. “What are you to do with such a character?” someone asks about Joan’s problematic (to put it mildly) belief in her direct communion with saints that the Catholic Church declares heresy. While this question remains as ambivalent and thought-provoking throughout the performance as issues of national identity and the truth of miracles, Chicago Shakespeare certainly knew what to do with “St. Joan.” (Monica Westin)

At the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, (312)595-5600. This production is now closed. 

By Fabrizio O. Almeida

“The longer we have this conversation the more I feel uncomfortable by it.” Actor Lea Coco is addressing the subject of his looks. “This is going to sound strange but during my short time in Los Angeles the type they kept sending me out for was ‘the most incredible-looking guy you’ve ever seen.’ And I wanted to say, ‘You know, regardless of what I look like I just don’t feel like that is who I am.” Eric Rosen, who is directing Coco in playwright Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy “The Little Dog Laughed,” says, “Lea is a rare bird in Chicago. He’s a super-handsome, super-talented thirty-something actor—he is very valued here because of his type.”

If, as one casting director recently noted, “Good-looking actors don’t stay in Chicago,” then the 30-year-old Coco, who proudly calls the Windy City home, is indeed a rare bird. A rare bird and a chameleon: in “The Little Dog Laughed” he plays a secretly gay film star; at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater he’s played princes and paramours; at the Steppenwolf he was a fervent missionary who was almost beheaded. And yet. “It’s a constant question. People are constantly leaving for Los Angeles. If I remain here the stage work will be consistent and with the occasional film I’ll be okay. The other side of me thinks I’m crazy for not leaving while I’m still viable to try and cash in as much as I can. I don’t think any actor living in Chicago has illusions of becoming insanely famous or making a lot of money.”

So why the second city? “People in the industry here are much more willing to accept an actor as having many different faces. And in Chicago if you’re a hard worker and committed to your craft it actually matters. And sometimes in these other cities it can feel like those things are fourth or fifth down the list. People want to work here and they want to see you do good work here.”

Perhaps Coco’s work ethic stems from his upbringing. Born in Louisiana, his grandfather and father owned a cotton gin before tough times forced the family to move to Mississippi, where his father became a machinist and his mother was a secretary. “I threw the discus all throughout high school. I had a discus scholarship to go to Louisiana State and my aspiration was to become an Olympic athlete.” Given Coco’s strapping 6’2” frame, it’s easy to imagine the all-American farm boy throwing discuses into the skies over an Elysian cotton field. Coco erupts into a hearty baritone laugh. “No, not in the cotton fields. Although that is a very romantic image of the poor Southern boy.”

Although a shoulder injury cut his Olympic aspirations short, it also led him to the drama department and a spot in his first show, the school musical. (“I know it sounds cheesy but I really had a really magical experience doing ‘Camelot.’”) Two unfulfilling years at the University of Alabama followed (“majoring in beer”) before Coco enrolled in Pittsburgh’s prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, a four-year conservatory program known to still cut students when they’re not making the grade yet graced with a reputation for turning out well-trained stage actors. Rosen concurs. “Lea looks and seems like a film actor but has the talent and skills of a stage actor. He’s fiercely dedicated to the idea of ensemble. He’s a theater guy. I just wish he’d do more film. Then he could build a retirement fund.”

This year that retirement fund may grow. “The Relic,” a movie set to be released this spring, will feature Coco alongside a cast of seasoned film actors including Tim Daly, Edward Herrmann and Robert Prosky. And in May he’ll perform in “The Lion in Winter” at Glencoe’s Writers’ Theatre. “After that I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best,” Coco says. “I subscribe to the ideal—you’re an artist and the more you think about how you’re going to be a better artist and the less you think about how you’re going to make money doing this, everything will take care of itself.” And then with perfect comic timing he adds, “Maybe this is why I’ll be begging on the street when I’m 65 and there’s no more social security.” Doing Chekhov, perhaps? “Yeah, doing Chekhov…maybe alone…on the street corner…for pennies.”

“The Little Dog Laughed” is now in previews and opens January 15 at Center on Halsted, 3656 North Halsted (773)472-6469.