Mildred Ruiz-Sapp/Photo: Michael Brosilow

Ostensibly about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the dynamic members of New York-based Universes (writers and performers of “Ameriville”) quickly take this high-powered percussion-and vocals-driven show down a twisting American path that leads out of New Orleans and into rapid-fire discussions of topics ranging from homelessness to healthcare to illegal immigrants. By the time they start decrying fracking and predicting a Latina president, it’s a bit too clear that this piece has a target audience. Read the rest of this entry »

Darren Criss (#4) with Team StarKid

With our criteria shifted back to artistic accomplishment in theater, dance, comedy and opera this year, our task got infinitely tougher. Because while the number of performing venues grows at a steady rate, the increase in the number of noteworthy artists seems to grow exponentially. For everyone we name on the list below, we had to leave off five, an embarrassment of riches for Chicago. We made a conscious effort to introduce a meaningful number of new faces to the list this year; the necessary absences should not be construed as a loss of worthiness as a consequence. We often find trends when we do the research these lists require; this year we’re starting to see a more meaningful effort to redefine performance itself in the internet age, from the runaway success of StarKids, to the more calculated endeavors of Silk Road. So what defines a “player”? Consider it some complex stew of career achievement, recent “heat” and, in some cases, rising stardom.

Written by Zach Freeman, Brian Hieggelke, Sharon Hoyer and Dennis Polkow

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RECOMMENDED

Sarah Ruhl’s take on an 1880s costume drama both is and is not a historical exploration of electric vibrators as cure-alls for women’s hysteria during the dawning of the modern age. It’s also a meditation on the elusive nature of love and desire, and seemingly a call to eros writ large. But it’s also a staggeringly well-made play, with some of the most intensive dramatic irony I’ve seen in recent memory. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Johnny Knight

RECOMMENDED

Clifford Odets’ 1935 play centering around a cab drivers’ union planning a strike, first staged by the massively influential Group Theatre in New York, has become one of those plays you read in history and literature classes but rarely see produced these days, when most theater companies tend to believe that audiences are allergic to overly political theater. American Blues Theater’s production–tightly directed, passionately acted by a committed ensemble, perfectly paced–succeeds all the more for keeping the material from feeling even a little dated, almost a century later. Read the rest of this entry »

Benjamin Sprunger and Patrick Andrews/Photo: Jonathan L. Green

RECOMMENDED

Working backwards in time from 2010 to 2000 in two-year increments bracketed by time-specific pop songs, this moving world premiere by Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins follows the evolution of a shy Iowan, Evan (Patrick Andrews), and the interrelationships between his tight-knit group of friends as he makes his way in the big city, learning what it means to be a homosexual in the twenty-first century. Dawkins’ characters are fully formed and the impeccable cast imbues them all with intricate and relatable personalities. Over the course of a decade, with equal parts laugh-out-loud comedy and unforced drama, Dawkins’ script (under careful direction by Bonnie Metzgar) openly examines a number of weighty gay themes. More importantly (and impressively), “The Homosexuals” actively seeks out the meaning of friendship, personal discovery and the transcending of stereotypes by fully embracing one’s own identity. In short, it’s a show everyone, even “breeders,” can (and should) enjoy. (Zach Freeman)

About Face Theatre at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 North Lincoln, (773)871-3000. Through August 14.

By Dennis Polkow

Although his diverse career spans more than thirty years and has encompassed television, movies, performance art, opera and musicals, 53-year old playwright and Los Angeles native David Henry Hwang is best known for his 1988 Tony Award-winning Broadway play “M. Butterfly” and as the preeminent voice of the Asian-American experience. His words both on and off the page tend to attract controversy, including his role in the protest of the casting of Jonathan Pryce as a Eurasian in “Miss Saigon.” That incident sparked his 1993 play “Face Value” which closed on Broadway before it was out of previews, but was somewhat reincarnated as the successful 2007 “Yellow Face,” a play which is receiving its Chicago premiere by the Silk Road Theatre Project this summer—where Hwang has collaborated previously—along with two other Hwang works: the world premiere of “Chinglish” at Goodman Theatre, and the first revival in two decades of an early work from 1981, “Family Devotions” at Halcyon Theatre. On a lunch break from “Chinglish” rehearsals at Goodman Theatre, which has reunited Hwang with his collaborator on the book for Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida,” Robert Falls, we walked around the downtown theater district discussing these works and what inspired them before landing at a sandwich shop. We would likely still be there if an SOS hadn’t been sent out that he was needed back for a run-through.

Why did you want to have the world premiere of “Chinglish” in Chicago?
I always wanted to have more of a presence here. It’s arguably the most vital theater town in the country in terms of energy and people doing things for good and the right reasons. I got to know the community and the community got to know me through my working with Silk Road [Theatre Project] on a couple of projects. When I wrote “Chinglish” and finished it off, I thought, “Where do I want to start this show? And I thought, “This is a play that could really work in Chicago.” So I sent it to Bob [Falls] and he was immediately responsive. He read it really quickly and committed to doing it. I finished the first draft in January of 2010, and I sent it to him in February, so it all happened pretty quick. Malik [Gillani] and Jamil [Khoury] were already planning to do “Yellow Face” at Silk Road this season anyway, and I think the decision was made to have them happen at roughly the same time. And then Halcyon came in and decided to do “Family Devotions” this summer too, so that’s kind of how it all came together. Read the rest of this entry »

André De Shields and Linda Kimbrough/Photo: Liz Lauren

RECOMMENDED

Writing about horrific events in our nation’s past is always a difficult endeavor—how to make a show interesting, relevant and poignant without becoming overly didactic or resorting to finger-pointing. With “The Gospel According to James,” playwright Charles Smith deftly addresses the events surrounding a double-lynching in 1930s small-town Indiana with compassion and candor. Meeting in a funeral home fifty years after the lynching, two central figures involved in the event (portrayed by Andre De Shields and Linda Kimbrough) discuss their recollections of that night and the emotional baggage that comes with such a traumatic experience. The acting is impeccable, with De Shields and Kimbrough recounting their (conflicting) memories and the remaining cast portraying these memories for the audience. It’s a thought-provoking and memorable piece with a captivating story, but the presence of narrators (who quickly become silent viewers in the center of a crowded stage) is a distracting choice by director Chuck Smith. (Zach Freeman)

Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 North Lincoln, (773)871-3000. $20-$50. Through June 12.

RECOMMENDED

Dexter Bullard has been on a roll lately, delivering a number of productions, each of which, at least for this reviewer, has been somewhat obscure in its intentions until its final moments, in which the play seems to crack like a whip. His latest is Annie Baker’s 2010 Obie Award-winning play about the teacher and students of a small-town Adult Creative Drama class. A study in ensemble acting, the show depicts the growing together (for some) and growing apart (for others) of the members of a community drama program over the course of its six-week curriculum. Bullard elicits poignant, nuanced work from the entire cast, but some of the most illuminating work comes from Steve Key as Schultz, a recently separated carpenter, and Carmen Roman as the class’s embattled instructor Marty. Coming close to two hours in length, the production could have benefited from an intermission, although such an interruption might also have derailed its determined, slow build-up of quiet moments between lovers, strangers and friends. (Neal Ryan Shaw)

Victory Gardens Theater in the Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 North Lincoln, (773)871-3000. Through April 10.

Here’s the press release from Victory Gardens:

Victory Gardens announces its 2011-2012 season
Season to include works by John Logan, Sarah Ruhl, Theresa Rebeck and Jackie Sibblies Drury

Chicago, IL— Artistic Director Dennis Zacek and Executive Director Jan Kallish announce the 2011-2012 Victory Gardens season.  The season will include In the Next Room or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl; What We’re Up Against by Teresa Rebeck; We Are Proud to Present …, a play developed as part of IGNITION by Jackie Sibblies Drury; and Goodman Theatre’s production of Red by Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwright John Logan. The final play of the season will be announced at a later date.   Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Key, Mary Ann Thebus, Joe Dempsey/Photo: Liz Lauren

RECOMMENDED

This world-premiere play by Victory Gardens ensemble playwright Joel Drake Johnson has a lot going for it, including managing to get some cutting-edge dark humor out of the increasingly popular phenomenon of middle-aged grown-ups returning to their parental nests, seeking to recapture the carefree and cocoon-like childhood existence that they think they remember when things become too tough in the real world.

The ninety-minute intermission-less play moves quite quickly, far too swiftly for the narrative arc that is set up in that characters end up pouring their hearts out before we really have had a chance to get to know them well enough to care enough. And while the sibling rivalry dialogue rings true, the mother (charmingly played by Mary Ann Thebus) in this case is far too wise, introspective and insightful, and the all-knowing daughter (Allison Torem) who comes to visit her dad fleeing from her sick mom (whom we never see) shatters credibility with astonishing guru-esque social skills and analytical abilities beyond that of Dr. Phil and Yoda put together. Read the rest of this entry »