A Political WishList.

Julius Caesar @ Chicago Shakespeare Theatre 

When men feel they can no longer trust their elected leader, where is the line between patriotism and personal ambition? Acclaimed British director Jonathan Munby—whose work has graced the stages of Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe—ignites the fiery power of the most enduring political assassination in history. Within the uniquely personal setting of CST’s Courtyard Theater, audience members feel each spark of emotion as words are wielded like knives in Shakespeare’s epic tale of ambition, betrayal and consequence. 

Closes March 24

Divided Man: Pilate's Story @ Overshadowed Theatre 

Around two thousand years ago, there was a trial that changed history. Jesus Christ was dragged before the Roman politician who had to make the fateful choice that would place the Messiah on the cross. Who was this man, Pontius Pilate? The life of Pilate dramatically comes to life in this world premiere. Judea was a difficult part of the Roman Empire and part of Pilate's responsibility was to keep peace and stability in the land that he governed. Filled with danger, political intrigue, love & history- this story will grip you and bring you face-to-face with the politician, the husband, the servant, the man: Pontius Pilate.

Closes March 9

Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology @ Collaboraction

Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology is a timely new theatrical reaction to Chicago’s history of violent crime and a call to discover what it might take to create lasting change in our city. The show, a Collaboraction world  premiere conceived and directed by Anthony Moseley, couples nonfiction source material such as interviews, articles, and online comments with three true Chicago crimes to raise critical questions surrounding segregation, poverty, the news media, popular culture, and our numbness to it all. Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology features immersive staging, audience participation and stylized dramatizations of three real Chicago crimes:The 2000 mistaken identity killing of Orlando Patterson, a 12 year old boy playing ball in front of his house in the 6900 block of South Perry Avenue; The attack on 13-year-old Lenard Clark by white youth in Bridgeport, leaving him in a coma; & The savage beating of Stacy Jurich and Natasha McShane just blocks from Collaboraction in Wicker Park in 2010

Closes  March 10

The City & The City @ Lifeline Theatre 

Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad is assigned to a seemingly open-and-shut case: an American student found dead in the gutters of the city of Beszel. But soon this deceptively simple crime reveals ties to powerful political and corporate factions at the heart of both Beszel and its twin city, Ul Qoma. Forced to cross the divide between two city-states coexisting in the same geographical space yet separated by irreconcilable cultural differences, Borlú must bring to justice the mastermind of the most unusual and dangerous case of his career. A thrilling crime story set in a location both fantastical and eerily real, in a world premiere adaptation.

Closes April 7

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo @ Lookingglass 

The lives of two American Marines and an Iraqui translator are forever changed by an encounter with a quick-witted tiger who haunts the streets of war-torn Baghdad attempting to find meaning, forgiveness, & redemption amidst the city's ruins. Rajiv Joseph's groundbreaking new play explores both the power & perils of human nature. The New York Times writes, "This boldly imagined, harrowing, & surprisingly funny drama is wonderfully daring." 

Closes March 17

Metamorphoses @ Lookingglass *updated*

 

Tony Awards: Best Direction of a Play

Drama Desk Awards: Outstanding Play, Director, Lighting Design & Music

Drama League Awards: Outstanding New Broadway Play

Outer Critics Circle Awards: Outstanding Director of a Play

Lucille Lortel Awards: Outstanding Play

Time Magazine: Best Play of the Year (2001-2002)

METAMORPHOSES IS JUST GREAT. I had seen two productions prior to this legendary Lookingglass experience: a surprisingly decent 2007 production at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon & an impressively noble 2010 community-theatre attempt @ The York Little Theatre in York, PA. Both were quality productions, but neither held a candle to this somewhat historic theatre experience. Mary Zimmerman is a professor at Northwestern & Lookingglass ensemble member. In 1998, Lookingglass opened their season with Metamorphoses.  It received critical acclaim & the production traveled to Berkeley Repertory Theatre & Seattle Repertory Theatre. In the fall of 2001, Metamorphoses opened Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre. It’s rave reviews & new commercial investors allowed the show to move to Broadway (Circle in the Square Theatre) in March 2002, where it ran for almost a year. It has been 14 years since Metamorphoses debuted at Lookingglass; I can think of no better way to start their 25th season than with this awesome & exciting production. 

ZIMMERMAN'S SCRIPT thematically centers on change & the cost, challenges, & unforeseen outcomes that can come from achieving one’s goals. This script defines timelessness by incorporating Ovid’s stories from 8 A.D. with morals & applications that equally apply to the audiences of yesterday, today, & tomorrow. Some things never change & the crazy challenge of conquering a huge life-change seems to be one of them. Zimmerman got it right when she said: "Change felt so soul destroying and…I was so frightened of what was going to come. And I sort of couldn’t stand the state I was in; I wanted to be through with it…through the moment of metamorphosis [which] is so excruciating, but then it can produce something new." 

THE CAST: If I had to pick one word to describe the cast it would be strong. They exhibited the confidence to boldly tell these bold tales, the flexibility & physical strength demanded by the stories, the ability to maintain consistency in performing different roles, and a clearly-grounded, thoughtful understanding of the text. Raymond Fox is a versatile actor whose charming nature infused every role; whether he was bumbling, obsessing, or rowing in the background, his presence onstage was always a highlight. Anne Fogarty provided solid, subtle, feminine presence who seamlessly interacted with the rest of her cast.  Anjali Bhimani also provided a necessary feminine presence as the actress who undertook the most youthful roles; she had an ageless beauty & astounding physical strength. One of my favorite moments in the show was her spastic, haunting portrayal of Hunger (picture Samara from the Ring). Lawrence E. DiTasi & Louise Lamson both stood out with languid physicality & striking stage presence. As Alcyon, the widow who turns into a bird, she was elegant & lovely while still portraying the impassioned waiting widow. Lauren Orkus was effervescent, so pretty, & had loveliest lilt in delivering her lines. I also loved Marilyn Dodds Frank’s distinct, gravelly voice, Chris Kipiniak’s seasoned performance quality, Usman Ally’s intensity, & Doug Hara’s fun, post-modern energy.  This cast worked as a strong unit while still maintaining their individuality. The rich history of this play & its’ performers & production staff partly factor into these high-quality performances.  In an interview with Lookingglass Literary Manager Marti Lyons, Zimmerman said: “…because I have so many of the same people returning and because all actors, if they were ever good, get better with age, I’m really looking forward to the deepened experience, connection & ability, and to see how the performances change under the weight of all these years. It’s one thing to see a bunch of kids doing these myths, ti’s another thing to see 45 year-olds do it - it has a gravitas to it - and almost a strangeness - that I’m looking forward to. The show is sort of a touchstone in our lives. Three cast members have been off and on since they were 21 or 22 years old and 3 marriages among various cast members came out of this show: Raymond Fox & Anne Fogarty, Phil Smith & Louise Lamson, and Erik Lochtefeld & Laura Eason. Out of these marriages, there are 4 children.”  

[Marilyn Dodds Frank, Raymond Fox, Anne Fogarty, Anjali Bhimani, Lawrence E. DiStasi, 
Louise Lamson, Lauren Orkus, Usman Ally, Doug Hara, Chris Kipiniak]

THE COSTUME DESIGN [crafted by Mara Blumenfeld] was pretty much pitch-perfect. Her design concept incorporated the necessary & sufficient sense of continuity while still making the costumes distinct to their respective story. The common threads threading the costume design together were innovative silhouettes, bright & brilliant colors, and clever attention to details. It did seem like there was more attention spent on the women’s costumes than the men’s (especially in the fabric choices). This had to be especially difficult production to costume considering these costumes had to be strikingly gorgeous, timeless & contemporary, and work well/look good while still wet [talk about an awesome Project Runway challenge]. 

Some highlights: Orpheus’ classy & contemporary conductor tails, the wiry alphabet constellation cap atop Morpheus/The God of Dream’s head, Hunger’s creepy pantyhose cap,  a skirt lined with Christmas lights, Euridyce’s perfect wedding dress with a simple grey shear beauty pageant sash, the consistent incorporation of men in stylized, high-waisted, belted skirts, and [my personal favorite] Alcyon’s gorgeous seafom, lace-enlayed, empire-waisted dress.

THE SET was stunning & simple; scenic designer Daniel Ostling presented concise design, pristine imagery, & calm background for the chaotic action it housed. He also had a peculiar challenge in this project considering the set is a pool. It consisted of a central pool with the audience sitting on three sides, a runway around the perimeter & a stationary double-floored back-wall anchoring the action. The pool sort of became a character itself & served as a chameleon background for the different stories: we had women washing in the river, men rowing in the ocean, a millionaire lounging on a floatie backyard, fierce fighting in the angry ocean (complete with tiny boats), the shore for a widow to wander, etc. I also think there is a weird little sense of interesting irony in this particular set seeing as they built a pool in a theatre that is housed water-pumping station. The literal/structural contrasts behind history, coincidence, & interpretation provided a cool mirroring effect of the message of the play itself.

September WishList

The Fall of The House of Usher 

by The Hypocrites @ Chopin Theatre 

Terror! Suspense! Gothic cross-dressing melodrama! Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a highly tense and taut work of fiction that set the standard for American Horror for the past two centuries. This adaptation, which examines the psychology of a fractured personality, utilizes a cast of only three women to navigate the notorious House.

Illegal Use of Hands 

by American Blues Theatre @ Victory Gardens

 

In a small town where buzzards feast on a dead Chevy and the local Wal-Mart hires only college graduates, three men [ABT ensemble member Steve Key (Broadway tour of August: Osage County), ABT Artistic Affiliate Dennis Zacek (founding artistic director of Victory Gardens Theater) and Howie Johnson (award-winning Killer Joe at Profiles Theater)] wait out the night in the company of a high school football trophy they have rescued from obscurity. It’s a story about revenge, glory, and being a man—if only the characters could agree on what they can’t remember.

The Woman in White @ Lifeline Theatre

Trapped in a loveless marriage and threatened by a conspiracy of ruthless men, young heiress Laura Fairlie faces a future of sorrow and misery. Her only hope lies with her true love, the poor artist Walter Hartright, and her sister Marian Halcombe, both of whom will risk everything to protect her. Without the law, society, or money on their side, Walter and Marian must race against time to free their beloved Laura and uncover the truth behind the mysterious woman in white that shares her face. A dark tale of romance and suspense, in a world premiere adaptation. Based on the 1889 novel by Wilkie Collins (The Moonstone, Armadale), considered among the first mystery novels in the English language.

Sweet Bird of Youth @ The Goodman Theatre 

Into a tiny Gulf coast hamlet drifts an improbable couple: the Princess Kosmonopolis, a Hollywood legend fleeing the disastrous premiere of her latest epic, and Chance Wayne, a young actor-turned-gigolo who has brought his new benefactress to his hometown in hopes of reclaiming his former glory. But when a youthful mistake surfaces that threatens Chance’s plan, the pair are forced to confront their crumbling dreams. Laced with humor and Williams’ “characteristically gorgeous lyricism” (The New York Times), Sweet Bird of Youth is a sensual, haunting theatrical journey that will captivate and seduce you.

Sunday in the Park with George 

@ Chicago Shakespeare Theatre 

Sunday in the Park with George, inspired by Georges Seurat's most famous work A Sunday on La Grande Jatte-1884, on display and in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, unites Seurat and Sondheim in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater. Griffin's musical production will transform the painting into a life-size masterpiece to tell the story of a painter's struggle between creating art and living life.

Metamporhoses 

Lookingglass Theatre Company 

Fourteen years ago Lookingglass debuted Metamorphoses, a play of such grace and beauty that the memory of it still lingers in the minds of audiences today. The critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Chicago engagement led to a Broadway production that garnered Mary Zimmerman the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director and catapulted Lookingglass onto the national stage. In the simple beauty of a rippling pool of water, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman conjured Ovid’s myths into gorgeous imagery, provocative moments and breathtaking storytelling. Metamorphoses’ long-anticipated Chicago revival will feature a number of Lookingglass Ensemble Members and original cast members.

June WishList

Attend the Tale of Danny Tanner: A Full House Musical 

Gorilla Tango Theatre  

In this original musical, the true life of Danny Tanner and his family is exposed; promises will be broken, sinister paths explored, lives (maybe even of main characters!) will be lost, and yes, songs will be sung. Whether you're a member of the Full House fan club or scoff in a superior fashion when you hear someone utter "Cut It Out", you will find both a touch of nostalgia and an illuminating light shining brightly on the Tanners' most clandestine realities in this black comedy with a twist. Come see the Tanners as you've never seen them before. Attend the Tale.

I grew up with the Tanners & love a new musical, so this is right up my alley. 

Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon 

Navy Pier Skyline Stage 

Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon is a spectacle for audiences of all ages, featuring performers direct from China who are leaders in their craft of tumbling, juggling, balancing and more. This year's production features an incredible line up of awe-inspiring acts, including favorites such as Bike Balances and Hoop Diving, as well as an all-new Group Chair Stack, Teeterboard act and the Wheel of Death.

I am ashamed to say I've never seen a show by Cirque du Soleil. And tickets to this one are surprisingly cheap at HotTix, so looks like I'll be able to cross Cirque du Soleil off the bucket list. 

Eastland: A New Musical 

Lookingglass Theatre Company 

July 24, 1915: Moored on the Chicago River between Clark St and LaSalle, The Eastland begins boarding and thousands of Western Electric employees and their families climb the ramp, excited for their annual company outing. Overflowing with passengers about to depart, the boat leans port – and doesn’t lean back. Within minutes, cries fill the air, families are torn apart and unexpected heroes emerge to rescue dozens of Chicagoans from a watery end.

Why this looks awesome: 

• Lookingglass tends to produce impeccable shows. 
• I never knew about the Eastland Disaster before I moved to Chicago. Much like Devil in the White City (another story that should be on stage), the Eastland is a part of Chicago’s history that doesn’t seem to be adequately acknowledged in American history. 
• I loved Titanic: The Musical. It won the 1997 Tony for Best New Musical but never seemed wholly embraced or beloved by musical-lovers. My theory is that, although the music was beautiful, the staging was too literal & not artistically fulfilling. Granted, sinking an ocean liner onstage is a pretty difficult task, but that is why the task needed to be approached with an artistic eye, innovative staging, & the use of/faith in the audience’s imagination. These are all elements that Lookingglass regularly incorporate into their productions, so I have no doubt Eastland: An Original musical will not disappoint. 

VALENTINE'S WishList

The Great Fire @ Lookingglass



Towards the end of my Lookingglass internship, I attended a staff meeting where they announced the 2011-12 season. I was immediately excited about The Great Fire. It was a challenging production with a hugely intriguing & applicable subject matter for the audience base. Artistic Director Andy White also discussed the applicability of this piece of history to the American audience in this post-9/11 world because it showcases a city’s ability to rise from the ashes and revive itself. Part of what this play highlighted was how foreign it feels to envision an urban disaster without our contemporary advances & conveniences. The play opened & closed with vignettes of letters of people communicating the disaster of the fire with their distant loved-ones. The mayor had to telegraph The White House to seek assistance. The communication culture clash was an interesting element to emphasize & address. In the same juxtaposed light, it was a very cool effect to enter the Water Tower, see those pipes, and then leave the theatre with the realization that everything around me had been leveled by the fire except for the building I was leaving.

 

I appreciated the fact that this play served as a study on human reaction in the face of mass tragedy. Many people developed an immediate, morbid fascination with the fire & wanted to go watch the river while it was still south of the river; this is a realistic & rational acknowledgement because the attraction of tragedy to spectators seems to be a timeless human habit. It also honestly addressed the kindness of distant strangers in aftermath of a tragedy versus the dog-eat-dog factor during the tragedy. The script exposed an excellent cross-section of different reactions to the impending disaster: the Alderman wants to literally fight fire with fire, the businessmen who quickly adopt the mentality that confusion equals potential income, the comparative indifference of the masses as a result of overexposure to tragedy, and the prisoners who are released for fear of bad press & see the fire as freedom. However, the base & primary goal of all these characters is to gather up the loved ones & flee. Theatre should cause contemplation and this script & production was one that provoked self-reflection, new knowledge, and humbling appreciation for the safety & convenience of our contemporary world.



The Players

The cast was comprised of smart, small ensemble (with a refreshing disregard to age/gender) that served as a collective representation of the people of Chicago. As the personification of The Fire itself, Lindsey Noel Whiting created a character with the otherworldly, innocent seduction of a glowing fire while still also presenting the mocking, almost vindictive nature of the fire’s aggression. Just as the character she created was well-rounded, the quality of her performance was equally well-rounded in physicality, artistic presentation, and interaction with the text. But that sentiment applies to the ensemble and production as a whole.

September WishList II

Be A Good Little Widow

Collaboraction

Set in the heartland of suburbia, young wife Melody has never been to a funeral until her husband dies in a plane crash. Expected to instantly assume proper widowhood, Melody is left to wonder, what's the right way to grieve? Fortunately, her mother-in-law is a professional. Widow, that is. Under her guidance, Melody must try her best to be a good little widow. Be a Good Little Widow is a surprisingly funny and moving portrait of loss and longing.

Runs Sept. 8-Oct. 23

The Pitmen Painters

Timeline Theatre Company

Heralded in London and on Broadway, this new play by the Tony Award-winning writer of Billy Elliot is based on a triumphant true story. A group of miners in Northern England taking an art appreciation class start experimenting with painting and soon build an astonishing body of work that makes them the unlikeliest of art world sensations. An arresting and hilarious salute to the power of individual expression and the collective spirit, The Pitmen Painters is a deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

Runs until Dec. 4



Waiting for Lefty

Victory Gardens Theatre

Waiting for Lefty, inspired by the New York taxi strike of 1934 and first staged by the Group Theater in 1935, features powerful vignettes that offer a timeless treatise on societal inequities. “We’ve been kicked around so long we’re black and blue from head to toes,” opines a Depression-era American working stiff in Odets’ masterpiece.

Runs until Oct. 2

RED

The Goodman Theatre

Full-blooded and visceral, the Tony Award-winning Red takes you into the mind of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko, for whom paintings are "pulsating" life forces and art is intended to stop the heart. RED chronicles the tormented painter's two-year struggle to complete a lucrative set of murals for Manhattan's exclusive Four Seasons restaurant, and his fraught relationship with a seemingly naïve young assistant, who must choose between appeasing his mentor—and changing the course of art history. Set amid the swiftly changing cultural tide of the early 1960s, Red is a startling snapshot of a brilliant artist at the height of his fame, a play hailed as "intense and exciting" by the The New York Times.

Runs Sept. 17-Oct. 23

The Great Fire

Lookingglass Theatre Company

It has been one of the hottest, driest autumns on record, and now a strong wind blows from the Southwest. At 9:40 pm, the Chicago Fire Department gets their first report of a small blaze on the city’s southwest side. Soon there is no stopping the Great Chicago Fire until it finally runs out of things to burn. In one night, the very rich, the very poor, and everyone in between are transformed forever. Spectacular, spiritual, highly physical and exquisitely emotional, the Chicago Sun-Times praised The Great Fire as “highly original, hugely entertaining” and remarked that “no one who sees this show will be able to look at Chicago in the same way again.”

Runs Sept. 21 - Nov. 20

GoodBye GlassHouse Part III: PETER PAN

Upon entering the theatre space, the skeleton of the theatre was in full-view: catwalks, lights, harnesses, ladders, a stack of mattresses. In the theatre at the Water Tower, it would feel unnatural to imagine any other setting. Props & allusions to the forthcoming production were interspersed in the space--signs spray-painted in stencil font, a perfect clock atop a bookshelves complete with a Raggedy doll. Perfectly symmetrical lines of danging exposed light bulbs hung over the 1st few rows. The actors entered the space quietly & naturally, overlapping with the pre-show chit-chat & organically pulling the audience into their world. There was a good initial pacing and a great build-up of climactic moments. Especially relating to the appearance of Peter Pan. He appeared in the most easy slip of a moment, with charm that makes Mrs. Darling's description of him as a predator poof in smoke. Climactic moments like these were well built-up  & satisfactory, but consistently delivered on a surprisingly smaller scale than the build-up would indicate. Overall, a really fresh & focused interpretation of a cool classic with a very strong strand of that Lookingglass flavor. 

My favorite part about this production was

the costume design:

Having such a smart, sparse set allowed the artistic energy to largely focus on costumes. It was like a cast of human dressings, which was a clever & effective use of concentrated artistic effort.

the lost boys

They wore it all & they wore it well:

hoodies, Sunday dresses, lace, Converse sneakers,
harnesses, hats, sweaters, flannel, goggles, fingerless gloves,
winter tights, rolled-up jeans, beanie caps, & lace-up boots.
It was a perfect mismatched hodgepodge;
a creepy, sweet, weathered,
modern infusion of agelessness.  
I felt echos of Oliver Twist, Narnia, Annie & loved it all.

you've never seen pirates like these

I loved both the vision & execution of the Pirates scene.
 I can't say enough good things, so a video:




thematic elements:
Finding Neverland, Finding Family, Creating Family. 
Coming-of-Age. In Neverland.

Casting college kids as The Lost Boys was an awkward fit at times
(due to skill levels, NOT artistic vision),
but I loved the thematic implications of
this casting decision.
To me, this casting vision & This Neverland represented
the startling change of entering college.
The Lost Boys created a family of bonds stronger than blood.
 In a hard, false, first taste of adulthood,
Wendy became a dorm mom of sorts.
She made lists to take care of The Lost Boys, &
acknowledged how she became "addicted to status"
of being drunk of the power
of seeing one's self as a parent rather than a child.

 It got me thinking about the parents' end of the college experience,
To watch a child get his first feet wet of adulthood,
but wanting to turn a blind eye
to the reality of that awakening.

This  Neverland has a tone of the Rumspringa conflict,
where one can taste the real world,
but then has to choose
to return to the world that defines home,
or sign over to a new faith found from newfound knowledge.


my favorite phrase & moment of this production:
(attempting to describe the Darling Children's
return home after a short lifetime in Neverland)
pen cannot describe the happy scene

Lookingglass Wins Regional Tony!

GoodBye GlassHouse Part II: LG ALICE

My time at Lookingglass opened my eyes & gave me my first taste of

The style of Chicago theatre.

Living here, I have seen a scene with a more distinct flavor

than I saw in Philadelphia, New York City, & Boston.

One dominant strand being the influence of physical theatre,
which was very present in Lookingglass Alice.

This is the reinterpreted classic story that has
turned into a classic icon of Chicago theatre.
It tells the story of Alice falling into the Rabbit's Hole &
Her adolescent return to Wonderland.
Each square on the chessboard is a challenge she must conquer
to attain her ultimate goal:
To become A Queen.
While each square brings her closer to her goal,
it also enlightens her to the costs, trials, & losses
that result from shifting from
A Little Girl to A Queen.



This production was like a classic recipe reworked.
Adding this fresh physicality to an aged story was
like adding peanut butter to the chocolate chip cookies.
And after the random new ingredient is introduced,
it is difficult to imagine the recipe without it.

I was excited to see Lauren Hirte in the role of Alice.

I love an actress who commits to a part,
from the dream of the workshop to its' blow-up success.
Like Lea Michelle w/ Spring Awakening, Lea Salonga w/
Miss Saigon, Stephanie J. Block w/ Wicked 
(who got dropped right before it went to Broadway
because Idina Menzel had a Tony to her name, but that's its own thing).

It just gives their performance a richness
when an actress has marinated in it so long.

5 Minutes with Lauren Hirte



GoodBye GlassHouse Part I: Lookingglass

Hindsight makes current vision clearer,

so recent events qualify as inspiration for current blogposts to me.

I recently completed a Marketing Internship @

Lookingglass Theatre Company.

It was a great experience,

especially since Lookingglass was my

#1 Theatre of Interest
when I moved to Chicago last June.

The theatre resides in the Water Tower &

the administrative offices are in the Hancock Building.

As a new-comer to Chicago, this internship was also an A+ introduction to

 the world of Chicago theatre.

My responsibilities included:

mailings, research, databases, e-blasts, etc.

meetings with only the best of views.

errends/base-touching to the ever prettiest theatre.

working at awesome events, like this one at the

Signature Room on the 95th.

And always saying good morning

to my handsome Hancock buddy boy.