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As a marketing technique for the 40th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol, Goodman Theatre released a humorous meme: “you before seeing Christmas Carol” (with an image of Scrooge in his most miserly state) vs “you after seeing Christmas Carol” (with an image of post-spiritual awakening happy Scrooge). I chuckled lightly at the image when I first saw it, but I never anticipated how accurate it would be; I left the theatre feeling “as light as a feather, [...] as happy as an angel, [...] as merry as a schoolboy.” 
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“Tracy Letts” has been a buzzword in my life since 2007, when I was first introduced to the masterpiece that is August: Osage County. The Pulitzer prize-winning playwright has such a knack for the specific kind of drama that I love most--gritty realism blended with dark humor--so it’s a slight understatement to say that I had high expectations going into his latest collaboration with director Anna D. Shapiro, The Minutes.  Acclaimed Chicago actor Steve Pickering has taken over the role of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in TimeLine Theatre's hit Chicago premiere of Peter Morgan's THE AUDIENCE.  Following four sell-out performances, CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LATE NIGHT WRITERS ROOM returns for one-night-only on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 10 pm at The Greenhouse Theater Center (Downstairs Mainstage), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.  The title of Candace Chong’s Wild Boar describes an interesting phenomena, a curious coexistence of urban development and nature. As dramaturg Carol Ann Tan’s explains, the towering skyscrapers and rapidly increasing population of Hong Kong has somehow yet to drive away the native wild boars, which can still be seen roaming around the city blocks. This intriguing juxtaposition between the natural and artificial, between human order and natural chaos, is one ripe for exploring. And while Chong’s script attempts to unpack these issues, its overreaching and lack of focus ends up muddling any meaning entirely.  Black Ensemble Theater concludes the 2017 Season (The Dance Theater Season) with Sammy: The Story of Sammy Davis Jr., written and directed by Black Ensemble Theater Associate Director Daryl D. Brooks, with choreography by Rueben D. Echoles. Sammy: The Story of Sammy Davis Jr. will be performed at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago, December 9, 2017 – January 21, 2018.  26 PRESENTS: HAPPY HOLIGAYS is the fourth edition of Pride Films and Plays' popular late night performance series inspired by the horror movie anthology THE ABCS OF DEATH. Our nine actors will present 26 scenes each inspired by a word that begins with a letter of the alphabet. Playwrights from across the Chicagoland area have created the 26 unique scenes. Performances will be Saturday nights at 10:30 pm, December 2, 9 and 16 at The Buena, Pride Arts Center, located at 4147 N Broadway Ave.  American Blues kicks off the Christmas season with their 16th annual production of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!. Featuring an amicable ensemble and simple but stunning staging, the holiday hit playing at Stage 773 is pure holiday magic.  The Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO), under the direction of Jeff Lindberg, announced today an exciting three-concert line-up for its 2017-18 season.  Please note: This production opens amid an ongoing investigation into sexual harrassment claims against Michael Halberstam at Writers Theatre. The internal probe has not yet been resolved. There exists in the theatre world a misguided notion that any script with elevated language, be it Shakespeare, Marlowe, or even Wilde, need be approached in one of two ways: as over the top as possible, with actors shouting and leaping about to educate us poor, illiterate audience members; or, alternatively, as blandly as possible, with actors making little to no choice in “allegiance” to the text itself. I’m not sure what theatrical god imposed this horrible commandment, but it’s one that many a production has suffered via following.  |
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