Posted on January 21, 2010 by Scotty Zacher
Peter Robel shows grace & poise in this exquisite one-man show
Boho Theatre presents:
I Am My Own Wife
By Doug Wright Co-Directed by Peter Marston Sullivan and Stephen M Genovese Thru February 13th (ticket info)
Review by Aggie Hewitt
Watching a one-man show is as terrifying as watching Philippe [...]
Filed under: 2010 Reviews, Aggie Hewitt, Bohemian Theatre, Drama | Tagged: Aggie Hewitt, Bohemian Theatre, Boho Theatre, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife, Jefferson Mays, John Zuiker, Moisés Kaufman, Peter Marston Sullivan, Peter Robel, Philippe Petit, Stephen M. Genovese, Tobias Funke, Uta Hagen | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 19, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
These are characters that could have just as easily stepped out of a 19th century novel as this 1970s play. The audience can neither escape from their seedy, depressed reality nor from the worlds they weave with the language they have at their disposal. Language–and the masculine values they have about loyalty, toughness, and cunning–proves to be both their doing and undoing. With the exception of a few moments, this American Buffalo delivers a taut, energetic, densely layered, and finely realized work
Filed under: David Mamet, Drama, Paige Listerud, Steppenwolf, Tracy Letts | Tagged: American Buffalo, Amy Morton, Cecilie O'Reilly, Christine D. Freeburg, David Mamet, Francis Guinan, Jamie Abelson, Kevin Depinet, Malcolm Ewen, Meisner technique, Michael Bodeen, Nan Cibula-Jenkins, Pat Collins, Patrick Andrews, Patrick Andrews actor, Rick Sordelet, Rob Milburn, Steppenwolf Theatre, Tracy Letts, truthiness | 3 Comments »
Posted on December 10, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Actor Patrick Andrews gets pumped up for “stage violence” day
Opening this Saturday, December 12th, Steppenwolf Theatre presents American Buffalo, written by David Mamet, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, featuring ensemble members Francis Guinan and Tracy Letts with Patrick Andrews.
Earlier weirdness:
Also, the director and cast [...]
Filed under: David Mamet, Drama, Marketing, Social Media, Steppenwolf, Video, YouTube | Tagged: American Buffalo, Amy Morton, David Mamet, Francis Guinan, Patrick Andrews, Steppenwolf Theatre, Tracy Letts | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 4, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Misery and Mystery Undergird Two Plays by Beau O’Reilly
Curious Theatre presents:
Two Plays by Beau O’Reilly
by Beau O’Reilly
thru January 3rd (ticket info)
review by Paige Listerud
Program notes handed out for Curious Theatre’s latest production at the Center Portion Gallery tell you nothing typical regarding the plays performed. They give a bit of history about their creation process–but [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Curious Theatre, Drama, Paige Listerud | Tagged: Guy Massey, Curious Theatre, Beau O'Reilly, Julian Berke, Jenny magnus, Center Portion Gallery, Dead to the World, Kelly Ann Corcoran, Sophie Sennard, Kate Teichman, Center Portion, Logan Square, Two Plays by Beau O'Reilly | 3 Comments »
Posted on November 27, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
A family drama in unfolding at Humboldt Park’s Batey Urbano (map), the storefront theater currently home to the midwest premiere of Reinaldo Povod’s Cuba and His Teddy Bear. At the heart of the dysfunction is Cuba (Madrid St. Angelo), a small time drug dealer, and Teddy (Christian Kane Blackburn), Cuba’s artistic son with a major monkey on his back. When Cuba’s friend Jackie (Hank Hilbert) unloads two pounds of marijuana on the pair, drug dealing becomes family bonding, but it’s only a matter of time before things go to hell.
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Oliver Sava, People's Theatre, UrbanTheater, YouTube | Tagged: Alex Polcyn, Alex St. John, Anthony Acairdi, Batey urbano, Carol Karaguez, Christian Blackburn, Christian Kane Blackburn, Edgar Sanchez, Erynn Mackenzie, Hank Hilbert, Ivan Vega, Jorge Felix, Julian Martinez, K. Estela Rivera, Kamal Hans, Madrid St. Angelo, Marilyn Camacho, Marilyn Camancho, Oliver Sava, pachuco, People's Theater of Chicago, Reinaldo Povod, Richard Ebeling, Urban Theater Company, UrbanTheater | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 7, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Promising, if Incomplete, “1512 Studebaker” brings the Depression Era Alive
Brain Surgeon Theater presents:
1512 West Studebaker Place
conceived by Liz Ladach-Bark and Joseph Riley
directed by Liz Ladach-Bark
thru November 22nd (ticket info)
reviewed by Paige Listerud
One thing you have to say about Brain Surgeon Theater’s latest production: they do crowded tenement right. In fact, 1512 West Studebaker Place [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Brain Surgeon Theater, Drama, Paige Listerud | Tagged: . Lauren I. Sivak, Amy Gorelow, Brain Surgeon Theater, Brain Surgeons, Christopher Cole, Ethan Baum, Gwen Tulin, Henry H. Perritt, Joseph Riley, Jr., Laura Deger, Layla Kornota, Liz Ladach-Bark, Megan Bishop, Rob Graboswski | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 7, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
This production is worth seeing for Marc Smith’s performance alone. His portrayal of this family’s baffled and embattled patriarch never hits a wrong note.
Filed under: Drama, Paige Listerud, Thunder and Lightning | Tagged: Home Front, James Duff, Jimmy Binns, Joan Merlo, Kimberly Logan, Kurt Bradenstein, Marc Kelly smith, Marc Smith, Mike Steele, Paige Listerud, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Thunder & Lightning, Thunder and Lightning | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 4, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
The Gift Theatre Company ensemble members Lynda Newton and Danny Ahlfeld open Summer People with a dramatic storm scene. We don’t yet know who this anguished couple is, but we understand that a daughter is missing, possibly dead; her father unreachable; and the relationship between the two on stage troubled.
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Gift Theatre, Leah A. Zeldes | Tagged: Brendan Donaldson, Danny Ahlfeld, Grace Goble, Jenny Connell, Jim Belushi, Justin James Farley, Leah Zeldes, Lynda newton, Minita Gandhi, Paul DAddario, Ray Gray, Rob Belushi, Summer People, The Gift Theatre | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 4, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
The Artistic Home Shows Weaknesses, Not Strengths, of Days To Come
The Artistic Home presents:
Days To Come
by Lillian Hellman
directed by Kathy Scambiatterra
thru November 29th (buy tickets)
Reviewed by Paige Listerud
If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Artistic Home, Drama, Paige Listerud | Tagged: Adam Smith, Dashiell Hammet, Days to Come, Elizabeth Argus, Ellen Siedel, Eustace Allen, Evelyn Kelly, Francesca Bourgault, Gerard Jamroz, Jeremy Glickstein, Joe Mack, Joe McCauley, John Mossman, Joseph Riley, Justine Serino, Kathy Scambiatterra, Leavey Ballou, Lillian Hellman, melodrama, Paige Listerud, Patrick Raynor, The Artistic Home, Tim Patrick Miller | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 28, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Find Time To See It!
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble presents:
These Shining Lives
by Melanie Marnich directed by Rachel Walshe at the Raven Theatre thru November 21st (buy tickets)
reviewed by Katy Walsh
Catherine is elated to be starting a new job painting 100+ watches a day at 8 cents a watch. Time is [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Jeff Awards, Katy Walsh, Raven Theatre, Rivendell Theatre | Tagged: Ashley neal, Caitlin McGlone, Champion's Bar, Champion's Saloon Chicago, Guy Massey, Jeff Award, Kathy Logelin, Melanie Marnich, Rachel Walshe, Radium Dial Company, Rani Waterman, Raven Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, These Shining Lives | 5 Comments »
Posted on October 24, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
More Entertainment Than Intellectual Challenge
The Right Brain Project presents:
The Modern Prometheus
adapted by Brad Lawrence directed by David Marcotte and Nathan Robbel thru November 21st (buy tickets)
reviewed by Paige Listerud
The Right Brain Project enjoyed success with Brad Lawrence’s play Chalk in 2007, a gumshoe noir retelling of [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Paige Listerud, Right Brain Project, World Premier | Tagged: Amy Sokol, Anthony Ingram, Brad Lawrence, Christopher M. Walsh, Colby Sellers, David Marcotte, Dennis Newport, Erin Elizabeth Orr, Frankenstein, Katherine Jordan, mark Hurni, Mary Shelley, Nathan Robbel, Ned Record, Paige Listerud, Sarah Elizabeth Miller, The Modern Prometheus, The Right Brain Project, Tom McGrath | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 19, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
An Ode to the Wrong at Heart
Project 891 Theatre presents:
Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story
by John Logan
directed by Michael Rashid
Reviewed by Paige Listerud
Project 891 Theatre’s first stage venture, Never the Sinner: the Leopold and Loeb Story, resonates with unresolved issues from the last century. These issues continue into the 21st century as part [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Chemically Imbalanced, Drama, Paige Listerud, Project 891 | Tagged: Bobby Frank, Chemically Imbalanced Theater, Clarence Darrow, Gary Murphy, John Logan, Leopold and Loeb, Matt Hays, Michael Rashid, Nietzche Superman, Paige Listerud, Project 891 Theatre, Robert Kaercher, Ron Popp, Swoon!, Val Bromann | 7 Comments »
Posted on July 18, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Hubris’ Revival a Limited, but Still Devastating, Success
Hubris Productions presents
Bent
by Martin Sherman
directed by Jacob Christopher Green
Review by Paige Listerud
To appreciate Martin Sherman’s Bent, one has to acknowledge the times in which it was created. When Sherman finished it in 1970, he was addressing neglected history about the Holocaust–the persecution of gay [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Greenhouse Theater Center, Hubris Productions, Paige Listerud | Tagged: Andrew Skenk, Bent the Play, Center on Halsted, Christopher Kauffman, CJ Leavens, Greenhouse Theater Center, Gregory L. Payne, Hubris Productions, Institute for Sexual Science, Jacob Christopher Green, Jason Dabrowski, Jason Ober, John Kamys, John Whittington, Lexi Staples, Magnus Hirschfeld, Martin Sherman, Michael Shepherd, Nathan Petts, Paige Listerud, Patricia Savieo, pink triangle, Richard Eberling, Stonewall Riots, Third Reich, Timothy McGuire, Tina Frey, Travis Walker | 2 Comments »
Posted on July 18, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Three sisters in search of a narrative
Idle Muse Theatre presents:
Shotgun Shakespeare: What the Weird Sisters Saw
by Evan Jackson and Tristan Brandon
directed by Evan Jackson
Reviewed by Paige Listerud
The witches in Idle Muse Theatre’s Shotgun Shakespeare: What the Weird Sisters Saw are certainly women on the verge. But on the verge of what, that is the question. [...]
Filed under: Drama, Idle Muse Theatre, Paige Listerud, William Shakespeare | Tagged: Bradley Woodward, Elizabeth MacDougald, Evan Jackson, MacBeth, Paige Listerud, Robert Negron, Stacy Sublette, Surrealism, Tristan Brandon, William Shakespeare | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 17, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Blackbird
a play by David Harrower
Reviewed by Timothy McGuire
The much anticipated dramatic play Blackbird, staring William Peterson and Mattie Hawkinson is indeed quite disturbing; it gives humanity to both a child molester and his victim as their characters are presented on stage un-judged by the author David Harrower.
David Harrower has written a soul-stirring play that [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Drama, Timothy McGuire, Victory Gardens | Tagged: Christine Pascual, Dennis Zacek, Andre Pluess, Tina M. Jach, Victory Gardens Theatre, Olivier Award, William Peterson, Tony Award, Tom Stoppard, Timothy McGuire, Mattie Hawkinson, David Harrower, Dean Taucher, Peter Morgan, Jesse Klug, Christine Barnes, James Faruggio | 3 Comments »
Posted on July 8, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
For 35 years, the Oak Park Theatre Festival has used its outdoor location to give their productions an authentic vibe and to allow their audiences to enjoy the summer weather while enjoying theatre. This works particularly well for staging Shakespearean works, which, after all, were originally produced in an open-air setting. In more recent [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Barry Eitel, Drama, Oak Park Festival, Theatre Festival, William Inge | Tagged: Alexis Vejar, Austin Gardens, Brandon Dahlquist, El fish, Fifth of July, Glynis Gilio, Jeff Weisman, Jeremy Getz, Kate Kisner, Kyle Irwin, Lanford Wilson, Lydia Berger, Mary liming, Michael Weber, Oak Park Festival, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Pamela Maurer, Purlitzer Prize, Rebekah Ward-Hays, Ricky Lurie, robert W. Behr, Stef Tovar, Talley's Folly, William Inge | Leave a Comment »
Posted on June 28, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Testing the Bonds of Brotherhood in Sam Kelley’s “Pill Hill”
The award winning eta Creative Arts Foundation wraps up its 38th season with a sterling production of Sam Kelley’s Pill Hill, a play that explores the journeys of 6 Chicago steel mill workers trying to realize economic and social success. Director Aaron Todd Douglas has honed [...]
Filed under: 2009 Reviews, Arthur Miller, David Mamet, Drama, Paige Listerud, eta Creative Arts | Tagged: Aaron Todd Douglas, Anthony Peeples, Arthur Miller, Cecil Burroughs, Corey Spruill, David Adams, David Mamet, Death of a Salesman, eta Creative Arts Foundation, Glengarry Glen Ross, Jr., Kelvin Roston, Kevin Hope, Pill Hill, Sam Kelley | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 28, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Check out the Looking Glass Theatre’s “Our Town” cast photo gallery at ChicagoTribune.com, starring David Schwimmer. Our Town plays at the downtown theatre through April 5th. Info and tickets here.
UPDATE – REVIEWS
Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times: Apart from its (“trussed up”) set, the Lookingglass “Our Town” — co-directed by Anna D. Shapiro and Jessica [...]
Filed under: Casting, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Chris Jones, Drama, Hedy Weiss, Jeff Awards, Lookingglass, YouTube | Tagged: Andy White, Anna D. Shapiro, Catey Sullivan, ChicagoPride.com, Chris Jones, David Catlin, David Kersnar, David Schwimmer, Examiner, Examiner.com, Hedy Weiss, Heidi Stillman, Jeff Awards, Jessica Thebus, Joey Slotnick, Kevin Douglas, Laura Eason, Lookingglass Theatre, Louise Lamson, Michael J. Roberts, Our Town, Patia Bartlett, Philip R. Smith, Raymond Rox, Thomas Cox, Thornton Wilder, Tracy Walsh | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 25, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Thursday, February 26
Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre
The Artistic Home
3914 N. Clark St., Chicago (map)
The Artistic Home is proud to present Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre, a play about passion, art and everything in-between. Immediately following the production enjoy a dessert and coffee reception, followed by a discussion on the topic of process and building the title [...]
Filed under: Artistic Home, Drama, League of Chicago Theatres, Theater Thursdays | Tagged: Dennis McIntyre, John Mossman, Kathy Scambiatterra, League of Chicago Theatres, Modigliani, The Artistic Home, Theater Thursday, TVstands.com | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 2, 2009 by Scotty Zacher
Thursday, February 5
Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith
16th Street Theater
6420 16th Street, Berwyn
Come to 16th Street before the show to enjoy dinner catered by the popular Wishbone Restaurant featuring their healthy, southern-style comfort food. Then stay for the provocative Pulitzer Prize-nominated Fires in the [...]
Filed under: 16th Street Theater, Drama, New York Times, Theater News, Theater Thursdays | Tagged: 16th Street Theater, Anna Deavere Smith, Berwyn, Fires in the Mirror, New York Times, Pulitzer Prize, Wishbone Restaurant | Leave a Comment »
