Out of the 151 plays I saw and reviewed in 2014, these are my Top Ten for their unforgettable quality. GRIFFIN THEATRE: Titanic was a ship to love. The emotional connection between the characters and the audience was powerful. I found it memorable for its passionate and hopeful portrayal of the tragedy. THE SECOND CITY & ...
The Fourth Walsh
Theatre with a side of life
Category Goodman Theatre
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Review “Twist Your Dickens” (Goodman Theatre, The Second City): F#cking Funny!
Goodman Theater, in conjunction with The Second City, presents TWIST YOUR DICKENS, OR SCROOGE YOU! This was my third installment of The Second City’s local collaborative spectacles. Previously, The Second City had partnered with Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Hubbard Street Dance Company. “The Second City Guide to the Opera” and “The Art of Falling” cleverly infused very ...
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Review “Smokefall” (Goodman Theatre): Total original!
Goodman Theatre presents a remount of the successful 2013 premiere of SMOKEFALL. This show is different. The set, designed by Kevin Depinet, hints of that immediately. A massive, slanted wooden ceiling covers an ordinary-looking two level mid-century decorated home. A cut-out window in the roof looks to a sunlit sky. Artificial grass carpets a floating staircase ...
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Review “Brigadoon” (Goodman Theatre): Enchanting, Aye!
Goodman Theatre presents BRIGADOON. I grew up watching and re-watching the mystical musical “Brigadoon.” The 1954 film starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse made me believe in the power of love. When I saw last night’s show, I already knew the plot and most of the songs. The plot is contrived. Some might even say corny. ...
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Review “The White Snake” (Goodman Theatre): Disappointing… both times
Goodman Theatre presents an all-new stage adaption of THE WHITE SNAKE. I didn’t care for this either time I saw it. I saw it first on Tuesday night. My reaction was so strong and negative that I wondered if my martini at dinner had impaired my judgement. After all, this was Mary Zimmerman’s work. Her “Metamorphoses” ...
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“God’s Work” (Albany Park Theatre Project): Unforgettable Imagery
Goodman Theatre presents Albany Park Theatre Project’s GOD’S WORK. An abusive father imprisons his eighteen children in the basement. He beats them for minor infractions based on his fundamentalist beliefs. After being caged for nine years, a young girl begins to heal. Her resilience is showcased as she touches the lives of others. Although this true ...
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“Venus in Fur” (Goodman Theatre): Wickedly Pleasurable Flirtation
Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of VENUS IN FUR. This is a play about a play about a book. In 1869, Author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch penned a novella of erotica. His controversial writings about sexual domination resulted in a new word. Masochism, used to describe finding sexual pleasure from pain or humiliation, is derived from the ...
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“Buzzer” (Goodman Theatre): 2 Against 1 Dynamic
Goodman Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of BUZZER. What rightfully belongs to me because of my race, gender, education, or class? Playwright Tracey Scott Wilson asks this question again and again. Wilson pokes at personal embers to see what sparks flame. Her trio is a mesmerizing science experiment of complication. Two are white, one is black. Two ...
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“Luna Gale” (Goodman Theatre): Stellar!
Goodman Theatre presents the World Premiere of LUNA GALE. As a licensed social worker in the State of Indiana, I marveled at how perfectly Playwright Rebecca Gilman’s story reflected ‘the system.’ Gilman pens a complex tale about a baby placed in foster care. The best interest of the child is at the heart of the show. But ...