It is my great fortune to live in a town that is bursting with so much theatrical talent. About seven years ago, I stumbled into reviewing the Chicago theatre scene. Every show enhances my understanding of theatre and life. I enjoy most every production for some aspect. The stinkers have been a single digit percentage ...
The Fourth Walsh
Theatre with a side of life
Category Steppenwolf Theatre
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Review “Domesticated” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Norris Untamed!
We have a civilized agreement, and a reasonable one, that says we can’t behave the way some of our animal cousins do. I think this idea - that everything men instinctively want, on a primitive level, is basically bad and everything women want, basically good - is how we’ve constructed morality, based on gender. We see women as a ...
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Review “East of Eden” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Family Drama Page Turner
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere adaptation of EAST OF EDEN. Steppenwolf uses all the right stuff to turn John Steinbeck’s sprawling novel into an engaging play. Adapter Frank Galati whittles down the complicated family drama and pulls out the essential nuggets. His lean script keeps the action moving but never sacrifices essential story elements. In ...
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Review “Grand Concourse” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Witty Life Dissection
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of GRAND CONCOURSE. Upon arrival, Scenic Designer Joey Wade places us smack dab in the middle of a soup kitchen. His intricate set is impressive from the industrial sinks with working faucets to the Virgin Mary statue perched on the windowsill. And behind this realistic microcosm, Wade has formidable cathedral-styled ...
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Review “The Herd” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Loud, Colorful, Tumultuous… a family to LOVE!
Steppenwolf presents the U.S. premiere of THE HERD. In the home Scenic Designer Walt Spangler built, a family loves and fights with equal intensity. Spangler sets the tone for this family. His walls are white-washed with decorative glass trim. The staircase is almost whimsical as it curves up and around three landings. The kitchen has a ...
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Review “Marie Antoinette” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Definitely Chic
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of MARIE ANTOINETTE. This show starts like a techno fashion show. Two oversized video screens bookend a mirrored runway stage. Above the stage are oversized flowers. Everything about the visual is glam. Lights flash. Music blares. And the ladies arrive to strut the catwalk in 18th Century couture meets ...
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EXTENDED “Airline Highway” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Road to Human Discovery
Steppenwolf Theater presents the World Premiere and Broadway-bound AIRLINE HIGHWAY. Everyone has a story. And Playwright Lisa D’Amour has a multitude. In her tightly-packed, ensemble-driven jambalaya, D’Amour tells tales of regret. From the moment we arrive at The Hummingbird Motel, we are intrigued by these colorful misfits that are oddly detached but also together. This motel-made ...
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Review “The Night Alive” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Dark with the promise of light
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of THE NIGHT ALIVE. Tommy (played in bittersweet perfection by Francis Guinan) is having a mid-life crisis. He is estranged from his wife and teenage children. He is living in a dilapidated room in his aging uncle’s house. He survives by running petty scams with his friend Doc (played by the ...
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Review “The Qualms” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Debauchery at its Finest
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the World Premiere of THE QUALMS. Playwright Bruce Norris exposes the secret life of swingers. He rips off the lid on sexual taboos and lets the condoms reign. Norris sets the scene with Teri (played by Kate Arrington) and Gary (played by Keith Kupferer) hosting their quarterly sex party. They have invited newcomers ...
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Review “This is our Youth” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Okay.
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the pre-Broadway run of THIS IS OUR YOUTH. The play, produced on Broadway by Scott Rudin, opens at the Cort Theatre on September 11th. I was excited about this play solely based on the star power. I’m a huge fan of Arrested Development and Michael Cera. I also have enjoyed performances by indie ...