Broadway in Chicago presents JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. For a story about the early days of human trafficking, this musical makes merry. The plot is dramatic: Joseph, his father’s favorite, is sold into slavery by his brothers. His ability to interpret dreams helps him ascend to prominence. A famine reunites him with his estranged family. ...
“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 ...
Compliments need a life
I’m a complimenter. I actively look for the positive in situations. And I comment on it. Some of it is surface stuff... ‘That shirt looks so pretty with your eyes.’ Some of it has a deeper meaning... ‘Your passion for the cause inspires me to be a better person.’ Last week’s challenge in “How to Train a Wild Elephant,”was to compliment ...
“Good Boys And True” (Raven Theatre): Disquieting
Raven Theatre presents GOOD BOYS AND TRUE. A leaked sex tape is scandalous. Knowing the participants are minors is disturbing. Realizing the girl is a victim escalates it to unconscionable. Playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa penned a thought-provoking tale. At the crux of the play is a demoralizing sex tape making the rounds at an elite boys’ prep school. Aguirre-Sacasa ...
Grateful for this eclectic mish mash
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley The Wellness Committee at work emailed that quote out yesterday. I loved it. It parallels my desire to live in the moment. No matter what is going on in ...
Review “Salome” (Right Brain Project): Lusty Erotica
The Right Brain Project presents Oscar Wilde’s SALOME. Director Nathan Robbel used a phrase in his press packet Q&A that perfectly states my experiences of Right Brain Project. Robbel describes their brand of theatre as ‘epic minimalism’. Exactly! I’ve seen several RBP productions over the years. I’m always impressed by their commitment to artistic expression. In their ...
Slainte!
When I was a fourth grader, my class was learning about cultures. We were each to dress up in ancestral attire and talk about our family’s coming to America story. I was delighted. I imagined I would wear a crisp, white frock covered in green shamrocks. I saw a wreath of shamrocks and white flowers on ...
Review “Rock of Ages” Broadway in Chicago): High-octane Cast Rocks it Out
Reviewed by Tom Lawler The long-running Broadway musical Rock of Ages, now touching down in Chicago for just a week in a new touring production featuring a cast of mainly fresh faces, gets off to a scintillating start as we meet ROA’s narrator for the evening, Lonny. As embodied by the lewd, ultra-confident Andrew Sklar (he ...
Where in the world is Katy?
Seventies Saturday flashback! We certainly all look like dour Catholics in the making... yikes! This picture has haunted me for years. I pick myself out quickly because I'm throwing off the uniformity of the situation. Foreshadowing to my life's true essences, indeed!
The unrequited life of a pretend musician
A few weeks back, Tommy J suggested I’d like the musical group A Great Big World. He was right. I changed my Pandora station to select their music and bands with similar sounds. Music influences my mood. And my mood influences my music. A Great Big World radio station is both uplifting and centering. The ...