Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. Finally, a SHREW that is shrewd! Director Barbara Gaines has ingeniously placed Shakespeare's chauvinistic comedy into a female-defining moment in American history. Gaines creates a play within a play. It's 1919. A Chicago women's club is in final rehearsal for The Taming of the Shrew. Inside and ...
Review “Orphée et Eurydice” (Lyric Opera): Dynamic Marriage
The Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Orphée et Eurydice . The Lyric, in collaboration with The Joffrey Ballet, opens its 2017/2018 season with a visual and audio stunner. The 3 powerhouse principals , accompanied by 60 chorus and 47 orchestra members, fill the theatre with the soulful melodies of love lost and found and remembered. And the 43 ...
Review “The Rembrandt” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Imitation of Art and Life
Steppenwolf Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of THE REMBRANDT. A Rembrandt painting is the focal point of Playwright Jessica Dickey's tale. It's the portrait of Aristotle with his hand on a bust of Homer's head. Dickey attempts to connect life to art and art to life over centuries. She draws parallels between the admirers of the ...
How I spent my summer…
My insensitive use of a word changed my summer plans. When people reacted to my horrible mistake by denouncing me publicly as a racist, I felt shocked, hurt, angry and defensive. My first impulse was to fight back. I wanted to prove I wasn’t a racist. I wanted to rattle off all the aspects in ...
This is a ‘Dear (Donald) John’ Letter
Dear Donald John, It's you, not me. When you won, I knew the country was settling. You are the loud guy that shows up during last call. People are wobbly and not wanting to go home. You promised a good time. The country was thirsty so it worked. We got into bed with you. I knew the ...
Chicago Pride!
Dear President Trump, Since today is the Chicago Pride Parade, I am going to use this opportunity to draw your attention to: the Chicago community and LGBTQ community. Chicago is my hometown for twenty-three years now. It is the best city in the world! People associate us with the 2016 World Series Chicago Cubs, stuffed pizza and ...
A letter of contrition…
It’s been 6 days since my horrible mistake regarding the use of an offensive word in a theatre review. If you aren’t aware of my blunder, this letter isn’t for you. If you know exactly what I’m talking about, please take a moment to read this. I’ve spent a lot of time in contemplation of my ...
Review “Pass Over” (Steppenwolf Theatre): Didn’t Passover, Impaled Me!
POST PUBLICATION NOTE: I want to take this moment to apologize. In my original review of "Pass Over", I used a word in my review that I should have never used. I never meant to be insensitive or disrespectful. It was a reaction to the poetry of a play that profoundly touched me. Please don't ...
Review “Her Majesty’s Will” (Lifeline Theatre): Not Quite a Comedy or a Thriller
Lifeline Theatre presents the world premiere of HER MAJESTY'S WILL. The imaginative concept of this play intrigued me. Author David Blixt wrote a novel about the origin story of two Elizabethan playwrights: William Shakespeare (played by Javier Ferreira) and Christopher Marlowe (played by Bryan Bosque). Shakespeare is teaching school under the name Falstaff. He's hiding from ...
Review “The Night Season” (Strawdog Theatre): Loud, Boozy, Loving Family!!
Strawdog Theatre presents THE NIGHT SEASON. An actor chooses to stay with a family of locals during his film shoot in Ireland. Although he prefers a quiet homey setting to a noisy hotel, he finds himself center of attention in a loud, boozy, loving family. Playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz pens a a different kind of love story. ...