CONVERSATIONS with Ed Tracy

Inspire. Educate. Entertain.

CONVERSATIONS|PicksInSix®Reviews featuring short form critical reviews and podcasts with authors and influential leaders in the arts, media and business.

Filtering by Tag: Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel

Filtering by Author: Ed Tracy

PicksInSix Review: Things With Friends - American Blues Theater

 
 

Well-Done: Absurdist Things, Euphemistic Friends
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor |
Sarah Frances Fiorello

American Blues Theater kicks off its 40th anniversary season by kicking down the fourth wall with the world premiere of “Things With Friends” by Tony Award nominee, Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, Jeff Award Winner, and American Blues Theater Artistic Affiliate playwright, Kristoffer Diaz.  Diaz ushers us in voyeuristically, with the help of an immersive narrator, to this absurdist dinner party trapped in a Manhattan high-rise. Bring your metaphorical silverware and be prepared to dig in existentially: the menu includes (actual pan-cooked) steak, bottomless red wine, and never-ending euphemisms for the title of the play.

With a perfect view of the now-collapsed George Washington Bridge, Adele (Audrey Billings) and Burt (Casey Campbell) prepare for the arrival of their longtime friends, Vy (Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel) and Chabby (Jon Hudson Odom) against the backdrop of a real time climate disaster.  We watch as the two couples trade pawns in a twisted game of chess that reaches a boiling point just as a surprise visitor arrives. “Things With Friends” asks more questions than it answers, inviting its audience to think critically—not just as theatre goers but as global citizens.

Dexter Bullard’s direction is clear and specific, illuminating a string of pathway lights through the world of the play, telling us where to look, what to remember, and what to talk about on the way home. The direction also gives the ensemble of actors a well-defined sandbox in which to play, which they do with stamina and intention. Worth mentioning are standout performances by the quick-witted and slippery Jon Hudson Odom (Chabby) as well as the charismatic and irreverent Maya Lou Hlava (Joony), who rejoins the cast after appearing in the “Things With Friends” stage reading at American Blues Theatre in 2023, part of its Blue Ink Award recognition. 

Our narrator, NYC (played by Nate Santana) blurs the line between the audience’s role as observers and the actors’ role as storytellers, never allowing us to get too comfortable or judgmental of what we are witnessing. He comments on, and occasionally influences, the action while playing point-counterpoint to the more illogical and absurdist moments. He unpacks what the piece might otherwise leave to our imagination (or perhaps, confusion). Diaz’s inclusion of a narrator feels thoughtful: a nod to our effort of making it to the theatre to see something outside-of-the-box. A promise to leave us thinking about what we just saw, not wondering what we just saw.

“Things With Friends” is a slow burn, a methodical singe of the outermost sheen of these frenemies, while diving headfirst into the question American Blues Theater poses in its mission statement: “What does it mean to be American?” Who will we become as a society if we continue to crumble, like the bridges and tunnels of the ill-fated Manhattan of our play? What will happen when we are overrun with greed, selfishness, and fear—willing to sacrifice what arguably matters most?

Come ready to think and be prepared to leave wishing for more new works like this one: ingenious, thoughtful, and unafraid. This piece left me craving more original and daring art on our Chicago stages. That, and a perfectly cooked, medium rare steak.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | SARAH FRANCES FIORELLO is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory with a BFA in Music Theatre and a Chicago-based poet, writer, and performer. 
@writtenbysarahfrances

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

American Blues Theater
presents
World Premiere
Things With Friends
5627 N Lincoln
through October 5, 2025


WEBSITE

TICKETS

PROGRAM

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

ARCHIVE

PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC

PicksInSix Review: In The Heights - Marriott Theatre

 
 

Marriott’s ‘Heights” Bursts With Celebratory Spirit!

PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Usnavi has a dream to escape, like everyone on his block in Washington Heights. And those few hot days in July play out in what is sure to be a blockbuster revival of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In The Heights” that looks and sounds as fresh and vibrant as ever at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire. The strong sense of family unfolds in a neighborhood teeming with a celebratory spirit that is so inherently baked into this show it erupts again and again with uncontrollable passion and hopeful promise. Look no further than the rousing Act II “Carnaval del Barrio” which prompted a thunderous ovation and the waving of flags in the audience. Not the usual Wednesday opening night in Lincolnshire to be sure.

It is hard to believe that Miranda created what would become “In The Heights” twenty-five years ago when he was a sophomore in college. With thirteen 2008 Tony Award nominations and four wins including Best Musical and Best Musical Score, there was no doubt that Broadway had welcomed a new force of nature—a playwright, composer, lyrist and performer whose talents speak for and to generations of performers of Latino decent—and just about everyone else on the planet, as well.

And that other revelatory musical by Miranda “Hamilton” would arrive little more than seven years later.

Director James Vásquez has hit the mark and assembled an astounding cast around the gifted Joseph Morales as Usnavi, who essayed the role on the first Broadway national tour. Conceived by Miranda with a book by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Usnavi runs a bodega with his cousin Sonny (Jordan Arredondo) who is prodding Usnavi to take the next step with Vanessa (Paola V. Hernández). When Vanessa’s best friend Nina (Addie Morales) returns home and announces to her parents Camila (Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel) and Kevin (Rudy Martinez) that she lost her Stamford scholarship, Kevin makes the decision to sell the family business to fund her education. All that does not sit well with Nina or her mother and turns into a standoff with longtime employee Benny (Yasir Muhammad), who is Black and in love with Nina. Everyone in the neighborhood knows the score, too, as the delightful gadabout Daniela (Lillian Castillo) who runs the salon with Carla (Michelle Lauto), along with Sonny, begin to stir the pot to get everyone together.

“In The Heights” now playing at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire through March 17, 2024.

Abuela Claudia (Crissy Guerro), a kindred spirit to Usnavi and everyone in the neighborhood, has a windfall that just might bring financial security to those around her. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride when the power goes out during the July 4th celebration and everyone “In The Heights” realizes that the most important thing in life is being there for each other. You will find yourself deliriously swept away by the music, directed by Ryan T. Nelson and conducted by Noah Landis, and the nonstop exuberance of William Carlo Angulo’s choreography, of which one patron of a certain age said to me on the way out, “I wish I could bottle up that energy and take it home!”

I could not agree more.  


PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire
presents
In The Heights
through March 17, 2024


WEBSITE

TICKETS

For more reviews, visit: Theatre In Chicago

ARCHIVE

PicksInSix® is a registered trademark of Roxbury Road Creative, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Copyright 2014-2025

Roxbury Road Creative, LLC

Powered by Squarespace