PicksInSix Review: An Iliad - Court Theatre

Kane’s Mesmerizing Performance Returns To Court!
PicksInSix® Gold Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Bravura. That's the appropriate word for the Court Theatre production of “An Iliad,” running now through June 29.

It's a solo play based on the legendary epic poem by the Greek poet Homer, who also wrote The Odyssey. Both these poems form the foundation of Greek literature, even as there are continuous attempts to deny authorship, not unlike what the reputation of William Shakespeare occasionally experiences. This version is co-authored by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare in an endlessly eloquent fashion.

The term 'bravura' is most often used to praise what musical elements are being presented, as well as to the skills of the performers sharing their wares. This play offers itself in such a way that it is quite easy to compare it to a musical motif. The play itself is a kind of verbally spectacular music on its own, and Ms. Peterson and Mr. O'Hare hold nothing back in what they offer.

As the audience watches and takes it in, the story becomes easily absorbed in each movement, much like a symphony or even an opera, with its tragic plotlines that challenge believability in today's terms but were comfortably accepted back in "the day". And each character—Achilles the god-like Greek warrior; Hector, the greatest soldier of Troy; Patroclus, the Greek second-in-command; Agamemnon and Paris, the two sons whose actions make them so vulnerable—has his/her own section of the story devoted to them. It really is symphonic itself, both tragic and grand.

This sounds odd, but all the almost fantastical elements that the great director Charles Newell has assembled are almost players in their own right. Scenic Designer Todd Rosenthal and his Associate Scenic Designer Lauren M. Nichols have created a dystopian-like shelter with a variety of levels and steps and holes in the back wall, as well as a very sharp raked platform that an actor can negotiate for any part of the play. Sound Designer André Pleuss and Associate Sound Designer Josh McCommon share an almost constant low-level drone that surrounds the storytelling with an enhanced tension, matching the language and character in its various and sundry auditory nooks that push the environs of the piece even higher.

Rachel Anne Healy's costume for the actor Timothy Edward Kane is a highly layered vision, where Mr. Kane takes off pieces as he goes in a compliment to the exposure of man's vulnerability to his thoughts and actions, one by one. Lighting Designer Keith Parham and his Associate LD Josiah Croegaert have done absolute yeoman work in "giving light to the dark," so to speak, with their angles and shafts of light and faded colors that enhance what is seen. All this expert technicality greatly heightens the elegiac authenticity and makes this truly a special ensemble experience.

And the conductor of this symphonic reality is Mr. Kane as The Poet. He sings. He speaks in an otherworldly language. He moves balletically across the stage. His seasoned command of the character—in rage and in vulnerability, with the entire range of the actor's voice and emotions—is one of the best this writer has ever witnessed. Yes, there is lots of purple prose here, but it's all well-earned. Mr. Kane takes us on a journey that, even if you've never read the original epic poem, you can easily understand and appreciate the flowing, heightened story—another bow to the authors. He has mined humor where it's a surprise, and his own relationship with the audience is at once intimate and grand. It's one of the great performances presented this year at Court and, dare we say, ever in Chicago.

A favorite actor, Robert Duvall, said once: "I remember something Sandford Meisner told us. When you create a character, it's like making a chair, except instead of wood, you make it out of yourself. That's the actor's craft—using yourself to create the character." This is indeed what Mr. Kane, Mr. Newell and the other fabulous artists of this exceptional orchestra have ultimately accomplished over the course of four productions of the piece dating back to 2011—unique, mesmerizing and an extraordinary accomplishment that is not to be missed.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Teddy’s Last Ride.”

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Court Theatre
presents
An Iliad
featuring
Timothy Edward Kane

Abelson Auditorium
5535 S Ellis Ave
through June 29, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: 42 Balloons - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

What Goes Up, Must Come Down.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

It’s a simple premise, really. On July 2, 1982, a man named Larry Walters piloted a lawn chair attached to weather balloons to an astounding elevation of 16,000 feet over Los Angeles. Once Larry was airborne, all sorts of things began to happen. And there’s even more to the story when he returns, all playing out in Jack Godfrey’s Broadway-bound musical “42 Balloons” directed by Ellie Coote that opened in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Tuesday night.

There is a mighty producing team behind Godfrey’s whimsical take on the delightfully odd and fascinating true story. It’s a curiosity all by itself to be sure: a sung-through collection of multiple, often brilliant, music styles including 80s pop and soaring ballads, clever lyrics, artful projections, and, a slam-bang ensemble supporting the superb performances of its two principal stars—Charlie McCallagh and Evelyn Hoskins—who plan and finance Walter’s adventurous dream and fall in love along the way.

As “42 Balloons” begins, Walter (McCallagh) enlists in the Air Force during the Vietnam era only to find his dream of being a pilot quashed by his poor eyesight. Walter will not be deterred, even though he lives civilian life as a truck driver. After meeting Carol Van Deusen (Hoskins), he starts making mathematic calculations for his dream flight. Carol is totally against the idea at first but eventually comes around and agrees to take out a $15,000 bank loan to finance the flight. That loan, and how it is repaid, becomes a pivotal turning point in the storyline, their relationship, and Walter’s peace of mind which begins to evaporate in Act II. All the while, the two are in hilarious cahoots with Carol’s mom Margaret (Lisa Howard) and Walter’s pal Ron (Akron Watson) to see things through.

It's a lively, fast-paced, funny story with some quizzical suspense early on as to how this is all going to play out. Despite the fact that I found myself thinking “in a lawn chair” well into the lofty middle of show, I was leaning in all the time. There are facts that cannot be disputed about the flight—which is cleverly done and the visual highlight among many in the show—and others that will not be revealed here. McCallagh creates a character yearning for something beyond what he has, reaching for the stars and falling short thanks to the atmospheric pressure that accomplished what his advance planning, and some missteps, could not.

Driven by his single-minded desire to take flight, Walter is ultimately guilty of looking past all the good that is right in front of him. The dilemma that the charming Hoskins wrestles with throughout “42 Balloons” is that she is trapped in someone else’s story: a woman who will do anything for the man she loves and who receives little in return. It’s a marvelous performance, despite the clouded revelation that her own dreams and aspirations will never be fully realized.

Walter’s lawn chair is now on display in the National Air and Space Museum for all to see. It was a gift from Jerry Fleck—the neighborhood kid played here in a terrific, featured performance by Minju Michelle Lee—years after Walter gave it to him when he landed. Recognizing the historical significance of Walter’s daring encounter in the wild blue yonder is perhaps what the producers of “42 Balloons” are hoping for when the show transfers to New York, and Walter’s star will twinkle even brighter.

PHOTO|Kyle Flubacker

North American Premiere
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
42 Balloons
The Yard
Navy Pier
through June 29, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: DIANA: The Musical - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Powerhouse Central Performance Drives THEO’s ‘DIANA’!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

The great Fred Anzevino, founder and executive director of THEO up on Howard Street in Evanston, passed away recently. The last production on his watch, co-directed and choreographed by Brenda Didier, was “DIANA,” the musical piece that delves into the lives of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Britain's Royal Family. “DIANA” opened this past weekend and plays at THEO through July 6. From the time of her late teens—when she was literally selected by Queen Elizabeth II as a bride for her first-born son Prince Charles—to the time of her tragic death in 1997, Diana was daily exposed to the international spotlight.

As created by Joe DiPietro (book/lyrics) and David Bryan (music/lyrics), Diana is taken from her position as a nursery school assistant in early 1981 and whisked through what amounts to a crash course in royal life and expectation. By July that year, she and Charles have their royal wedding with an international television audience viewing the event at St. Paul's Cathedral, chosen over the traditional Westminster Abbey because it offered more seating.

From there, we see all the ups and downs of life with Diana and Charles. Very little is spared in the script—two sons, at least two affairs (one of which, of course, included the now-wife of Charles III, Camilla Parker-Bowles)—and a great deal of societal exposure for a woman who is not ready for such an experience, but learns well on the job. The public embraces her fully, thanks to Diana's own brand of a common touch, and it couldn't get enough of her.

Neither could the British press. It hounds her constantly, with photographers and reporters waiting at every turn. Such a reality naturally puts pressure on the marriage. Diana tries to plant her feet and be her own person, while Charles expects her to fall in line with every piece of royal etiquette and tradition as the wife of the heir to the British throne. With each child born (William in 1982, Harry in 1984), the couple makes amends and tries yet again to overcome the obstacles. But in time, there are simply too many walls to climb, and they divorce in 1996.

The best parts of the story come after. Diana visits an AIDS ward, where she reaches out to meet the sick and fights the protocol to don protective outerwear, producing a touching exchange between visitor and patients. Diana (a powerhouse vocal performance by Kate McQuillan) speaks and sings openly of her desire to truly impact the world. Charles (Jack Saunders in his Theo debut) sticks to the palace traditions throughout, costing him dearly. A real delight is Jacqueline Grandt in the dual role of Queen Elizabeth/Barbara Cartland, as she plays the author in a marvelous comic turn and the Queen as the rock of the family. Her song in Act II, "An Officer's Wife," shows a vulnerability that belies the Queen's tough exterior. Colette Todd marvelously underplays her Camilla Parker-Bowles in a strong portrayal.

This is a difficult story to tell onstage, and the ensemble is more than up to the task. They play everything from royal staff to paparazzi to intimate friends to outlandish partygoers at every turn. The three-player music ensemble led by keyboardist Kevin Zhou expertly guides his band through a long list of twenty-nine pieces of music, all the while being supportive and controlled in the small environment that is THEO's stage and trademark.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Teddy’s Last Ride.”

PHOTO | Time Stops Photography

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
presents
Midwest Premiere
Diana
721 Howard Street
Evanston, IL
through July 6, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues - American Blues Theater

Generations Collide in Nostalgic ‘Ragtime Blues’
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

The fine playwright Charles Smith has written a thoughtful play, “Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues,” now playing through June 29 at American Blues Theater's intimate space on Lincoln Avenue. He has offered up lots of food for considerable thought in what is a deceptively simple premise in this Chicago premiere expertly directed by Chuck Smith. Two characters—one, an elderly vaudevillian who does not want to give up the chase for the next laugh; and the other, a young Black teenager with a great deal of history to deal with, as well as personal anger—are thrown together in a shabby apartment to deal with each of their issues. And there are many.

It all takes place sometime in the 1990s. The fictional comedy team of Pompey and Ollie, who played a minor vaudeville circuit as well as any, are rehearsing an old routine. Pompey (such an elegant performance by ABT Ensemble Member Dennis Cockrum) has forgotten a punchline to a joke that he and Ollie (the wonderfully understated James Sherman) have done thousands of times. This is apparently a pattern of forgetfulness by Pompey, so much so that Ollie decides to break up the act. It all rattles Pompey greatly and he holds anger toward an old friend that is not necessarily justified. What it comes down to is the death of Pompey's style of humor.

Segue to Pompey’s apartment, a rundown and not-well-kept living quarters full of old cans and newspapers and laundry that needs to be done. Three weeks ago, Ollie died unexpectedly, and Pompey is so distraught that he pulls out a gun and threatens to shoot himself. He is saved by a knock on the door from his daughter Marsha (Dawn Bach in a strong offering), who has come by on a rare visit. The predictable argument between the generations is interrupted by another knock on the door. A young Black kid, whose nickname is Jet, has come to tell Marsha that her car is about to be ticketed. Soon it comes out that Marsha and Jet (Justin Banks is pretty riveting throughout) have actually talked about adoption, which upsets Pompey to no end.

Marsha finds a way to finally get out the door to take care of the car by going to the grocery store to get her father some food—all he has are endless cans of SpaghettiOs. So now the meat of the play begins. Pompey and Jet play a unique game of cat-and-mouse in letting little bits of personal story out, while each says that he really doesn't care. Jet's history is quite checkered and difficult. Fourteen different foster families. Endless stays in group homes.  His mother died of cancer; his father is in jail for an extended stay because of possession of two joints. Remember this is the early 90s, when laws about marijuana were much stricter, and minorities were overly charged and convicted in such matters.

The strengths in the Smith script are dominant here. The constant tensions that ping-pong back and forth between Pompey and Jet are admirably handled. This could sink into a battle of stereotypes, and it avoids that trap through fun ideas from the playwright's rich, creative arsenal. Pompey and Jet actually toy with the idea that they might partner up and create their own act. But Pompey's jokes are hopelessly outdated, so Jet suggests adapting some blue material from the recordings of Redd Foxx, which are hilarious on their own. We then get the privilege of seeing Pompey react to Jet's sharing in comedic horror. Then there are the highly personal moments. Jet talks painfully of seeing his mother being driven away in an ambulance, while the authorities take him into juvenile custody and, eventually, his first group home.  Pompey fights a strong feeling of irrelevance by constantly delving into his bag of show business jokes and details. It's a unique exchange that seems headed toward a kind of happy moment.  Until...

And the last ten minutes or so, I will leave for future audiences to discover. Mr. Cockrum is simply grand in his element here as the sad clown who can't find his way to happiness in life. Mr. Sherman appears in moving, ghostly form a couple of times after Ollie's death in Pompey's thoughts to help him find his way. Ms. Bach injects some informed depth into her Marsha, a woman of her time in holding down a job while feeling the attraction, however drawn she is, to a kind of motherhood. Mr. Banks is the real dramatic coin in the ensemble, making sure that Jet's generation is regarded by Pompey as more than a stereotype. In the hands of Mr. Banks, Jet is indeed a real flesh-and-blood young man playing the cards he's been dealt as well as he knows how. And it's all directed with the usual expert eloquence by the wonderful director Chuck Smith. The experience here is noble, nostalgic, achingly personal and deserves all praise.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Teddy’s Last Ride.”

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

American Blues Theater
presents
Chicago Premiere
Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues
5627 N Lincoln
through June 29, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: The Antiquities - Goodman Theatre

A Journey Through Space and Time.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

“The Antiquities,” written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Jordan Harrison and running downtown at the Goodman's Owen Theatre through June 1, is a fascinating piece that takes us on a proverbial journey through time and space in a unique way. It considers the potential that all our technological wonders might eventually take over the earth and leave humanity wondering—as it often does—what happened.

To be perfectly candid—and I mean it in the highest complimentary way—it reminded this writer of the best of my youth in science fiction and imaginary happenstance on television. We dearly loved shows with quality writing and storytelling that skirted the outposts of humanity's mind like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. They both frightened and fascinated people simultaneously. Mr. Harrison has created a wonderfully realized tale, a psychologically advanced state of awareness within that story about man's ability to imagine and create (even in fiction) another life entity that stands on its own and his inability to understand that such a creation might actually surpass him, even eliminate him, as a species.

The actors all portray multiple roles—a total of 47, to be sure—so this is authentically an acting ensemble of the highest caliber. We begin with two women standing before the audience in muted light (marvelous lighting design throughout by Tony recipient Tyler Micoleau), as if they are regarding and observing the audience like an exhibit in a kind of life's museum. We then move to a firepit on a beach, where noted names from the past are casually shared: Byron. Shelley. Mary. Clare. Lake Geneva. History tells us that there was, in 1816, a kind of poet's summit with friends and lovers for a summer's visit in Switzerland. They all gather around the fire and begin telling each other ghost stories. There is an unlikely winner in the group, Mary Shelley, Percy's wife, who became the author of one of the first great books about creating another being, Frankenstein, or more accurately, Frankenstein's monster. 

From there, the play takes us on a breathless path through man's inventions. The telephone. The computer. The internet. All right through the 20th and 21st centuries to the ultimate creation, at least so far—artificial intelligence. And the stout, insightful direction of David Cromer and Caitlin Sullivan keeps it all at a fast pace and hides nothing in the plot's speculation. All this keeps us on a linear balance and helps us ground the story until the really creative moments come. AI has begun to take over humanity at every turn, as humanity itself becomes fragile and unable to fully fight back. Echoes of Planet of the Apes here, except that the machines are much more sophisticated well into the 23rd century. And they are surprisingly empathic with human history.

Then the story takes yet another turn and we are thrown into reverse. Back through time again, we revisit each stop shown along the way, realizing some kind of ending point, if not outright resolution. And throughout, there are exchanges on bracing and debilitating issues that people face each day. Single mothers. Gay couples. Feminist ideals. Child abandonment. The responsibility of government. The technology of war. The clash between courage and cowardice.  All very human in their presence. And all quite involved in the fight on both sides, man vs. machine. And the oh-so-smart way that Mr. Harrison, in the end, ties the computer together with Ms. Shelley's monster is ingenious.

The acting ensemble is first-rate and quite versatile. Marchánt Davis, Layan Elwazani, Andrew Garman, Helen Joo Lee, Thomas Murphy Molony, Aria Shahghasemi, Kristen Sieh, Ryan Spahn and Amelia Workman all worked the play at New York's fabled Off-Broadway giant Playwrights Horizon, which is part of the production package with Goodman Theatre and another Off-Broadway stalwart, Vineyard Theatre in New York.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Teddy’s Last Ride.”

PHOTO | Hugo Hentoff

Goodman Theatre
presents
The Antiquities
170 North Dearborn Street
through June 1

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PicksInSix Review: CATS - Paramount Theatre

Spectacular Revival Under The Big Top!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

I must admit something. Despite being a big musical theater and even bigger cat fan, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” never appealed to me. I more so enjoyed the pop culture references that poked fun of cats singing and dancing on stage. Even one of my favorite cartoons as a kid, Hey Arnold, had an episode where one of the characters attends, and laughs through, a musical called Rats—an obvious parody of “Cats.” I found that quite funny, and so, as one might expect, I arrived at Paramount Theatre’s revival of “Cats” with some hesitancy.

It did not take me long to change my tune. This circus-themed production of “Cats,” directed by Trent Stork, transforms the Jellicle Ball into a larger-than-life event. As one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, clearly the glitz, glam and weirdness of “Cats” has mesmerized audiences for over 40 years. Paramount Theatre takes the dazzling dance musical to literal new heights with aerial arts, acrobatics, contortion and juggling. The audience “ooo’d” and “ahh’d” from start to finish.

The scenic design by Jeffrey D. Kmiec and projections design by Paul Deziel are remarkable. From the big top tent to the oversized props and big glowing moon, a magical world was created where cats displayed their vast array of talents and embraced fanciful oddities. It took me some time to realize “Cats” is basically a talent show for cats. By making the production a circus, leaning into the spectacle of it all felt both natural and quite fun. Plus, the addition of circus props, like red balloons, made for visually stunning moments throughout.

The impressive choreography by Kasey Alfonso did well to capture the essence of feline behavior and tell the story of each cat with energetic and stylish flair. Stand out dance performances include Bombalurina (Tiffany Topol), Demeter (Alexandra Palkovic) and Company during “Macavity: The Mystery Cat” and Mistoffelees’ (Christopher Kelley) dance solo. Kelley was a real showman and executed his dance solo with ease. The costumes by Izumi Inaba also added such personality by featuring a unique mixture of lush colors and textures. Old Deuteronomy’s (Lorenzo Rush Jr.) coat stood out in particular with its fuzzy opulence.

The sheer talent of this ensemble also makes “Cats” a must-see. The production features a whimsical combination of breathtaking circus artistry, stunning vocals and movement. Emily Rohm delivers an enchanting performance as Grizabella which earns her the ascent to the Heavyside Layer via a high-flying trapeze up and over the audience and into the balcony. Old Deuteronomy’s (Rush) sweet-sounding and smooth vocals enhanced each scene he entered, and Rum Tum Tugger (Donovan Hoffer) packs a ferociously controlled punch throughout the show.

Die hard “Cats” fans, newbies and even skeptics like me will find this revival truly entertaining. With such wide appeal, and in true circus fashion, seems only fitting to say “come one, come all” You don’t want to miss this.

GUEST CONTRIBUTROR | Kaitlyn Linsner serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Utilities Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

PHOTO|Brett Beiner Photography

Paramount Theatre
presents
CATS
23 East Galena Boulevard
Aurora, IL
through June 15, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Hymn - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Crisp, Compelling ‘HYMN’ at Chicago Shakes.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Lolita Chakrabarti’s absorbing new play “Hymn” that opened Saturday at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater directed by Ron OJ Parson features two of Chicago’s most accomplished actors, Chiké Johnson and James Vincent Meredith. The show follows two 50ish Black men who share much more than the fact that their birthdays are a few days apart. That fact may be enough to set up what follows without blatantly divulging the other, more significant, genetic marker they have in common.

“Hymn” plays out in a series of scenes set in South Side Chicago over the course of a year in the lives of Benny (Johnson), a logistics professional and family man who grew up in a tough neighborhood and Gil (Meredith), whose father, an accomplished dry cleaning business owner has recently passed. Gil has been engaged as a partner in the family operation that has allowed an affluent lifestyle. When we first meet Benny, things are a bit unhinged.

Early on we discover some radical lifestyle differences. While Benny attended public school in Englewood, Gil graduated from prestigious Saint Ignatius. Both are tentative at first, understandably wary on many levels. That all dissolves away into a fast and meaningful friendship, sharing common experiences, life lessons and future dreams with a strong, fulfilling brotherhood developing. Gil is welcomed into Benny’s family and a warm, respectful kinship takes hold. Things turn quickly though as other forces beyond their control eventually come into play and the partnership that started with such promise is suddenly in serious jeopardy.

Chakrabarti’s characters are superbly defined and Johnson and Meredith are excellent in this 100 minute drama. Parson, a multiple Jeff award-winning director in his first production at Shakes, skillfully maneuvers the ebb and flow of the action as the men rekindle experiences missed from an earlier era through the music of their lives. These are two wonderfully warm and genuine performances filled with sincerity and humor.

Scenic/projections designer Rasean Davonté Johnson has replicated an elegant, wood hewed set on the Courtyard Theatre’s thrust stage with multi-purpose benches on each side with elaborate drops that frame the various projections. Jason Lynch’s lighting and Yvonne Miranda’s costumes complete the savory visual landscape. There is a definite wink and a nod in the timely use of music to punctuate the story, much a part of the script and expertly executed by sound designer and composer Willow James.

“Hymn” is a powerful example of what Chakrabarti calls “a universal story of finding commonality and love” even as it reaches out with music to build a bridge of trust and brotherly love. The influential women in these men’s lives, though unseen, radiate an extraordinary level of love and support which comes through brilliantly in the rich text and Parson’s crisp, compelling production.     

PHOTO|Vashon Jordan Jr.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
World Premiere
HYMN
Jentes Family Courtyard Theater
Navy Pier
through May 25, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Henry Johnson-Relentless Theatre Group-Victory Gardens Theater

“Why would you ever trust anyone?”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The Chicago premiere of David Mamet’s new play “Henry Johnson” opened Sunday in a matinee performance at Victory Gardens Theater presented in association with Relentless Theatre Group. The play was first performed in 2023 at the Electric Lodge in Venice, California starring Shia LaBeouf as Gene—played here by Thomas Gibson from Criminal Minds and Dharma and Greg—who is also in Mamet’s film version that is scheduled to be released in early May. So, the Victory Gardens/Relentless production is a unique confluence of the two treatments at this particular time.

In a curtain speech, director Edward Torres welcomed a near capacity crowd back to the theater which has been dark, with the exception of a few special and limited run events, since March 2023. Torres was upbeat about the future, citing plans to reinvigorate the programming of the theater, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, and by extension, launching a renewed investment in the performing arts in the North Lincoln Avenue neighborhood. In addition to thanking donors, sponsors and three board members in attendance, Torres warmly acknowledged Dennis Začek who has for decades been a steward of the artistic vision of the Tony award-winning regional theatre. Začek is serving as Executive Producer and no doubt used his finely-honed skills to help assemble the stellar production team and cast for the show including: Gibson, Keith Kupferer, Al’Jaleel McGhee and Daniil Krimer.

“Henry Johnson” plays out in four scenes over roughly 100 minutes including one 20 minute intermission. Henry (Krimer) appears first in an office with his boss, Mr. Barnes (McGhee) who is pressing him about his relationship with a man who has plead to manslaughter in a brutally savage attack. Barnes seems to know a lot more about Henry’s business  and we soon discover that Henry is a man easily influenced and, ultimately, will be facing prosecution himself on multiple related criminal charges.

Time passes and in scene two, Henry’s arrives in prison, sharing a cell with Gene (Gibson), a hardened criminal who knows the ropes. Gibson owns the sticky, often malevolent, center of Mamet’s text here and his is the most compelling performance of the show. Passing through the cell block is a guard, Jerry (Kupferer), who delivers books from the prison library and Gibson tells him that Henry would be a good addition to the library staff. When we next see Henry in the library during the third scene, Gene continues to aggressively groom the hapless man to carry out a plot that leads to the harrowing confrontation that follows.

Unquestionably, the cast is fascinating to watch throughout the course of this drama, even though there are elements of dramatic tension that seem to be stifled by both scene breaks and the intermission. Upon reflection, one of the most interesting developments of the story occurs during the interval, but perhaps the story was not the point all along. Krimer’s Henry plays out as a metaphor for manipulation, coercion and fear—by his boss in the interrogation, by his cellmate in devising the plan, and, in the final scene following the plan’s execution. These are powerful dramatic forces that Mamet has at work, magnified by the presence of audience members on stage left and right that shrink the playing space to be more in line with an isolated prison cell—a physical uneasiness that washes over the audience at every turn.

Hopefully, this all is a harbinger of what is to come for Victory Gardens, emerging from a dark period of great uncertainty to regain the trust and prominence in the Chicago theatre community as a leading incubator for new work. It will take time. Productions like Mamet’s “Henry Johnson” force us to recognize our own fears and vulnerabilities. If we ignore these influences and allow them to cloud our judgement, there can be only one possible outcome: there will be nothing left to save. You have until May 4 to decide for yourself.   

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Relentless Theatre Group
in association with
Victory Gardens Theater
present
Chicago Premiere
Henry Johnson
2433 N Lincoln Ave
through May 4

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PicksInSix Review: Translations - Writers Theatre

‘Translations’—The Magic of Language Itself.
PicksInSix® Review | Ronald Keaton

It would be very easy to see “Translations,” the thick, challenging classic by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel, as a treatise about endless attacks on Irish colonialism.  After all, British soldiers travel from town to town and literally change the names of where people live to make them conform with English culture and language—by force, if necessary. And in many ways, this is true. But, as the elegant production at Writers Theatre in Glencoe that opened Friday shows in no uncertain terms, the real story here is about the magic of language itself. Writers Artistic Director Braden Abraham has deftly followed the brushstrokes of the master Mr. Friel in creating this entire world of contradiction and mystery.

This was a period—Ireland in the 1830s, a delicate time historically, if such a word can be used for the Irish—that sat roughly a decade out from the vaunted potato famine, which would kill more than a million people and uprooted many more by some estimates. In order to create a seeming conformity in the Isles, these British soldiers helped establish the first National Schools, which encouraged literacy but provided classes only in English, and thus prohibited the speaking of Irish/Gaelic, which greatly contributed to its decline. This battle focuses on three characters— Hugh, a highly regarded teacher who speaks fluent Greek and Latin; his son Owen, who becomes a kind of interpreter for the soldiers, while caught between them and his love for his native land; and Yolland, a soldier who also maps the countryside and eventually falls for a young lass, rendering him, well, a bit lost in translation himself.

Hugh (the marvelous, rock-solid Kevin Gudahl) teaches adults in this hedge-school, which was illegal and furtive in its existence because of the Anglican stance on who should know what. One easily imagines a kind of drunken philosopher here, as Hugh imparts what wisdom and history he can in eloquent phrases and between lifts of his flask. He believes that the world is affected not by the facts of history, but by how we view those facts—an outlook not totally lost on our world today. But he’s practical as well; he sees with disdain what’s ahead in the coming loss of his own tongue.

His son Owen (Casey Hoekstra as an appealing spirit of not-so-torn allegiance) is a knowledgeable, almost gifted translator between English and Irish, taking to his task with a fervor that rivals the soldiers themselves in its passion. Owen drives the play forward with that fervency and commitment. His brother Manus (Andrew Mueller, persuasively gentler in outlook and demeanor than Owen) attempts to hold down the linguistic fort in wanting to preserve all native language and education, all while remaining in his father’s shadow. Mr. Mueller’s departure from Ballybeg at the top of Act II is absolutely riveting.

There really is all manner of great character work here, a Writers Theatre stamp. Jimmy Jack (a fabulous turn by Jonathan Weir) is a wizened old soul of letters who regularly waxes poetic about his admiration for the gods and goddesses of mythology, often in Greek or Latin. The lovers Lieutenant Yolland (a deeply affected young soldier given wonderful and painful shrift by Eric Hellman) and the comely girl Maire (Tyler Meredith is lovely and quite effective) have the ultimate hill to climb; they cannot communicate on a practical level, because they literally speak different languages. Yet a love emerges. And this plays out achingly, thanks to a chilling moment that Ms. Meredith handles with aplomb.

The almost elfin mute Sarah (Julia Rowley, convincing in an extremely difficult role) finds it hard to even articulate her own name. Gregory Linington valiantly takes on his Captain Lancey, who could have been a thankless taskmaster were it not for the actor’s inherent skill. Doalty (Ian Maryfield) and Bridget (Chloe Baldwin) are both young adult students at Hugh’s school.  They have a constantly energetic and fun exchange whenever they appear. And all this is contained on a set that seems a combination classroom/apartment/lean-to ingeniously offered by Andrew Boyce. The always right Andre Pleuss gives the audience a sound scheme of economy and thought. The dialect work of the cast was stellar; dialect coach Eva Breneman earns kudos here, too. And always Mr. Friel, watching like a voice in one’s ear, making sure that the attempt to change the world through its languages gets a full and proper examination. So graceful, and so telling, in the results.

RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Writers Theater
presents
Translations
325 Tudor Court
Glencoe, IL
through May 4

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PicksInSix Review: The Book of Grace-Steppenwolf Theatre Company

“That is yours. This is mine.”
PicksInSix® Review | Ronald Keaton

A thought-provoking play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is being offered at Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater through May 18. First produced in 2010 at New York’s Public Theater, “The Book of Grace” seeks, it seems, to create a universal story out of a particular family’s struggles. Not only does it succeed, it makes one think—hard—as the walk home from the performance begins. And because the play’s locale is the Texas/Mexico border, the relevance could not be timelier—one of the characters is a border patrol officer.

Example: “Borders and fences. They say it all without saying a word. That is yours. This is mine.” Not only does this single line reflect what’s ahead in the story, but it also applies to each character in the play. Vet (Brian Marable, a riveting, articulate presence) is that officer, a man of powerful presence and command. He’s much like who’s being honored for his work at a gathering of his peers. Vet lives in a small border town with his partner Grace (a simultaneously strong, almost impulsive performance by Zainab Jah) who is writing a book. It’s partially autobiographical in nature and observational in tone, and it’s entitled “The Book Of Grace.” It’s full of drawings and photos and essays on family, on dreaming, and on life itself. Grace is the one in the house who constantly points toward the good in life; she does her best to live it, because we see a consistent specter in Vet’s presence of threats and potential domestic abuse. Appropriately, her book is a secret from the world. It’s the one thing in her existence that is hers and hers alone. She even hides it under the living room floor, afraid of Vet’s reaction.

Enter Buddy (Steppenwolf Ensemble member Namir Smallwood in a nuanced, fascinating offering), Vet’s son and a young man who’s been through his own challenges. He’s also a veteran, one who’s earned a Bronze Star, and yet he feels forgotten in his return to a previous life of sorts. Buddy is seeing his father for the first time in 15 years, accepting an invitation from Grace to attend Vet’s presentation dinner. In limited contacts, Buddy infused himself with accomplishment (working as a kind of computer specialist for the government) and bravado; he’s a storyteller of some note, although he could be halting and hesitant as he shares about himself in toto. Vet naturally learns the truth in time, as Buddy finally shares the real purpose of his visit—he needs a job and asks Vet to help him find one with the border patrol.

The tension through the play builds as each character ‘solos’ for the audience. Grace eloquently takes us through chapters in her book, pointing out the good as well as the bad. This is her major milieu, as it is for many people with a harrowing background. Vet and Buddy are, quite frankly, two peas from the same pod in how they both are so stoic as to how life has evolved for them. Vet simply refuses to look at life in any way other than his own perceptions and demands the others in the house accept it as gospel. Buddy only identifies with how unfair life has been for him since he left the service and just wants to ‘blow something up’. We get a forceful impression that he’s hustled more than a bit for attempted comfort. And Grace stands oh-so consistently in the midst of it all, wondering how she can be heard through the din of a strong example of toxic masculinity and dealing with her own trauma in the house.

Director Steve H. Broadnax III creates a genuine mini-symphony of emotional movement that is demanded here from the Parks script. The Ensemble Theater stage is in the round and entirely utilized in Arnel Sancianco’s elegant scenic design with the living room, kitchen, outdoor patio and hallways to the rest of the house. It’s greatly complimented in the projections of designer Rasean Davonte Johnson with three large screens overlooking the stage containing chapters in Grace’s book, a home movie of Buddy as a child, and a suggestion of graffiti-drawn walls that reflect Vet’s immovable attitudes toward “aliens” and keeping one’s place. Pools of moody shading and gentle assistance for the storytellers is seen in Jason Lynch’s impressionable lighting design.

There are strong reflections here from other similar moments and characters in other pieces. Vet offers sharp echoes of Troy Maxson in August Wilson’s great treatise Fences. Buddy’s desperate nature is reflective of the younger Walter in A Raisin in the Sun who just wants his own piece of the American pie. And Grace, well, it’s her book, after all. But in doing her optimistic best to retain a stance of ‘good’ she unknowingly feeds into Vet’s intense anger and distrust. From there, “The Book of Grace” is rapidly steered to a tragic closure of those ‘dreams deferred’ that Langston Hughes carves into our conscience.

RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Steppenwolf Theatre Company
presents
Chicago Premiere
The Book of Grace

Ensemble Theatre
1650 N. Halsted St.
through May 18, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: No Such Thing - Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

‘No Such Thing’ Is Anything But.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

If ever in Chicago there was a little engine that could, Artistic Director Tara Mallen’s determined Rivendell Theatre Ensemble seems to often be able to do so. RTE celebrates its 30th Anniversary Season with an intriguing, provocative world premiere of “No Such Thing” by RTE Ensemble Member Lisa Dillman, and it runs now through April 27.

Directed in intimate, meaningful strokes by Malkia Stampley, “No Such Thing” shares the tale of Ren (a cast-the-net-wide, fascinating performance by Susan Gosdick), a screenwriter in the midst of mining her life for interesting and substantial stories that can jumpstart her career. Experiencing the reigniting of a career in middle age is something many artists can understand and aspire to. And one of the things that Ren considers in doing so is in adding a layer of inspiring intimacy to her life in the form of a tightly knit affair with someone she meets in a dating app or through personals ads.

The construct here in her exchange with Fallon (fine, articulate work by Josh Odor), an accomplished man of letters, is quite the challenge. They both set rules in their affair: No names, for one, except for what they create within the affair itself. No stories about current life or work. Nothing in the hotel room but lust and opinion and stories they share that may or may not be true. Both Ren and Fallon jump in with both feet, and for a while, the affair is an agreeable, enjoyable journey for both. For a while.

Because meanwhile, back at home, Ren’s husband Ted (the always high-quality performer Matt DeCaro) is a faithful servant of sorts – going to work, coming home, sharing the day, reading the paper, enjoying his bourbon or whatever – all the while unknowingly contributing to the eventual downfall of the marriage. Both Ren and Ted are locked into this pattern. Hence, the affair. There is a daughter Olivia (a bright, knowing portrayal by Jessica Ervin), whose teenaged problems explode over time into personal trauma. Therapy, medication, even a dabble in legal problems occupy the family’s attention in an overly invasive way.

Ren has several meetings with her friend and literary agent Marilyn (the marvelous Cheryl Hamada is a real comic coin for Ren), who acts as the voice over Ren’s shoulder and eventually has to share the fact that her writing has dramatically suffered during all the family upheaval, and that whatever happens, Ren needs to buckle down even more than she is. A tall order, indeed, given the emotional and intellectual walls that need to be surmounted.

The play envelops what seems like a couple of years and there are real surprises in the story. This writer will leave any assessment of the plot to individual minds. Don’t want to give anything away inappropriately. The scenic design of Lauren Nichols offers a quite clever series of sliding panels and walls to indicate different locations; they successfully overcome the necessary limits of Rivendell’s small performance space. But its intimacy is the very thing that helps the audience see this piece for what it is – an examination into the scourges of relevance in life, and how they affect the characters going forward. “No Such Thing” is anything but. It’s a purposeful and powerful treatise that asks its audience to consider such realities as they arise in life, as well as one person’s way in dealing with them. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

WORLD PREMIERE
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
presents
NO SUCH THING
5779 N. Ridge Avenue
through April 27, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Sunny Afternoon - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

It’s All About The Music!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The long-awaited Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s North American premiere of “Sunny Afternoon,” based on the music of The Kinks, opened in spectacular form on Friday in The Yard. Directed by CST’s Artistic Director Edward Hall, the show originated in 2014 in London, also directed by Hall and starring the enormously talented Danny Horn and Oliver Hoare as Ray and Dave Davies, the two brothers who formed the explosive core of the band whose music became the soundtrack of a generation during the British invasion of the 1960s.

For those of us in the crowd who witnessed this musical revolution in real time—and just about everyone else—heads were swaying and the response was electric. The Kinks broke out in 1964 and made their US tour debut in June 1965. It was a highly anticipated, and short-lived, experience that led to the group being banned from performing in the U.S. for nearly five years due primarily to union issues flamed by management disagreements and the internal unrest of the band itself. As this story unfolds, it’s clearly a tall order to be young, talented and unable to get along with each other except when you were making music together.

“Sunny Afternoon” falls in the family of jukebox musicals that showcase dozens of the iconic hits around a compelling backstory of survival at all costs. It follows the band’s rise from their first professional contract—signed by Ray and Dave’s father since no one was of legal age—to their return to America and a 1972 concert date at Madison Square Garden. Ray Davies is credited with all music, lyrics and the story for the book by Joe Penhall. The original London production received four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Davies, landing closest in style to “The Who’s Tommy,” “Million Dollar Quartet” and “Jersey Boys,“ and offering a lens into our 1960s appetite for rock ‘n roll with a raucous twist and the unmistakable sound of that raw and rebellious era.

The risks are great in this musical genre. Will the vocal performances live up to the original? What about the instrumentation and collective sound? Does the story lend itself to support the music or will it be an impediment to the overall flow? And, what does it take to recapture the magic for a new audience?

Those questions are answered definitively time and again in Hall’s masterfully staged production, on a Miriam Buether set (and costumes) with a sound wall of 60s era amps and speakers and a runway into the audience that provides wonderful opportunities for the super-charged ensemble. Horn and Hoare, with Michael Lepore (Peter Quaife) and Kieran McCabe (Mick Avory), are brilliant vocalists and flawless musicians who spend nearly all of the two hour, forty minute running time of the show on stage. It all adds up to a magnificently jubilant musical odyssey from the dominate opening riffs of Hoare’s “You Really Got Me” to “Lola,” “Waterloo Sunset” and a string of distinctive hits including “Just Can’t Sleep,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” and “Too Much On My Mind/Tired of Waiting.”

By the time “Sunny Afternoon” bursts on stage, Horn’s Ray has written the musical score of his life and revealed the trials and tribulations of a rock ‘n’ roll force of nature who did not compromise the most important part of his work: the music. Hall has tapped into a unique period that we can relate to. The turbulent times of the 1960s are not so much of the story here, but the subtext looks and feels a lot like what we face today. And it’s Davies’ lyric from “The Moneygoround” that tells the tale: “Oh, but life goes on and on, and no one ever wins, and time goes quickly by, just like the money-go-round, I only hope that I'll survive.” Thankfully, the Kinks have. What a trip!

PHOTO|Carol Rosegg

Chicago Shakespeare Theater
presents
North American Premiere
Sunny Afternoon
The Yard
Navy Pier
through April 27, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Betrayal-Goodman Theatre

BETRAYAL: If You Know, You Know.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

It is no surprise that there was high anticipation for the opening Monday of the Goodman Theatre production of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” directed by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. With a seasoned, all-star cast that includes Helen Hunt, Ian Barford and Robert Sean Leonard, the show is a fictionized account of Pinter’s own marital infidelity. It is a remarkably succinct play, told in reverse order with scenes that unfold from 1977, two years after the clandestine seven-year affair ended, to the moment of its inception in 1968 while delving into how these affairs of the heart occur in the lives of otherwise well-meaning and trustworthy adults.

On those last few points, none of Pinter’s flawed characters in “Betrayal” are even remotely close to well-meaning and trustworthy, with the exception of Nico Grelli whose comic turn as an Italian waiter is a delight. We know at the top everyone is playing with fire and it’s just a matter of time for all of the deception, tension and misinformation to be revealed. And when it ends, the 75-minute drama feels remarkably like it is just getting started.

Jerry (Leonard) is married to Judith (unseen) and was best man at the wedding of Emma (Hunt) and Robert (Bedford). As the backstory is revealed to its eventual beginning, the betrayals that the audience are already aware of are realized in such rapid succession that you may need a scorecard to keep track. It’s as if Pinter took a page from the Dale Carnegie playbook: “Tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em; then tell ’em; then tell ’em what you told ’em.” He with him. She with he. Him with her. And that’s not counting the unseen who are affected, including, well, if you know you know.

Pinter was 38 years old and married a year when his longtime affair with Joan Bakewell began and in his mid-40s when it ended which is more than a decade removed from anyone on the Goodman stage. All that was a conscious decision by Booth in casting the work around Hunt. Leonard plays the closest to that range throughout in a fine performance even if the heat of the romance is a bit more of a glowing ember than a red hot flame. Beford’s Robert pulses with an undercurrent of hostility though not quite enough to serve as an impetus for Hunt’s Emma to seek comfort elsewhere.

There is no doubt that Hunt has the most challenging assignment of all. From the shocking truths of the opening scene to the first embrace, she is fascinating to watch at work mining the complex relationships with both men.  

This all plays out on the very stylized scenescape by Neil Patel that incorporates massive translucent panels providing a palette for Rasean Davonté Johnson’s rich projection design. The atmospheric sound design and composition by Rob Milburn and Michale Bodeen and lighting by Xavier Pierce all combine with Linda Rothke’s costumes to make Goodman’s “Betrayal” a unique and absorbing production.

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

GOODMAN THEATRE
presents
BETRAYAL
170 N Dearborn St

EXTENDED through March 30

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PicksInSix Review: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - Drury Lane Theatre

“You’re beautiful as you feel.” 
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Kaitlyn Linsner

“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” an entertaining journey through Carole King’s life, is now playing at Drury Lane Theatre through March 23. Featuring a book by Douglas McGrath and lyrics and music by Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Well, this musical is particularly special and nostalgic for those who grew up listening to the music from the 60s and 70s. 

The show begins with brilliant, 16-year-old Carole (Samantha Gershman) selling her first original song to Donny Kirshner (Michael Lawrence Brown) at the Brill Building in Manhattan. From there, she meets her husband Gerry Goffin (Alex Benoit), who writes the lyrics to her compositions, and the two of them generate hit after hit while their good friends and competitors Cynthia Weil (Alexandra Palkovic) and Barry Mann (Andrew MacNaughton) work across the hall trying to keep up. Carole faces difficult personal struggles as a young mother in the music industry and being married to an absent, unfaithful husband yet she still rises to fame all culminating with her widely successful second studio album Tapestry. 

Directed by Jane Lanier with musical director Carolyn Brady and choreographer Gerry McIntyre, “Beautiful” is an inspiring story, and a delightful behind-the-scenes look at how the music industry worked back when performers often did not write their own songs. While the plot lacks the depth to really explore the relational complexities of Carole’s young life in particular, there is such fun in learning about the origin stories of so many beloved songs. Plus, the talented cast elevates the musical with strong vocal performances throughout.

Gershman shines as Carole bringing such warmth to her heartfelt and earnest performance. She sings beautifully, doing especially well to capture the soft, sultry tones of Carole’s voice. Her performance of “(You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman” is a top highlight of the show. 

Other highlights include The Drifters’ (Averis Anderson, Makenzy Jenkins, Austin Nelson Jr., Michael Turrentine) flawless and ebullient performance of “On Broadway” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles (Lydia Burke, Raeven Carroll, Allanna Lovely, Chamaya Moody). Palkovic and MacNaughton have such chemistry on stage with MacNaughton bringing a bit of delightful camp to his performance as Mann.

Packed with great music from start to finish, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is a lovely celebration of one of the most successful songwriters in American history. A good choice for all music lovers. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTROR | Kaitlyn Linsner serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Utilities Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

PHOTO | Brett Beiner

Beautiful
The Carole King Musical
Drury Lane Theatre
Oak Brook
through March 23, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: A Raisin in the Sun - Court Theatre

What Happens To A Dream Deferred?
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

Lorraine Hansberry’s arresting triumph “A Raisin in the Sun” is playing now in a brilliant production at Court Theatre. Directed by Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent, the 1957 play—penned by the 27-year-old Hansberry and largely based on her own experiences growing up on the South Side of Chicago—has been lauded since for its defining influence on American theatre, the sheer poetry of the text and its stirring depiction of an urban Black family and their individual dreams for a better life.

Randle-Bent has amassed a powerhouse company, led by the remarkable performances of Shanésia Davis as Lena ‘Mama’ Younger, the matriarch of the family; her impulsive son Walter Lee, played on an emotional edge by Brian Keys; a moving and truly sentient turn by Kierra Bunch as Walter’s pregnant wife, Ruth; Martasia Jones as the progressive daughter Beneatha; and, Jeremias Darville (who alternates with Di'Aire Wilson) as Travis, the youngest son and hope for the next generation in the family.

Set in a cramped South Side tenement in the late 1950s amid the segregation and racially restrictive covenants of the era that fueled the redlining of neighborhoods, Mama and the Younger family are expecting a $10,000 death benefit payment, the legacy of her late husband’s lifetime of service and sacrifice for the family. There is debate about how the money should be spent, but not about who is the decision maker.

On one side, Walter pleads with Ruth to join him in convincing Mama to invest the sum in a liquor store that he hopes will both raise his stature from the service job he has been trapped in and provide a better life for everyone. Ruth and Beneatha, who is studying to be a doctor, both agree that it is Mama’s decision, leaving Walter to make a direct appeal that Mama rejects in favor of her own dream: a home of their own. Once that decision sinks in, Walter embarks on a three-day bender that threatens his employment and alienates everyone in the family. In a true act of trust and love, Mama makes a concession that leads to trouble ahead for the Younger family.

Along the way, we watch Beneatha evolve from a bobby socks college student to free-spirit, influenced by the scholarly atmosphere she inhabits during the day and the attention of George Murchison (Charles Andrew Gardner), a relationship she is far less attracted to than the new ideals of Joseph Asagai (Eliott Johnson), a charming Nigerian suitor who introduces her to a culture that awakens a passion within her. Julian Parker (Bobo), Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner) and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson) round out the superb cast.

Andrew Boyce’s robust scenic design—an elevated, angular stage framed in a series of large-scale urban-themed panels behind the detailed close quarters of the Younger’s meager row house flat—provides multiple obscure and semi-obstructed interior views while serving as a fascinating template for cast movement in, out and within the space. Maximo Grano De Oro evocative lighting, Willow James’s subtle sound design and superb costumes by Raquel Adorno with Jeanette Rodriguez elevate Court Theatre’s production of “A Raisin in the Sun” to a new artistic standard for this enduring American classic and the show to see now in Chicago.

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Court Theatre
presents
A Raisin in the Sun
5535 S Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

Extended through March 23, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Fool for Love - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Searing ‘Fool for Love’ At Steppenwolf
PicksInSix Review | Guest Contributor Ronald Keaton

The great Sam Shepard play “Fool for Love,” now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre through March 23, was written in the middle of a quality string of highly volatile, verbally explosive plays about family that he penned in an eight-year period between 1977 and 1985. including “Buried Child” (which won Mr. Shepard his Pulitzer Prize in 1979) and “True West”(which had a legendary Steppenwolf production). In 1984, “Fool for Love” was itself nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and purportedly was written after the playwright’s divorce from his first wife, resulting in a outpouring of personal, emotional fallout that produced this searing piece of theatre.

Make no mistake—the play itself is the star.  May and Eddie are star-crossed lovers who meet yet again in a motel out in the Mojave Desert. There is a taut, difficult dynamic between these two that produces a dreaded secret to face. Sitting outside the motel is the otherworldly spirit of The Old Man, whose influence on this relationship is both relentless and disturbing, because of that secret that no one wishes to discuss.

May (played by Caroline Neff, at once both feisty and vulnerable) has been abandoned by Eddie (Nick Gehlfuss as the brawling rodeo star) one too many times. She wants nothing to do with him and repeatedly demands that he leave.  Yet when he actually threatens to leave, May is suddenly a child-like being, afraid of being left alone. The dichotomy here produces a quite visceral and intense piece of theatre narrative. Eddie feels the need to dominate the proceedings, and even the history between them, as if they would tell two different stories. May bucks right back, reminding him of his endless disloyalty. And the story of their shared lives is unique and shocking.

So May has a date that was planned before Eddie’s arrival. Enter Martin (Cliff Chamberlain, who offers fine comic relief as a bumbling suitor) into the fray. Talk about a fish out of water. Martin is so innocent and shy that his initial exchange with Eddie turns into a kind of staggering fascination as to what kind of man this rodeo guy really is. And Martin is totally drawn into the tale that Eddie tells about his youth, meeting May and discovering a guise of love that he’d never witnessed, let alone felt before. By now, May has come out of the bathroom, having listened through the door at all of Eddie’s story and wanting to immediately correct him on the facts of the matter.

Finally, the Old Man (the appropriately craggy Tim Hopper in an almost Big Daddy guise), whose stance throughout has been to inject his own brutal viewpoint onto the story, finally awakens his ghostly aura, manifesting at last into a genuine voice to Eddie, almost begging him to “tell the truth and represent me.” If a viewer has never seen this play, this writer will spare you the tawdry details of what happens at the end. Suffice it to say that at the time of its writing, “Fool for Love” was a staggering example of “the sins of the father” that Mr. Shepard so comfortably shares here.

Coming from the recent Broadway debut of the stage version of John LeCarre’s novel “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” is the English director Jeremy Herrin. Todd Rosenthal produces a dependable set design in a seedy motel, complete with neon sign above. Heather Gilbert shows a lighting design with “on-fire” effects shooting into the room from outside visitors. Mikhail Fiksel offers shots and explosions onto Eddie’s truck from those same visitors, as well as the occasional George Strait melody in his sound design.  It’s a short play at roughly 65 minutes or so, but one will find that hour full of passion and a fury all its own.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Steppenwolf Theatre Company
presents
Fool for Love
1650 N. Halsted St.
(312) 335-1650
through March 23, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Native Gardens - Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

Neighbor’s Conflict Makes For Engaging Comedy
PicksInSix Review | Guest Contributor Kaitlyn Linsner

Karen Zacarías’ “Native Gardens,” a zippy comedy about a disagreement between new neighbors, is now playing in a Buffalo Theatre Ensemble production at the McAninch Arts Center through March 2. The audience sits just beyond two backyards - one tidy and well-manicured and the other unkempt—split by a flimsy chain link fence. Between the title and the visually stunning Mara Ishihara Zinky set, you may be wondering will the next 90 minutes be spent delving into these glaringly different attitudes toward yard work? Well, sort of.

Directed by Steve Scott, longtime producer at the Goodman Theatre, “Native Gardens” does in fact examine these two yards and how two families maintain them. It also explores the values and belief systems that influence even the most seemingly inconsequential decisions. Digging a bit deeper (but not too much deeper), the show examines how social constructs such as class, race and gender intersect to guide those values, and then what happens when faced with challenges to all of the above.

On one side of the fence stands Pablo (Richard Gomez) and Tonia (Sofia Tew), a younger, progressive, Latinx, married couple new to the neighborhood and eager to finesse the yard of their first home into a native garden that Tonia insists will benefit the environment. Pablo over-zealously invites his entire law firm over for a party that Tonia agrees to host outside only if they replace the unsightly chain link fence with a statelier wooden one.

That brings us to the other side of the fence where Virginia (Kelli Walker) and Frank (Bryan Burke) live. An older couple, the Butleys are white conservatives having lived in the neighborhood for many years. They take no issue with the proposed wood fence. Frank has meticulously tended his garden, and while he agrees that the wood fence is the better choice, he disagrees with Tonia over whether a native garden is really just a plot of weeds and insects. Frank offers to teach Tonia some things. Virginia tries to relate to Pablo about being disenfranchised in the workplace. They even bring Pablo and Tonia wine and chocolate to welcome them to the neighborhood.

How nice! What could possibly go wrong when both sides agree to a nicer looking fence and pretend to like each other? The answer is a lot when Tonia and Pablo discover that their yard extends further into the Butley’s garden. Soon the amiable discussions about flowers, insects and children shift to disagreements over land, intentions and entitlement. The phrase “you people” gets hurled about as the conflict escalates, and this is when “Native Gardens” really hits its stride. The most comedic, amusing and insightful moments shine through the friction especially when the cast volleys lines back and forth at the height of the land battle.

All this to say that while “Native Gardens” explores differences in a rather conventional manner (and has the unsurprising positive ending most folks would want if in the same situation) there is something to be said about all the good parts happening when conflict erupts. Conflict can be beneficial as it can lead to growth, stronger relationships and deeper understandings, and in the case of “Native Gardens,” it can also be quite entertaining.

GUEST CONTRIBUTROR | Kaitlyn Linsner serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Utilities Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

PHOTO | Rex Howard Photography

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble
presents
Native Gardens

McAninch Arts Center
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
through March 2

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PicksInSix Review: LOBBY HERO - Shattered Globe Theatre

Ethical Choices Drive Compelling ‘LOBBY HERO’
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Shattered Globe Theatre’s latest offering “Lobby Hero," a taut, fascinating piece delivered in an almost improvisational style with several fine performances, is playing at Theater Wit through March 1. The play is written by the accomplished director/playwright/screenwriter/actor Kenneth Lonergan and directed in a tight, emotional fashion by SGT member Nate Santana. “Lobby Hero” is an almost claustrophobic tale of mostly honest, hard-working folk confronted by ethical choices that somehow wind up in the same brew, even as they seem to tell different stories—an admirable feat.

All the action takes place in the lobby of a high-rise apartment building in the heart of Manhattan.  Jeff (Elliott Esquivel in a full, grab-your-attention performance) is a security guard in the lobby who dreams of bigger things, although he’s not always sure of what they are. Jeff uses his sense of humor as his shield, his badge of honor, his protection against people getting too close, even as he earnestly yearns for that human intimacy. His boss William (a smooth, yet somber Terence Sims) is unhappy with Jeff’s work attitude and performance, but he somehow gets past those obstacles to see that Jeff is, in essence, a sweet young man trying to find his own way. William is well-established in his job, having worked his way up to a supervisor position after years in the company, and he finds himself sharing quite a dilemma with Jeff in a problem with William’s brother.  You see, his brother has committed a very violent crime and wants William to help with an alibi for protection.

Meanwhile in a seemingly unrelated turn, two police officers at totally different phases of their careers have just arrived outside that apartment building.  Bill (SGT Ensemble Member Adam Schulmerich, appropriately cynical and tough), a jaded sergeant about to reach a new level of accomplishment in the precinct, is the senior partner to Dawn (the marvelous Emma Jo Boyden), who’s been on the job for three months and has just knocked out a suspect with her nightstick in a previous situation. She’s pretty shaken by it all and wonders if her job, probationary as it is, will be in jeopardy. Bill calms her, saying he has her back and will help protect her against any inquiry that will come. Another wrinkle here is that the two cops seem to have feelings for one another, even as Bill is married with children. The two then go inside and Bill goes upstairs to visit a friend… a friend with whom he’s having sex. And Dawn is left down in the lobby with Jeff, who begins to form a romantic approach to see if he can gain her favor.

That moment begins a slow melding of the two plotlines into one storyline. Jeff unwittingly shares with Dawn that this has happened before, something that shakes her naivete. Her views on Bill suddenly find a new stance as Bill gets off the elevator in the lobby, finished with his ‘visit’.  As they get outside, a betrayed Dawn confronts him. Bill begins a confession about the woman upstairs and her husband Jim, who, Bill says, is having a problem that he is helping him get through. Only there is no Jim up there; Jeff tiptoes out to tell Bill, in the middle of his discussion with Dawn, that “Mrs.” whatever her name is upstairs has called down to let him know that Bill forgot his hat. Bill is busted, tells Dawn to wait outside, and then he goes in to harass Jeff for telling secrets he shouldn’t be telling, intimidating him markedly in the process.

Each character here now has a serious ethical impasse to negotiate. William is forced to make a choice about what to do with and for his brother—tell the truth or provide the alibi. Bill is now having to deal with the results of his own wandering eye, which exposes the prospect for ever-ripening discovery of other doubtful career moments that could derail his professional ambitions. Dawn, wide-eyed and principled, continues to take the abuse from her partner until she knows the entire story—not of Bill, but of William and his brother in a case that has headline-making potential at the risk of her own job. And then who does she tell? Jeff, in all this and despite his own meandering competence, has now become the keeper of all the secrets in this narrative. Does he share with Dawn what he's been told about William’s choice to gain her favor, but lose his job? Can he survive all this and still face Bill, who would certainly seek some kind of retribution against him? What about his own simple dreams, which consist basically of getting his own apartment and that’s pretty much it?

Director Santana has encouraged here a lot of characters talking over each other, which creates an interesting, in-the-moment feel on José Manuel Díaz-Soto’s impressive set design. Santana cinematically utilizes lighting (a comfortable design here by Ellie Fey) to draw the audience into critically intimate moments and then expands on the comedy in an occasional and sudden full brightness onstage. It allows the audience the chance to be swept along without feeling manipulated by the stagecraft, and it’s all such fun to observe.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.com  Coming soon, his new solo play “Echo Holler.” www.echoholler.com

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Shattered Globe Theatre
presents
LOBBY HERO

Theater Wit
1229 W Belmont Ave Chicago
through March 1, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Fun Home - Porchlight Music Theatre

“A Raincoat Made Out of Love.”
PicksInSix Review | Ed Tracy

Porchlight Music Theatre is celebrating their 30th Anniversary with an exhilarating revival of the 2015 Tony award-winning musical “Fun Home,” based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s 2006 groundbreaking graphic memoir, now playing at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

Directed by Stephen Schellhardt with music direction by Heidi Joosten, the show stars Alanna Chavez as Alison, Patrick Byrnes as Bruce and Neala Barron as Helen who lead a stellar cast in bringing the moving Lisa Kron/Jeanine Tesori score to life.

Kron’s book follows Bechdel’s conflicted relationship with her gay father as she discovers and comes to terms with her own lesbian sexuality. Chavez’s Alison serves as a 43-year-old stage voyeur looking back on her life growing up in the family funeral home, her sexual awakening in college and facing the inevitable truth of her father’s destructive behavior, all the while capturing the drama in her artwork. Moving in and out of the scenes with versions of herself as a child—alternating roles for Tess Mae Pundsack and Meena Sood as young Alison and Z Mowry as Middle Alison—Chavez expertly navigates the transitions, never leaving the stage for the entire 100 minute runtime of the piece.

Byrnes is a commanding force as Bruce, sheltering his true nature behind the veil of dutiful teacher, husband, father and community mortician while fighting to control an inner rage that will ultimately tear the family apart. Early on, his efforts to shield Alison and her siblings—Eli Vander Griend and Charlie Long alternating as Christian, and Austin Hartung and Hayes McCracken alternating as John—plays out as a domineering perfectionist but not without a sensitivity to literature, art, culture and a flair for restoration projects like the funeral parlor coined the ‘Fun Home’ by his children.

As Bruce’s anguished wife Helen, Barron gives an outstanding, multi-layered performance culminating in the heart-stopping ballad “Days and Days.” Among the other memorable numbers in the melodic score are the musical commercial “Come to the Fun Home” delightfully showcasing the young talent; Mowry’s “Changing My Major,” the touching anthem to her lover Joan (Dakota Hughes); the poignant “Ring of Keys” duet; and Byrnes “Edges of the World.” Lincoln J. Skoien rounds out the cast playing multiple roles and leads the lively company number “Raincoat of Love.”

Scenic designer Jonathan Berg-Einhorn has transformed the Ruth Page stage into an exquisite and intimate multi-level interior that allows Schellhardt the ability to transition effortlessly between scenes. Denise Karczewski’s lighting design and costumes by Marquecia Jordan complete the visually stunning production. With Matthew R. Chase’s pitch-perfect sound design and Joosten’s five-piece band hitting the right notes all night long, Porchlight’s memorable “Fun Home” is not to be missed.

PHOTO|Liz Lauren

Editor’s Note: Longtime photographer Rich Hein, who published his work as Liz Lauren, passed away on Sunday, January 19. 2025. Rich’s matchless photographic contributions will be sorely missed by the entire Chicago theatre community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends. and colleagues. et

Porchlight Music Theatre
presents
FUN HOME
Ruth Page Center
1016 N. Dearborn St.
through March 2, 2025

WEBSITE

PROGRAM

PARKING

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