PicksInSix Review: The Sound of Music - Broadway in Chicago

She is gentle! She is wild!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

“How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?” That lyric from “Maria” was top of mind going in to the sensational touring production of “The Sound of Music,” directed by Jack O’Brien, now playing at Broadway in Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. The answer is, of course, you can’t, especially when that shimmering moonbeam is the marvelous Cayleigh Capaldi who portrays Maria, the true-to-life postulant turned governess, wife and survivor, on full display.

Up to this production, I have never fully appreciated the resonance of the Sisters character-defining song “Maria.” It may stem from always being swept away by the intensity of one of the great opening numbers of this, or any, musical of the era that precedes it. Once again I was stunned, lulled and thrust into the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein score by Capaldi’s rapturous voice beckoning us into the last of the great collaborators eleven Broadway musicals. And then I thought it just might be natural to settle in during “Maria” before looking ahead to the beloved “My Favorite Things” duet that follows it.

Why delve into “Maria” in a musical that delivers so many other iconic works including “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss,” “Do-Re-Mi” and “Something Good” all wonderfully performed by this superb company? It’s a beautifully constructed song with every phrase pointing to a nuance of her identity from her singular radiance, exuberance and defiance of norms to her personal magnetism that eventually wins over each of the Sisters and Mother Abbess (played here by the sensational Christiane Noll) by songs’ end.

It’s a tall order to match for an actor, but Capaldi inherently understands Maria, her motivations and the impact that she has on every character in the show, delivering a performance that, like much of the show, is of the moment, fresh, vibrant and overflowing with enthusiasm. In navigating her relationship with Chicago native Kevin Farley’s Captain Georg von Trapp and his children—always the blooming centerpiece of the show and a very endearing group here—Capaldi elevates Maria once again, maturing into her new found purpose as partner and protector.

In every aspect, O’Brien’s production honors the valiant journey of the von Trapp family who escaped oncoming Nazi oppression in 1938 and ultimately delivered them to the mountains of Vermont where the family still maintains a lasting legacy today. The book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse is suggested by Maria’s book The Trapp Family Singers and over the years the elegant Vermont establishment was home. Even a devastating fire that destroyed the main building in 1980, and with it all of Maria’s personal papers and artifacts, did not deter the matriarch of the family to rebuild. Earlier this year, the picturesque 2,600 acre resort celebrated its 75th anniversary, a testament to the lasting legacy of the family at the heart of this beautiful story.

Whether this is the first or fourth viewing for you, “The Sound of Music” at the Nederlander will provide a deep appreciation for the courage, resilience and hope embodied in the von Trapp family and, as well, one of the most satisfying and enjoyable theatrical experiences you will ever have.  

PHOTO|Jeremy Daniel

Broadway in Chicago
presents
The Sound of Music
The James M. Nederlander Theatre
24 W Randolph Street
through November 2, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Disney's Finding Nemo - Marriott Theatre

Get In The Swim Of Things!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Regina Belt-Daniels

“Disney’s Finding Nemo,” the current Marriott Lincolnshire production for their Theatre for Young Audiences series, is a stunning staged musical remake of the 2003 Disney Pixar film with elaborately creative puppetry. The actors are resplendent in dabbled blues, yellows and purple colored onesies as they energetically and believably bring the adorable seafaring characters to life in the best visual display and use of puppets I’ve seen in my two decades of reviewing.

The familiar adventure story begins with Nemo’s mother’s death by a frightening barracuda before he is hatched. Nemo is one of 400 clownfish eggs, and the only survivor. From there, the staged musical quickly enters the evolving tale of Nemo and his overprotective father Marlin. Both face the unknown for someone they love—each other. Nemo dreams of venturing beyond their cozy anemone home into the vast ocean. But he is captured and taken to Sydney, ending up in an aquarium. Determined to bring Nemo home, Marlin pushes past his fears, and embarks on a daring ocean journey, aided by allies Dory, Crush the 150 year-old sea turtle, and the Tank Gang.

Directed and choreographed by the extremely gifted Amber Mak, with flawless musical direction by Ellie Kahn and a live band, the production boasts breathtaking puppetry design by Jesse Mooney-Bullock, costumes by Theresa Ham (wait till you see the jellyfish) and wigs, hair and makeup by Miquel Armstrong. A simple, easily manipulated Great Barrier Reef setting designed by Milo Blue with soothing oceanic lights designed by Brian Easton and sounds by John Johnson complements the talented ensemble on the intimate theater’s in-the-round stage.

And what an ensemble! Avelyn Lena Choi is an innocent and spirited Nemo, whose chemistry with Devon DeSantis‘s overly protective father clownfish, Marlin, is heart tugging. DeSantis’s Marlin is afraid of whales, sharks and leaving his home, but he is very good at delivering dad jokes and rescuing his son. The ever optimistic Dory, who can read, but is extremely forgetful, especially of Nemo‘s name—Elmo, Mosquito, Harpo, Lego, to mention a few misnomers—is wonderfully portrayed by Leah Morrow. Dory provides some of the show’s most hilarious moments and Morrow’s impeccable timing is a non-stop delight.

The ensemble plays an array of fascinating characters each with their own presence and personality. I especially loved Lorenzo Rush Jr. who among others, plays Nigel the pelican swooping in to narrate/move the plot along and entertainingly engage the audience (“Clap your fins if you think…”) I could easily list every single cast member, but other notables include, Andres J. Deleon (Gurgle, Crush, Moonfish), Adelina Marinello (Pearl’s mom, Chum, Peach, Jellyfish, Moonfish, Turtle), Tommy Rivera-Vega (Gil, Moonfish, Jellyfish, Turtle) and Maya Rowe (coral, Tad’s mom, Bloat, Anchor, Moonfish, Jellyfish, Turtle). The ensemble sings many of the most touching songs amplifying the show’s themes of resilience, courage, love and, especially survival, in “Just Keep Swimming.”

The audience was composed of babes in arms to grandparents, all enthralled with this fun filled production. Be sure to plan to stay after the show for a question and answer session with some of the cast members and production team engaging with the kids who not only say the darnedest things but ask them too! Get in the swim of things for Marriott’s production of “Disney’s Finding Nemo.” A magical journey under the sea is awaiting you!

Casting Note: Patrick Michael Tierney will play Marlin at selected performances.

Guest Contributor | REGINA BELT-DANIELS is a retired special education teacher who has acted, directed, and staged managed throughout Illinois and has reviewed theater for numerous publications for over a decade.
PHOTO|Justin Barbin

Marriott Theatre
presents
Disney’s Finding Nemo
‍10 Marriott Drive
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
though January 4, 2026

847-634-0200

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PicksInSix Review: Paranormal Activity - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Collectively Spooked: No Spoilers, Macabre Chills
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Sarah Frances Fiorello

The Yard is thick with an eerie haze this Halloween season as “Paranormal Activity” settles in to spook Navy Pier patrons right out of their seats. Before the house lights dim, be sure to say a proper hello to your seatmates—you may find yourself gripping their hand before the night is over.

Written and restaged by Chicago’s own Levi Holloway (Broadway: “Grey House”), “Paranormal Activity” receives its North American debut now through November 2nd at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Rounding out the creative team are director Felix Barrett (Broadway: “Viola’s Room”, Off Broadway: “Sleep No More”) and Drama Desk Award / Outer Critics Circle / Tony Award Winning Stage Illusionist Chris Fisher (Broadway: “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”). This new, original play lives in the world of the film franchise by the same name. The film “Paranormal Activity" is an indie-horror classic, reportedly shot on a home video camera with a $15,000 budget before ultimately grossing over $193 million.

The curtain rises on newlyweds James and Lou settling into their cozy new home in rainy London. Relieved to leave behind their haunted life in Chicago, the couple slowly learns the truth of the play’s tagline: places aren’t haunted, people are. Bolstered by the incredible hyperrealism of Fly Davis’s scenic design, we are immediately transported into the most micro and intimate moments of their marriage: Lou’s struggle with mental health, James’s often misguided but loving desire to support her, and his overbearing mother who adds stress and strain to the seams of their relationship in a way that only a mother-in-law can. There are plenty of scares to come before the final curtain, but not at the expense of rock-solid storytelling: an emotionally driven journey of two people who, despite supernatural odds, are fighting tooth and nail for their relationship.

Cher Álvarez (Lou) and Patrick Heusinger (James, who also originated the role at Leeds Playhouse) brilliantly navigate two plus hours of emotional complexity alongside expertly timed edge-of-your-seat thrills as they explore and unpack, literally and figuratively, what has followed them across the pond. Fisher’s illusions are a must see and second to none: elegant, subtle, and exacting, drawing us in to ask the same questions as Lou and James—did you see what I just saw, or am I not-so-slowly going crazy?

“Paranormal Activity” at its core, reinforces so many of the reasons we go to the theatre. Two such elements are on full display in this piece: a voyeuristic look from a safe distance into the human condition and a reminder that our lives, both in the physical and metaphysical world, contain a full range of thought-provoking experiences without the need for AI, glossy filters, or overblown CGI. Life itself is often terrifying enough.

“Paranormal Activity” is for adult audiences and contains disturbing content, horror, loud noises, sudden darkness, and stage blood. This hair-raising production will continue its North American tour with stops in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and San Francisco on both ends of a 12-week scheduled engagement on the West End, beginning in December 2025.

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. Instagram: @writtenbysarahfrances

PHOTO | Kyle Flubacker

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
presents
Paranormal Activity
The Yard
Navy Pier
through November 2, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars - TimeLine Theatre Company

An All Too Real Interstellar Experience.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

“Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars,” the new play written by and featuring Sandra Delgado and directed by Kimberly Senior, opened Wednesday in a TimeLine Theatre Company world premiere production hosted by Lookingglass Theatre Company at the Water Tower Water Works. Set in Chicago in 2015 during the Obama era, the powerful premise of Delgado’s work revolves around issues and policies that reflect our fractured immigration and deportation system. On that score alone, Delgado’s insightful “Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars” is the most vitally important show to see in Chicago right now.

The combined force of longtime collaborators Senior and Delgado in such a stylized 90-minute drama is a perfect fit for TimeLine’s legacy of presenting works of historical significance. The production unfolds as a series of vignettes—memories from the mind of Delgado’s character Clara—that shape the backstory. Clara’s seemingly routine life is all at once upended as a result of past actions that would otherwise be dismissed to any American citizen. But Clara was an immigrant child who is now pursuing citizenship that will allow her to fulfill the dream of a trip to Paris with her daughter Stella (Charlotte Arias who alternates with Simona Gueglio-Saccone), until she is suddenly thrust into a situation that will ultimately impact every facet of her existence.

Clara is central to the support of her immediate family. She is caring for her recently widowed father Papi (Ramón Camín) and is in a co-parenting situation with her ex-husband, David (Brian King), to whom she also provides financial support. So, when we find that Clara has been unemployed for over a month and has been shielding it from everyone, there is clearly a reckoning to come. Clara first shares her plight with Ruben (Joshua David Thomas), an affable hospital professional who has a prosperous side hustle, and then, as she begins to consider what her future options might be, is stunned to discover that her path to citizenship is in serious jeopardy.

Delgado’s crisp writing style is evidenced throughout the interactions with her family, but shines brightly in a pivotal meeting with Vega (Charín Álvarez), an immigration attorney whose blunt assessment leaves few options ahead, and Clara’s own impassioned testimony in her own defense.          

There is an otherworldly element to “Hundreds”—a multiverse, a theoretical reality that includes an infinite number of parallel universes—that drives the narrative of Clara’s story, allowing the scenes to unfold as if unstuck in time. It is a fascinating concept accomplished through robust atmospheric projections (Eme Ospina-López), lighting (Christine A. Binder) and sound (Willow James) and the scenic design of Regina García. Director Senior artfully incorporates these interstitial moments that allow Delgado to remain present on stage nearly throughout as either player, observer or interstellar traveler. Collectively, these segments gather in intensity, an atmospheric representation of the unimaginable chaos of Clara’s situation.

Over the course of the past ten years while much has changed, all too much has stayed the same. When the decriminalization of marijuana became law, the remedies afforded to American citizens imprisoned on minor offenses did not apply universally to everyone. Today, with the situation magnified three-fold, the sweeping effect of immigration enforcement activities, that have been largely indiscriminate and intensified in real time in neighborhoods across Chicagoland and the nation, have ripped families apart and sent shock waves of fear through entire communities. The searing and staggering heart of this piece beats loudly as if it was written yesterday. Delgado’s bold, endearing and powerful “Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars” lays bare how our evolving policies so completely impact one family caught up in our fraught immigration system.

PHOTO| Brett Beiner

TimeLine Theatre Company
presents
World Premiere
Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars
Hosted by
Lookingglass Theatre
Water Tower Water Works
168 Pearson Street at Michigan Ave.
through November 9, 2025

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FEATURE: CONVERSATIONS: Kimberly Senior and Sandra Delgado

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Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars - Kimberly Senior and Sandra Delgado

A Love Letter To The City
Kimberly Senior & Sandra Delgado
CONVERSATIONS | Ed Tracy

According to director Kimberly Senior, Sandra Delgado’s new play “Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars”—produced by TimeLine Theatre and currently in previews at Lookingglass Theatre in Water Tower Water Works—“lives in an interstitial space that is neither here nor there and takes place in the memory of the main character, Clara” played by Delgado. The longtime friends and collaborators date back nearly three decades to the inception of Chicago’s Collaboraction Theatre Company when Senior, the founder and now company member emeritus worked with founding company member Delgado, who now serves on the Board.

Senior directed the Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-nominated Disgraced  by Ayad Akhtar. Among dozens of notable award-winning productions at theaters across Chicagoland and beyond, Senior has been lauded for her innate storytelling abilities in over 30 Collaboraction productions, a decade as an administrator and Resident Artist with Steppenwolf, her work with Goodman Theatre’s Artistic Collective and with TimeLine where she is an associate artist.

The captivating Delgado, a writer, producer, actor/singer/dancer is best known for her award-winning musical anthology “La Havana Madrid” based on true stories framed from within the famous 1960s Caribbean Latino nightclub. Her play, “Felons and Familias,” was part of Theatre on the Lake’s 2018 season and Goodman Theatre’s New Stages Festival under the new title, “Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars.” Moving into the 2025 TimeLine schedule last fall, the show is presented through a special arrangement at the Water Tower Water Works theater.

We all had a minute on a Zoom call to talk about the play during final preparations for the first preview performance last week. It was a wide-ranging discussion with two of Chicago’s top creative powerhouses who are telling the heartfelt story of a mother and daughter navigating our challenging immigration system. If it sounds like it might be of the moment, consider that Delgado’s play is rooted in Chicago and set in 2015 during a very different, but nonetheless compelling, inflection point in a national policy debate that has been smoldering for decades.

It is a “love letter to the city,” Delgado says, “that I hope is as satisfying for our audiences that love the city as much as Kimberly and I do.”

The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Sandra Delgado: “My entry into the performing arts was through music, through singing, but also through dance. La Havana Madrid was definitely an expression of the singing part of me. And with Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars, I get to express more of my movement background. So, one of the elements that we're using to tell the story is, I wouldn't say dance, but it is a heightened movement.  

In 2015, Obama was president and he enacted immigration policies. The original title of the play was called Felons and Familias because in the speech that he gave when he enacted these new immigration policies, one of the things he said was: ‘We're targeting felons, not families. We're targeting the drug dealers, not the mom who's working hard to take care of her kids.’

I heard this story on NPR about a man from Guyana who had come as a toddler to the United States with documentation. He had always been a legal permanent resident of the United States. And in his thirties, a couple of past drug convictions caught up with him and he was deported because of the new immigration policies. And that really struck me. As a mother, I was like, “In what world does it make sense to split this family apart?” At the time, his son was ten years old and now this man is going back to a place where he doesn't have anyone and his son is growing up without his father.

For some communities, Obama became known as the “deporter-in-chief,” but I would say, by and large, especially with our theater-going community, which tends to be a liberal community, they don't know that this has been happening way before Trump and even before Obama. We've always had problematic immigration policies. But I think in a way, setting (the play) in 2015 is just enough of a space for us to really look at where we were and where we are now, especially, as things have really escalated.”

Ed Tracy: And the laws have changed, decriminalizing marijuana and some of those kinds of things might not happen to American citizens. But as we are now, if there is anything there, it is coming to the surface.

SD: “That is really interesting to bring up because, of course, cannabis became legalized in 2020, but if you are not a citizen—and I am not saying an ‘undocumented person’—if you are a person who has a visa, who is a green card holder, you don't have those protections. I also wanted to examine this hazy gray area where a lot of what we see on the news is about undocumented people. It is binary, right? You are either a citizen or you are undocumented, as far as the stories that we are seeing surrounding immigration and deportation. But there is this whole other subset of people who are not citizens, but they are documented. They don't have protections either. So, this play is also examining that, because even today, for example, when (Governor) Pritzker a couple years ago pardoned all the people that were in prison for low level drug offenses, if you were a citizen, you got to leave prison. If you were a legal permanent resident, you were still there doing your time.”

ET: So how do you tell this story? How does art help you to tell this story so that it has the kind of universal reach that you are going for? 

Kimberly Senior: “Well, you tell a story through people, right? This is a story about a family, right? So, there are three people on this Zoom, and we are three different people, and we all have different things that affect us. We have things that are in common, and we have different things that are not in common. And some of them are legal, some of them are historic, some of them are whatever, right? But that, like everything, affects different people. The true things that motivate us are the things that we love and the people that we love. That is how we make our decisions, based on our values, and based on what drives us are the people that we love.

This is really a story about a mother and a daughter and also this family and the people that surround them. There is an intergenerational story. It is a story of Clara. It is a story of her and her daughter. Her father is also in the play. I am very moved by that relationship in the play as well and the ties that bind us. And so, when these things are happening around us, how did that impact this family?

Sandra tells about hearing the story of this father from Guyana. It's not the law that is moving Sandra. It is the story about this father. This law is unfair, but no, what about this family? How does this law impact this family? I think where storytelling is so exciting, and so many of the stories that both Sandra and I have been interested in telling throughout our careers, is who are the people at the center of these stories? Because you can read history books and you can read news articles, but who are the actual people.

Like Sandra was pointing out, what we see on the news and what is presented to us are rarely the human faces. And, in fact, so often I think those things are being presented to us in a way where we are not connecting with the people so that we don't actually understand. And that is the role of the arts and how exciting and vital and how good it feels, especially in this moment, to be able to present a character like Clara who looks and behaves and who is just like any one of us walking around Chicago, who eats hot dogs and loves the 4th of July, and went to college and, goes to a mall and does all the things that we think are just American. Just like us, but yet the same rules don't apply because she wasn't born at Swedish Covenant Hospital but looks just the same and speaks with unaccented perfect English. I think it is a really interesting thing to put that face on it for our audiences.“

SD: “And, I think especially in this age where so much of the news that we are getting is in these little, viral soundbites, that viral video, where things are just reduced. It is so important to present a story of these fully, three-dimensional human beings. At its heart, this is a love story between a mother and a daughter. This is the story of a Chicago family. This is the story of an American family. And that is where art lives. You are getting to spend ninety minutes with these people and getting to know them as people. I have an IMDB credit called ‘crying Hispanic woman.’ It is not that soundbite of, or that viral video of, that crying Hispanic woman. You are getting to know these people as people. And as far as free speech, yeah, theater is free speech. We are holding on. And it is more important than ever.”

Currently in previews, the world premiere of the Timeline Theatre production of Sandra Delgado’s “Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars” directed by Kimberly Senior opens October 15 and runs through November 9, 2025 at the Lookingglass Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson Street, Chicago.

PHOTO | Emma Schoenfelner
COVER | Joe Mazza brave lux inc.

TimeLine Theatre Company
presents
World Premiere
Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars
Water Tower Water Works
through November 9, 2025

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PicksInSix Review - AVA: The Secret Conversations - Studebaker Theater

Stardom In and Out of Limelight
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

Downtown at a jewel of a performance space, the renovated Studebaker Theater located in the Fine Arts Building, the latest bill of fare stars the elegant Elizabeth McGovern in “AVA: The Secret Conversations,” her adaptation of the book by Peter Evans, a character in the play portrayed by Aaron Costa Ganis. The show plays in Chicago through October 12, after runs at the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles and then at New York's City Center.

In 1988, Ava Gardner has summoned the British journalist to ask him to ghostwrite a memoir or a full autobiography. At first Evans hesitates, being quite experienced in writing unauthorized biographies in real life. In fact, it's interesting that the first character we see onstage is not Ava Gardner, but Peter Evans. He nevertheless conceives an idea of a North Carolina girl picking herself up by the proverbial bootstraps of her upbringing and moving to Hollywood. Indeed, she was 18 in her first film in 1941. In fact, Ava wants to concentrate on sharing her views on her film career, thinking that the stories behind the making of such work would be entertaining for an audience. Evans, with constant pressure from his agent ("Get her to talk about the penis story!"), relents and walks a very difficult tightrope between making sure his agent is satisfied and adhering to what she wishes to talk about.

As the story progresses, we see a rather unique dramatic device that playwright McGovern utilizes in making the writer also stand in for her three husbands—Mickey Rooney, jazz legend Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. Slowly, Evans (Ganis valiantly assumes the persona of each husband in the storytelling), tries to convince Ava that he has her best interests at heart, while satisfying his agent's penchant for the gossip simultaneously. Rooney was at his performer's height during their marriage and, as is told, they constantly had sex, wherever and whenever they could. It disguises the fact that they were married only a year, and none of it affected his career—all to Ava's chagrin, as she really was not yet a star. Evans continues to accumulate material with Ava in constant catfight interviews and late-night exchanges, many enveloped in profanity and verbal offense. Then came her marriage to Shaw, one of the most famous jazz musicians in the country, in 1945 at the end of WWII. In time, Ava described him as "emotionally abusive" and yet another marriage lasted hardly a year or so.

In the meantime, Ava finally gets proper attention for her role in The Killers (1946), which turned both her and Burt Lancaster into major stars. And this is what Ava wishes to talk about—her various films, which include: Showboat (1951), Mogambo (1953), and The Barefoot Contessa (1954). It was during this career height that she met and married Sinatra. She was proud of the fact that she used what influence she had to help Sinatra land his Oscar-winning role in From Here To Eternity (1953). The marriage was tumultuous and passionate and the talk of Hollywood for six years, the length it lasted. All of this is fodder for Evans in writing for Ava. Lots of other affairs, including with Howard Hughes, followed. Ava remained true, in her eyes, to the fact that she did what she wanted and ignored judgment on it all.

So now we come closer to the time of the Gardner/Evans breakup and the entire project being shelved. It seems that Evans conveniently forgot to tell Ava that he was involved at one time in a lawsuit for publishing rights to a story about Frank Sinatra, whom she had told was her ghostwriter. He warned her. She confronted Evans, who tried to laugh it off to no avail. A final shouting match ends with Ava, putting on her coat and walking toward the stage apron into a stunning special effect of her disappearing into film.

There's a lovely drawing room set designed by LA scenic designer David Meyer. Projections abound here, too, covering the entire set in neon and streetlights and old film clips, all designed and assembled by Alex Bosco Koch. The entire experience was directed by Broadway veteran Moritz von Stuelpnagel. And as for the actors, well, it's basically a two-hander and a real challenge for any performer. Mr. Ganis offers a huge versatility and gameness for tackling what could have been a thankless role to play and even gets to sing a Sinatra staple, Fly Me To The Moon. Ms. McGovern, always the star here and playing almost the entire show barefoot (as was Ms. Gardner's real habit), has a real gift for dialogue and scene creation as a playwright and a proud Southerner from the beginning.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | RONALD KEATON received an Equity Jeff Award for the performance of his one-man show CHURCHILL. www.solochicagotheatre.org  Coming soon, his new solo play about Ben Franklin, THE FIRST EMBASSY.

PHOTO| Jeff Lorch

Elizabeth McGovern and Aaron Costas Ganis
AVA: The Secret Conversations

Studebaker Theater
Fine Arts Building
410 S Michigan Avenue
through October 12, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Big White Fog - Court Theatre

Court’s ‘Fog” A Lesson in Time
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

The theatre pioneer Theodore Ward's ambitious “Big White Fog” is the latest offering at Court Theatre, playing through October 12. It is directed in unabashedly huge strokes by Court Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson and, in many ways, is both a grand story of impact and resulting fallout and a lesson in time. There is an inevitable connection/comparison between Mr. Ward's opus and the delicate, powerful classic “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. They are two plays in dialogue that address family and, more pointedly, the Black experience in America. They share the same soil but blossom differently in their individual stories. The period in which the Ward play is written—the edge of the Great Depression into those years of unrelenting economic challenge and unending—magnifies that painful reality.

It is about three generations of the Mason family, who live on the South Side of Chicago. It's the 1920s, and the economic disparity between races is never more pronounced. The family itself is split across ideological lines. There is a fussy, battling matriarch Martha (Greta Oglesby is a strong, appealing presence) who shuttles from one location to another to find peace. Victor, a construction worker and the head of his family (Joshua L. Green, magnetic and powerful) is exhausted by the frustration of the family's economic woes, so he turns to Marcus Garvey and the “Back to Africa” movement for a kind of guidance. Meanwhile, brother-in-law Daniel (Amir Abdullah, ever present and antagonistic), wants to beat society at its own game, so he's diving into capitalism full-bore. He even buys a building to turn into apartments. And the problem for Victor is that Daniel seems to always have just enough money, which makes the more difficult philosophical stance in following Garveyism even more pronounced. The family is constantly battling to hang onto each other.

Meanwhile Lester (effectively understated by Patrick Newson Jr.) is about to go to college and waiting on scholarship money. When the money is denied to him because of his race, it begins in Lester's mind a long-range consideration in banding groups together with his Jewish friend Nathan (Artem Kreimer, quiet and appropriately supportive) to solve the family's issues. Ella (the marvelous Sharriese Hamilton) is constantly pushed to the brink, trying to hold onto a family that seems more and more bent on self-destruction. Ella has a breakdown about husband Victor where she finally shares her frustrations. Yet she continues to be a stoic presence and will not bend to the pressure, no matter how it affects her personally. Family, first and foremost.

When the Great Depression hits, the family is one of many facing eviction. In time, there are officers sent to make sure the eviction is carried out, becoming a behemoth that the Masons simply cannot fight. Lester, in the meantime, has gathered his friend Nathan and several others to make sure that the family stays in the house. The ending is still a surprise in its violence, and Victor pays the ultimate price for his will to keep the family moving forward.

The seventeen-player ensemble is exactly that—an actor's ensemble to the end. They feed off each other well, and each leaves a strong, individual mark. Ayanna Bria Bakari (Wanda Mason), Saran Bakari (Claudine/Sister Gabriella), Jada Jackson (Caroline Mason), Ronald L. Conner (Percy Mason), Alanna Lovely (Juanita Rogers), and John McBeth III (Philip Mason) are the family unit. Other strong contributions come from Anthony Irons and Lionel Gentle as the officers who help Victor in his adaption to Garveyism; Brandon Dahlquist as the Lieutenant in the eviction; and Nathan Daniel Goldberg as Bailiff.

Mr. Ward was a playwright and writer of strong leftist stance and allowed it all to reflect in his work. The “fog” is both literal poverty and figurative uncertainty about the right path forward. The "dream deferred" from the Langston Hughes poem is a reflection of how Ms. Hansberry viewed the same experience, some twenty years later, in her own activist outlook. In a way, she stands on Mr. Ward's shoulders. Both deal with dreams, with housing, with systemic racism. Both the fog and the dream deferred represent the same frustrating viewpoint. And both stand out loud in their own ways to shout the virtues, and the very tightness, of the family unit.

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 about Ben Franklin, THE FIRST EMBASSY.

PHOTO | Michael Brosilow

Court Theatre
presents
Big White Fog
5535 South Ellis Avenue
though October 12

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PicksInSix Review: Carmen - Joffrey Ballet - Lyric Opera House

Lust Conquers All: Tragedy En Pointe
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Sarah Frances Fiorello

The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its 70th anniversary season by drenching the Lyric Opera Grand Foyer in crimson red, preparing the evening's audience for a night of passion, desire, and tragedy. Liam Scarlett’s “Carmen” is adapted from Bizet’s 1875 opera “Carmen” with libretto inspired by the 1845 novella by Prosper Mérimée. Scarlett’s “Carmen” was originally commissioned and performed in 2015 at the Norwegian National Ballet and now receives its U.S. Premiere with the Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera House.

The scene is set in 1930s Spain in a small factory town, while the country is on the brink of civil war.  Guards watch over the cigarette factory and its workers; when Carmen is forced out of the factory due to a fight, Don José is assigned to guard her. He quickly falls under her seductive spell, whilst his teenage love, Micaëla, hangs in the balance. With Don José’s help, Carmen escapes to a tavern where she meets Escamillo, a famous bullfighter, and her spellbinding equal. Don José finds Carmen at the tavern and professes his love. The two decide to run away together, but before Carmen can rendezvous with Don José, she re-encounters Escamillo who seduces her yet again with the promise of a rich, wonderful life. She takes him, pens a letter to Don José retracting her declaration of love, which is entrusted to—who else—Micaëla to deliver.

Micaëla finds Don José and pleads with him to go with her and to remember their love.  But Don José sees only Carmen, says so, and when presented with the letter, unravels. In his deep despair, Don José goes to Carmen on her wedding day, desperate to run away with her. In a state of blind passion, he stabs her: killing the temptress who stole his heart.

Scarlett’s “Carmen” is blazing, intimate, and brutally honest—a universal story that is likely to shoot like an arrow through all 3,500 hearts in the Ardis Krainik Theatre. Who hasn’t chosen poorly in the face of true love? Carmen chose a life of luxury, Don José chose carnal desire.  Both blinded with lust while love lingers behind them, left to wither away until it's lost completely.  All without a word spoken, told only through movement and potent emotional storytelling by every member of the Joffrey company.

Victoria Jaiani is viscerally intoxicating in the role of Carmen.  She brings a masterful art of seduction to every moment of her performance, leaving no question as to how Don José, danced expertly by Alberto Velazquez, could risk everything to chase her beauty and mystery to his own demise. Dylan Gutierrez commands the stage in the role of Escamillo, while Gayeon Jung’s performance as Micaëla leaves a lingering heartache for youthful love, expressed so purely and perfectly, it stings with sincerity.

The 40 plus piece Lyric Opera Orchestra shines under the musical direction of Scott Speck, while the scenic design and costumes by Scarlett’s frequent collaborator, Jon Bausor, provide a stark, industrial ambiance to the story. The star, of course, is Scarlett’s choreography: a masterful expression of the human form, in all its beauty and its wonder. Frequent Joffrey patrons may remember his critically acclaimed “Frankenstein” from the 2023 season. “Carmen” counts as his fourth ballet, now posthumously, added to the Joffrey’s repertoire. Treat yourself to this adults-only night at the ballet: “Carmen” runs for 10 performances only, now through September 28th.

CASTING NOTE: The Joffrey company alternates at all performances. Check casting for each date here.

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 | Cheryl Mann

The Joffrey Ballet
presents

CARMEN
Lyric Opera
20 North Wacker Drive
through September 28, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Ashland Avenue - Goodman Theatre

"Ashland Avenue" Examines A Passing Era
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

At work, with relationships, in our very existence, we all are forced to come to grips with the end of something, a traumatic and daunting wall to climb. In playwright/filmmaker Lee Kirk's new play “Ashland Avenue,” now playing at the Goodman Theatre through October 12, everyone involved meets their own kind of 'ending' which then translates—as we all hope it will—into a new beginning in which to invest our energies.

In this story, it's about family dynamic. Pete (Francis Guinan), a widower, is the entrepreneur of what used to be a string of popular shops selling televisions, but now is down to one store, the original on Ashland Avenue. His television commercials from the old days made him a kind of Chicago legend, which inspires a life achievement award on his behalf. So, he has to make a speech. Pete's also quite a talker, as good salespeople should be, and he's had to sell off or close his other stores to survive. He remains stuck in sales methods that, with the advent of the internet, make him a bit of a dinosaur in the business world. Hence, his bad luck at a time in life when he is being urged to rest on his laurels, so to speak.

Now Pete has a daughter, Sam (Jenna Fischer), whose entire youth saw her involved with Dad's business. When not at school, she helped whenever possible in various ways; she kept the store clean, helped with record-keeping and whatever else needed to be done. All this time, Sam is developing her own dreams of being a novelist. Her husband Mike (Chiké Johnson), who helps out in the store, is a frustrated graphic artist and writer with three novels to his credit that just don't seem to help him find career traction. Sam and Mike are preparing for a move to Los Angeles and have struggled to find the words to tell her father.

To complicate things further, Pete has taken in a former employee, Jess (Cordelia Dewdney) and her two children, in an unusual stew of family concern and seeming romantic leanings that do not pan out.  And Jess is moving to Naperville, because her ex-husband Charlie has supposedly cleaned up from his drug habit. Pete doubts it all, of course, and continually tries to talk her into staying at his house, as he says, "for the children."

And this is all Act I. When Act II comes, the fruits of all the labor at last pay off. We see the essence of the give-and-take between Pete and his daughter, Sam and Mike in the welcome career news from LA, and Jess in a kind of "come-to-Jesus" realization about her irresponsible ex-husband. When all is said and done and Pete can sit quietly, reflecting on his last couple of days, he breaks down emotionally. To top it all off, the junkie Charlie (Will Allan) shows up at the store, wanting to sell a cable box for drug money. Pete realizes who he is and calls him on it, prompting a wild breakdown from Charlie and a not-so-surprising reaction of care and concern from Pete. That relationship at the end of the story prompts thoughts of what THAT play might be like.

The story becomes a thought-provoking combination of sitcom and morality tale about change and how such elements affect someone facing retirement, let alone what to do next in life. Mr. Kirk's script is well considered and interesting. Goodman Artistic Director Susan V. Booth offers this story in intimate, loving strokes. The thick, yet simple set design by Kevin Depinet has both nostalgia and the reality of existence in it. Ms. Fischer is a delicate surprise, and her work with the marvelous Mr. Johnson is fun to watch. Ms. Dewdney inhabits an appropriately desperate Jess, while the ex-husband literally explodes on Pete in Charlie's scene at the end. And Mr. Guinan, a real Chicago treasure who offers an actor's master class here, shares with us all a performance of eloquence and substance in all the fodder that Pete has to face. Pete's not Willy Loman, nor should he be. He's quieter and more introspective. But his Waterloo is just as valid and vital.

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 about Ben Franklin, THE FIRST EMBASSY.

PHOTO|Todd Rosenberg

Goodman Theatre
presents
World Premiere
Ashland Avenue
Albert Theatre
170 N Dearborn Street
Extended
through October 12, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Dennis Watkins - The Magic Parlour - The Goodman & Petterino's

Come Early. Stay Late. Be Astounded!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

At the center of any fabulous evening at “The Magic Parlour”—celebrating its 16th year in downtown Chicago—Dennis Watkins may be identifying random objects gathered from the audience after duct taping coins to his eye sockets, interlocking wedding rings chosen at random, and floating a handful of playing cards from his left hand to his right pocket. It’s all close-up magic—a mix of prestidigitation, mystifying mind-reading, sophisticated illusions and sleight of hand—with a central numerological theme that is astounding.

For the record, Watkins’s most amazing feat might just be that he has not aged a single day in all those years, despite multiple shows a week and an active corporate and private event enterprise. The secret to his youthful longevity—"The Magic Parlour” is currently the longest-running magic show in Chicago—is his passion for storytelling and an unwavering dedication to the art of making magic accessible, something he freely admits is a series of choices stemming from our commitment as an audience to believe that anything is possible.

Watkins, a third-generation magician and mentalist, is a consummate showman—soft spoken yet wildly energetic, appealing to young and old alike with a devilish, all-knowing grin, quick wit and a keen sense of humor. Over 90 magically-packed minutes, Watkins connects on a personal level with each of up to 60 audience members in the show room on the lower level of Petterino’s. If you spend too much time thinking about what you just saw, you will likely miss the next illusion. Watkins sets a steady, entertaining pace, with lots of audience interaction building from one astounding feat after another.

As we learn from Watkins, there are an uncalculatable number of variations in a standard deck of cards. So, it comes as no surprise that as the cards pass from one unsuspecting volunteer to another on stage in plain view for all to see, any apparent chaos very quickly falls into startling, recognizable order. And on this night, an overhead camera captured the breakneck speed of Watkins’s shuffling skills that help punctuate his storytelling. But it is the numeric theme that rules in nearly every major element of the show, so pay close attention. The payoff will leave you in awe.

The 8:30 pm show on Friday was my fourth experience including a 2016 performance at the Palmer House, the 2023 opening night at Petterino’s location and, during the pandemic, an uplifting virtual show celebrating retired judge and theatre critic Julian Frazin’s birthday. The price of admission in the intimate lounge at Petterino’s includes a drink at the bar and, for a modest upcharge, you can join a dozen or so patrons in “The Encore Room” following the main show and get the ultimate close-up experience.

A special Halloween engagement, “The Spirit Cabinet,” is scheduled for October 25, 26, 29 and 30. Dates fill up early with special holiday season additions in November and December, and the show is perfect for family outings and corporate events. Advance reservations are suggested. Come early. Stay late. Be astounded!

PHOTO|Kyle Flubacker

The Goodman & Petterino’s
present
Dennis Watkins
The Magic Parlour
50 West Randolph

OPEN RUN

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PicksInSix Review: The First Lady of Television - Northlight Theatre

Sherman’s Marvelous, Articulate Plunge Hits Home!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

This is the story of a grand storyteller named Gertrude Berg. She is the subject of James Sherman's marvelous, articulate plunge into show business history, “The First Lady of Television.” It's the latest production from Northlight Theatre currently at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie and now playing through October 12. Given the subject matter within the play—dealing with McCarthyism, the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s and the blacklist known as Red Channels—what unfolds are unsettling, almost frightening precedents of today's politics. Artistic director BJ Jones comfortably guides his ensemble through Mr. Sherman's encompassing wallop of a script, complete with meticulous research and loving dialogue.

Gertrude Berg was a pioneer of classic radio. She was one of the first people to create, write, produce, and star in a long-running hit when she premiered her comedy-drama "The Rise Of The Goldbergs" in 1929, as network radio was in its infancy. NBC ran her series, which eventually settled as "The Goldbergs," for seventeen years. Molly Goldberg was a big-hearted matriarch of a Jewish family in The Bronx. And that family—husband Jake, the always supportive Uncle David, daughter Rosalie and son Sammy—comprised a tight-knit group that went through common issues that all families experience: love and loss, celebrations of all kinds, personal growth and family discussion. It was a 15-minute show on radio. In 1949, Gertrude was able to transfer the show intact to television for a nearly ten-year run on CBS and DuMont.

The episode in question here they are shooting really doesn't matter. Molly is preparing for a July 4th celebration at home. The real drama is from outside the studio, where HUAC is making its presence known on the set. Suddenly the director Walter Hart (Joe Dempsey in a purposeful, strong turn) calls out "Hold, please!" for the umpteenth time in the rehearsal. The actor playing Loeb/"Jake" has learned that he has been listed in the pamphlet called Red Channels, along with 150 other show business types. The show's sponsor, Sanka, began to pressure Ms. Berg and the network to fire Mr. Loeb, however it got done. But such action was delayed. And delayed for well over a year. Finally, Gertrude is placed in the untenable position of deciding, on the set right then and there, whether or not to fire Mr. Loeb.

And that sets off, from the actor's reality in losing his job and fearing he'll never work again, a remarkable monologue from Mr. Sherman's pen. Mr. Loeb (the absolute best work ever from William Dick as Loeb/"Jake") takes us on an emotional, staccato journey about life. Union friendships. Family failure. Stories of literal survival at a time in America when hate filled the walls of Congress and threatened the very life of the country. Sound familiar? And Mr. Dick expertly takes us through all this with a deft combination of dread and confusion and, when it was all said and done, some inner panic for an artist who "just wants to work."

Mark David Kaplan shares such a gentle Eli Mintz/"Uncle David", so accommodating and helpful, as he becomes a kind of staff for Philip. Sarah Coakley Price as Arlene McQuade/"Rosalie" says yes, fire him. She emotionally forces a real wrench into the story with the fear that she doesn't want to lose HER job either; she just wants to move on and become what Gertrude is—star, writer, director of her own show. Ty Fanning (Larry Robinson/"Sammy") plays it all smarter than we know in showing how simply Larry negotiates his own path through the maze.

And at last, there's the great Cindy Gold in the title role. Gertrude/"Molly" is fully committed to this process. She says, in fact, that this cast is her family and she cannot abandon family for any reason. So, she gives everyone a strong boost in looking at their own stead—even Philip, the obvious tool to put away. Yes, Gertrude stays loyal right to the end. And Ms. Gold is simply wonderful in her consistent, charming take on a woman much more accomplished than people knew. It's all done within the guise of family loyalty, in a world turned upside down outside the studio, by a movement of hate ironically prescient to what many experience today. This is an ensemble play built on purpose and earnest leanings, as playwright Sherman shows us all, despite the history we think we know, what was still good in that time and place.

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

Northlight Theatre
presents
World Premiere
The First Lady of Television
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
9501 Skokie Boulevard
through October 12, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Dial M for Murder - Drury Lane Theatre

Betrayal, Deception Abound In Classic Thriller!
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Regina Belt-Daniels

What comes to mind when you hear or see the title “Dial M for Murder?” The popular Alfred Hitchcock film starring Ray Miland and Grace Kelly, correct? Well, that may be no more; the production currently running at the Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook is the one to remember now. Written in 1952 by English playwright Frederick Knott, Drury Lane’s chilling production—a tight, carefully orchestrated, thriller—has gone one step farther with Jeffrey Hatcher’s compelling adaptation.

Set in the 1950s, “Dial M for Murder” tells the story of the fractious marriage of the wealthy socialite Margot Wendice (Amanda Drinkall) and her husband, Tony (Erik Hellman) who plans to murder her for her fortune (rather than lose her money to divorce) after discovering her affair with American murder mystery writer Maxine Hadley (Alexandra Silber). Tony blackmails a former Cambridge acquaintance into committing the murder while he establishes an alibi with his BBC radio interview. Of course, the plan goes astray.

Making his Drury Lane debut, Director Adam Immerwahr’s production is suspenseful, engaging, and extremely well-paced as he skillfully weaves the plot together navigating its many dramatic twists and turns with a creative flair for the genre. Upholding a unified vision and mood, Paige Hathaway’s detailed set design of the Wendice’s elegant London living room is plush, lush and gorgeous. All of the technical elements are effective and focused from the lighting design by Emma Deane, the sound design and music composition by Joshua Schmidt, and the beautiful era-appropriate costume design by Nicole Boylan, to the wigs and hair by Bridget Rzymski, and properties by Cassy Schillo. The strong performances of the ensemble benefit from the work of intimacy/violence choreographer David Blixt and dialect coach Julie Foh.

Immerwahr has assembled an incredibly charismatic ensemble of five—in roles that feel tailor made for them—focusing on the intricacies and interactions while heightening tension and suspense. The dialogue is sharp, and precise, revealing the character motivations with themes aplenty: betrayal, deception, justice, greed, love and loyalty.

Drinkall’s Margot is stunning—both in appearance and acting ability—all at once charming, naïve, kind, and with a quiet air of wealth. In Hellman’s Tony, we find a failed novelist who shows the conflicting emotions of a meticulous planner whose selfishness, arrogance, and jealousy run deep. Silber lands a skilled turn as the quick witted and plucky Hadley, the American murder mystery writer who is still in love with Margot. Ian Paul Custer is the man of many names, most recently Captain Lesgate, a shady, convicted criminal accomplice of Tony’s. Custer is very believable, starting out as a nice mustached, three-piece suited colleague who is soon willing to murder Margot for money. Chief Inspector Hubbard (Jonathan Wier) of Scotland Yard doesn’t appear until Act Two and may be a bit eccentric, but he is thorough and steady, thoughtful and intelligent. This is a delightfully strong, talented, and masterful cast.

“Dial M for Murder” is not a murder mystery; it is quite definitely a thriller. We know who’s doing what and what’s going to happen. The suspense is will he get away with it or will he get caught? You may be holding your breath for Margot as this Drury Lane thriller definitely keeps the audience on the edge of their seats— a fresh take on a classic thriller and, by the way, the ending will make you feel happy.

Guest Contributor | Regina Belt-Daniels is a retired special education teacher who has acted, directed, and staged managed throughout Illinois and has reviewed theater for numerous publications for over a decade.

PHOTO | Kyle Flubacker

Drury Lane Theatre
presents
Dial M for Murder
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace
through October 26, 2025

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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

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PicksInSix Review: Catch Me If You Can - Marriott Theatre

Marriott’s Whopping “Catch” Is A Winner!
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

If you are wondering what you get when you put a real-life copper caper in the hands of a master storyteller like the late Terrence McNally and the musical team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, make a date to see the sensational revival of “Catch Me If You Can” now playing at the Marriott Theatre. Directed with panache by Jessica Fisch featuring the equally stylish choreography by Dierdre Goodwin, the show features an outstanding company led by the effervescent JJ Niemann as Frank Abagnale Jr., the 60s era con artist and international fraudster who amassed $2M before the age of twenty-two. Niemann is a remarkable talent whose power-packed performance and engagingly youthful persona—yeah, he gets that a lot—belies an artful ease and ever-present synergy with the plum role of making a jet-setting swindler the most likable guy in any room.

It all starts at the end where the FBI, led by agent Carl Hanratty (a rock solid Nathaniel Stampley) and his minions Agents Dollar, Cod and Branton (the hilarious team of Justin Allbinder, Alex Goodrich and Karl Hamilton) have cornered Abagnale at gunpoint in a Florida airline terminal. As he begs for one last chance to plead his case, everything transforms into the show within the show, a flashback forward to the early days in a subdivision in New Rochelle, New York with his charismatic, but flawed, father, Frank Sr. (Sean Fortunato) and French mother, Paula played by the captivating Jessie Fisher. Fortunato is brilliant as the suave, sophisticated shyster who mentors Frank Jr. on the ins and outs of his street game. It is in these early scenes— wonderfully crafted by these two fine actor/singer/dancers—that the hook is set for McNally’s father/son experience that runs as the subplot to the main adventure story.

Things don’t work out so well for the couple, however, and Frank Jr. is soon off on his own, quickly advancing his special brand of check fraud and impersonation schemes as a lawyer—yes, he passed the bar—pilot and a pediatrician supervisor in a hospital emergency ward where he falls hard for Brenda Strong (the lovely and talented Mariah Lyttle). Brenda’s love and affection leads him to consider giving it all up, settling down and proposing marriage at dinner with Brenda’s parents Roger and Carol (the delightfully comic pairing of James Earl Jones II and Alexis J. Roston). It looks like things might turn out okay for our high-flying hero, but then Hanratty is as persistent as a dog with a bone and isn’t about to give up.

The nonstop momentum of “Catch Me If You Can” comes courtesy of the talented and versatile ensemble, filled to the brim with newcomers, who cover dozens of supporting roles and a bevy of flight attendants, Playboy bunnies, and attending nurses, all glammed in Sully Ratke’s dazzling array of costumes. Under the music direction of Ryan T. Nelson and the marvelous melodious mayhem of conductor Christopher Sargent and the orchestra, Niemann and company takeoff at full speed with “Live in Living Color” and set the flight path for the fun and frivolity right from the top. The company numbers “Jet Set” and act II’s “Nurses” are crowd favorites, along with Fortunato’s “The Pinstripes Are All That They See.” The buddy numbers “Butter Outta Cream” and “Little Boy, Be a Man” are balanced with Stampley’s introspective theme “The Man Inside the Clues” and Niemann and Lyttle’s lush “Seven Wonders.” The solo performance of the night belongs to Lyttle for the soaring confession of love “Fly, Fly Away.”

The ingenious stage design of Andrew Boyce and Lauren M. Nichols, awash in Jesse Klug’s evocative lighting, incorporates a pair of multi-functional set pieces that glide effortlessly on a circular track that mirrors the video diorama above showcasing Anthony Churchill’s fascinating video/projection design. This is one of the most creative and functional uses of Marriott’s challenging in-the-round configuration ever. A visual stunner!

Abagnale’s bold musical crime spree is sure to be another big hit for the popular regional theater at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Paired with the delicious and affordably-priced pop-up cuisine of the Three Embers Pan Am Grille inspired by First-Class Menus of the Pan Am Clippers, you can show up early, park for free, and stay for the show. It doesn’t get better that this!

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

Marriott Theatre
presents
Catch Me If You Can
10 Marriott Drive
Lincolnshire
through October 19, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Come From Away - Paramount Theatre

Paramount’s Heartwarming Hit Channels Friendship, Hospitality.
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Regina Belt-Daniels

A quandary—at least that must have been what the residents of the Newfoundland town of Gander were dealing with as 38 airplanes carrying 6,579 passengers from 100 countries landed at the Gander airport on September 11, 2001. “Come From Away” marks both Paramount Theatre’s season opener for the 25-26 Broadway Bold Series as well as the Chicago Regional premiere of the show based on hundreds of hours of interviews with the Gander townspeople and the “come from away”(a.k.a. stranded) passengers. The award-winning show, the work of playwrights Irene Sankoff and David Hein who are also responsible for the music and lyrics, originated at the Jolla Playhouse in San Diego on its way to earning three Drama Desk awards (including Best Musical) and seven 2017 Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Direction.

The 90-minute musical (no intermission) is masterfully directed by the multiple Jeff Award-winning Trent Stork, and joins a prestigious string of hits—27 in all—of outstanding Paramount productions including “Cats,” “Frozen,” “Kinky Boots,” and “School of Rock” among others. Stork has assembled a clever and creative production team including choreographer Kasey Alfonso, scenic designer Milo Bue, costume designer Izumi Inaba, lighting designer Greg Hoffman, sound designer Adam Rosenthal, projections Mike Tutaj, wigs hair and makeup designer Katie Cordts and dialect coach Susan Gosdick. Stage manager Amber R. Dettmers keeps the well-paced show running smoothly.

This production is in the capable hands of Music Director Kory Danielson with the very talented Associate Musical Director Kailey Rockwell conducting the performance on Sunday evening. The songs are heart-tugging, lively, energetic, determined and performed flawlessly by Danielson’s eight-piece band, some who are seated on stage and are included in the story. Most notable of the 14 songs are the company sung “Welcome to the Rock,” “Screech In,” “Something is Missing,” and the standout performances of “I Am Here” by Soara-Joye Ross (Hannah) and “Me and the Sky” by Andrea Prestinario (Captain Beverley), both of whom have amazing vocal ranges.

Each member of the ensemble of 18 create multiple endearing and vibrant characters celebrating friendship, compassion, and extraordinary hospitality. The themes of kindness, global community and resilience resonate in everyone, however, I did favor Russell Konstans’s Mayor; Nick Druzbanski’s Constable Oz; Abby C. Smith’s Gander citizen Beulah, and the already mentioned Soara-Joyce Ross’s worried mom Hannah and Beverley Bass, the first female American Airline captain played by Andrea Prestinario.

There is plenty of charming humor in both the songs and dialogue surprisingly in such a historically tragic event. In “Welcome to the Rock,” which introduced both the plot and setting, we hear “small place on a rock in the ocean, and you won’t understand half of what we say,” comments about the infamous Tim Horton’s where everything starts and ends, the six cardiologists dance and the reason why the planes were sent to Gander.

“Come From Away” is entertaining, educational and sings of miracles. There is something for everyone, even as we recognize and remember the tragedy of 911. You will be crying and dancing through the finale with the superb cast. You don’t have to ‘come from away’ to enjoy this heartwarming story and you have until October 12 to experience it yourself.

Postscript: There is another existing quandary in Aurora. The City Council of Aurora has cut Paramount’s budget impacting future shows at the Copley—which closed a critically acclaimed production of “True West” last weekend—and has already canceled upcoming productions of “Covenant” and “Ride the Cyclone.” Paramount Theatre is among the largest subscription series in the country and yet the theater now is facing an inevitable reduction to its overall programming from 900 to 700 performances annually. “Million Dollar Quartet” is thriving at the year-old Stolp Island Theatre even as additional reductions to the Riveredge Park and Paramount School of the Arts are on the table. Hopefully, the City Council will reconsider this key investment in the arts for the citizens of Aurora and the surrounding region.

Guest Contributor|Regina Belt-Daniels is a retired special education teacher who has acted, directed, and staged managed throughout Illinois and has reviewed theater for numerous publications for over a decade.

PHOTO|Brett Beiner 

Paramount Theatre
presents
Chicago Regional Premiere
Come From Away
23 E Galena Blvd
Aurora
through October 12, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: 44 The Musical - Studebaker Theater

“Life Will Never Be The Same.”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

As political parodies and impressionists go—there is a difference—one of the best ever, “The First Family,” a 1962 album of President Kennedy’s family life in the White House, won a Grammy Award and sold millions of copies. Comedians Rich Little, Frank Gorshin and Jim Morris made careers with their spot-on impressions of Nixon and Reagan—routines that evolved with the succession of daily events—a formidable task for the writers and impressionists who conceive them. Our fascination with the art form—parody being one of the most complex of all comic forms and impressions, of course, the sincerest form of flattery—hinges on how wide-ranging the comic imagination of the creator’s perception is in telling the underlying truth. If boundaries are imposed, how does the comedian know how absurdly far they can go to frame the familiar personalities and well-established story being told? And, what are the dangers when historical events change the comic margins of parody to something else? How will our comic sensibilities adjust to a new normal?

We age, of course, and our historical perspective—especially regarding events that we've lived through—shifts dramatically over our lifetime. The “First Family” album faded from our consciousness after JFK’s assassination. Little, Gorshin and other Nixon impressionists developed new comic targets after Watergate, as did Morris and his brilliant Reagan transformation—a sought after talent still and frequent guest for years on Jay Leno's The Tonight Show—all but disappeared for a time after the President was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Comedy, whether in political parodies or impressionists, like time, marches on and audiences find their humor as a reflection of current circumstances until those circumstances change.

“44—The Musical” played at the Epiphany Center in Chicago last year during the Democratic convention. I did not see that production but can imagine in the fervor of the presidential campaign that it would be a crowd-pleaser. Following a run in Los Angeles earlier this year with most of the original cast in place, the show has now moved to the Studebaker Theatre—a year of development that feels more like a decade in which the social and political landscape has changed dramatically. Writer/composer/lyricist/director Eli Bauman’s broad, no-holds-barred comic jab at both political parties circa 2008 to 2012, tests our boundaries on many levels. At this particularly unsettling political moment it’s a bit of a mixed and overstuffed bag.

No reflection on the worthy performances of a cast that includes T.J. Wilkins and Shanice as Barack and Michelle, the over-the-top antics of Chad Doreck as narrator Joe Biden, Chicago's own multi-talented Kelly Felthous as Hillary Clinton, and a cavalcade of supporting characters led by the atmospheric voice of Summer Nicole Greer as the Voice of the People and a cast that shakes (a saucy Summer Collins as Sarah Palin), rattles (Dino Shorté as Herman Cain), rocks—Jeff Sumner (Lindsey Graham) and Michael Uribes (Ted Cruz)—and rolls with Larry Cedar (Mitch McConnell) and Jevon McFerrin (brother Abe Lincoln). There is no doubt that this is a company whose investment in the show is as resolute as the desk in the Oval Office.

Joe Biden's entertaining narrative begins as Barack Obama is planning a run for the White House in 2008 and follows his presidency to the 2012 election. Major turning points in Obama’s first term serve as markers—Obamacare, Congressional obstruction, Race in America, Barack and Michelle at home in the White House, Dr. Suess, Bin Laden, and Sandy Hook— and musical touchstones at times crisply overlapping each other—many with Green’s magnificent soaring vocals—all under the musical direction of Anthony “Brew” Brewster. Throughout the emotional arc of the show is the steady hand of Wilson's Obama—a commanding presence nearly as charismatic as the original—not like Rich Little’s famous impressions, but rather Jim Morris’s soulful embodiment of the man.

In the end, though, Bauman’s effort appears to be existing in a time warp of its own making that abruptly evaporated on November 5, 2024. There is a lot of potential and a fair amount of too-much-of-a-good-thing content wise that is often blue—a comedian's reference to rude language, off-color jokes and sexual innuendo, not the political party. “44” is definitely mature fare that, in its’ current form, puts the risk in risqué for general audiences. With an eye focused on the upcoming New York debut, it’s not too late to streamline the show and thereby accentuate the Obama legacy. For the curious who cannot wait, I encourage you to attend “44” and bask in the silliness and extravagance of the one line that summed up the show for me: “Life will never be the same.”

PHOTO|Michael Brosilow

Monica Saunders-Weinberg
and
Eli Bauman
present

44 The Musical
Studebaker Theater
Fine Arts Building
through September 21

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PicksInSix Review: Side By Side By Sondheim - Oil Lamp Theatre

Sondheim Sings With Sincerity in Glenview
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Sarah Frances Fiorello
On A Sunday Afternoon in Chicago’s Northern Suburb of Glenview, Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics shine vividly in this storefront production of “Side by Side by Sondheim,” playing now through September 14th at Oil Lamp Theater.

“Side by Side” premiered at London’s Mermaid Theatre in 1976 and holds the distinct honor of receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical and Best Featured Actor/Actress in a Musical for every member of its original 1977 Broadway cast. The revue twists and turns through Sondheim’s early contributions to the American Musical Theatre canon. With most selections from “A Little Night Music,” “Company,” and “Follies”—and with fly-by appearances from “Forum,” “Gypsy,” “Evening Primrose,” “West Side Story,” “Anyone Can Whistle,” “Pacific Overtures,” and others—you’ll be hard pressed to leave the theatre without toe-tapping your way through one or more of your favorite songs penned by arguably the most prolific contributor to the artform, whose shadow, lyrics, and melodies loom large over the hearts of aspiring and seasoned music theatre actors alike.

Nestled into an intimate 60-seat space replete with oil lamps in the theatre and fresh baked cookies in the lobby, the cheerful and capable quartet of performers carry the sold out audience through two acts of heartfelt ballads and tongue-in-cheek comedic up-tempos, deftly beelining through two patter songs for which Sondheim won the Best Lyricist of A Musical (“Company” 1971) the one and only year it was separated from Best Score (which he won as well). Christina Ramirez’s direction and choreography fit nicely on this cozy stage, shared with music director and pianist, Amy J. Branahl.

The “Side by Side” quartet sparkles vocally from the first downbeat. From air-tight harmonies in “You Could Drive A Person Crazy” to the “Did we miss your favorite number? Not to worry!” Act Two medley “Conversation Piece,” this ensemble moves in lockstep from start to finish. Individually, each performer finds their moment and settles into an honest and sincere moment in the metaphorical spotlight. Abbey Loria’s warm, classic soprano is in top shape during “I Remember” and shows off her acting chops in “Losing My Mind.” Daria Koon, who seamlessly stepped in as understudy for opening weekend, shows us their comedic timing in numbers like “The Boy From…” after confidently pattering their way through “Getting Married Today” and “Another Hundred People.” Jacob Alexander’s lyrical interpretation and effervescence brings Sondheim off the page and into our hearts in numbers like “I Never Do Anything Twice,” while Tommy Wells’ understated and genuine “Send In The Clowns” confidently leans on what’s on the page and nothing more: a beautiful and refreshing homage to one of Sondheim’s most popular songs.

The quartet also serves as narrators, stitching the songs together with both personal reflections on the work as well as dramaturgical footnotes. More personal reflections can be found in the Director’s Note, where Christina shares a story that most Sondheim lovers are sure to relate to: a moment his music and lyrics served as a floatation device through life’s biggest storms.

Sondheim’s dry wit, deep emotional quotient, and laser sharp vision into the human condition is on full display in this intimate production of “Side by Side by Sondheim,” reminding us of the power and joy of storefront theater in (or just north of) our great city. I found myself inspired to revisit other masterful turns of selections from the show: Mandy Patinkin’s wildly frenetic “Buddy’s Blues” from “Follies In Concert” (1985) and Elaine Stritch’s “I’m Still Here” (take your pick - my favorite is Stritch, at 85 years’ young, holding the audience in the palm of her hand during “Sondheim! The Birthday Concert” in front of a backdrop of Broadway divas with whom she shares the stage in this legendary performance). Sondheim’s philosophical questions—traveling over the footlights for over six decades now—quietly ask us to consider, and often reconsider, the beliefs we carry out into the world when the lights come up. And on occasion we're lucky enough to leave the theatre as I did, thoroughly charmed and delighted, with only one question remaining: "does anyone still wear a hat?"

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|Gosia Photography

Oil Lamp Theater
presents
Side by Side by Sondheim
1723 Glenview Road
Glenview, IL
through September 14, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Rachmaninoff and the Tsar - Writers Theatre

Hershey Felder’s ‘Rachmaninoff’ Scores at Writers
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Ronald Keaton

There really are few people in the theatre like the renaissance man Hershey Felder. Concert-level pianist. Producer in charge of his own fate. Actor with, in this case, a surprisingly high-quality Russian dialect, when many actors shy away from such things. Writer of a meticulously researched story and script. He has a strong influence on behind-the-scenes activity as well—scenic, projections, even a question-and-answer exchange with his audience AFTER ninety-plus minutes of a challenging performance that would intimidate others. And now, at Writers Theatre in Glencoe through September 21, Mr. Felder offers his latest in his series of solo narratives that concentrate on the great composers, “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.”

Except in this one case, he has a partner onstage, the British-Italian standout actor Jonathan Silvestri, who plays Tsar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia. The Tsar is a conjured character in the mind of Sergei Rachmaninoff, who helps the celebrated music icon near the end of his life to find common ground with his Russian roots again. The Tsar believed that he and family were "blessed by God" and thus being placed in a position of ruling Russia before the Bolshevik period began during the October Revolution of 1917. Almost the entire ruling family was murdered by the Lenin-led Bolsheviks nine months later in July 1918.

Meanwhile, Rachmaninoff and his family escaped Russia during the Revolution before first landing in New York City, beginning his fabled American and European concert tours. In time, the great man realized that his voice as a composer was missing and he yearned to be back in Russia. But most of his years through the rest of his life were lived out as arguably the most celebrated pianist of his day. He became close friends with his equally gifted compatriot Vladimir Horowitz. But to be precise, he and his wife Natalia lived in Switzerland for six years during this period in a kind of break from the grueling concert schedule until his health forced him to seek warmer climate. Hence, they moved back to the United States and settled in Beverly Hills. Rachmaninoff obtained his American citizenship in February 1943, roughly seven weeks before he died of advanced melanoma in March 1943.

It's reasonable to assume that both Sergei and Nicholas felt a similar spiritual tie to the homeland. Indeed, Mr. Felder's tight script has two constant themes—the soul, which is what is frequently referred to in emotional exchanges between both characters; and home, where they both yearn to find peace of mind. To both characters, these two factors are inextricably bound in influence. Mr. Felder, in a long and emotional monologue detailing those last years, emphasizes that the great man left the 'soul' of his composing back home. And it is true that the vast majority of his compositions were done while still there.

Mr. Silvestri is an imposing Tsar Nicholas, trying to be controlled and authoritative throughout, until the story of his daughter Anastasia comes to light. Mr. Felder cleverly allows the Tsar to be told a tragic tale of how his family was murdered in a forest and how his daughter miraculously survived after the Tsar's death in 1918, as Sergei helped to finance Anastasia for most of the rest of her life. Then, in a bit of a surprise, Rachmaninoff quietly confesses that he had serious doubts about whether she actually was who she claimed she was.

Mr. Felder's consistency of character here is an achievement in itself. He carries the man with strength and conviction. The dialect is strong and articulate. The spacing onstage, thanks to economical and tight direction from an experienced-with-Felder hand Trevor Hay, maintains a lovely pace with the script. The scenic design is a grassy garden of sorts with the piano in the center, while elegant projections of both the Tsar's and Rachmaninoff's families reigned large behind the set itself in black-and-white and maybe even a little sepia. The entire production is a totally unique theatrical experience that encourages the audience to escape to another time.

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|Stefano DeCarli

Writers Theatre
presents
Midwest Premiere
Hershey Felder's
Rachmaninoff and the Tsar

325 Tudor Court
Glencoe
through September 21, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: Sentinels - CPA Theatricals - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Big Issues Lack Depth in “Sentinels”
PicksInSix® Review | Guest Contributor | Catey Sullivan
In theory, “Sentinels,” a “new play with music,” is a good idea. But Marilyn Campbell-Lowe’s 70-minute play-with-one-song-tacked-onto-the-end feels sadly half-baked in its present form. Directed by Christopher Pazdernik, the showcase co-production between CPA Productions and Theatricals and Evanston’s Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, follows the women of the titular secret society, which is kind of like Yale’s mythical Skull and Bones, minus the lethal kings-of-the-universe misogyny.

Members of the Sentinels are women whose connections and genius (“she-nius” in the chipper dialogue) are secretly the force behind everything from moon launches to world-changing judicial decisions. But as “Sentinels” visits pivotal society meetings in 1945, 1951, 1973 and the present, the story quickly falls into a large plot hole, never to fully re-emerge. Actually, the plot has more holes than a mesh bag. One example: “Sentinels” would have us believe that NASA—stumped by an equation that must be solved by EOD if the moon launch is to happen—calls a secret phone in a condemned university building and turns over critical intel to five undergrads because they are NASA’s only hope of getting the math right and the rocket off the ground.

It’s a nice idea but one that’s also ridiculous. It might work if “Sentinels” had more of a fantastical edge, or if the secret midnight caller was hoping for help with a Mathlete competition rather than spilling secrets from a highly classified space race. But in its present form, we’re to believe that a chalkboard in a condemned university building is where the race to the moon was really won, by a group of women as brilliant as they are anonymous.

The real women who were pivotal in the space race—celebrated in the book (and later movie) “Hidden Figures”—don’t warrant a mention. Neither does the fact that for all their prowess in straightening out NASA, none of the Sentinels ever ask to get paid—or even discuss it—from the multi-billion dollar governmental agency that apparently won’t survive without them. 

So it goes as the Sentinels take on big issues over the decades, laboring forever behind the scenes. In addition to saving the moon launch, the Sentinels are pivotal in feminizing the post-WWII labor force, defusing the Cold War and getting Roe passed. All of these worthy topics are regrettably plumbed to the depth of a footbath. Pazdernik’s ensemble of five plays roughly 20 different Sentinels over the years. And while the ensemble is earnest, Pazdernik has the women over-emphasizing almost every emotion on stage. Nuance is not a thing here.

“Sentinels” could be a fascinating portrait of women who changed the world. Instead, we get an etch-a-sketch story: Fleeting, two-dimensional and bearing the most superficial resemblance to the history it purports to delve. The song at the tail end is pleasantly upbeat, but it feels like it belongs in an actual musical. 

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR | CATEY SULLIVAN has been covering Chicago theater for more than 30 years. Her work has been published in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Windy City Times, Playbill, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune and New City, among others. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Illinois. 

PHOTO| Time Stops Photography

CPA Theatricals
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
present
Sentinels
Howard Street Theatre

August 1-10, 2025

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PicksInSix Review: PARADE - National Tour - Broadway in Chicago

The Weaving and Unravelling of Murder.
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy

The national touring production of the 2023 Tony Award-winning musical revival of “Parade,” an arresting examination of the grisly rape and murder of a thirteen year-old girl in a Georgia pencil factory on April 27, 1913, opened Wednesday at the CIBC Theatre. You may ask why it is vitally important to experience this brilliant Alfred Uhry/Jason Robert Brown work, directed by Michael Arden, about a deplorable act, the subsequent miscarriage of justice and rush to judgment in a case that the facts of which are still being examined to this day.

You might also be curious why a show that received Tony Awards for both Uhry (Book) and Brown (Score) in the 1998 Hal Prince Broadway debut despite a run of only two months. I know I still am, not having seen the original and only introduced to the show through a memorable regional production at Writers several years ago. I suspect that “Parade” either fell into a category that may be considered too sad and dark a topic for audience members or at the time seeking more of an uplifting escape than a truly emotional jolt to the soul. It may also be that “Parade” was ahead of its time all those years ago, before we became a nation that was—and is still—reckoning with its past, the direction of our collective moral compass and in many ways, our uncertain ability to affect lasting change in a social climate that feels much like the crowd mentality of the time that demanded justice whatever the cost.

The opening night audience was captivated by the plight of the Brooklyn-born Jewish factory supervisor Leo Frank (Max Chernin) who skipped spending the Confederate Memorial Day festivities with his wife Lucille (Talia Suskauer) to spend a Saturday in the factory and was charged and convicted for the death of Mary Phagan (Olivia Goosman) on largely fabricated and coerced testimony. The extraordinary cast includes a number of the original Broadway company and provides what can only be imagined as one of the closest, and most compelling, staged versions of the revival you will ever see and hear.

Visually, the action unfolds on a Dane Laffrey set that features a massive, raised platform center stage serving multiple purposes as courtroom, jail cell, and various interior and exterior locations that are aided by stunning projections (Sven Ortel) that support each scene and also aid in advancing the historical progression, all with virtually no transition time from scene to scene. On either side of the main area are embellishments and staging areas for the cast who often form a phalanx to the action as the compelling court and public rallies occur.

In addition to the extraordinary work of Chernin and Suskauer, there are many noteworthy, featured performances including: a heart rendering turn by Jenny Hickman as Mrs. Phagan, Andrew Samonsky as prosecuting attorney Hugh Dorsey, Chris Shyer’s Governor Slaton and his wife Sally played by Alison Wing (who has THE line of the show), Michael Tacconi’s relentless newsman Britt Craig, Griffin Binnicker as the evangelical Tom Watson, the fine “A Rumblin’ and a Rollin’” by Prentiss E. Mouton (Riley) and Oluchi Nwaokorie (Angela), and a chilling Ramone Nelson as Jim Conley, the Black factory worker who testified that he was an accomplice with Frank but is speculated to be the actual murderer.

We may never know the answer to the ultimate question of who took Mary Phagan’s life that day. Frank maintained his innocence and was in the years-long process of an appeal for a reexamination of the proceedings when an unruly gang abducted him from jail and lynched him in Mary’s hometown of Marietta, Georgia in 1915. This sad period of racial injustice and antisemitism became a national story sparking an examination of the resurgence of the lawlessness of the time. Now, over a hundred years later, “Parade” challenges us to face our own prejudice and has become a constant reminder that the search for truth and justice never ends.

PHOTO|Joan Marcus

Broadway in Chicago
presents
National Tour
PARADE
CIBC Theatre
18 W Monroe
through August 17, 2025

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NATIONAL TOUR WEBSITE

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