Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Theo Ubique. (Austin D. Oie Photography)
3 1/2 stars
First of all be warned. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,“ may not appeal to every taste. Audiences who attend this four-time, 2014 Tony Award-winning musical should be comfortable with in-your-face performances, deafening rock music, blinding concert lighting and 95 minutes of adult humor and a brazenly bold backstory.
The theatergoer who considers Rodgers & Hammerstein or Lerner & Loewe the hallmarks of the American musical probably won’t love a show that’s this garish and loud. However, younger, less conservative audiences, as well as the many devotees of this cult musical, will find everything to love about Theo Ubique’s finale to their first season, now playing in Evanston through July 28.
The show began as a modest little rock musical that told the story of Hedwig Schmidt, a young, queer, glam, rock singer who underwent gender reassignment surgery.
Meg Thalken, Bruch Reed and Amy Montgomery in ‘Four Places’ at The Den Theatre. (Michael Brosilow photo)
4 stars
Theatergoers who prefer their dramas as real and affecting as everyday life should run to see this extraordinary production, now in its final performances at the Den Theatre.
Joel Drake Johnson’s 80-minute one-act which plays out in real time, speaks to every member of the audience, but particularly to those between ages 40 and 65.
Smartly and perceptively directed by Lia Mortensen, a fine actor, herself, she expertly guided a gifted, four member ensemble as they breathe life into their characters and avoid artificial schmaltz.
Eleven years ago Johnson’s heartbreaking, emotionally stunning play premiered at Chicago’s Victory Gardens. This revival production is every bit as poignant and passionate as the original. What makes the play particularly powerful is the intimacy of the Den’s upstairs 2B Studio venue. The actors are never more than a few feet from the audience, allowing this compelling, sometimes caustic, characters to reach into the hearts of its audience.
The story is about a bitter confrontation and intervention between a mother and her two middle-aged children.
Peggy and her widowed daughter, Ellen, have a weekly lunch date at the same local eatery. They’re always seated in Barb’s section, a chatty waitress who has a special, protective fondness for Peggy.
On this particular day, the dynamics change when Peggy’s 40-year-old son, Warren, unexpectedly joins them. From the beginning of the play, something unspoken between the two siblings creates a tension that you can cut with a knife.
As the hour unfolds, the audience gradually discovers the secrets and lies that these family members have kept hidden, and they learn what this mediation is all about.
The four places of the title are the car, the restaurant, the waiting room of the eatery and diner’s restroom, all wonderfully and modestly created by scenic designer Jeffrey D. Kmiec, assisted by Milo Bue.
Melissa Schlesinger’s detailed sound design along with Josh Prisching’s area lighting perfectly help delineate each of the four locales.
The cast is absolutely magnificent. Every actor in this ensemble production belongs to Actor’s Equity. Affiliation in this professional guild often guarantees a stellar production, and this staging is no exception. Each of these actors has performed at every major Chicago area theatre.
Meg Thalken, the senior member of this brilliant ensemble, is sheer perfection as Peggy. With her upswept hair and her handbag clutched in a death grip, Thalken is completely believable as this complicated, conflicted mother.
At first Peggy seems innocent, although she’s suspicious as to why Warren is suddenly joining Ellen and herself for lunch. It’s a weekday and her son should be in school teaching, but, for some vague reason, Warren has invited himself along.
As information unfolds and emotions peeled away, Peggy remains a sympathetic character, an aging woman fiercely trying to hang on to her dignity and independence.
Amy Montgomery is superb as Ellen. Together with the always masterful Bruch Thomas Reed, as Warren, these two siblings plot, palter, bitterly plead and run the gamut of emotions, from guilt to indignation as they pry information from their mother and attempt to sensitively reveal their plans for her future.
The bumpy road to their hidden agenda digs deeply, exposing buried secrets dealing with aging, disease, alcoholism, pent-up resentments and coping with the inevitable.
Rebekah Ward is both clever and comical as Barb the busybody waitress who’s just a little too familiar with her customers.
One of the highlights of this production is the long car ride during which very little is said, but the faces of these three actors speak volumes.
The Den Theatre’s excellent revival of Joel Drake Johnson’s poignant one-act drama is sometimes searing, often humorous and ultimately heartbreaking.
The show, the Den Theatre’s return to producing its own plays and musicals, is a must-see.
DETAILS: “Four Places” continues through June 30, 2019 at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, Chicago. Running time: 80 minutes. For tickets and other information call (773) 697-3830 or visit The Den theatre.
Past Music theater Works/Light Opera Works shows. (Photo courtesy of Music theater Works)
As anyone who attended Music Theater Works’ Frank Loesser’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” recently learned, company co-founder and general manager Bridget McDonough and artistic director Rudy Hogenmiller announced they are making this 39th season their last one at the rudder.
They also introduced producing artistic director designate Kyle Dougan who will step into a new position that combines their two job descriptions so that audiences know Music Theater Works will continue when they step down.
The Grant Park Orchestra Festival concerts continue at the Pritzker Pavilion June 21 through Aug. 17, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
However, Yo Yo Ma continues presentation in Chicago on June 21 as part of his Day of Action.
Yo Yo Ma will be in Chicago June 20-21 with Bach Project and Day of Action. (Photo by Jason Bell)
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. he will be at The Greening in North Lawndale at 19th Street and Kostner Avenue, then will be in conversations and have open mic artists from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the National Museum of Mexican Art , 1853 W. 19th Street.
He ends in the evening with Make Music Chicago. 5 p.m. at the Riverwalk between Franklin and Lake Streets where he joins local musicians, including members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Little Kids Rock. Visit makemusicchicago.org
Sweet Texas Reckoning at The Den. (Photo by Heather Mall)
2 1/2 stars
The word that keeps coming to mind, while watching Traci Godfrey’s story about a family reunion in Texas, is “cliched.” The hour-and-forty-five minutes spent with these four characters offers glimmers of brilliance but ultimately feels like a special Pride Month movie on the Lifetime Channel.
Had this “dramedy” been written by a playwright who could offer some honest, new insights into what makes people tick, especially in small, conservative towns, it would’ve been a far more honest portrayal. There’s a germ of a good idea here. But, in the hands of Horton Foote, Preston Jones or Tennessee Williams, this story wouldn’t be nearly as banal and stereotyped.
Set in the conservative, southeastern town of Sealy, Texas, Godfrey’s play is about a woman who for decades, has been drowning her guilt, bigotry and lies in her secret stash of bourbon.
Ken Singleton (J. Pierrepont Finch) in Music Theater Works’ How to Succeed in Business Without really Trying. (photo by Brett Beiner)
4 stars
The bouncy overture winds down, the curtain rises and we find a young man in coveralls descending from above in the Music Theater Work’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious young window washer, is discovered reading Shepherd Mead’s tongue-in-cheek instructional book of the same name, while dangling from scaffolding above Madison Avenue.
Narrated for this production by NPR news quiz host, Peter Sagal, the book progresses chapter-by-chapter, charting the recommended course for Ponty’s rise to power in the business world.
Now, bear in mind that this how-to manual, a 1952 best-seller by Shepherd Mead, subtitled “The Dastard’s Guide to Fame and Fortune,” was written as a parody of the popular self-help books of that era. Between this book’s unfailing advice and Finch’s pluck and pizzazz, this likable kid is undoubtedly destined to rise to the top…or is he?
It’s hard to believe that this show which set a new standard for musical comedy satire, is almost 60 years old now. The hummable score by Frank Loesser (“Guys & Dolls,” “Most Happy Fellow”) features a libretto by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, adapted from Mead’s humorous book of the same name.
The musical has a field day lampooning the seeming ease with which an entry level employee can rise to the top of the corporate ladder. A film preserving the performances of most of the original cast was released in 1967. This 1962 Pulitzer Prize and eight-time Tony Award winner has been successfully revived twice on Broadway, earning additional Tony Award nominations and wins.
Throughout the play, whenever it seems the darkest, the young, eager beaver aligns with precisely the right people to learn from and suck up to, as well as the easiest loopholes to infiltrate, in order to reach the top. And when all those elements are out of reach, Ponty employs his considerable boyish charm, ultimately helping him to achieve success.
German and American uniforms in the U-505 – 75 Stories exhibit at the museum of science and Industry. (J Jacobs photo)
Seventy five years after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy France, on D Day, June 6, 1944, the seaborn invasion that would change the course of the fight against Nazi Germany was commemorated last week.
What some folks might not know is that there is another World War II 75th anniversary story that also bears telling.and commemorating.
A German submarine, the U 505, was searching for American and Allied ships in waters off the West African coast when it was captured on June 4, 1944 by United States Navy Task Group 22.3.
It was towed by the Guadalanal escort aircraft carrier to near then handed off to the Abnaki, the fleet’s tug to enter Bermuda waters in secret so the Germans wouldn’t know to change the code books and other important materials found on board.
In Their Finest Hour, Winston Churchill had referred to the U-boat peril as “The only thing that really frightened me during the war…”
But the U boat capture did make a difference.
What the U-505 yielded was approximately 900 pounds of code books and documents, and two Enigma machines that saved the U.S Navy countless hours of decoding.
The U-505 was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1954 where it resides in its own, specially built space and where numerous visitors have toured it or merely stopped to see it.
However, MSI has now pulled out materials and obtained more items for a temporary exhibit to commemorate the capture.
Photo of the U-505 making its way to Chicago in in an exhibit at the Museum of science and Industry. (J Jacobs photo)
Opened early June 2019 in time for its own 75th anniversary, the exhibit is “The U-505 Submarine – 75 Stories.”
Housed in a small room on the ground level, it is packed with items from the German sub and items from the American perspective. Visitors should look for scrapbooks, journals, photos and a Marvel comic book about submarines and a book about Capt. Daniel Gallery who commanded the TG 22.3’s Guadalcanal escort aircraft carrier and the destroyer escorts commanded by Frederick S. Hall that were involved in the capture.
Among the exhibit’s FAQS, is that Daniel Gallery’s brother, Father John Ireland Gallery, thought the U-505 should go to Chicago as a war memorial. A photo of the U-505 going under the Michigan Avenue bridge is in the exhibit.
“The exhibit has rarely seen things from our collection,” said MSI Director of Collections Kathleen McCarthy, the museum’s head curator.
Cast of ‘The Ferryman’ which won four Tony Awards. (Photo courtesy of The Ferryman Production.
You might have a favorite TV series and are bemoaning the end of Downton Abbey but the Tony Awards broadcast form Radio City Music Hall, Sunday, reminded folks of what theater is all about. – live dramatic and musical performances.
Host James Corden and the casts of Tony nominated shows put on a lengthy, fun-filled number about performing live. Though he did run up to the cameras saying “Forget what I just said… TV pays us better.”
If you watch the Academy or the Tony Awards on TV you do see the nominees’ reactions to winning and losing. So Corden looked for a few nominees in the audience and asked them to put on their best “loosing” expression.
The fun moment may have helped when the winners were announced because the losers seemed to try to wear their best congratulatory expressions.
Those expressions were particularly in force when Ali Stroker who performed her Ado Annie’s “I Cain’t Say No” song from her wheelchair, won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for “Oklahoma” and when 80-something-year-old comedienne, screenwriter, film director, actress Elaine May received the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for “The Waverly Gallery. ”
“Hadestown” (14 nominations) was the big winner with eight awards including Best Musical and best actor in a featured role in a musical, André De Shields. Written by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, the show combines the mythical tales of Orpheus and Eurydice with King Hades and wife Perspehone.
“Ferryman” (nine nominations) was the next big winner with four Tonys including Best Play . Written by Jez Butterworth and directed by Sam Mendes it is a thriller that takes place in Northern Ireland in 1981.
“Ink,” “The Cher Show,” “Oklahoma” and “Tootsie,” each took home two awards.
“Ink” (6 nominations), written by James Graham and directed by Rupert Goold, is based on Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the The Sun newspaper and his aim to destroy the competition with the help of editor Larry Lamb and a team of reporters. Set in 1969 London, the show brought Bertie Carvel the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play as Murdoch. Neil Austin received a Tony for Best Lighting Design of a Play.
“The Cher Show” (3 nominations) previewed in Chicago before taking a “made-up show”about the entertainer’s life (so far) to Broadway. No surprise that Cher’s costumer Bob Mackie took the Tony for Best Costume Design. The show also brought Stephanie J. Block the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma (8 nominations) received Tony Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (see above) and Best Revival of a Musical.
Tootsie – (11 nomination) won a Tony for Robert Horn for Best Book of a Musical and a Tony for Santino Fontana for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
“Choir Boy,” “The Boys in the Band,” “Network,” “Aint Too Proud,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Waverly Gallery” each won one Tony.
“Choir Boy,” (4 nominations) Tarell Alvin McCraney’s gender-sensitive show about making it in a choir was directed by Trip Cullman.
“The Boys in the Band,” (2 nominations), by Matt Crowley and directed by Joe Mantello about a group of gay men, won Best Featured Actor in a Play for Robin de Jesus.
“Network,” ( 5 nominations) Lee Hall’s adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning film about an anchorman who falls apart while live on-screen, won Bryan Cranston Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play as anchorman Howard Beale.
“Aint Too Proud” about the life and times of the Temptations, won Best Choreography for Sergio Trujillo.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” (9 nominations), Harper Lee’s famed play, adopted by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Bartlett Sher, brought Celia Keenan-Bolger the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured role in a Play.
” The Waverly Gallery ” (1 nomination) by Kenneth Lonergan about a grandson watching his grandmother die from Alzheimer’s disease, brought in a Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play. (see above)
Check these show’s websites given here for their Broadway schedule.
If thinking about the fashions of tomorrow, head to the Museum of Science and Industry near the Hyde Park neighborhood for “Wired to Wear.”
If anyone in the household is wondering how people break into the fashion industry, go over to the Museum of Contemporary Art for Virgil Abloh’s “Figures of Speech.”
If curious how a famed 19th century artist dresses his models and sees 1870s-1880s Parisian apparel, visit “Manet and Modern Beauty” at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Microsoft design Smart tattoo of gold and metal leaf. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of Science and Industry.)
“Wired to Wear”
Some day, probably sooner than you expect, your what-to-wear question will be which of your wired apparel would best suit the day’s activities.
Choices could range from Nike’s Self-Lacing Shoes because of time constraints to a D-Air Racing suit with a cushion that inflates before your crash to prevent injury such as when racing a motorcycle. Or the choice might range from an Iridescence collar that will detect the mood of people encountered to a Smart Tattoo on the arm that interfaces with your mobile device and makes a personal style statement.
Designed by Microsoft, the tattoo in the exhibit allows visitors to create notes on an instrument and even control lighting. To hear more about it go to Duoskin.
Similar to the Coal Mine, visitors need a special ticket in addition to museum entry. Opened in Mid-Mach 2019, the exhibit continues to May 2020. MSI is at 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago. For hours and other information see Visit.
Engineer, architect, artist, fashion designer, Virgil Abloh is a 30-seomthing, black male from Rockford, Il whose creativity and determination has taken him from t-shirt designs to founding “Off-White,” his own line in Milan, and becoming Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director.
But what the MCA exhibit which opens to the public June 10 does, is more than highlight Abloh’s career to date. It also offers the artist’s sense of astonishment that he has been successful in an industry not exactly populated by blacks.
So race is an underlying theme. However, Abloh also hopes the exhibit will inspire youngsters to go for their dreams undeterred by obstacles. There is an accompanying store, called “Church and State,” that is on the same 4th floor as the exhibit. It has Abloh items and a catalogue that further explains the theme and the “go-for-it philosophy.
The exhibit goes to Sept. 22, 2019. MCA is at 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Admission is by timed tickets. For more information or tickets call 312-397-4010.or see Visit and Events.
Édouard Manet. Letter to Madame Jules Guillemet, Decorated with a Portrait and a Still Life of a Bag and a Parasol, July 1880. Private Collection. (Credit: Saint Honoré Art Consulting, Paris.)
“Manet and Modern Beauty”
In his early years, 19th century French artist Édouard Manet had primarily focused on historical and religious subjects. But in his later years when he transitioned to Impressionism he became interested in modern life and ladies’ fashionable apparel and leisure activities. The exhibit features more than 90 works from paintings to letters.
The audio devise that accompanies the exhibit and some of the wall descriptions explain clothing choices and mention the stylish apparel of men and women.
The Art Institute of Chicago is at 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The exhibit is only up this summer and ends Sept. 8, 2019. For admission and hours see AIC/visit.
These exhibits deserve to be on the summer do list.
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre” ‘Bridges of Madison county’ won four Jeff Awards. (pPhoto by . Joe Mazza / Brave Lux)
The Jeff Awards which have recognized outstanding theatre productions and artists since 1968 announced the 2019 Non-Equity recipients for the 2018-19 season on June 3, 2019. The Equity awards will be announced Oct. 21, 2019. For all nominees, awards and other news visit JeffAwards.
There were 144 Non-Equity productions eligible during the season going from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, Sixty eight of them were recommended for awards.
This year’s multiple awards by theatre were The Artistic Home – 4, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre – 4, Raven Theater -4, Sideshow Theatre Company – 3, Jackalope Theatre Company -2, Broken Nose Theatre-2 (1 in association with About Face Theatre), Haven Theatre Company – 2 and Kokandy Productions- 2.
Multiple awards by production: The Bridges of Madison County (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre) – 4, Requiem for a Heavyweight (The Artistic Home) – 4, Grand Hotel (Kokandy Production) – 3, Tilikum (Sideshow Theatre Company) – 3, Dutch Masters (Jackalope Theatre Company) – 2, Girl in the Red Corner (Broken Nose Theatre) – 2 and Yen (Raven Theatre) – 2.
Trap Door Theatre received a Special Award for “opening the door to an evocative and surreal world for 25 years.”
Broken Nose Theatre received the “Ensemble” award for “Plainclothes.”
‘Requiem for a Heavyweight’ was a big winner in the Non-Equity Jeff Awards. (Photo by .Joe Mazza / Brave Lux)
The productions that took the most awards were Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s “The Bridges of Madison County” which won best Musical Production, Best Director of a Musical (Fred Anzevino), Best Performer in a Principal Role in a Musical (Kelli Harrington as Fancesca), and Best Musical Direction ( Jeremy Ramey).
The Artistic Home’s “Requiem for a Heavyweight” took Best Production- Play, Best Director-Play (John Mossman), Best Sound Design (Petter Wahback) and Performer in a Principal Role – Play (Mark Pracht as Harlan “Mountain” McCintock. There were two awards in this category. The other went to Patrick Agada (Eric) in Jackalope Theatre Company’s “Dutch Masters.”
To see all the awards and their categories please visit Jeff Awards.
