No seasickness here

 

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Beck Hokanson (Dick), Joe Bushell (Hennessy), Peter Kattner II (Lucky) and Elizabeth Bushell (Joan) in “Dames at Sea” at Citadel Theatre. (Photos by North Shore Camera Club.)

Highly recommend

Sometimes a show from the past that is not performed much now, is just what we need as a break from the usual holiday fare. Such is “Dames at Sea” a 1966 musical with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and music by Jim Wise now on stage at Citadel Theatre.

Think of it as a spoof on the over-the-top 1930’s large dance movie productions of Busby Berkely and you will understand what may at first seem as over-emoting by some of the cast.

Also a spoof on “42nd Street,” it is filled with superb tap dancing and fine voices as it follows Ruby, (Melody Rowland) who comes to New York from Utah to, hopefully, star on Broadway.

She is accepted by producer/director Joe Bushell (Hennessy) because one of his chorus girls has just left.

Her just met boyfriend, Beck Hokanson (Dick) a sailor and songwriter is off a battleship in the harbor with sailor Peter Kattner II (Lucky).

To complicate relationships Lucky had met and likes Elizabeth Bushell (Joan) plus the production’s main star, Mona (Ciara Jarvis) really likes Dick’s songs and makes Ruby jealous.

The first half takes place in a tumbling down off Broadway theater that is going to be repurposed. When the roof literally caves in on everyone, the sailors decide they should move the production to the ship. Thus we literally have “Dames at Sea.”

Coincidences keep happening. When Mona gets seasick, Ruby does step in to the starring role.

What is amazing about this show is how choreographer/director Gregg Denhardt has fit the action, including the whole chorus line, onto Citadel’s tiny stage.

I even liked Dick’s funny attempts to keep a kicking girl’s leg out of his face when he “played” one of his songs on the upright piano in the corner.

The funny things is that when the show opened in 1966 in a Greenwich Village coffee house’s performance space, it starred the then, mostly unknown, Bernadette Peters as Ruby because the original star left. The show stayed there for 148 performances.

Peters went on to do regional performances in the 1970s including one at the Academy Playhouse in Lake Forest.

The show did eventually, officially open on Broadway, October 22, 2015 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

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Melody Rowland (Ruby) with soon to be boyfriend Beck Hokanson (Dick),

DETAILS: “Dames at Sea” is at Citadel Theatre at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, now through December 15, 2024. Running time: 90 minutes with a brief intermission. For tickets call 847-735-8554   or visit www.citadeltheatre.org.

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

 

 

Did you see Royko

In "Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago," Mitchell Bisschop plays the hard-nosed newspaper columnist.

Mitchell Bisschop in Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago. (Photo by Sarah Elizabeth Larsen)

Recommended

Mike Royko was an outspoken Chicago journalist, who in the 1960s through the ’90s railed against the political machine and championed the cause of the underdog with the same zeal he displayed toward his beloved Cubs.

Playwright and monologist Mitchell Bisschop has distilled thousands of Royko’s daily reflections of life in the Windy City to fashion a one-man show he wrote and stars in. It celebrates the person Bisschoph has dubbed, Royko: The Toughest Man in Town.

From the stage at the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park, Royko’s written words come alive, reminding us of past political battles, every day joys and poignant personal dramas.

Royko had a sense for what was on the mind of Chicagoans. Many agreed with his observations and many did not, causing nearly everyone to say, “Did you read Royko?”

It’s safe to say that Royko disliked Richard J. Daley and his machine politics, catsup on hotdogs and deep-dish pizza, maybe as much as he appreciated Harold Washington, 16  inch softball and his favorite seat at the end of the bar at the Billy Goat Tavern near the newspapers (otherwise known as Royko’s other office).

Then of course there were the ribs. Royko loved to bar-b-que and felt his ribs were the best. This boast led to the establishment of the Royko Ribfest in 1982, a Chicago tradition that continues.

When Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch bought the Sun-Times (the newspaper where he worked), Royko quipped that “No self-respecting fish would want to be wrapped in one of Murdoch’s publications.”

He proverbially held his nose in protest and reluctantly moved to the more conservative, right leaning Chicago Tribune.

The roughly two-hour performance at the Chopin Theatre serves as a reminiscence for those of a certain age and as an entertaining summary of our recent history for those of a younger generation who might not have first-hand familiarity with events related to the quickly fading recent past.

I tend to feel everyone has a story to tell, but we do not have a record of most of them. Indeed, there is an echo to history and lessons to be learned for those interested enough to listen.

Royko stood up for what he believed and pushed back against bullies like those who felt that they had a right to abuse him simply because he was courageous enough to share his thoughts. I guess this is why Bisschop calls him the toughest man in Chicago.

Details: “Royko: The toughest man in Chicago,” is at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street, Chicago, IL now through December 22, 2024. Running time: about 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission. Find tickets  at royko.brownpapertickets.com and more information at Chopin or call (847)920-7714.

Reno Lovison

For more shows visit Theatre In Chicago

The Royal Shakespeare Company adds music and dance to Pericles

 

Zach Wyatt plays the title role, with Leah Haile as the king's wife Thaisa, in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Pericles" now at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Zach Wyatt, center, is Pericles holding his bride to be, the king’s daughter Thaisa, played by Leah Haile  in “Pericles,” a Royal Shakespeare Company production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. (Photo by Johan Persson.)

Somewhat recommended

Maybe, I was in the mood for a solid Shakespearean play. In “Pericles,” supposedly half penned by William Shakespeare, members of the renown Royal Shakespeare Company flit around the stage as if in a remake of an 18th century enchanted forest dream complete with music and dance.

The production doesn’t get better until the last act which sounds more like the Bard’s thoughts and then it becomes a tearjerker.

Pericles, well depicted by Zach Wyatt, has been wandering the seas and islands with grief for Thaisa, his supposedly dead wife who died giving birth to daughter Marina. The daughter is supposed to be taken care of but isn’t.

He finds that long-lost daughter, nicely portrayed by Rachelle Diedericks, in a brothel. Then, he  reconnects with his wife who has been brought back to life as a high priestess.

After everyone lovingly embrace, Pericles and Marina leave to find a suitable sacrifice to goddess Diana.

DETAILS: “Pericles” is at Chicago Shakespeare Theater now through Dec. 7, 2024. Running Time: 2 hrs, 40 minutes with one intermission. Chicago Shakespeare Theatre is on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago.

For tickets and more information visit Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater | Where the World Comes to Play

Brilliant acting and script move into Writers small theatre

 

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Jessie Fisher stars in “Every Brilliant Thing” at Writers Theatre. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Four Stars

Number one on the “List” is ….” says Broadway regular Jessie Fisher who hails from the Chicago area. An audience member calls out “Ice Cream.” Fisher has passed out slips of paper with numbers on them and a phrase. They are her “List” and the audience interacts with her on various levels of participation.

By the end of the show, a short, intense 70 minutes of skipping several numbers while she grows up from a young, smart but worried child to a mature adult, she has reached one million things that, even if they sound little, bring joy.

The List which includes “having a piano in the kitchen” is what she writes for her mother who is suicidal but it is also how she copes as she moves through teenage, college years and beyond.

There is hardly a dry eye in the audience. Depression is a deep, real emotion and response. But in this play, there also is joy.

Directed by Kimberly Senior, Fisher is brilliant and so is the play. Written by  Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe it likely touches many lives as it balances depression with hope.

The set, accommodated in Writers’ intimate Gillian Theatre, is a back yard with grass, tables and lawn chairs for the audience. The casual setting is perfect for encouraging the level of understanding needed for tackling suicide.

DETAILS: “Every Billiant Thing” is at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL now through Jan, 5, 2025. Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission. For tickets and more information visit Writers Theatre.

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

 

White Christmas soothes the soul

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Kelly Felthous as Judy Haynes and Tyler Johnson-Campion as Phil Davis pair well as dancing partners in Marriott Theatre’s “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” (Photo by Liz Lauren)

Three Stars

“Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” an old fashioned song and dance musical, seemed just the right antidote opening night following the more than a month of high pitched and sometimes contentious presidential and legislative campaigns.

Songs such as “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” “Blue Skies” and “White Christmas” lifted the spirits.  The costumes designed by Sally Dolembo were integral to the show and beautifully enhanced the spare scenic design.

Perhaps you have seen the 1954 movie with Bing Crosby or the show performed before now but if not you should know that it revolves around the entertainment scene and a post WWII general who now has a Vermont ski vacation. It originally was written for a 1942 film called Holiday Inn.

Tyler Johnson-Campion is outstanding as Phil Davis, the dancing half of a popular song and dance pair with Bob Wallace as the songster. It’s just hard to believe that Johnson-Campion, a very talented actor/dancer from Disneys “Aladdin” is just now making his Marriott Theatre debut.

Kelly Felthous as Judy Haynes is a good romantic dance partner of Phil Davis. She is also have of the Haynes Sisters that also features Jaquelyne Jones as Betty. Felthous has appeared in Marriott’s “Music Man” and GoodmanTheatre in Roxie Hart in Chicago.

Also shout outs to Robin R McGee who as inn keeper Martha Watson, is also making her Marriott debut. and Olivia Grace O’Sullivan, the General’s granddaughter from the International and Marriott’s run of “The sound of Music.” Both actors are really enjoyable mainstays of this show.

Well directed and choreographed by Linda Fortunato, artistic director of Peninsula Players Theatre in Door County Wi, she previously choreographed Marriott’s “Into the Woods.” Music Direction is by Brad Haak. Music and lyrics are by Irving Berlin with book by David Ives and Paul Blake”

On a sad note:This production is dedicated to former Executive Producer Kary M. Walker (1944-2024). I remember him fondly.

Details: “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr.,  Lincolnshire, IL now through Dec 29, 2024. For tickets and more information visit Marriotttheatre/ irving-berlins-white-christmas

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre In Chicago

 

 

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Maria Elena Ramirez blesses the space during the 43rd annual Muertos de la Risa procession in Pilsen on Nov. 2, 2022. ( Photo by Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago.)

Although traditionally observed Oct. 31-Nov. 2, it’s not too late to look for and join a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. The Mexican holiday that honors deceased loved ones is not celebrated on just one dia or day in the Chicago area, but at least for more than a week in late October and into early November.

Event festivities include artwork, alters, food, dance and items such as skeletons and photos that are not meant to be scary but are ways to remember relatives and others who have died. Chicago has already had several such events but here are more to come and join.

1. Naturally Chicago’s Day of the Dead Party IV | Naturally Chicago on Glue Up  Oct. 30,  3-6 p.m at 1924 W. 21st St.. All ages can dress up (or not) for this event that includes refreshments, a community altar, face painting and other activities. RSVP and contribute to the altar by emailing [email protected].

2. Eventbrite has tickets to Cafe El Tapatio’s event at 3400 N. Ashland Ave. in Lakeview from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 30. It includes painting calavaera (decorative skulls). Event includes painting materials, appetizers and cocktails. Tickets are $60.

3. Drag Paint & Sip: Day of The Dead & Halloween, Oct. 31 at Pinot’s Palette,  2768 N. Milwaukee Ave. , 7-9:30 p.m. The event features Boo Boo Kitty F*ck, Ricky Ruff, X and Ash Wednesday performances. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets range from $10-$42. Click above at Drag Paint for tickets.

4. 45th Annual Pilsen Día De Los Muertos Celebration And Procession, Nov. 1 at Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton St. from  3 to 7 p.m. Considered the longest-running Día de los Muertos celebration in Chicago, the Free celebration will include free face painting,music, refreshments, performances and a community procession, sponsored by SGA Youth & Family Services, After School Matters and the Chicago Park District. 

Jodie Jacobs

 

‘By the Way Meet Vera Stark’

 

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark...

Two stars

Playing on stage at the Den Theatre, you meet an aspiring African American actress, Vera Stark (Ashayla Calvin). She is a personal maid to fading 1930s movie star Gloria Mitchell (Caitlin Jemison), once known as “America’s Little Sweetie-Pie.”

It becomes clear that the two have a very close relationship and have a shared struggle to find success. However, due to race barriers and prejudices it is clearly more difficult for Stark than it is for Mitchell.

Potential roles for Stark and her roommate Lotte (Justice Ford) are limited to stereotypical black slaves, and domestic workers. Each of them is dismayed by this reality but are willing to do whatever they must to get their chance on the silver screen.

Stark’s love interest, Leroy (Bryant Hindsman), is an aspiring musician who encourages Vera to resist the temptation to give into establishment expectations.

Lotte and Vera have a third roommate, Anna Mae (Enama Samuels), who has taken another path entirely by passing herself off as Brazilian. Though her skin is still dark it’s more acceptable in local society as being exotic.

Gloria Mitchell is being considered for a lead role in an antebellum film drama and there is a speaking part for someone to play her maid, Tilley. Stark sees her chance and is determined to grab it.

There is a good amount of humor in the first act derived from Vera and Gloria’s relationship as well as Vera and Lotte’s impromptu auditions as servile slaves for the benefit of the movie’s director.

Though this can be cringe-worthy, it serves as an example of how blacks at the time (and some might argue even now) must adapt themselves to the expectations of people in power in order to advance even to some small degree. So, it is dangerous to try to reconcile the actions of people in the past in order to meet our current expectations.

Vera and Lotte know very well what they are doing but they are determined to work the system to their advantage and they make that clear. In their mind, the joke is on the those falling for their performance. Part of the message in Act One is that many people are masquerading as things they are not in order to find, create or exploit opportunities.

While Act One is reminiscent of a drawing room screwball comedy, Act Two fast forwards about forty years to the 1970s where a panel of cinema experts analyze social changes in film, including the rise of Vera Stark.

The severe difference between the two acts makes this a particularly schizophrenic production to the point of being assaulting. It’s as though after the intermission you have come back to see another entirely different play.

Without giving away any details I will say that I understand the point of Act Two and get what the playwright was after. But in short, Act One was very enjoyable and Act Two was a jumble of ideas that never quite came together. This is a two hour play and Act Two could be cut by half making this a total of 90-minutes and much more palatable.

There are things I really enjoyed about the scenic design of Kevin Hagan in Act Two, such as the use of the movie clip. I am a huge fan of digital theater and using multi-media in live performance. I also enjoyed the use of rear projection for creating scenery in act one. But please fix the arm on the couch. It detracts from the illusion of an affluent apartment in Act One.

I appreciated the use of a kind-of shadow box with translucent scrim to affect the appearence of a TV interview being projected onto a large screen. That was genius.

Ashayla Calvin understands the character of Vera Stark. It is a massive role where she is on stage virtually the whole time and she manages it admirably. Caitin Jemison wears the part of Gloria Mitchell well. Justice Ford as Lotte has the kind of natural delivery that I very much appreciate. Shout out to understudy Enama Samuels as AnnaMae who stepped in at the last minute on the night we attended.

I want to say I loved this play because I feel the actors really put everything they had into it, but Act Two unfortunately drags down the experience. So, I would say if you are a fan of theater who is willing to put up with this production’s imperfections in order to see some interesting technical effects and a really fun first act with a serious message, then it’s worth taking a chance.

Details: The Artistic Home Presents, “By the Way Meet Vera Stark” a play by Lynn Nottage at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL., now through November 17, 2024. Tickets available at thedentheatre.com or by calling (773). Runtime: 2 hours and 10 minutes including one 10-minute intermission.

Reno Lovison

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

 

‘Time Passages’ at Chicago International Film Festival

(Chicago Film Festival photo)

Recommended

In “Time Passages,” film documentarian Kyle Henry takes us through a journey of life and death as he works to come to terms with his mother Elaine’s memory loss and make sense of their relationship.

Henry tells us his mother was an avid scrapbooker who carefully and thoughtfully arranged family memories into creative visually interesting photo albums. Now, the filmmaker is doing with audio and visual media what his mother did for years with paper and glue. He is trying to carefully arrange her fading memories along with his own into a neat package for safe keeping and for the pleasure of future generations.

An accomplished filmmaker, Henry utilizes a number of visual techniques together with performance art to tell his story. For example, the use of wooden peg dolls with their doll house and car was used very effectively to provide a visual context for recreated discussions with his mother.

We learn that Elaine was an art teacher and Kyle uses a number of artistic film devices to add visual interest. I personally loved where he projected images of his mother’s face onto his own.

I was drawn to this film as part of my review coverage of the 60th Annual Chicago Film Festival. I look for entries that have a Chicago aspect to them and Kyle Henry is a filmmaker currently residing in Chicago. That fact along with a few exterior shots in what I believe to be Rogers Park is the extent of the Chicago connection to Time Passages.

The film does have a wider connection with those of us who have cared for elderly parents and family members as well as those of us who have witnessed a loved one slip slowly into some state of dementia. It may also resonate with those who are beginning to see signs of “old age” within themselves or others around them or who have fears of memory loss.

After all, our memories, as manifestations of our experiences, represent the sum total of who we are. In this way Henry is expressing whether it is necessary for those memories to inhabit a human body in order to be useful or can they have value in another form. That form could be his mother’s physical albums or this documentary film.

The production is as much about the documentarian as it is about his mother, with a certain self-indulgent quality that begs the question as to whether this labor is for his own benefit or for the benefit of the viewer. Is this a film about Henry’s cathartic attempt to reconcile his relationship with his mother or is it a film about us witnessing his mother’s memory loss? I’m certain that it is both and this observation brings me to the one criticism I have of this effort.

I have a favorite expression, “Pick a horse and ride it.” Henry, like many creative people, tries to cram too many good ideas into this one small parcel. No doubt the film is about the relationship of his mother and him, sharing her journey into memory loss.

However, Henry sidetracks into the COVID pandemic, which indeed interjected itself unexpectedly into the plot line and has to be dealt with. But I feel his expansion of the topic had a tendency to pull our attention away from the central story.

The same is true with his subplot of the influence of Kodak on the life of Mid-century Americans, which I love but likewise seems an intruder in this film. I would like to have seen the Kodak segments cut and that idea developed separately in another project.

Looking at other people’s lives is always interesting. We can’t help but to compare our experiences to theirs perhaps in a quest to see if we ourselves are “normal.” Are they the outliers, or are we? But this boarders on being simply a voyeuristic activity. I’m trying to ask myself what is the message and what am I supposed to take away from this film other than a peek into this mother and son relationship?

The film’s overall vibe was a bit oppressive. Elaine was a singer but this production was kind of one note. I wanted a little more rise and fall. We know early on that mom is going to die in the end so that is not so much a climax as it is a race toward the inevitable.

The sidetracks mentioned above were an attempt to break us out of our funk but alas were ineffective. The film needed more of an arc. So lacking that, it was better as a showcase of Henry’s visual storytelling technical abilities and less about the ability to use this experience as a way to speak to a wider audience with a more universal message.

In the end I can say I appreciate this effort and am glad that Henry made “Time Passage”, for the purpose of preserving and sharing some memories and insight into his mother’s life and his.

For those of us who may be going through or have had similar shared experiences of memory loss and eldercare it has value by demonstrating that you’re not alone in your struggle. It is possible that the raw nature of the content can be triggering for those who may have had a similar recent experience that they found traumatic. It may be a wake-up call for some who are not currently aware of how fleeting life can be. In fact, Kyle shares a recording of Elaine telling us basically to enjoy life.

I appreciated a number of visual elements and performance art segments that showcased Kyle Henry’s considerable talents. However, I think “Time Passages” will have appeal to a niche audience but falls short in regard to offering a single larger message to a wider audience.

An 86-minute documentary, it is being screened as part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival October 16-27, 2024. 

Most of the film festival movies are shown only once or twice so this review is aimed at informing you in the hope that you will look for subsequent screenings at other locations in the future or that it might encourage you to consider attending the Chicago Film Festival yourself next year or beyond.

For festival information visit ChicagoFilmFestival.com. For film information visit http://amonumentforidabfilm.com.

 Reno Lovison

Film Festival ‘Light of Truth’

Richard Hunt

4 Stars Highly Recommended

Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells 

Significant public sculpture has a special place in Chicago that might easily have begun with Lorado Taft’s 1922 “Fountain of Time” at the west end of the Midway Plaisance or his 1913 “Fountain of the Great Lakes” sculpture outside of the Art Institute.

What really kicked off the post-modern proliferation of public art was the 1967 installation of the Picasso sculpture in the Civic Center Plaza. The controversy and ultimate acceptance of this abstract colossus ushered in a new era of world class public sculpture that includes thought provoking works by masters such as Calder, Miro, Chagall and Chicago’s own Richard Hunt whose work speaks to and for the African American experience.

The documentary, Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells, follows Hunt’s creation of a monument to civil right champion and woman’s suffrage leader Ida B. Wells. Using the depiction of his process as an opportunity to showcase each of their contributions to society, he does so within the greater context of the history of the black experience.

Ida B. Wells was born at the dawn of emancipation. She worked together with the likes of Frederick Douglass, stood up for the dignity of everyday people of color by refusing to give up her railroad seat decades before Rosa parks did the same on a Montgomery bus, marched side-by side in Washington D.C. with white suffragettes and carried the message of black American’s struggle for equality as a lecturer around the world.

In the urban renewal period of the 1960s, her name was associated with a low-income housing project on Chicago’s southside. It is on that site that the monument is erected as a tribute to her and as a legacy for the many people who identify this location as their neighborhood and home.

A master of metal work, Hunt manages to fashion tons of steel into forty-foot-tall flickering flames reminiscent of the lightness and brilliance of Aether projecting skyward as though illuminating the heavens.

In this way, Hunt’s creation transcends Wells’ physical form in favor of reflecting her qualities of leadership and courageous spirit of hope.

This informative film by Producer/Director Rana Segal and Chicago based Producer Laurie Little, points out an interesting but tragic similarity that was a turning point for each of these subjects.

For Wells it was the lynching of three prominent black men in her hometown of Memphis while for Hunt, it was the public viewing in 1955 of the disfigured body of Emmit Till, a black teenager brutally beaten by white southerners while visiting in Mississippi.

In Light of Truth, editors Tom Desch and Rana Segal skillfully weave together biographical information about to the two main subjects of Hunt and Wells while providing important historical insight and illuminating the continuing quest to overcome what many call America’s original sin.

The premier of the 67-minute documentary Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells is being screened as part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival October 16-27, 2024. For festival information visit ChicagoFilmFestival.com For film information visit http://amonumentforidabfilm.com

Reno Lovison

Jeff Awards announced

 

Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre tied for the most (six) awards in the category of “Large Theater” when the annual Equity Jeff Awards ceremony was held Sept 30. Red Orchid Theatre received four awards in the “Mid-Size” category.

The Jeff Awards were for outstanding theater work and performances July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024 chosen from 82 productions that were eligible as “Jeff Recommended.” 

To better understand the importance to Chicago’s theater community of these Jeff Awards know that 44 award recipients were recognized from 193 nominees in 34 categories of “excellence in theater production.”

Co-hosted by Chicago entertainers Lillian Castillo and Kelvin Roston, Jr., with actor Janet Ulrich Brooks as announcer, the program featured performances from 10 nominated productions. 

The Goodman Theatre’s awards were for “The Penelopiad” as an Ensemble (Play) and for Original Music in a Play (Samuel Davis), plus “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” for E. Faye Butler as Perfomer in a Supporting Role and Scenic Design by Arnel Sancianco). Also, Scenic Design by Todd Rosenthal and Costume Design by Ana Kuzmanic for “The Matchbox Magic Flute,” brought awards to Goodman. 

Steppenwolf Theatre was recognized with awards for “Purpose” for Production (Play), Direction (Phylicia Rashad) and New Work (Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins), plus for “Little Bear Ridge Road” for Direction (Joe Mantello), Performer in a Principal Role (Laurie Metcalf) and New Work (Samuel D. Hunter).

In the musical category Marriott Theater and Drury Lane Productions tied for the most awards with four. 

“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” at Marriott Theater received awards for Production, Direction (Jessica Fisch), Performer in a Principal Role (Kaitlyn Davis) and Performer in a Supporting Role (Andrew Mueller).

At Drury Lane, “Ain’t Misbehavin” garnered awards for Production, Ensemble, Direction (E. Faye Butler) and Performer (Lorenzo Rush Jr.).

For all Equity Awards visit  Homepage | The Joseph Jefferson Awards (jeffawards.org)

Jodie Jacobs