Month: August 2025

Art and More

Art Fair in Chicago suburb (J Jacobs photo)
Art Fair in Chicago suburb (J Jacobs photo)

Port Clinton Art Festival | Amdur Productions

It’s not too late to put one of the Midwest’s best art fairs on this week’s calendar.

A highly popular fair  that attracts collectors from all over the Chicago area, the annual event is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 23-24, 2025.

With more than 200 exhibitors filling downtown Highland Park’s streets and walkways, visitors to this weekend’s Port Clinton Art Festival should allow at least an hour to browse and shop.

There is also a kids area and food vendors so actually expect to spend the morning or afternoon here.

 Deer Path Art League – Art Fair on the Square

A long-running, free annual event, the fair returns to Lake Forest’s historic Market Square, Aug 31-Sept 1, 2025 for its 70th year. Sponsored by the Deer Path Art League, it is a juried event that attracts artists from across the country.  

See more than 120 exhibitors ranging from glass,  ceramics, painting and photography to digital art, fiber, metal, jewelry, metal, sculpture & wood.

Printers Row Lit Fest

Art of the written kind fills downtown Chicago’s South Dearborn Street from Ida B. Wells to Polk Street, Sept. 6 -7 from  10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free but speakers and programs are still in the works so go to https://printersrowlitfest.org/speakers/ for updates. 

Jodie Jacobs

 

Hershy Felder pairs Rachmaninoff story with exceptional music

Highly Recommended

Whether you love classical music or not, if you hear the opening bars of  Rachmaninoff’s  Piano Concerto No. 2, you might smile and think, Yes I know this piece.

Composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between June 1900 and April 1901 it has become a staple on the concert circuit.

But popular as it is, if you go to Writers Theatre in Glencoe now through Sept. 21, 2025 you will become a lot better acquainted with this Russian composer in”Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.”

As you lean back in your theater seat while pianist/actor Hershey Felder adopts the Rachmaninoff mantle, you get the jagged backstory of a musical legend.

Unlike Felder’s past productions, he bounces his character’s fears, thoughts and compositions off another person: Tsar Nicholas II, well depicted by Jonathan Silvestri. 

The pairing adds an interesting dynamic. In spite of the more contemporary time (at the end of Rachmaninoff’s life) and place (Beverly Hills) projected in the production, the presence of the Tsar inescapably connects Rachmaninoff to his Russian heritage.

Directed by Trevor Hay, with the music of Sergei V. Rachmaninoff and a book by Hershey Felder “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar” offers an extraordinary glimpse into the life of an extraordinary composer. 

DETAILS:  Hershey Felder’s Rachmaninoff and the Tsar is at Writers  Theatre, 325 Turdor Court, Glencoe, IL  through Sept. 21, 2025. Running time: 40 minute with no intermission. Time added for post show discussion.

Jodie Jacobs

Theatre in Chicago

Fiddler still speaks to need to belong

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Highly Recommended

Fiddler on the Roof at Music Theater Works touches the very essence of our need to belong, the stigma of otherness and our fear of expulsion.

The action takes place at the turn of the twentieth century in the fictional shtetl of Anatevka in Eastern Europe’s Pale of Settlement somewhere near Kyiv.

At the beginning of the play Tevye, a Jewish dairyman with five daughters, expertly portrayed by Sam Nachison, explains the importance of balance as exemplified by the metaphor of a fiddler on the roof.

He acknowledges the reality of what it means to be part of a group that is quite separate but existing within a larger culture. A certain balance of conformity must be maintained in order to enjoy some level of non-conformity. But as we learn, this balance is maintained largely at the pleasure of those with the greatest power.

Tevye taps into our most personal sense of identity. The story asks us to consider what defines our community? Is it a connection to place, a connection to people or is it our connection to rituals?

The answer is clear “A little bit of this, a little bit of that…” does not make a life. People come and go, but rituals can be maintained under any circumstances. TRADITION!

This occurs at the dawn of the modern era requiring a need to accept change and to adapt.

Some like Fyedka, a young local non-Jew (Jake Mickel), and Tevye’s third daughter Chava (Madison Jaffe-Richter), attempt to assimilate.

Many urban intellectuals like Perchik (Jacob Simon) and second daughter Hodel (Elissa Newcorn) are drawn to social change in an attempt to equalize the injustices of what had been a largely monarchical system throughout Europe. It is one that favored the rich and their supporters who actively excluded those they felt were inferior, often defined by race, religion or some other outsider affiliation.

Eldest daughter, Tzeitel (Madison Uphoff), and Motel (Nathan Kabara), the tailor embrace technology as is evidenced by his purchase of a sewing machine. But the couple represents those attempting to maintain the status quo by staying close to their cultural roots and trying to keep their current community together at least on the family level.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Fiddler on the Roof is a very enjoyable, humorous and at times melancholy musical play written by Joseph Stein based on a collection of stories by Sholem Aleichem. Music and lyrics are by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.

This version, directed by L. Walter Stearns, is as good as any I have seen (and I have seen several).

The scenic design of Bob Knuth was simple and fresh. It basically creates a jumbled collection of bare wood slats framing the proscenium, reminiscent of the birch forests of Poland and the Ukraine thus providing a sylvan sense of place.

Directed by Eugene Dizon, there are a number of memorable tunes including “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and of course “Sunrise Sunset”.

The full pit orchestra of twenty musicians (all members of Union Local 10-208) with conductor Valerie Gebert elevates the production with a sound quality that simply cannot be adequately duplicated by a smaller ensemble.

Specific rituals and events depicted certainly hold true to similar Jewish events. For this reason, Fiddler holds a certain sentimentality for many. But it becomes a universal story because each of us have experienced or witnessed power with an unfair imbalance.

Empathy is crucial to the enjoyment of this story because it is presented from the perspective of the victims who in this case are Tevye and his community.

Those who have felt the sting of expulsion or have been labeled as “other” should be able to identify.

That is why it is limiting to see this only as a Jewish story. It is a story that compels us to consider the plight and position of those with less power or those who are struggling to maintain their sense of personal identity within a dominant group.

Details: Fiddler on the Roof presented by Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, through August 17, 2025. Running time, including intermission, is 2 hours and 45 minutes. Visit MusicTheaterWorks.com for tickets and information.

Review by Reno Lovison

For more shows and reviews visit Theatre in Chicago

A meditative look at coping

Photo by Steve Graue

Recommended

 

A married couple confronts the age-old conflict of logic versus emotion. At first, it’s all academic until they are forced to address the realities of these opposing points of view within their own life and relationship.

It all plays out at the world premiere of Buddha’s Birthday directed by Iris Sowlat is at The Edge Theatre on North Broadway in Chicago.

Pamela (Kristie Berger) is an adjunct professor seeking tenure as an expert in world civilization studies. Husband Lawrence (Christopher Hainsworth) is a philosophy professor at the same university.

The couple have been challenged by an open letter in the school paper calling for the abolishment of areas of study that focus on accepted works of predominantly Euro-centric males whose arguably narrow viewpoints have shaped higher education.

In the meantime, Pamela is preparing an intimate 80th birthday party for her eccentric, outspoken mother. Event preparation as well as her impending tenure interview is elevating Pamela’s stress level resulting in the resurfacing of old fears. To cope with her anxiety Pamela relies on meditation.

This is another intelligent and thought-provoking work by playwright Amy Crider who recently staged Wells and Welles at nearby CityLit Theatre in 2024.

Crider understands dialogue. Her characters sound like real people having actual conversations that employ a shift in language and cadence that make them sound individual.

Crider is also a good observer of life. It is clear she understands these characters and their situations.  She has a knack for getting inside their head and exploring each unique perspective.

A small criticism is that the characterization of Lawrence is somewhat contradictory and less clear than the others. This actually provides some subtle humor at one point but makes the resolution seem excessive.

Pamela’s eighty-year-old emotionally neutral, cigar smoking mother, Roberta, played by Chicago stage veteran Kathleen Ruhl, is also accomplished academically. Roberta is concerned that her granddaughter, Pamela’s niece, is planning to attend beauty college to become a hair stylist.

Niece Jennifer (Amy Grey) is simply following her passion, blithefully accepting life and adapting in a seemingly simplistic way that causes Pamela to reevaluate her own approach to living.

Crider’s utilization of a pesky racoon, skillfully manipulated by Emilie-Helene Wingate, makes periodic appearances that  offer an absurdist aspect to the production. This device provides some levity but is in fact a physical manifestation of Pamela’s unresolved fears and persistent anxiety.

The set designed by Kevin Hagan had a striking contemporary feel though I thought the blank walls that dominate the stage could use some further embellishment.

Its two Asian scrolls are the same size as the windows making it look like four windows. This is visually confusing, drawing attention away from the action that periodically occurs inside the windows.

Moving the table on the set a little bit more forward would provide some separation from the wall and bring the action closer to the audience and is where most of the activity takes place. Sound and lighting design of Alvaro Ledesma was very effective especially in the rain and dream scenes.

I saw this on opening night of this world premiere and was overall impressed with its thoughtful content although it would benefit from a little tightening up.

The final scene was awkward and there are a number of minor subtopics, though important issues, that maybe do not necessarily need to be addressed in this play. This is a story of academic prejudice and unresolved fear worth exploring. It was never boring but some segments were longer than they needed to be.

DETAILS: “Buddha’s Birthday,” is produced by Lucid Theater at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago through August 17, 2025. Run time: 2 hours with no intermission. Visit www.lucidtheater.com for tickets and more information.

Review by Reno Lovison

For more reviews visit theatreinchicago.com

A musical mosaic

Highly Recommended

The Chicago premiere of Amélie the Musical by Kokandy Productions based on the popular motion picture is a musical mosaic composed by Daniel Messe whose colorful jagged pieces eventually come together into an enjoyable if not perfectly clear image.

This is not a musical in the strict sense but rather an extravaganza of a dozen singer musicians utilizing a myriad of instruments. They perform a dizzying array of Parisian characters to tell a sweet boy-meet-girl tale based on the character of Amélie, charmingly portrayed by Aurora Penepacker.

The story seems incidental to the exuberant performance of roughly thirty musical numbers that stream one into the other over two acts. Ostensibly it tells of Amélie’s life from birth through her mid-twenties as she searches for meaning through random acts of kindness and an ultimate, though reluctant, quest for love.

The action mostly takes place on the streets of Paris, in Metro stations, the bistro where Amélie works, and in her apartment. But they morph like a fever dream one into the other through the employment of a door, a few tables or in the case of the Metro station a photo booth that enters and exits through a portal at the back of the stage area.

Amélie’s love interest Nino (Joe Giovannetti) works in a sex shop but is obsessed with finding a mysterious man who takes pictures of himself in Metro photo booths around Paris then rips them in half and discards them. Nino wants to know why he does this and who he is – – saving the discarded fragments in a scrapbook that Amélie finds, leading to their meeting.

Joining his quest, she conjectures that the man is dead and going around taking pictures of himself to prove he is still alive. The storyline is peppered with absurd encounters and arbitrary obscure facts.

Staged in the downstairs studio at the Chopin Theatre there is a designated floor level performance area with the audience arranged on three sides. However, bistro tables offer additional seating and performers enter and exit from every direction making this an immersive experience.

Musical instruments are stationed throughout the space standing at the ready. Each member of the ensemble not only has an exceptional singing voice but also plays several instruments, at one moment guitar, then violin, percussion or trombone. The accordion of Lucas Burr as the blind beggar provides a distinctive Parisian atmospheric element.

The performers are having such a good time it is unclear whether the audience is there to enjoy the performance or to give the performers an excuse to enjoy themselves. The Elton John inspired interlude by Todd Aulwurm is a show stopper.

To my ear there were no standout melodies but the contemporary compositions have a distinctive Parisian tonality.

Because the performers are singing with French accents the lyrics of Daniel Messe & Nathan Tysen can be difficult to grasp at times. This is no reflection on dialect coach Carrie Hardin who obviously did a great job.

However, combined with the generally frenetic pacing it may take a moment of comprehension that contributes to the fragmentation of the overall “picture.” But if you let the experience simply wash over you, not worrying whether you caught every word or phrase – – like a mosaic the pieces eventually assemble into an image that you can stand back and admire.

The stage direction and choreography of Derek Van Barham with assistance of Quinn Simmons in this avant-garde space is beyond admirable. Simply moving the performers in and out while keep track of who is playing what instrument at any given time is a feat in itself worthy of the finest marching band. Doing all this while also paying attention to the advancement of story is laudable.

This is indeed a group effort and everyone’s contribution is evident. I assume based on her headshot that Penepaker as Amélie is wearing an awesome wig designed by Keith Ryan. The stark black color and blunt cut is striking against the shocking red outfit designs of Rachel Sypniewski.

Kudos to stage manager Kendyl Meyer and assistant stage manager Ethan Colish for being sure everything and everyone was in place during the live performance.

G “Max” Maxin IV lighting is essential for adding atmospheric effect to the minimalist set design. Bouncing lights off the various windows hanging around the perimeter of the stage was brilliant.

The properties assembled or designed by Julian Weslander such as the garden gnome, treasure box and scrapbook are pivotal to understanding the storyline and are delightful.

The action is of course dependent on having a stellar musical ensemble led by T.J. Anderson and Anna Wegener. Congratulations to the casting committee for putting together such a capable group of musicians and singers to work with that included: Rachel Carreras, Sonia Goldberg , Sam Hook, Mizha Lee Overn, Jon Patrick Penick, Quinn Rigg, Samantha Ringor, and Kelan M. Smith. Swings: Joel Arreola, Hailey Brisard, Neill Kelly, Andrew Lund, Gavin Rhys and Melanie Vitaterna.

The sound design of Matt Reich implemented by sound engineers Lynsy Folckomer and Mackenzie Hahn with technical director David Moreland was perfection on press night. Managing an array of sound effects, instruments and voices moving throughout the space with sound levels and volumes well balanced is impressive.

This may well have been or will be performed on a proscenium or in the round at some point but the opportunity to experience this unusual staging is worth the effort.

Details: Amélie by Kokandy Productions is at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago through September 28, 2025. Running time is 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission. For information and tickets visit kokandyproductions.com

Review by Reno Lovison

For more reviews visit Theatre in Chicago

A feminist fable ?

RECOMMENDED

Sentinels, a contemporary feminist fable that might have happened or might still be happening is making its world premiere at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre.

In order to advance positive social change, a group of super smart mid-century co-eds poised to enter positions of power vow to use their influence to see to it that more women have a seat at the table where big decisions are being made.

Inspired by Yale’s famed Skull & Bones, five female students at Joan of Arc University in Milwaukee contrive to establish an elite society to advance women into places of decision-making authority and leadership.

Faced with the condemnation of their secret meeting place on campus the current group of Sentinels must confront the possibility of disbanding. The location, festooned with intellectual graffiti and brimming with a hodgepodge of a half-century of historic memorabilia, seems essential to their existence.

The discovery of a cache of old meeting minutes helps the women realize the depth of accomplishments their predecessors achieved.

Told through a series of vignettes highlighting various advances in social equality over the past fifty years, this clever production has a cautionary comic-book like quality that is simplistic but ultimately inspiring.

Directed by Christopher Pazdernik, each of the five actors (Arwen-Vira Marsh, Dani Pike, Joryhebel Ginorio, Sophia G. Dennis, Maliha Sayed) play multiple roles, with Anne Sheridan Smith as President Sureham.

Written by Writers Theatre co-founder Marilyn Campbell-Lowe, the production features a finale musical number best described as an anthem. Music is by Kim D. Sherman with lyrics by Sherman and Campbell-Lowe.

This can be a good capsule lesson in current events or history especially for teens and those interested in feminist topics and/or societal change. But be advised that its discussions of sexual activity and termination of pregnancy may not be suitable for all audiences.

Details: Sentinels is at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater, 721 Howard St., Evanston, through August 10, 2025. Runtime is 75 minutes with no intermission. For information call  773-939-4101 or visit theo-u.com.

Reno Lovison

For more reviews visit Theatre in Chicago