Catharina Araujo as Tina Denmark
Recommended
What if it’s the young actor and not the stage mother who is “ruthless?”
In Act I of Citadel Theatre’s “Ruthless,” we find a second grader who wants to be the lead in her class play so much she is willing to get rid of the classmate who has that part.
In the show on stage at Sunday’s performance that “ruthless” youngster as the wannabe star Tina Denmark is Catharina Araujo who alternates with Olivia Mulder in the role. Araujo is terrific and believable.
But wait.
We learn at the end of Act I from her grandmother, a theater reviewer, that her mom, Judy Denmark (Annie Beaubien) is the daughter of an acting family.
The show is full of surprises.
As the curtain closes on the first act we see a formerly low-key mom as someone who might have been in “Gypsy.”
Details: “Ruthless! The Musical” is at Citadel Theatre
in Lake Forest, IL. through May 17, 2026.
Jodie Jacobs
For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago