Reviews – Page 15 – Chicago Theater and Arts

‘Outside Mullingar’ proves it is never too late

Left: Laura Leonardo Ownby (Rosemary), Right: Ross Frawley (Anthony). Photo by North Shore Camera Club.

3 Stars

When John Patrick Shanley’s play, “Outside Mullingar,” opened on Broadway, January 2014, it received accolades as a new kind of rom-com. For one thing, instead of young people, it featured older adults embarking on new relationships.

Thus is the play recreated at Citadel Theatre with four outstanding actors who bring the story to life. Set in Ireland, the play involves two families who own farms right next to each other.

Anthony and Rosemary have grown up together. Rosemary has been harboring unrequited feelings of love for Anthony her entire life. Anthony, who is painfully shy and unaware, still lusts over Fiona who went screaming the other way when he revealed his true feelings for her.

The major issue in the show is whether or not Anthony should inherit his family’s farm upon the death of his father. His cranky dad wants to leave the farm to his nephew Adam from New York City.

When I first read of the plot, it seemed vaguely familiar. That’s because the play had been turned into the 2020 movie, “Wild Mountain Thyme” starring Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan and Jon Hamm. The screenplay was written as well as directed by Shanley, based on his play.

Audience members will get caught up in the play from the very beginning as Irish music welcomes them into the theatre.

Left: Laura Leonardo Ownby (Rosemary), Susan Hofflander (Aoife). in Outside Mullingar at Citadel Theatre. (photo by North Shore Camera Club)

The four principals include: Susan Hofflander as widow Aoife Muldoon, Jack Hickey as widow Tony, Laura Leonardo Ownby as Rosemary and Ross Frawley as Anthony.

Hofflander is powerful and yet sympathetic as the widow Muldoon, while Hickey is a gruff, crabby old man who is filled with regret at some of his choices. Ownby shines as Rosemary and is the most animated character in the play. Frawley as Anthony plays his part with strong emotion and fervor. You’re rooting for both of them to finally break through.

What’s fascinating about the play is that you meet the parents and experience their interaction with their offspring. Then, it’s just the younger generation who must forge ahead.

Directed by Beth Wolf who was moved by the theme of loneliness in the play, “Outside Mullingar” really draws upon the idea of it’s never too late. Founder and artistic director of the free-Shakespeare-in-the park company Midsommer Flight, Wolf directed Citadel’s production of The Roommate two years ago.

Kudos to Eric Luchen for his innovative set design, flipping one farmhouse kitchen to another, without moving sets.

Outside Mullingar really gets inside its characters with sweetness and charm.

DETAILS: “Outside Mullingar” is at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, through March 13. Run Time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. For tickets and more information visit Citadel Theatre.

State COVID restrictions in effect at the time will be enforced at Citadel’s 144-seat performing space.

Mira Temkin

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

West Side Story still relevant

West Side Story at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (Photo by Liz Lauren)

4 Stars

While “West Side Story” is based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” the tale of the star-crossed lovers remains a contemporary look at rival gangs that’s just as timely as the daily news reports.

But Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire creates a dynamic new twist to this production with a fresh look and new talents who bring this story to life.

For those who haven’t seen Steven Spielberg’s award-winning recent redo of the 1961 classic movie, West Side Story takes place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 1950’s.

There’s tension in the hood between the Sharks and the Jets about who controls the turf. Hate, racism and violence rears its ugly head giving way to tragedy and sorrow on both sides of the fence.

West Side Story at Marriott Theatre (Photo by Liz Lauren)

This well-loved show features the brilliant music of Leonard Bernstein with such tunes as “Somewhere,” “Tonight,” “I Feel Pretty,” and “America.”

Using the traditional choreography from Jerome Robbin’s original production, Marriott’s high energy cast delivers the dance with amazing precision and youthful energy. It will leave you breathless.

Based on the book by Tony Award-winner Arthur Laurents, music by Tony and Grammy Award-winner Leonard Bernstein and Lyrics by Tony, Grammy, Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winner Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story is a trifecta of creative excellence.

The production is directed by critically acclaimed, award-winning stage veteran Victor Malana Maog who beautifully captures the passion and power of the show.

Musical direction is by Jeff Award winner Ryan T. Nelson and choreography is by Jeff Award nominee, Alex Sanchez.

West Side Story at Marriott Theatre (Photo by Liz Lauren)Making her Marriott Theatre debut is Lauren Maria Medina who plays an exquisite “Maria.” She has the voice of an angel with pipes big enough to completely fill the stage.

Also making their debuts on the Marriott stage are Jake David Smith as “Tony” who wins our hearts and Vanessa Aurora Sierra as “Anita” who sings and dances her way into the stratosphere.

Mention must be made of Marisa Fee as “Anybodys” whose gender issues are much more realized in this production. Originally a “tomboy,” Fee appears with the rest of the girls in a ballet, wearing a gown, a strong departure from the original.

Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s set design makes great use of the in-the-round stage with realistic appearance of a fire escape and other urban settings to reflect the cold stark reality of the neighborhood.

Kudos to costume designer Amanda Vander Byl for her realistic 1950s costumes and of course, to musical supervisor Patti Garwood and her orchestra who play the haunting score to perfection.

Covid Protocols: Marriott Theatre guests are currently required to wear face coverings and present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or an appropriate negative COVID-19 test to attend performances in the theatre. Details at MarriottTheatre.com

DETAILS: “West Side Story” is at the Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire through March 27. Run Time: 2.5 hours with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets and more information, call The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or visit Marriott Theatre.

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

Mira Temkin

Around Town: Orchids and art shows

Orchids: Untamed at Chicago Botanic Garden. (J Jacobs Photo)

February is celebrated at the Chicago Botanic Garden with the return of its Orchid Show. It is also celebrated with the opening at the end of the month with two art shows: Immersive Frida in the former Immersive van Gogh space and “An Instrument in the Shape of a Woman” in the Chicago Cultural Center.

The Orchid Show: Untamed

Opening February 12 in time for Valentine’s Day and hanging around in the Regenstein Center and greenhouses through March 27, 2022, the show features wild orchids and the what-if scenarios of orchids left to do their own thing in gardens or on estates.

For tickets and more information visit Chicago Botanic Garden

Immersive Frida (Photo courtesy of Immersive Frida)

Immersive Frida Dream

Of course, the famed Mexican artist, Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, sometimes referred to by her first name, sometimes by her last name is Frida Kalo.
Even though she had polio and then suffered throughout her life from chronic pain following an accident, in her short life (1907-1954), she became one of Mexico’s most renowned painters.

Now she is honored in several cities, including Chicago with “Immersive Frido Dream,” a digital exhibition, cum experience, that pulls visitors into her magical, half realism, half surrealism world seen in her memorable self-portraits and paintings that reflect Mexican culture and her views of gender and identity.

Immersive Frida runs Feb. 24 through May 28 at the Lighthouse ArtSpace that had Immersive van Gogh. The building is the Landmark Germania Club building in the Gold Coast neighborhood at 1536 N. Clark St., (108 W. Germania Pl) Chicago. For tickets and more information visit Chicago – Frida (immersive-frida.com)

“An Instrument in the Shape of a Woman.”

A multi-artist show by Leslie Baum, Diana Christiansen and Selina Trepp with Annie Morris, brings abstract combinations of natural and surreal forms. The show is at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St, Chicago, Feb. 26-Sept 4, 2022. While there, take a tour of this building’s amazing apaces. For more information visit City of Chicago :: Chicago Cultural Center.

Jodie Jacobs

Oscars organization launches Latinx initiative

Academy Awards (Photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

After the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and sciences was accused of discrimination in its Oscar awards and judges, it began several corrective initiatives.

Among them is Seen, a series starring Nick Barili, an Argentinean-American journalist, writer, producer and director. Barili talks with influential artists and filmmakers with Latin -American and Spanish roots about barriers met and their craft.

Members of the Academy John Leguizamo, Eva Longoria and Edward James Olmos share their personal stories during the opening season. They discuss breaking down barriers in filmmaking. Watch the trailer on the Academy’s YouTube and AcademySeen.

Stay tuned for more initiatives

Jodie Jacobs

‘Dishwasher Dreams’ captures immigrant trials and triumphs with humor and poignancy

Alaudin Ullah in Writers Theatre" 'Dishwasher Dreams'. (Photo by Amir Hamza) — Alaudin Ullah in Writers Theatre” ‘Dishwasher Dreams’. (Photo by Amir Hamza).

3.5 Stars

Closed for two years due to COIVD-19, Writers Theatre has reopened its 2021/2022 season with “Dishwasher Dreams.” A one-man show written and performed by Alaudin Ullah, it highlights the immigrant experience through the eyes of a father and son.

The show opens with and is accompanied by tabla percussionist Avirodh Sharma who adds a sense of cultural authenticity to the performance. Sharma is considered one of today’s leading exponents of the tabla, carrying on the tradition of percussion rhythm that originated in India.

Ullah is a stand-up comedian whose family came from a very small town in Bangladesh. He grew up in New York City but is in L.A. auditioning for a major film role that could change the course of his career. Unfortunately, a family crisis hurls him back to New York and puts his own dreams on hold.

He takes the audience on a hilarious journey through his family’s history from colonial India in the 1930s to Spanish Harlem in the 1970s to present-day Hollywood.

This exhilarating trek will have you laughing and crying at the same time as Ullah shares his experiences of immigration, the Yankees and the pursuit of the American Dream.

At heart, Ullah is a storyteller dedicated to changing the misperceptions of South Asians and Muslims in our society. His performance covers a range of emotions dealing with prejudice and racism on stage as he tries to become a successful American.

For both father and son, there is more to life than being an undocumented worker with little opportunity for advancement. Ullah shows us with humor and commitment how he overcame this!

A playwright and performer with several TV and film acting credits, Ullah was one of the first South Asian comedians featured nationally on HBO, MTV, BET, PBS and Comedy Central. He is currently working on a documentary of his book, “Bengali Harlem,” to be out next year.

The show is directed by Chay Yew, (formerly of Victory Gardens Theater) in association with Hartford Stage. Writers Theatre which recently changed leadership, is helmed by Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Interim Artistic Director Bobby Kennedy.

DETAILS: Dishwasher Dreams is at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, through January 16, 2022. Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. For tickets and more information, visit writerstheatre.org. (Visitors must show a valid Covid vaccination card and must be masked through the entire presentation.)

Mira Temkin

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

Five ideas to celebrate NYE

Lots of places from theaters and entertainment venues to zoos stay open on Dec. 31. Some are for kids, some for adults and some are for the whole family. Just know that reserved tickets and COVID protocols are in place.

Brookfield Zoo

See the zoo aglow with lights during Holiday Magic. A blaze with more than 2 million lights that includes, illuminated animal shapes and a tunnel of lights, Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic includes New Year’s Eve. The gates open at 3 p.m. and close at 9 p.m., Dolphins play from 4 to 6 p.m. (x fees). Brookfield Zoo South Gate is at 3300 Golf Rd. North Gate is at 8400 31^st Street, Brookfield. For more information visit Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo.

Deck the Hallmark

If you second guess the endings to Hallmark’s movies you’ll laugh with the Second City crew’s Deck the Hallmark” parody. A two-0hour show with a 15 minute intermission, the New Year’s Eve productions are at 7 and 10 p.m. Packages can be general admission, drinks and food. The venue is at at the Up Comedy Club, 230 W, North Ave. For tickets and more information visit Second City Deck the Hallmark.

Frozen

Disney’s Frozen, a critically acclaimed musical for its special effects, costumes, storyline and songs has two performances, 1 and 6:30 p.m. in Chicago on Dec. 31, 2021. Hosted by Broadway in Chicago, the production is at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago. For tickets and more information visit Disney’s Frozen | Broadway in Chicago

Magic

Make it a magical night with the Magic Lounge’s Signature Show at 7 p.m. or at 10 p.m. that adds an NYE celebration. Either way there’s magic at your table and on stage. The Magic Lounge is back of a storefront at 5050 N. Clark Street in the Blackstone Cabaret Theater. Patrons must be 21 to enter or age 16 with legal guardian. For more information and tickets visit Signature show at Chicago Magic Lounge and Calendar.

Teatro Zinzanni

Celebrate NYE with an unusual combo of circus, cabaret entertainment and food. It all happens in a jeweled, mirrored tent in the Cambria Hotel downtown Chicago at 32 W. Randolph St. For tickets and more information visit Teatro ZinZanni Chicago.

Have a happy and safe New Year

Jodie Jacobs

Grab a handful of Peanuts

On the bus from l to r. Tuesdai B. Perry, Marcellus Burt, Alley Ellis, Sierro White, Jimmy Hogan, Neil Stratman (Citadel Theatre's You're a good man Charlie Brown. — On the bus from l to r. Tuesdai B. Perry, Marcellus Burt, Alley Ellis, Sierro White, Jimmy Hogan, Neil Stratman (Citadel Theatre’s You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.

3 stars

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” continues to delight audiences.

Can an off-Broadway musical based on cartoonist Charles M. Schulz’s well-loved “Peanuts” comic strip characters that is more than 50 years old still be relevant?

The answer is Yes!

With music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, the musical opened off-Broadway in 1967 and ran for almost four years.

Popular with regional theaters, a new version directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening and Thoroughly Modern Millie) featuring additional songs by Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family) ran on Broadway in 1999. It won the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Revival of a Musical.”

Citadel Theatre, in Lake Forest s playing this updated, fast-paced and high-energy award-winning version, now through Dec. 23, 2021.

The play features a series of vignettes, almost like a cartoon strip, that chronicles the trials and tribulations of childhood.

Fifty years later, the characters have the same insecurities, the same issues about friendship, sports and their own failures.

Charlie Brown continues to have a crush on sweet little red-headed girl whom he discovers chews her pencil, too.

He is the eternal optimist, but he never gets a break. He is still the same blockhead.

In this updated production, the audience will encounter some references to present-day items such as “bit coin.”

Pictured left to right: Alley Ellis, Jimmy Hogan, Marcellus Burt, Tuesdai B. Perry, Neil Stratman, and Sierra White in ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ at Citadel Theatre

Directed by Joe Lehman and choreographed by Jake Ganzer with music direction by David Zizic, memorable music includes the title song, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Happiness,” a piece that highlights enjoying the little things in life.

The cast, top-rated with hapless Charlie Brown played by Neil Stratman and Lucy played by Actor Equity member Sierra White, also includes Jimmy Hogan (from Citadel’s “Annie) as Schroeder; Marcellus Burt (of Griffin’s Ragtime) as Linus and Alley Ellis as Sally. Tuesdai B. Perry is Snoopy. It’s hard enough to play a role, much more so, that of a pup.

Kudos to Sally and Schroeder whose tap dance knocks it out of the park.

Mention must be made of the incredible, colorful lighting design by Samuel Stephen that almost takes on a role by itself. Flashing emotions help showcase the feelings of the cast.

Also, the props design by Jonathan Berg Einhorn are larger-than-life, adorable and infinitely better than using the real things.

DETAILS: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, through Dec. 23, 2021. Run Time: approximately 2 hours with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets and more information visit Citadel Theatre.

State COVID restrictions in effect at the time will be enforced at Citadel’s 144-seat performing space. The show is suitable for general audiences aged 5 and older.

Mira Temkin

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

‘Kate’ battles Shakespeare and ex at Marriott

Susan Moniz and Larry Adams battle it out in Kiss Me Kate at Marriott Theatre.( Liz Lauren photo)

Three stars

In a season overflowing with feel-good holiday fare, the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire has chosen to balance the offerings with the controversial “Kiss Me Kate.”

Go for this production’s superb vocals, comedic moments and excellent dance numbers. But beware, the 1948 musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, is based on William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

What you see is a show within a show presented by a traveling troupe as its stars battle on stage and off in a mirror image of the plot.

No matter how good the production is of the Shakespearean version (and I have seen good ones, including at Chicago Shakespeare), it still is misogynistic.

So, if bothered by the theme, blame Shakespeare.

If out for a night at the theater, sit back and enjoy director Johanna McKenzie Miller’s clever staging, Alex Sanchez’s choreography and the outstanding voices of Susan Moniz as leading lady Lilli Vanessi who plays Katharine (supposedly as a shrew) and Larry Adams, Lilli”s ex-husband, Fred Graham, who plays Petruchio (shrew tamer) and who is also directing the troupe.

Also dance shout-outs to Alexandra Palkovic who is Lois Lane, Kate’s overly-sweet little sister, Bianca, and to Jonathan Butler-Duplessis who leads the showstopping “Too Darn Hot” number.

You get to hear such familiar songs as “Wunderbar,” So in Love,” “Always True to You in My Fashion,” and “From this Moment On.” To audiences who have missed the theater due to COVID, the opening number “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” offers a hopeful note.

DETAILS: “Kiss Me Kate” at Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, is on now through Jan 16, 2022. Run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission. For tickets and more information visit Marriott Theare. (Check Covid safety protocols.)

Jodie Jacobs

For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago

Powerful ‘Ragtime’ still relevant

Coalhouse Walker Jr (Curtis Bannister) and friends in Ragtime at Music Theater Works. (Photo Credit: Brett Beiner)

4 Stars

Music Theater Works’ “Ragtime,” a multi-award-winning musical with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, is a powerful, riveting production that perfectly meshes with our current age of anxiety.

Based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel on the pervasive value systems and prejudices toward immigrants, blacks, class structure and women’s “place” in the early 1900’s, the musical follows the interaction of three disparate “family” groupings.

Now at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, “Ragtime” unfortunately closes Nov. 7, 2021. Music Theater Works productions historically ran for just a couple of weeks when housed at Cahn Auditorium on Northwestern’s Evanston Campus. Maybe it’s wistful thinking about budget and date conflicts to hope the venue change would allow longer runs.

A production as good as “Ragtime” superbly directed by Stacey Flaster with sophisticated staging and propelled by the cast’s powerful voices, deserves a longer run. Continue reading “Powerful ‘Ragtime’ still relevant”

Up close at Lincoln Park Zoo Lion House

At Lincoln Park Zoo a lion looks over its shoulder at some members of the Chicago Uptown Lions Club (L.R. Mark Kotz, Sharon Howerton, Suzy Travers-Byster, Julie Lovison, Bob Solomon, Albert Anderson)

Thanks to a $15 million gift from Roxelyn and the late Richard Pepper, Lincoln Park Zoo broke ground on a $41 million renovation of their lion house in December 2019.

After being closed for about 2 years, the new Lion House opened in October 2021 and is home to a pride of lions that includes one male and four females. Rumor has it that locally born offspring may result.

The state-of-the-art habitat has been renamed the Pepper Family Wildlife Center, home not just to lions but also Canada lynx, snow leopards and red pandas.

Fans of the old Lion House will be happy to see the renovation was achieved to preserve and enhance the architecturally significant features of the historic structure built in 1912.

The dramatic entrances on either side bring a flood of natural light into the interior and the beautiful vintage vaulted ceiling has never looked better.

Small cages and cells with their archaic painted backgrounds are gone, replaced inside and out with expansive viewing windows for close-ups of the big cats.

Pepper Family Wild Life Center at Lincoln Park Zoo

The habitat has nearly doubled, now providing the lions with a variety of choices from plenty of outside fresh air and thermal comfort zones to trees for climbing, and elevated rocks to give them high vantage points plus areas to seek privacy, shade, and shelter.

A unique indoor design element known as the Lion Loop, funded by the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo, enables guests to view the pride even more intimately from the center of the habitat.

The $41 million renovation of the building is the final phase of what has been dubbed The Pride of Chicago, a $135 million capital campaign that began in 2012.

It was my good fortune to tag along with the Chicago Uptown Lions Club on a special tour conducted by Bill Green, accessibility and inclusion manager for the zoo.

About seventy-five percent of the Uptown Lion members are visually impaired. Thanks to a grant by the Hart Prinze Fund, special accommodations have been made to allow those with special needs to enjoy the experience.

Albert Anderson, Sharon Howerton and Bill Green at the newly re done Wild Life Center at Lincoln Park Zoo (Reno Lovison photo}

Green outfitted our small group with wireless earpieces that allowed us to easily hear his commentary as we toured the Lion habitat inside and out while he creatively and thoroughly explained what was being shown so that those unable to see would understand what the rest of us were experiencing visually.

On several occasions there were tactile displays that allowed both the sighted and unsighted members of our group to feel the size of a lion paw, the impression of their print, the feeling of their fur or the rough texture of their tongues.

Inside the building Green produced a special three dimensional map of the African savannah that the visually impaired could run their fingers over to get a sense of the various distances a lion might travel and kinds of terrain they may encounter in their journey.

All-in-all the Pepper Family Wildlife Center and its inhabitants are indeed destined to be the Pride of Chicago and should definitely be on your things to do calendar in the Windy City.

If you haven’t been to the zoo lately you might like to know that there are a number of restaurants and cafés on the grounds and several more within a short walk.

The Lincoln Park Zoo can be approached by car at Fullerton and Cannon Drive just west of Lake Shore Drive. Parking is available and might be considered pricey by some but admission to the zoo is free. If you’re a little more adventurous street parking is available along Clark Street on the west side of the park and there are bus routes that include the zoo entrance.

For more information about the zoo visit lpzoo.org. For more information about the Chicago Uptown Lions Club email [email protected].

Reno Lovison