A lot of what happens on in Millennium Park is in the Pritzker Pavillion (Photo by J Jacobs)
Chicago Blues Festival
Go to Downtown Chicago to Millenium Park for the Chicago Blues Festival, June 8-11, 2023.
It celebrates Chicago contributions to soul, R&B, gospel, rock and hip hop. And it’s free. Visitors can bring a chair or spread out but lots of folks stand to watch because others are standing.
Hours: Thurs: 5:30-9 p.m., Friday-Sunday: noon – 9 p.m. Enter from Michigan Ave. at Washington St. or Madison St., Randolph St. or Monroe St. Millenium Park is free and has a Welcome Center on Randolph Street that is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. but open later on performance nights. For Blues Festival information visit City of Chicago :: Chicago Blues Festival
Or go to Skokie for MadKap Productions’ 2023 Short Play Festival June 10 at 7:30 p.m. and June 11 at 2 p.m. It’s just $15.
Plays are each about 10 minutes and written include pieces by David Alex, DC Cathro, Eric Coble, Eva Schultz and Judy Schindler
For more information visit Skokie Theatre. The theater is at 7924 Lincoln Ave., downtown Skokie near the S.W. corner of Lincoln and Oakton Avenues.
Navy Pier (J Jacobs photo)
In addition, there is Chi-Soul Fest, a free, two-day music/comedy festival throughout Navy Pier.
The Fest runs from 2 to 11 p.m. June 10 and 2 to 8 p.m. June 11. For the entertainment line-up and location on the Pier visit CHI-SOUL FEST 2023 | Navy Pier. Navy Pier is at 600 E. Grand Ave. Phone is 800 595-PIER (7437).
The Porch on Windy Hill, Morgan Morse, Lisa Helmi Johanson, David M. Lutken. (Photo courtesy of Northlight)
It is impossible not to move the shoulders or tap the feet when Lisa Heimi Johanson as the bi-racial Mira, David M. Lutken as her Appalachian grandfather, Edgar “Gar,” and Morgan Morse as her boyfriend, Beckett, pick up their instruments and treat audiences of “The Porch on Windy Hill” to a couple of hours of well-played, traditional bluegrass.
The three actors, make up the cast of a show playing now through May 14, 2023, at Northlight Theatre in Skokie.
Lisa, a Broadway, national tour, regional and tv actress/singer/musician, David Lutken, a noted Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Nashville, musician/actor, and Morse, a talented musician and popular regional actor, are also three of the show’s four writers.
They are led by international, off Broadway and regional playwright/director/choreographer Sherry Lutken who conceived the play.
Arguable, there is another cast member: the play’s traditional Appalachian music.
“We used music to tell the story,” Sherry said, noting that people from different backgrounds could amicably come together when appreciating music.
And thus, “The Porch On Windy Hill” was conceived to incorporate a beloved regional music form into a fragile family reunion as a healing lotion. Its writers hope the show will spark discussions on COVID’s disturbing byproduct of anti-Asian sentiment.
A recent telephone interview with Sherry delved into how the show and its theme came to be. After all, except for one-person celebrity interpretations, most theater productions don’t have the play’s writers doubling as the cast.
Sherry Lutken (Photo courtesy of S Lutken)
It started with COVID changing what Sherry could substitute in her theater schedule. The venue wanted something small, instead of the multiple set and costume changes required by the slated production.
“It was a scary time for a lot of people. There was all this messiness. We had a show scheduled for 2021. We still hope to do it. It had a large cast.”
The “we” are Sherry and husband David. He co-devised and starred in the multi-award-winning Woody SEZ: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie which included other talented musician/actors and has played internationally and in the United States including Chicago.
So, while stuck indoors, sheltering from COVID but looking for a different play, “a story that would resonate,” Sherry said, her thoughts turned to how a close, bi-racial friend would be feeling given all the hate expressed against Asians and what her friend would tell her children.
“There was a mindset out there leading to rising aggression,” she said.
Explaining that Lisa who was passionate about justice was biracially white and Korean, Sherry said, “We thought of Lisa and how she expressed herself in her poetry on social media.”
The Lutkens then added Morgan, an actor/musician, writer they knew from his regional work. The four of them started developing what became the script for “The Porch on Windy Hill.”
“We’d dive into ideas developing the basic premise,” Sherry said. “We were on zoom with long discussions on the subject matter, adding and then cutting. It was creative. It became magical.”
She compared the process to a sculpture that starts with a block of wood or stone. “You whittle and chip away until a bird emerges,” she said.
She added that during this time, “David was mining the American landscape of music. Its roots.”
Lisa Helmi Johanson, David M. Lutken, Morgan Morse in The Porch on Windy Hill
“We often talk about how music melds the sounds carried to this country. Music is part of our culture. There are the indigenous peoples, the enslaved, the folks who try to forge a better life. Music speaks to people at a very deep level.”
She thought it brought people “who deserve to be in the same space, together.”
“In our personal life, I was thinking of my friend and what she experienced and that started me thinking about using the idea of Korean/white, and what it means to be different, to be biracial… what it feels like. I imagined my friend whom I dearly loved, speaking to her children.”
She added, “This story needs to be told.”
That became a seed for the basic plot of feeling different. Plus it could combine with music and see where music could lead.
“Once music was in (the play), we still had to start a conversation. It became what we’re hoping to achieve. We all wrote together. And we worked on it some more in a workshop with dramaturg Christine Mok”.
There was a lot of the talk is not in the play.”
In “The Porch on Windy Hill,” music led Mira, a biracial Korean-white classical violinist, to “Gar,” her estranged Appalachian, banjo-strumming grandfather and change their conceptions and misconceptions of previous family interactions.
The music and action is facilitated by Mira’s boyfriend, Beckett who is doing his doctoral dissertation on American folk music.
“David and I were talking about it – what was in my head. It’s how different people coming to America brought their music and how indigenous people and enslaved people had theirs. Music evolved in this country,” said Sherry.
“We all wrote together. And we worked on it some more in a workshop with dramaturg Christine Mok.”
The play premiered at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Connecticut, fall of 2021.
“It’s an exciting way to create theatre. We were living the theater process when we were all stuck inside wondering what would happen to theater.
“Music can be really purposeful. As a healing concept, it’s perfect.”Sherry said.
“The Porch on Windy Hill” will be at Northlight Theatre in Skokie through May 14, 2023 before moving to Weston Theater in Vermont in August and Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, MA, April 2024.
The Porch on Windy Hill, Morgan Morse, Lisa Helmi Johanson, David M. Lutken. (Photo courtesy of Northlight)
4 Stars
Maybe I’m a sucker for how folk music tells stories of other cultures while also leading to life changing experiences.
I loved “Once” since seeing it downtown Chicago years ago and just recently at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.
Steeped in Irish folk music and movement, the play brings an Irish musician/songwriter back from the brink of self-destruction as “Girl” whom he meets, convinces him his music is listening-worthy.
Then, this weekend, I fell in love with “The Porch on Windy Hill,” a bluegrass musical presented by Northlight Theatre in Skokie.
The play reunites Mira, a classical violinist, with Edgar, her Appalachian grandfather, a noted blue-grass musician living in the North Carolina mountains.
Ostensibly, the reason they see each other again is because Mira’s partner Beckett’s doctoral dissertation is on folk music cultures and they needed a break from their Brooklyn apartment where they were cooped up during the pandemic.
Lisa Helmi Johanson, David M. Lutken, Morgan Morse in The Porch on Windy Hill
All three characters are really fine musicians and Mira, played by Lisa Heimi Johanson, has a terrific voice. So basically, audiences are treated to an exceptional “wingding” or “hootenanny.” But there is a backstory.
Beckett, portrayed by Morgan Morse, keeps trying to get Mira to explain why there appears to be a disconnect between her and her grandfather, called “Gar,” played by David M. Lutken.
Clues are dropped along the way by Mira who is biracial as she notices some changes around the old homestead. When Gar mentions that new families are moving into the area, she wonders if and how they are accepted.
When pressed again by Beckett, Mira, whose mom is from Appalachia and whose father is Korean, finally said, “It’s complicated.” Later, she admitted she felt her grandfather didn’t approve of the union because of his behavior towards her and her family.
Conceived and directed by Sherry Lutken, “The Porch on Windy Hill,” was written by Sherry Lutken and its actors: Lisa Heimi Johanson, Morgan Morse and David M. Lutken.
Set designer Mara, Ishihara Zinky, came up with the perfect porch and housefront for the play’s joyful music and serious discussion.
Details: “The Porch on Windy Hill” continues through May 14, 2023, at Northlight Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. Running time: 2 hrs., 10 min. with one intermission. For tickets and other information visit Northlight Theatre.
Daniella Dalli and Ron E. Rains as Meg and Joe Boyde in Damn Yankees at Marriott Theatre (Photos by Liz Lauren)
Highly Recommended
The choreography and dancers in Marriott Theatre’s “Damn Yankees” were so amazing opening night (April 19, 2023) I could have sworn that Rachel Rockwell, an extraordinary director and choreographer who died in 2018, had somehow returned.
Instead, we are now lucky to have Broadway and TV choreographer/actor/dancer Tyler Hanes and film/ theater/actor/director James Vasquez taking on a Marriott production.
In their hands, “Damn Yankees,” a musical comedy from 1955, still connects with baseball fans who love their team and hate the umpires’ calls. It also brings to life the dreamers who want a chance to hit it out of the ballpark.
With a clever book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and memorable music and lyrics (You’ve gotta have “Heart”) by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, the show’s timing is so right for baseball’s spring season when anything can happen including the Chicago Cubs’ winning streak as of opening night.
Sean Fortunato. as Applegate in Damn Yankees
And that true but improbable fact is without the help (we believe) of the show’s Faust-like character of Applegate played with perfection by long time TV, film, regional and Marriott actor Sean Fortunato.
He makes a deal with avid Washington Senators fan Joe Boyd, well portrayed by TV, Marriott and regional theater performer Ron E. Rains, to be transformed into the Senators’ savior.
Enter the new Boyd who is now young baseball phenom, Joe Hardy, brilliantly interpreted by Andrew Alstat, (Papermill, MUNY, et al), in his Marriott debut.
The kicker for Applegate and the connecting cord that makes Joe Hardy totally believable is love of Joe Boyd’s wife, Meg, played by Daniella Dalli.
Anyone who saw Marriott’s 2022 Jeff Award winning “The Sound of Music” will remember Dalli’s powerful voice as the Mother Abbess.
,Andrew Alstat as Joe Hardy tries to back off from Lola played by Michelle Aravena.
The other notable part is Lola as in the song, “Whatever Lola wants.” Brought on board by Applegate to diffuse Joe Hardy’s love for Meg, the plan backfires as Lola, played by Broadway and National Tour star Michelle Aravena, changes from sexy vamp to an understanding girl who has fallen for Hardy.
The production has a large (more than 20 members), experienced supporting cast that includes Porchlight Music Theater and Drury Lane Theatre regulars Lorenzo Rush, Jr as Van Buren, the team’s manager, and Erica Stephan as the persistent reporter, Gloria Thorpe.
The Washington Senators in Mariott Theatre’s Damn Yankees
It’s easy to get caught up in the action on stage. But audiences should pay attention to the really fine music produced by conductor/keyboardist Noah Landis and his orchestra.
In addition, costume designer Theresa Ham nailed the period and baseball uniforms.
Details: “Damn Yankees” is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Dr., Lincolnshire, now through June 4, 2023. Running time: about 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission. For tickets and other information visit Damn Yankees | Show (marriotttheatre.com) or call (847) 634-0200.
:(L-R) Francis Guinan, Kate Fry and Christopher Donahue in Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Cherry Orchard’ Photos by Liz Lauren
Highly Recommended
Rich and masterful, “The Cherry Orchard” serves as a triumphant curtain for Robert Falls’ Goodman Theatre tenure.
If one had to choose a perfect ending for Robert Falls’ three-decade career as Artistic Director at the Goodman Theatre, his production of “The Cherry Orchard” would be it.
Anton Chekhov is Falls’ favorite playwright next to Shakespeare, and he purposely chose this play to close out his illustrious career.
“The Cherry Orchard” is Chekhov’s final play, written before his death in 1904. It deals with a failing Russian aristocracy, love, loss, and issues of class in society.
Make no mistake, “The Cherry Orchard” is billed as a comedy through witty dialogue, fall-down laughing antics, and squeaky boots.
Yet the audience is consumed with sadness throughout the production due to memories of painful loss from the generations who lived and died on that estate.
L-R) Matt DeCaro, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Kate Fry, Alejandra Escalante and Kareem Bandealy in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard
The plot revolves around widow Madame Lubov Ranevskaya who has just returned to her crumbling estate right before its auction to pay off her debts. She is lamenting the loss of her precious cherry orchard.
Her family surrounds her in support, yet they all have issues of their own.
Chekhov’s strategic use of foreshadowing is evident in many places, letting the viewers know that something bad is about to happen.
The ending is somewhat shocking, but enriches the story and its deeper meaning.
Kate Fry as Lubov Ranyevskaya is the perfect matriarch, showcasing a variety of emotions from frivolity and joy to deep melancholy and despair as to what the future holds. She is exuberant.
Standouts also include Janet Ulrich Brooks as Carlotta, the governess who also has a few magic tricks up her sleeve, and Stephen Cefalu as perpetual student Petya Trofimov who represents the play’s moral compass of social justice.
Note the off-stage music played by the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band led by Alex Koffman, in their first collaboration with The Goodman. Their arrangements lend 19th-century authenticity and warmth to the production.
Kudos to set designer Todd Rosenthal for his exquisite settings that move about the stage in absolute precision. Ana Kuzmanic’s costumes are gorgeous, colorful when need be with themes of red, black, and ivory. Memories of these costumes will stay with you long after the show.
For more background, attend Behind the Curtain (April 22 at 4:30pm)—led by Goodman’s resident dramaturg Neena Arndt. She will lead a conversation with former Goodman artistic director Robert Falls about his fresh take on the last of Chekhov’s four major plays.
Details: The Cherry Orchard” is at Goodman Theatre through April 30, 2023 in the Albert Theatre. Running Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission. For tickets and more information, go to GoodmanTheatre.org/Cherry or call (312) 443-3800.
‘Rumors’ cast at Skokie Theatre. (Photo by MadKap Productions)
Highly Recommended
The “Rumors” Are True…Skokie Theatre’s Neil Simon Farce is a Smash Hit!
In the years before social media was a “thing,” local gossip was the way to go. How else could people gauge the real social order? Who was cheating on whom? What was true and what was just a rumor?
Add in that when several people are also politically involved with something to lose if the truth gets out you’ve got real mayhem – or “Rumors,” a hilarious farce from the master of American comedy, Neil Simon.
Welcome to an upscale dinner party hosted by a wealthy New York couple who are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, the party goes terribly wrong.
Guests arrive to discover the host has been shot, the hostess is missing, and the servants have quit.
Produced in 1988, “Rumors” still holds the same caustic bite as when it first came out. The brilliant, fast-paced dialog gives all the actors a chance to shine.
The play stars Erin Renee Baumrucker, Landon Cally, Luke Coleman, Peter Goldsmith, Julie Peterson, Maddy Shilts, Nathan Dale Short, SarahAnn Sutter, Katherine Wettermann, and Lee Wichman.
Ken and Chris: played by Nathan Sale Short and Erin Renee Baumrucker in Rumors. (Photo by MadKap Productions)
Standouts include Peterson as Claire Ganz who recently appeared as Ethel Merman in the “Book of Merman” at Skokie Theatre. She is a bubblehead with lots of great lines that keep the audience in stitches
Cally as Lenny Ganz plays a range of emotions. In his final monologue. he makes up an entire story of what really happened to the hosts, Charley and Myra and his performance is stellar.
Kudos to Police Officer Welch, played by Shilts, as no-nonsense in law enforcement as they come.
Directed by Wayne Mell and produced by Wendy Kaplan of MadKap Productions, “Rumors” takes the audience on a hysterical romp through a case of mistaken identity, the constant opening and closing of doors, and a little bit of slapstick thrown in.
The women’s costumes, headed by custom designer Wendy Kaplan and wardrobe mistress Patti Halajian, are exquisite and elegant. How lucky, the actresses get to wear them all night long.
Details: Rumors is playing at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Avenue in Downtown Skokie through April 23. Running time: 2 and a half hours with one 15-minute intermission. For tickets, go to skokietheatre.org or call 847-677-7761. The 2023-24 season starts in June with “Hair.”
Charlie Brown at Marriott Theatre. (Photo by Liz Lauren)
Highly Recommended
A perfect introduction to children’s theatre, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” is a one-hour production in the Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences series.
It’s amazing how timeless this musical, written in 1967, continues to be as it highlights the anxieties and insecurities of children in every generation.
Based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schultz in his comic strip, Peanuts, the play remains delightful in its simplicity and poignancy.
Charlie Brown and his rag-tag group of friends create a series of vignettes that explore life’s great questions and their relationships with one another. Through it, they play baseball, struggle with sibling rivalry, sing and celebrate their own happiness.
The production stars Patrick Michael Tierney who is a perfect Charlie Brown. Tafadzwa Diener is Lucy who is not only bossy but delivers wonderful vocals as well. Matthew Bettencourt plays Schroeder. Jackson Evans is Linus and Amanda Walker is Sally.
The star of the show really is Andres Enriquez who, as Snoopy, must convey a variety of “doggie” emotions. Hysterical.
One of the lyrics to the final song, “Happiness,” is “Happiness Is anyone or anything that is loved by you.” Could there be anything sweeter?
This production is directed and choreographed by Linda Fortunato, with musical director/conductor Rick Bertone and musical supervisor Ryan T. Nelson.
The show includes additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer from the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival.
This is the first show in the 2023 Young Audience season. Next up is “Elephant and Piggies: We Are in a Play” from July 14 to August 1.
Details: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, through April 1. For tickets and more information visit Marriott Theatre Charlie Brown and Marriott Theatre.
Dana Saleh Omar and Matt Mueller in Once at Writers Theatre. (Photo by Michael Brosilow)
3/1/2 Stars
I fell in love with “Once,” a musical based on a John Carney 2007 film, when it first played in Chicago in 2013 and again in 2015.
But the word, “musical,” may erroneously bring images to mind of such full-stage touring shows as “Chicago and “Les Miserable.”
Appearing now at Writers Theatre where it can intimately be performed almost in-the-round, the audience’s focus is on its main characters beautifully portrayed by two popular regional theater actors: Dana Saleh Omar (national tour of “The Band’s Visit) as Girl, and Matt Mueller (“The Play that Goes Wrong” tour) as Guy.
Girl is a sympathetic but stubborn musician who pulls Irish musician/song writer Guy away from severe mental despondency when the person he wrote and sang about leaves him for New York City.
Her vehicle to getting through to him is, surprisingly enough, a Hoover Vac that he can fix for her in his father’s shop where he lives above the store and works when not writing and performing.
The dialogue, a creative play on words often infused in the script, is something like: “It (the Hoover) doesn’t suck,” she tells him. “Are you serious,” he asks. “I’m always serious. I’m Czech,” she says.
On the way to bringing Guy back to a mental state where he wants to live and perform, the audience meets her Czech family, Guy’s father, Da, the Irish bartender and band members.
They all make up the show’s musician/performing cast. And they all, including Girl’s 8-year-old daughter, Ivonka, played by Kajsa Allen, are terrific. (She alternates with 11-year old Viva Boresi.)
As with the national tour production, they also (except for Ivonka) stay on stage, usually seated when not performing. The staging is simple.
The main differences I found were that the focal point is an upright piano instead of a stocked bar and the musicians/performers had more choreographed stage time that included pre-curtain Irish music.
Kudos to the talented supporting cast: Elisa Carlson (Reza), Yuchi Chiu (Bank Manager), Matt Deitchman (Band music director/ Eamon), Elleon Dobiaa (Ex Girlfriend), Matt Edmonds (Billy), Jordan Golding (Emcee), Lucas Looch Johnson (Svec), Liam Oh (Andre), Ron E Rains (Da) and Bethany Thomas (Baruska).
The show is well directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman with excellent music direction by Deitchman.
Music and lyrics are by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova with book by Enda Walsh.
“Once” picked up 11 Tony Award nominations in 2012, winning eight awards that included Best Actor, Book and Musical. It had also won the Academy Award for best song “Falling Slowly.”
Details: “Once is at Writers theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe now through April 2, 2023. Running time 2 hrs, 20 min. with one intermission. For more information and tickets visit. Writers Theatre.
Downtown, see “Les Miserables,” a Broadway in Chicago production at CIBC, “Cabaret” at Porchlight Music Theatre or “Toni Stone” at Goodman. In the burbs go to “Into the Woods at Paramount in Aurora, “A Chorus Line” at Drury Theatre in Oakbrook, “The Christians” at Citadel in Lake Forest or ” Andy Warhol in Iran” at Northlight in Skokie.
Those are just a few of the highly recommended shows now playing in the Chicago area that are at theaters whose tickets are discounted during Chicago Theatre Week, Feb 16-26, 2023.
With more than 60 theatres in and around Chicago participating, now is a good chance to get good value for good theatre. Tickets range from $15 to $30.
L to R: Danny Ferenczi as Elder Shumway, Julie Peterson as Ethel Merman and. Alex Iacobucci as Elder Braithwaite. (Photo courtesy of MadKap Productions
3 1/2 Stars
Fans of the late, great Ms. Ethel Merman will love this spoof on the Broadway Diva as it comes to life at Skokie Theatre. The show has everything – memorable music, high-energy dancing, gorgeous costumes, and a heartfelt message about being true to yourself. It’s no wonder the performance was sold out the night we went.
Two Mormon missionaries who are down on their luck in selling souls ring the doorbell of the brash and brassy Ethel Merman. Misunderstandings of all kinds take place and hilarity ensues.
The audience gets the benefits of fabulous show-stopping numbers belted out by the trio. But listen carefully as the lively songs with music and lyrics by Leo Schwartz and book by DC Cathro play off Merman’s greatest hits; some subtle, others not so subtle, because you’ll recognize this legend’s most beloved music among Broadway’s best.
The two Mormon missionaries are played by Alex Iacobucci as Elder Braithwaite and Danny Ferenczi as Elder Shumway who are funny and talented. They will sing and dance their way into your heart. Perhaps if start singing as soon as they ring the doorbell they will get better results!
Julie Peterson is the soul of the show as Ethel Merman. She has the same loud, booming belter voice that was Merman’s trademark.
No wonder. Peterson was the understudy and performer in the role when it launched off-Broadway in 2018. She perfectly captures the mannerisms, intonations, and sassiness of the star.
Produced by Wendy Kaplan of MadKap Productions with Wayne Mell as associate producer, the show is directed and choreographed by Ty Perry. Musical direction is by pianist Jeremy Ramey and percussionist Craig Buckner who sit behind the stage.
Set design is by Scott Richardson, lighting design is by Pat Henderson and kudos once again, to costume designer Patti Halajian whose dresses for Ethel are simply dazzling.
In Act 2, the show changes and real identities step forward giving the audience new appreciation for the characters and the show.
Concluding the season for Skokie Theatre is Neil Simon’s hilarious farce, “Rumors,” March 31 to April 25, 2023.
Details: “Book of Merman” is at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in downtown Skokie, IL through Feb 26, 2023. Run time: 2 hours with one intermission. For information and tickets visit SkokieTheatre.org or call (847) 677-7761.
