Writers Museum opens

Heads up readers, writers and writer wannabes.

Lobby of American Writers Museum in Chicago. Photo by Jodie Jacobs
Lobby of American Writers Museum in Chicago. Photo by Jodie Jacobs

There is a suite of rooms where you can go to soak up inspiration, visit authors, try an interactive literary game and learn where authors’ homes are across the country. The place also has a charming children’s lit space.

This amazing suite is the American Writers Museum opening to the public May 16. Spread across the second floor of a vintage building at 180 N. Michigan Ave., it is easy to wander at approximately 11,000 square feet.

But oh, what is packed into this tiny museum gem is amazing.

Imagine a wall that is, in a way, a bookshelf where the front of lit boxes can be slid sideways for info about a novelist, non-fiction author, poet or song writer.

Fill in the blanks a a game console at the American Writers Museum. Jodie Jacob s photo
Fill in the blanks a a game console at the American Writers Museum. Jodie Jacob s photo

Look for the room with a game console where one or two players can  guess what words should fill in the blanks of a famed piece of literature.

Then go to the Readers Hall, an open space where talks are given but also where visitors can vote for their favorite books and authors.

Another fun space has the Featured Works Table where you tap a symbol on a ribbon and it will move over to you to tell you about its genre, author or work.

Or walk along a 60-foot wall that gives examples of literary works beginning back with Native American lore.

Wall of literary history at American Writers.Jodie Jacobs photo
Wall of literary history at American Writers.Jodie Jacobs photo

Create your own literary work in the Story of the Day room. Do it the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper or typewriter, or you can use digital media. Post it on the wall, take it home or add it online to the museum’s “story of the day.”

Want to get into a groove to write? There is “Anatomy of a Masterwork,” a wall that includes such author work habits as have a cigarette, get a drink, etc. But you can touch screens that make sense to you.

Do stop at the Children’s Literature Gallery.  It is likely to remind you of books read or books you read to your children. The artwork is gorgeous. There is a place to read or come back for an author story-time.

Children's books and pictures might encourage young readers to write their own stories. Jodie Jacobs photo
Children’s books and pictures might encourage young readers to write their own stories. Jodie Jacobs photo

Before leaving, look at the map that shows what authors live near you.

The museum is small but absorbing the information in its exhibits and doing the interactive stations could take half a day.

BTW, you might even bump into a writer while there.

On a recent visit to check out the museum, award-winning author Francine Pappadis Friedman who had been wandering through the rooms, took time to chat.

“I’m so impressed by the AWM’s beautiful layout with so many interesting and fun interactive exhibits,” Friedman said.

“The tables were turned: as a writer and former English and journalism teacher, I was the one who learned so much  about many authors—some of whom were “new” to me—just by visiting the museum.

Of the spaces that spoke to her, one particular one stood out.

“One of my favorite sections was The Writer’s Room, a rotating gallery that will highlight the lives and works of American authors.  The current author that is highlighted is Jack Kerouac, with his phenomenal manuscript’s scroll on display, “ she said.

Friedman believes the AWM will be a destination. “I’ve already mentioned it to many of my friends, and we’re getting our calendars out and making plans to visit it.”

Details: American Writers Museum, opening May 16, 2017, is at 180 N. Michigan Ave., Second Floor, Chicago, IL 60601. For admission, hours and other information call (312) 374-8790  and visit American Writers Museum

 

 

Old-fashioned romance makes a nice break from serious messages

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

With so many reality, edgy plays pricking the conscience of today’s highly  news-aware theater-goers, an old-fashioned, enchanting boy-girl attraction can become a refreshing change.

Georg Nowack (Alex Goodrich), Ladislav Sipos (James Earl Jones II) and Mr. Maraczek (Terry Hamilton) in "She Loves Me" at Marriott Theatre. Photo by Liz Lauren
Georg Nowack (Alex Goodrich), Ladislav Sipos (James Earl Jones II) and Mr. Maraczek (Terry Hamilton) in “She Loves Me” at Marriott Theatre. Photo by Liz Lauren

Luckily, Marriott Lead Artistic director Aaron Thielen recognized the need by bringing composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick’s and writer Joe Masteroff’s delightful 1963 musical,  ‘She Loves Me,’ to this Lincolnshire theatre.

The plot: two people fall in love with each other through letters and later find out that their correspondents are people they know and don’t think they like.

That story line has been too good not to repeat in different forms over the years. Think “The Shop Around the Corner,” “In the Good Old Summertime” and more recently, “You’ve Got Mail.” Continue reading “Old-fashioned romance makes a nice break from serious messages”

Who can be trusted when there are ‘Objects in the Mirror?’

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

If you paint over a color you lived with for years would you be able to forget the original, familiar shade? What about your identity? If you identify your name with your family, could you comfortably give it up and adopt a different name and identity?

Luopu Workolo (Lily Mojekwu) makes son Shedrick Kennedy Yakpai (Daniel Kyri) promise to do whatever necessary to survive as he leaves Liberia for a safe country. Photo by Liz Lauren
Luopu Workolo (Lily Mojekwu) makes son Shedrick Kennedy Yakpai (Daniel Kyri) promise to do whatever necessary to survive as he leaves Liberia for a safe country. Photo by Liz Lauren

In ‘Objects in the Mirror’ now at Goodman Theatre, Shedrick Kennedy Yarkpai,  a young  man who escaped to Australia from war-torn Liberia with his uncle John Workolo’s family, had to leave his mother,  Luopu Workolo, and adopt his dead cousin Zaza’s name so that his uncle could use his name for another family member who also needed papers.

The name change haunts Shedrick throughout the play.

Continue reading “Who can be trusted when there are ‘Objects in the Mirror?’”

Glorious voices do justice to Lerner and Loewe music and lyrics

 

RECOMMENDED

The wonderfully lyrical songs and the delightfully fun numbers in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ plus the gorgeous voice of Lisa O’Hare as Eliza Doolittle and Anthony Powell’s costumes are reasons enough to see the Lyric’s show.

Eliza Doolittle (Lisa O'Hare) and Mrs. Higgins (Helen Carey) and cast at Ascot. Todd Rosenberg Photography
Eliza Doolittle (Lisa O’Hare) and Mrs. Higgins (Helen Carey) and cast at Ascot. Todd Rosenberg Photography

Bryce Pinkham who played  Monty Navarro on Broadway in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” was a treat to hear as he sang “On the Street Where You Live” as Freddy Eynsford Hill. So was the ensemble, many of whom either hailed from the Lyric Opera Chorus or past Lyric operas.

Powell’s period costumes made exceptional fashion statements that defined the characters.

The voices, music, lyrics and the story based on George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” make up for some of the production’s deficiencies.

Richard E. Grant as Henry Higgins appears unaccountably childish, particularly when he waves his arms about in his mother’s home and when back at his office.

In addition, the acts don’t flow well. There is a what-are-we-supposed–to-do-now moment when Eliza visits her father after she has become a lady, and the excellent dancers in Alfred Doolittle’s drunken pre-marriage morning scene move in a way more appropriate for a Parisian Apache street then one in London.

Eliza appears dressed for the ball with Henry Higgins (Richard E. Grant) at his desk and Colonel Pickering (Nicholas Le Prevost) standing. Todd Rosenberg Photography
Eliza appears dressed for the ball with Henry Higgins (Richard E. Grant) at his desk and Colonel Pickering (Nicholas Le Prevost) standing. Todd Rosenberg Photography

Set Designer Tim Hatley’s Ascot scene, shown first in silhouette, perfectly emulated the stiff, no emotion can be shown, restraint expected of the British upper class and O’Hare was grandly shocking in her close encounter with the race and Mrs. Higgins friends.

However, that same stiffness seemed to pervade the production except for Hill’s song and when Eliza encounters him outside Henry Higgens home.

The music, conducted by Broadway veteran David Chase, reminded audiences why “My Fair Lady” continues to be a draw more than 60 years after it debuted.

Directed by Olivier Fredj, the Lyric’s show is the Robert Carsen production for Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet starring a new cast.

Details: ‘My Fair Lady’ is at the Lyric’s Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, April 28 through May 21, 2017. For tickets and other information call (312) 827-5600 or visit My Fair Lady.

 

Old is new again in refreshed ‘Chicago’

 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

It was a very appreciative audience, some dressed as flappers, who packed the house opening night of “Chicago” at Drury Lane Oak Brook.

Alena Watters (Velman Kelly) and ensemble in 'Chicago' at Drury Lane Theatre, photo by Brett Beiner
Alena Watters (Velman Kelly) and ensemble in ‘Chicago’ at Drury Lane Theatre, photo by Brett Beiner

The Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb script with music by John Kander is iconic due in no small part to its signature song “All that Jazz.”

This new production is fresh and energetic with a set worthy of a full-fledged Broadway production. The costumes (or lack thereof) were tastefully sensuous with no hint of vulgarity.  Every performance was spot on and the choreography of Jane Lanier was an entertaining mix of classic Fosse with a hint of Busby Berkeley.

It’s hard to explain how a story line that follows the escapades of a number of imprisoned female murderers plotting their strategies to elude prosecution can be so amusing. However this dark subject matter manages to find humor in the abject cynicism of the characters and the media’s interest in salacious subject matter.

The two co-equal leading ladies Alena Watters (as Velma Kelly) and Kelly Fethous (as Roxie Hart) are smitten with the idea of parlaying their infamy as murderesses into bankable fame on the vaudeville stage upon their seemingly inevitable acquittals.

Velma and Roxie’s certainty of release is based on the flawless record of their attorney one Billy Flynn skillfully played by Guy Lockhard.

Cast of 'Chicago' at Drury Lane Theatre, photo by Brett Beiner
Cast of ‘Chicago’ at Drury Lane Theatre, photo by Brett Beiner

These three characters drive the story aided by Matron Mama Morton (E. Faye Butler) and Roxie’s pathetic husband Amos Hart (Justin Brill) who interject a good deal of humor, notably Amos’ song “Mr. Cellophane” and a charming duet, “Class” by Velma and Mama Morton.

The character of Mary Sunshine (J. London) is also delightful as is her solo “A Little Bit of Good” dynamically sung in an operatic style.

The action takes place in the 1920’s, so suitably, the play’s style harkens back to productions from that era.

It is more of a musical revue based around a loose storyline, rather than a more traditional play that utilizes songs to further the plot – – which is the formula of modern American Musicals of the post WWII era

In this way the production is closer in style to George Cohan than Rodgers and Hammerstein while the overall mood is reminiscent of ‘ Cabaret’ and ‘A Three Penny Opera.’

‘Chicago’ is a fun evening, suggested as appropriate for children 13 and older.

Details: ‘Chicago’  is at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, IL now through June 18, 2017.  For tickets and other information call (630) 530-0111 and visit Drury Lane.

By Reno Lovison

(Guest reviewer Reno Lovison produces business videos. His interest in theater began very young. He studied with the Jack & Jill Players Children Theater and earned his Equity Card appearing in several professional Chicago productions at the Goodman Theatre, Mill Run, Melody Top and Ivanhoe. Reno does content writing, blogging and business articles and has authored two non-fiction books. See business video at Renoweb.)

 

 

Chekhovian takeoff is serious fun

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Imagine children named for popular characters who then take on some of those people’s  characteristics in situations similar to their namesake’s and you get some idea of what to expect in ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha And Spike.’

Ellen Phelps (sonia), Billy Minshall (Vanya) and Sisie Steinmeyer (Masha) at Citadel Theatre. Photo by North Shore Camera Club
Ellen Phelps (Sonia), Billy Minshall (Vanya) and Susie Steinmeyer (Masha) at Citadel Theatre. Photo by North Shore Camera Club

Written by satirist and witty playwright Christopher Durang, and directed  by Mark E. Lococo, Loyola University Director of Theatre, the play is currently bringing chuckles to the Citadel stage in Lake Forest.

When Vanya’s adopted sister, Sonia, says she had a bad dream – “I’m 52 and not married,” he answers, “You are 52 and not married.” He asks her if her dream was a documentary.

Seriously funny, the play is, in a sense, a tribute to Anton Chekhov’s understanding of sibling relationships, middle-aged angst and boredom.

A mash-up of Chekhov’s characters in ‘The Seagull,’ ‘Uncle Vanya’ and ‘The Three Sisters,’  the action plays out in a Bucks County, PA farmhouse in an increasingly attractive region outside of Philadelphia. Kudos to Scenic Designer Michael Lewis for creating a terrific setting on Citadel’s intimate stage.

Vanya and Sonia, named by their late parents who were professors, still live in the house where they grew up but it is owned by their sister Masha, a successful actress who pays the bills instead of an aging, male relative. Of course the land includes somewhat of a cherry orchard.

The play’s title, alone, clues audiences in to Durang’s play as a Chekhovian takeoff. Instead of an aging professor bringing his young, beautiful wife home, Masha shows off her young lover, Spike who likes to undress to show off his bod.

Add to the mix, Cassandra, a colorful psychic cleaning lady, blends Greek tragedy with Haitian voodoo for some delicious, almost Carol Burnett-style comedy.

It all works because of perfect, inspired casting.

Billy Minshall, Father Mark in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is the ideal, philosophical, gay Vanya. He is writing a play seen through the eyes of a molecule that is left when the earth destructs. His rage at Spike’s representing current cultural and societal change, is worth the price of admission.

Multi-talented actress/director Ellen Phelps wears the life-has-passed-me-by Sonia role so well she might have just stepped out of Chekhov’s world. But unlike a Chekhov play, she goes to a costume party, her first outing in years, and dresses as Maggie Smith going to an Oscar ceremony. Afterwards, Phelps does an amazing phone piece as a woman who doesn’t know how to respond when a man she met at the party calls for a dinner date.

Susie Steinmeyer, outstanding in Citadel’s ‘Lend Me A Tenor’ and ‘Jake’s Women,’ projects just the right amount of celebrity aura and angst as an  actress who doesn’t want to admit shes aging.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater regular Colin Morgan is superb as the witless boy-toy Spike. Lizzie Schwarzrock is delightful as ingénue Nina, a next door neighbor who admires Masha and wants to be an actress.

Judy Lea Steele, a veteran of Chicago theater, brings the house down when she crazily warns of various misfortunes as Cassandra.

North Shore theater goers are lucky to have the production so close but it is worth a trip north for Chicagoans.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha And Spike’ is at Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Rd. lake forest, now thru May 28, 2017. For tickets and other information call (847) 735-8554 or visit Citadel.

 

‘Marry Me A Little’ entertains big

 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Joy, passion, happiness, pessimism, satire and angst, the various moods of brilliant composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim are all represented in ‘Marry Me A Little’ at Porchlight Music Theatre.

Austin Cook (The Man) and Bethany Thomas (The Woman) in 'Marry Me A Little' at Porchlight Music Theatre. Photo by Brandon Dahlquist
Austin Cook (The Man) and Bethany Thomas (The Woman) in ‘Marry Me A Little’ at Porchlight Music Theatre. Photo by Brandon Dahlquist

Magnificently performed with an amazingly broad vocal range by Bethany Thomas and artfully sung and played on the piano by multi-talented Austin Cook, the Porchlight production is a special treat for Sondheim fans.

The 21 pieces that make up the show include rarely heard songs.

Continue reading “‘Marry Me A Little’ entertains big”

Marquee lights to dim for Martha Lavey

Martha Lavey Steppenwolf photo
Martha Lavey
Steppenwolf photo

If at a show Friday, expect the marquee lights to go dim about half an hour before curtain time.

Live theater venues across Chicago and suburbs will be honoring Steppenwolf’s Martha Lavey who died April 25 from stroke complications at age 60.

An amazing director and actress, Lavey helmed Steppenwolf’s productions as artistic director from 1995 to 2015 but she also was a great supporter of Chicago’s theater community.

Lavey who studied at Northwestern University first acted at Steppenwolf in 1981 then later joined the ensemble.

Among her many accomplishments was the development and production of Tracy Letts’ award winning ‘August: Osage County.’

On a personal note, I’ve been following Steppenwolf since 1976 when the company performed out of the basement at a church in Highland Park.

Some shows were more successful than others but they were a young, recently out of college group of talented actors. Few of us in the audience knew then that their company would grow to more than 40 actors and become known worldwide.

They were Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, Gary Sinise, H.E. Baccus, Nancy Evans, Moira Harris, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Alan Wilder.

The company continues to be made up of exceptional actors who with Lavey’s guidance were unafraid to take on edgy and insightful scripts.

For more Steppenwolf timeline information visit Steppenwolf.

 

Lyric stage appropriate for this fair lady

If you sometimes think you “Could have danced all night” or become exasperated when others take credit and say “You Did It” to each other for something brilliant that you worked hard to achieve, you can relive those experiences and appreciate how Eliza Doolittle felt in ‘My Fair Lady.’

'My Fair Lady' starring Lisa O'Hare Richard E. Grant opens April 28, 2017 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
‘My Fair Lady’ starring Lisa O’Hare and Richard E. Grant opens April 28, 2017 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

An Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe hit musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion,’  ‘My Fair Lady’ will be Lyric’s fifth Broadway show to come at the end of its regular opera season.

Opening April 28 and running through May 21, 2017, the Lyric’s offering stars TV, film and stage veteran Richard E. Grant as Henry Higgins and opera, Broadway and TV regular Lisa O’Hare as Eliza Doolittle.

Directed by Olivier Fredj and conducted by David Chase, the show is the American premiere of Robert Carsen’s  production for Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet but with a new cast.

Lyric goers know that fair ladies, transformations, thwarted dreams, unusual relationships and not perfect happily-ever-afters are typical opera fare, so presenting such issues in a hit musical by American composers at the Civic Opera House should be expected.

Indeed, the Lyric opera stage is a natural setting for shows by American musical composers, according to Diva Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant since 2010.

“After 100 years in this country, the American musical has achieved “classic” status, and opera companies with extraordinary artistic resources are uniquely positioned to present productions at the highest level as part of the standard repertory. We needn’t wait for Broadway touring companies to present works that are tailor-made for the Chicago community,” Fleming said when Lyric launched the series.

Details: ‘My Fair Lady’ is at the Lyric’s Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, April 28 through May 21, 2017. For tickets and other information call (312) 827-5600 or visit My Fair Lady.

 

Ethel becomes Juliet when Shakespeare falls in love

RECOMMENDED

Try saying ‘Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter’ as the name of a play by William Shakespeare.

After hearing that phrase in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and thinking “you’ve got to be kidding,” the reason for the nutty title makes sense if willing to accept that the bard started out like an embryonic chick breaking through its eggshell rather than a fully developed hen ready to produce offspring.

Marlowe (Michael Perez) works with a frustrated Will Shakespeare (Nick Rehberger) in 'Shakespeare in Love' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, now through June 11, 2017. Photo by Liz Lauren.
Marlowe (Michael Perez) works with a frustrated Will Shakespeare (Nick Rehberger) in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, now through June 11, 2017. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall from Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s screenplay of the same title, ‘Shakespeare in Love’ starts with a young, struggling but talented Will Shakespeare.

He’s under pressure to hand over a new play to two different sponsors but is unable to go beyond a beginning phrase and a working title with “Ethel” as the heroine.

In the witty minds of Norman and Stoppard, Will needs help from friends, foes and rivals to replace Ethel and pirates with better protagonists.

What develops is the play that eventually becomes his famed ‘Romeo and Juliet’ tragedy and also the germ of an idea that leads to the ‘Twelfth Night’ comedy.

Along the way, expertly guided by Director Rachel Rockwell and with spot-on portrayals from a talented cast, the Chicago Shakespeare version provides fascinating insight into the precarious profession of play writing and production,  men-only acting companies and the lack of women’s rights in the sixteenth century England of Queen Elizabeth I.

Kate McGonigle is delightful as Shakespeare’s muse, Viola de Lesseps. She dresses as a boy to be Romeo in his new play, but unmasked, she is the inspiration for his Juliet. Viola is also the name of the heroine disguised as a male in  ‘Twelfth Night.’

Nick Rehberger successfully depicts a somewhat bumbling, young, penniless Will Shakespeare who falls in love with Viola. He becomes so tongue tied talking to her he needs descriptive poetic phrases from his friend, playwright Kit Marlowe, well interpreted by Michael Perez.

Part of the fun of the play is that the characters, from theater owners and acting company managers to actors and playwrights, were real people back in Shakespeare’s time.

Viola (Kate McGonicale) dances with the uninvited Will (Nick Rehberger) at a ball held by her father. Photo by Liz Lauren.
Viola (Kate McGonicale) dances with the uninvited Will (Nick Rehberger) at a ball held by her father. Photo by Liz Lauren.

However, the play’s  message turns out to be that the Romeo-style Will and Juliet-style Viola don’t turn to suicide just because their romance can’t lead to a happily-ever-after ending.

Viola has been pledged to a titled gentleman who wants her family’s money to establish plantations in Virginia so she has to leave England with him. Will is already married although he says they are separated.

Of course Chicago Shakespeare’s physical theater complemented by Scott Davis’ scenic design adds the right historic setting, but Susan E. Mickey’s wonderful period costumes are important to set the characters into their station in English life.

Details: ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago,  now through June 11, 2017.  For tickets and other information call (312) 595-5600 and visit Chicago Shakes.