Three very different productions that recently opened on Chicago stages serve as a powerful reminder of the dramatically varied ways in which the language of dance can be spoken.
Stories by Hedy Weiss
Instantly Joyful ‘Djembe!’ Encourages Everyone to Bang on a Drum
Prepare to head home from “Djembe!” – the irresistibly engaging interactive music show now at the Apollo Theater – with callouses on the palms of your hands and a giant grin on your face.
ABT’s ‘Whipped Cream’ Designed to Feed Ballet Audience’s Sweet Tooth
Now receiving its Chicago debut, this full-length fairy tale production created for American Ballet Theatre is a frothy, visually lavish confection sure to generate either a light-headed sugar rush or a serious sugar coma.
Softhearted Detective Delves into Life of Boy Who Was ‘Too Much’
“The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey” is a wildly creative story about a familiar message brought to life by Chicago actor Joe Foust’s effortless storytelling skills, comic sensibility and emotional range.
Gauthier’s ‘Mega Israel’ a Thrilling Dance Trifecta of Originality, Technique and Endurance
Fearsome choreography, dazzling dancers and innovative sound and music marked the Chicago debut of Gauthier Dance in a stunning program at the Harris Theater.
In Search of Shelter and Security in ‘Landladies’
This edgy new play by Sharyn Rothstein, making its world premiere at Northlight Theatre, deals with the most primal human needs – for shelter, security, a sense of self-worth and love.
‘Little Shop’ Grows Deep Roots at Mercury Theater
And: Composer Alan Menken charms Auditorium audience
Alan Menken performs his delightful one-man show to a packed house in the Loop as his first hit musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” receives a terrific production on the North Side.
‘Anastasia’ a Big Budget Mess of a Musical That Makes History
Here is the looming question: How could three great talents (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens and Terrence McNally) go so completely wrong with this Broadway musical “inspired by” the 1997 animated musical film?
Court’s Soul-Baring Revival of ‘For Colored Girls’ Finds New Power in Classic Work
In this electrifying revival directed by Seret Scott, Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking work has never been so sharply defined in terms of character, language and overall narrative drive.
Black Ensemble Shines Light on Gospel Great Mahalia Jackson
For years now, Jackie Taylor has reminded Black Ensemble audiences that “going to the theater is like to going to church.” In her latest production, this sentiment takes on a decidedly literal meaning.
Israel’s Mayumana Puts an Electrified High-Tech Spin on Percussive ‘Stomp!’
“Stomp!” based its show on the notion that you can make a joyful noise with everything from brooms to kitchen sinks. Mayumana builds on that concept with some great bolts of 21st century electrification.
Fathers and Sons at the Heart of New Musical Take on ‘A Bronx Tale’
This unapologetically old-fashioned coming-of-age story – with a creative team that includes Chazz Palminteri, Alan Menken, Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks – is a poignant and insightful look at the complex relationship between fathers (whether real or “surrogate”) and sons.
Irishmen Bring Music, Meditation to Chicago Stages in ‘Choir of Man,’ ‘Two Pints’
Lift a glass and make a toast to the musical and verbal talents of some Emerald Islanders who have arrived on the shores of Lake Michigan for brief stays.
Theo Ubique Unleashes the Italian Opera Soul in ‘Bridges of Madison County’
This is one of those productions that makes you wish the show’s composer and writer would make a quick trip to Chicago to see their work in what might just be its ideal incarnation.
Joffrey Academy’s ‘Winning Works’ Program More Than Justifies its Title
From the performers’ dazzling technical skill and emotional conviction to the sophistication and complexity of each choreographer’s work, this program of four world premiere works was remarkable on many levels.
In Rennie Harris’ ‘Lazarus,’ the Spirit of Alvin Ailey Rises to Freedom
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Chicago with three different lineups, including an opening program that captures its illustrious history with an absolutely fascinating, generation-shifting juxtaposition of two pieces.
Chicago’s Hubbard Street Meets Cuba’s Malpaso for Ingenious Mashup
A stunning program interlaced the formidable talents of dancers and choreographers from each company, suggesting that the two, if not quite identical twins, are the very closest of kissing cousins, different only in some distinctive rhythmic impulses.
Director Batters the Baroque in Lyric Opera Production of Handel’s ‘Ariodante’
British director Richard Jones has attempted to yank Handel’s rarely mounted Baroque opera into a more modern era by devising a wholly gratuitous, meaningless and needlessly coarse vision of the work. I just didn’t buy it.
Akram Khan’s Transformational ‘Giselle’ Casts Hypnotic Spell
Akram Khan’s “Giselle” is a hypnotic stunner that injects a primal scream into a story of romantic betrayal and class warfare whose mystical element has long captivated audiences.
Chicago Flamenco Festival Kicks Off Season Full of Dance
From flamenco to contemporary to ballet, dance takes over Chicago area stages this month.
A Contentious Family Dinner Morphs Into an Absurdist Black Comedy in ‘Act(s) of God’
This feverishly verbal play, now receiving its world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, poses some epic, cosmic questions while capturing the more familiar aspects of family relationships and identity crises. But it supplies no answers.
CSO Concert Moves from Earthly Horror to Heavenly Yearning
The CSO’s current program features two radically different pieces: American composer William Schuman’s haunting “Symphony No. 9” and Mozart’s glorious “Requiem in D Minor.”
Six Girls Negotiate Difficult Road to Adulthood in ‘Twilight Bowl’
“Twilight Bowl” is a telling depiction of a crucial transitional period in the lives of a cross-section of young women who are at once lost and found in the American heartland.
In ‘The Abuelas,’ a Chilling Episode in Argentina’s History Washes Up on Lake Shore Drive
Stephanie Alison Walker’s new play serves as a chilling reminder of a particularly horrific period in Argentina’s history when, from 1976 to 1983, that nation was under the thumb of a brutal military dictatorship.
At Lyric, a ‘La Traviata’ of Great Intimacy Amid the Social Whirl of Paris
The beauty of this production goes beyond the absolute glory of Giuseppe Verdi’s impassioned, vocally demanding score. And while the voices are uniformly superb, so is the almost conversational style of acting.
