Any description of Rajiv Joseph’s mini-play — the newest entry in Steppenwolf Theatre’s NOW series of virtual programming that runs about 11 minutes — might make it sound like just a quick virtual doodle. But it is much more than that.
Stories by hedy weiss
New CSOtv Episodes an Ideal Tonic for Locked-Down World
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s CSOtv Sessions series is, without question, the finest virtual music treasure created in response to the COVID-19 plague year. Those who have yet to revel in its delights are encouraged to catch its two newest entries: Episodes #11 and #12.
Scott Silven Casts Poetic, Mystical Spell in ‘The Journey’ at Chicago Shakespeare
Created and performed by Scott Silven, a young actor, writer, illusionist, mentalist and masterful storyteller, “The Journey” is a mesmerizing riff on time, space, memory, human connection, and the tricks that our very own existence can play on us.
Charles Dickens’ ‘The Chimes’ Rings In A New Year Rife With Economic Despair (And Hope)
Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has long been the standard-bearer of the December theater season. But a subsequent and far less familiar novella is now receiving a bravura solo rendition courtesy of Remy Bumppo Theatre.
Hershey Felder’s Dive Into the Music of Debussy Is A Fervent Elegy For His Mother
For several decades, Hershey Felder has created a series of richly theatrical biographies of great composers. His latest work, “A Paris Love Story,” follows that essential pattern but adds a heartbreaking layer of autobiography.
Chicago Opera Theater Makes Flexibility the Operative Principle of Its Season
With the coronavirus pandemic foiling plans for a trio of live performances, Chicago Opera Theater has adapted its 2020-2021 season to be a primarily virtual one.
CSOtv’s Sessions an Ideal Musical Diversion for Pandemic Times
The doors of Chicago’s Symphony Center may be closed to its audiences until the pandemic has been conquered. But its stage is still very much alive.
Tapping Into the Intimate Potential of Virtual Performance With ‘What is Left, Burns’
James Ijames’ 20-minute play marks the opening salvo in Steppenwolf Now — a series of six virtual productions designed to serve as placeholders until there is a return to live theater — a return that seems ever more elusive.
2020 Jeff Awards a Remembrance of Things Past in Chicago’s Theater World
This year’s announcement of the 2020 Jeff Awards, which honor excellence in Chicago’s Equity contract theaters, took the form of a virtual event. Here is a list of the top award winners.
Chronicling the Unhappy Lives of America’s First Ladies
The Neo-Futurists go virtual with “45 Plays for America’s First Ladies,” a 100-minute world premiere collage created by the company of writer-directors that was established in Chicago in 1988.
CSO’s New Virtual Concert Series a Sheer Delight
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s newly devised CSO Sessions programming provides ample proof that “adversity is the mother of invention.” And its initial series of five on-demand, beautifully filmed video recordings is a sheer delight.
Porchlight Puts a Distinctive Virtual Spin on Broadway
The 45-minute “Broadway By the Decade,” performed by a gifted six-person cast, features representative songs from musicals spanning 10 decades.
CSO Announces Innovative Fall Programming Plans
For now, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be focused on intimate, virtual experiences for its fall 2020 season, which includes the launch of a new digital series of performances.
Joffrey Ballet and Lyric Opera Cancel Their Fall Seasons
This fall was to mark the Joffrey’s first season in its new home on the Lyric Opera stage after many years of residence at the Auditorium Theatre.
Dance for Life’s 2020 Benefit Rechoreographed For the Times
Dancers, perhaps more than any other group of performing artists, have been hit hardest, both artistically and financially, by the fallout from the coronavirus. So this year’s Dance for Life 2020 event will feature a new virtual format.
Writers Theatre Devises a Flexible Plan for 2020-21 Season
How do you design a pandemic-era theater season? The Glencoe-based theater has devised a multifaceted plan that combines a degree of certainty with the option of built-in flexibility, with the ultimate goal of keeping live theater alive.
Chicago Opera Theater Signals Return of Live Music Before Thanksgiving
Amid all the dire warnings that live performances might not start up again until 2021, the news that the richly creative company plans to begin its three-production season in November comes as an enormous spirit-raiser.
Goodman Theatre Shuffles Schedule as Pandemic Uncertainty Reigns
With all the uncertainty facing theaters and their audiences, the Goodman Theatre is postponing the four productions remaining in its current spring and summer 2020 season, and will announce additional shows for the coming season at a later date.
Grant Park Music Festival Joins List of Summer Cancellations
The news is increasing familiar, yet heartbreaking. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, yet another much-beloved live music series is being silenced this summer.
Ravinia Festival Cancels Entire 2020 Summer Season
The decision to cancel the season was made with the “health and safety of the festival’s artists, staff and neighbors,” in mind, Ravinia’s President and CEO Welz Kauffman said in a statement.
2020 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominees Announced Amid Darkness of Pandemic
With 10 nominations, Griffin Theatre led the pack on a list that serves as a vivid reminder of the exuberance of pre-pandemic times on Chicago stages. But it suggests what has been lost, too.
Lyric Opera Crafts Future Seasons with Postponed Productions, and Muti Turns to CSO Archives
Lyric’s canceled productions of “42nd Street” and “Blue” are now slated to run in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Meanwhile, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is partnering with WFMT on a series beginning next week.
How Chicago’s Storefront Theaters Are Facing the Coronavirus Crisis
Because Chicago is the storefront theater capital of this country, it’s worth looking at the situation now facing some of these small companies and how they are trying to deal with the global pandemic.
A Smashing Lookingglass Premiere Captures Complex Chemistry Between Cabrini-Green and Jane Byrne
Lookingglass Theatre’s dazzlingly performed world premiere production is a theatrical and sociological gem of a work that should catapult its writer-director, ensemble member J. Nicole Brooks, to genuine fame.
Dance is the Name of the Game on Chicago Stages as Alvin Ailey Company Leads the Way
Chicago’s dance card is full to bursting. And one of the city’s most beloved “visitors” – the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – is now drawing its usual huge crowds to the Auditorium Theatre.
TUTA Heightens the Shock Value in ‘Hedda Gabler’ With Blasts of Music
When it comes to revivals of Henrik Ibsen’s plays in this era of neo-feminism, “A Doll’s House” attracts the most attention. But it is the title character in “Hedda Gabler” who takes the cake. And in this new production, she has never been more compelling and convincing.
