Displaying items by tag: EUREKA DAY

Lake Forest's Citadel Theatre has announced its 2026-27 mainstage season, which will include two favorites and two acclaimed recent pieces that may be new to north shore audiences. The season will commence with the satirical comedy EUREKA DAY, which examines the frequently contradictory practices of a fictional, highly progressive private school located in Berkeley, California. The play, which premiered in Berkeley in 2018, deals with topical subjects like vaccinations, privilege, and communication, utilizing sharp wit, farce, and intense dialogue to create laughter  It was produced on Broadway in the 2024-25 season and won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of Play. Scott Westerman, the director of such Citadel hits as MISERY, A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, THE MOUSETRAP, and SEX WITH STRANGERS, will direct. EUREKA DAY will open Friday, September 11 at 7:30 pm, following a preview on September 9, and play through October 11.
 
In November and December, Citadel will be visited by Clarence the Angel and the beleaguered George Bailey when the company presents IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE LIVE RADIO PLAY, based on the perennial favorite holiday film that starred James Stewart and Donna Reed. When the film premiered in 1946, before the television era, it was a common practice for popular films to be performed as live radio plays, and IT'S WONDERFUL LIFE was performed live on THE LUX RADIO THEATRE with Stewart recreating his role as George Bailey on December 23, 1947. This radio play adaptation by playwright Joe Landry not only brings the film's beloved story to the stage, but it also recreates the magic of the heyday of radio dramas. Landry has added original pastiches of commercial jingles that run throughout the play and created characters of the radio actors who are playing the characters of the film. Jack Hickey, the former Artistic Director of Oak Park Festival Theatre, who directed Citadel's THE COTTAGE in 2024, will return to Citadel to direct. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY will open on Friday, November 13 after previews on November 11 and 12, and play through December 13.
 
Citadel will follow IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE with another story from the 1940's that has never faded in popularity: Tennessee Williams' THE GLASS MENAGERIE. In depression-era St. Louis, Amanda Wingfield dreams of her past as an attractive, sought-after southern belle and wants to believe her painfully shy daughter can enjoy the same sort of popularity. Amanda's adult son Tom spends his days working in a shoe warehouse and his nights at the movies, dreaming of a way to find a more exciting life. THE GLASS MENAGERIE premiered in Chicago on December 26, 1944, and was an instant sensation, establishing Williams as a major American playwright. This poetic and emotional work exploring the tension between reality and illusion, will be directed by Scott Shallenbarger, who helmed Citadel's I AND YOU and MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET. Citadel co-founder Ellen Phelps will take on the iconic role of Amanda Wingfield. THE GLASS MENAGERIE will open on Friday, February 12, following previews on February 10 and 11 and play through March 14.
 
Closing Citadel's 2026-27 season will be ORDINARY DAYS, a musical about four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. This sung-through musical featuring 21 songs has been an international hit since it premiered in 2008 in a production at Penn State University. Over the next ten years, it was produced in London (six times), Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Wellington, New Zealand before finally making its off-Broadway premiere in 2018. It has enjoyed continued popularity around the world since then, and its ballad, "I'll Be Here" has been recorded by such artists as Audra McDonald and Liz Callaway. ORDINARY DAYS will be directed for Citadel by Christina Ramirez, who directed RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL for Citadel Theatre in April and May 2026. ORDINARY DAYS will open to the press on Friday, April 16, following previews on April 14 and 15, and play through May 16.
 
Season subscriptions are available for the full four-show season at $140.00, or as flex passes that can be used for the patron's choice of either three shows for $115.00 or two shows for $80.00. Preview flex passes are also available for $45 (two shows), $55 (three shows), or $65 (four shows). Subscriptions and single tickets priced at $50 (plus ticketing. Fees) are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org. 
 
Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing is available on the company's website at www.citadeltheatre.org. 

Let’s face it – in today’s world, “vaccinations” are a hot-button topic. More than ever, anything around health has become highly politicized, and for some, can elicit a deeply emotional reaction. Therefore, consensus is even harder to come by, and for some, even entering the debate feels impossible.

Despite all of that, leave it to Playwright Jonathan Spector to do the impossible and turn a play about vaccinations and consensus into a laugh-out-loud comedy. If you’re anything like this Opening Night audience, you might even find yourself gasping for air as you try to work through the laughter enough to absorb whatever witty one-liner comes next.

Spector’s Eureka Day takes place at a highly progressive private school where all decisions are made by consensus. However, when a mumps outbreak takes over the school, the Executive Board is going to find that artisanal scones are not always going to provide enough band aid for differing opinions.  Chaos ensues as parents clash in opinions over vaccinations and research, leaving the community unsure of how the school will ever recover.

Directed by Lili‑Anne Brown, Eureka Day is a witty, fast‑paced production presented by TimeLine Theatre in partnership with Broadway in Chicago. The work of Brown’s talented creative team immediately transports us into an elementary school library – particularly that of Scenic Designer Collete Pollard. The combination of picture books, colorful bean bags, and small chairs is sure to leave you feeling nostalgic as you think back to a time when you perhaps inhabited spaces like this.

Brown’s production features a strong ensemble with spot-on comedic timing. PJ Powers as Don, Eureka Day’s principal, elicited great laughter at this performance through his deep need to smooth over any debate. With every sigh or pause, he had the audience in the palm of his hand – wondering how he was going to try and navigate that particular rough patch. Jürgen Hooper expertly strikes a delicate balance with his approach to Eli, a character that walks a line as he tries to embody the stereotypical “white, woke man.”  Aurora Adachi-Winter has an authentic, genuine approach to her Meiko – the mom so many of us will recognize as the one who does not want to ruffle feathers, but also only has so much farther she can be pushed before she simply has to let her anger explode.

You might find that part of the cleverness of Spector’s story is its ability to invite an audience to empathize with both sides of the vaccination debate. Much as one might expect – not every parent meets eye to eye. As the school navigates the decision on whether or not to mandate the mumps vaccine for their students, we receive a window into the personal experiences of families on both sides.

In one particular scene, it is only Suzanne (Rebekah Ward) and Carina (Gabrielle Lott-Rogers) on stage. It is clear at this point that while Carina is pro-vaccination requirements, Suzanne is very much against. There is a great deal of silence, and the discomfort can be felt in the audience. While I do not wish to give away all of the details, I can say this – both actors treat their sides of the debate with a delicate grace. There is an openness and generosity from both Lott-Rogers and Ward that allows the audience to understand where they are each coming from. Regardless of which side of the debate on which you fall, you might just find yourself moved by the scene – and the ability for both characters to let down their walls and help each other understand their side of a highly personal topic.

A witty script with a lot of heart makes Eureka Day an absolute must-see. The topic alone is timely, and the ensemble brings it to life in a way that will stick with you for days.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Eureka Day runs through February 22, 2026 at Broadway Playhouse – 175 E. Chestnut Street. For tickets and information, see the Timeline Theatre website.