Displaying items by tag: live theatre

Based on the novel by Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao follows neurodivergent and perpetually lovelorn college student Oscar as he fixates on the fukú – a generational curse he believes has haunted his family’s love lives for decades. Oscar’s college roommate and his sister Lola by his side, the trio journeys to Santo Domingo, uncovering more about Oscar and Lola’s family history and the fukú than none of them bargained for.

At the heart of the story is the trio of Oscar (Lenin D’Anthony Izquierdo), Yunior (Kelvin Grullon), and Lola (Julissa Calderon), who are as messy, spirited, and loving as three college kids can be. Their chemistry feels genuinely lived-in: the easy humor, the sharp edges, the quiet loyalties. Their dynamic perfectly captures the complexities of chosen family, blurred boundaries, and sibling devotion, all while keeping the audience constantly laughing. 

While often sharp and funny, Oscar and Lola’s mother, Beli (Yohanna Florentino), delivers the production’s most devastating performance. She embodies the tension of someone trying – fiercely, desperately – to do right by her children, yet repeatedly falling short. Florentino’s performance is astonishingly intimate; even in a full theatre, she makes it feel as though her pain is being shared one-on-one with each audience member.

The show – especially in its first act – is funny, self-aware, and unabashedly camp. Although set among college-aged characters in the 1990s, Director Wendy Mateo has made the show feel timeless and accessible to audiences of all ages. The script incorporates a significant amount of Spanish, most often through colloquial phrases and biting insults, yet the cast’s physicality and clarity ensure that no translation is required to follow the emotional stakes. It’s a compelling reminder that audiences don’t need to speak Spanish to fully appreciate bilingual storytelling when the performances are this grounded.

Where the production occasionally stumbles is in its visual storytelling, particularly once the setting shifts to Santo Domingo. The scenic design’s abstract, college-forward aesthetic serves the first half well, but meshes less cohesively with the production’s second act shift into heightened spiritual and video game-inspired imagery. This evolution also introduces more disruptive set transitions – unlike the fluid, almost invisible shifts of Act One, several Act Two changes require full stops in the action, interrupting momentum and dampening the pacing. At its best, the projections and gaming motifs cleverly mirror Oscar’s inner grasp of reality and the story’s mythic foundation. At their weakest, however, they overtake the truly human stakes at the center of the narrative.

One moment in particular – a key story from Beli’s past – is partially rendered through animation and projection rather than live performance. Given the emotional precision already established onstage, the stylistic shift feels jarring and unintentionally distances the audience from what should be an intimate revelation. The production’s reliance on heightened, game-like aesthetics resurfaces in later confrontations as well, occasionally pushing character choices toward exaggeration at moments that call for gravity. The result is a tonal imbalance that slightly undercuts the weight of the story’s final turns.

While the stage adaptation diverges in notable ways from the novel, the production stands strongest when viewed as its own interpretation rather than a strict retelling. That said, the emotional core of Oscar’s story remains intact and, by the final moments, the theatre is silent enough to hear a pin drop – a testament to the emotional weight the cast ultimately earns.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is running in The Goodman’s Owen Theatre through April 12th. Tickets are available at https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao/.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, under the leadership of Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis and Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan, today announced its 2026/27 Season, marking the next chapter of the company's bold, visceral and muscular work, while celebrating a dynamic range of exciting new voices and Steppenwolf legends. The 51st Season features five Steppenwolf Membership Series productions: two world premieres, a Chicago premiere, an English-Language premiere and a modern masterpiece – all emblematic of Steppenwolf's indelible impression on the American Theatre. Steppenwolf also doubles down on its decades-long mission to immerse Chicago's youth in the arts through its lauded educational initiatives – and provide much-needed artistic space for the city's bustling community of multi-disciplinary artists, along with itinerant theatre companies.

Steppenwolf Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis comment, "It is perhaps clearer today than at any other moment in our 50-year history: Steppenwolf is the place to experience the next big thing in American theatre. From Broadway transfers of plays that were born right here on Halsted Street, to world premieres that go on to be produced all over the country, this company continues to define cutting-edge, risky and damn fine theatre for audiences around the world."

Davis and Francis continue, "But, if you know Steppenwolf, you know that the awards, the recognition, the platitudes: it's all secondary to what drives us forward. Everything we do begins with our North Star of bringing Chicago audiences theatre they can sink their teeth into, brought to life by our ensemble of world class artists. In planning our 51st season, we knew we wanted to bring Chicago a slate of plays that deliver on Steppenwolf's promise of teeing up gritty, provocative and riotous drama – before you might see it somewhere else."

Raising the curtain on Steppenwolf's 51st Season, Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog returns to North Halsted more than two decades after the company's celebrated 2003 production. Helmed by Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood go head-to-head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride. Up next, Steppenwolf continues its tradition of bringing new works to the American theatre canon with the world premiere of Chicago playwright Stephanie Alison Walker's biting satire Adirondack Chair Circle, directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon and featuring ensemble member Audrey Francis. The 2026/27 continues with the Chicago premiere of The Comeuppance, a riveting dark comedy from Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright of Purpose. Ensemble member Tina Landau ​directs this co-production with American Conservatory Theater featuring an ensemble-stacked cast including Celeste M. Cooper, Caroline Neff, Karen Rodriguez and Namir Smallwood​. Next spring, Steppenwolf presents the English-Language premiere of Ellen B., a psychological thriller by internationally-lauded playwright Marius von Mayenburg, translated by Daniel Brunet and directed by Whitney White. Concluding the 2026/27 season, ensemble member Terry Kinney directs the world premiere of Adam Rapp's haunting and emotional The Night Fawn, featuring ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain. 

The 2026/27 Season is presented at Steppenwolf's expanded campus, which includes three theaters: the Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, the Downstairs Theater and the intimate 1700 Theater.

Steppenwolf Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan adds, "Moving into the theater's next half century, Steppenwolf continues our commitment to the core values that have made us a global leader of theatrical innovation and a cultural citizen for the City of Chicago. The five dynamic plays produced by our company will be complemented by robust teen programming and education programs that throw open our doors for the next generation of learners, makers and appreciators. Additionally, our three stages will welcome a wide variety of local and visiting artists across discipline, expanding our service as a neighborhood hub for art and innovation."

2026/27 Classic Memberships are now on sale starting as low as $165* and include all five Membership Series productions – three plays in the Downstairs Theater and two in the Ensemble Theater. Classic Members receive priority access to seats along with full membership benefits, including unlimited ticket exchanges. The Black Card, Steppenwolf's flex membership, offers six ticket credits starting as low as $128* that allow patrons flexibility for when and how they see shows at Steppenwolf. For patrons under 30, RED Card Memberships offer six ticket credits for just $107*. Discounted packages for students and teachers and accessible packages are also available. For more information and to purchase Memberships, visit Audience Services at steppenwolf.org or call (312) 335-1650. *Prices include handling fees

Throughout the 2026/27 Season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to education and the next generation of audiences with dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions (Topdog/Underdog, Adirondack Chair Circle, The Comeuppance and Ellen B.). Reaching nearly 15,000 teens, educators and community members annually, Steppenwolf Education and Engagement also includes in-school residencies, teen programs, community partnerships and public programs, educator trainings and Maker Workshops – a series of on-site workshops in artmaking and theater production. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education.

Additionally, Steppenwolf's 2026/27 Season reaffirms the organization's commitment to spotlighting the work of Chicago's vibrant and eclectic artistic communities in the 1700 Theater. Since opening its doors in 2016, this malleable, intimate space has hosted over 1,000 performances featuring the wide breadth of innovative, bold and adventurous work from more than 3,200 artists across a variety of performance genres. As it steps into its second decade of programming, the 1700 Theater will be the home of an ongoing collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions as part of a multi-year partnership between the two organizations while also continuing to feature performing artists across theatrical disciplines of dance, drag, music, storytelling, comedy, puppetry and more.

Steppenwolf also plans to continue presenting the work of exciting visiting artists and companies in the Downstairs Theater and Ensemble Theater, after the success of presentations of comedy, musical theater and theater artists in recent seasons. These engagements are announced on a rolling basis, with Steppenwolf Members enjoying early access. 

STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY'S 2026/27 SEASON

Topdog/Underdog 
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks 
Directed by Kenny Leon​ 
September 17 — November 1, 2026 
Featuring ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood​ 
in the Downstairs Theater 
Press opening: Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 6 pm

Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride from Suzan-Lori Parks. The deck is stacked with a Tony Award-winning director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and a tour-de-force showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood. "Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!" 

Adirondack Chair Circle – World Premiere!
Written by Stephanie Alison Walker 
Directed by Pam MacKinnon 
Featuring ensemble member Audrey Francis​ 
October 22 — December 6, 2026 
in the Ensemble Theater 
Press opening: Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 6 pm

Banna has it all... or at least that's what the other suburban moms think. Beneath the charcuterie boards, backyard soirees and pickleball, there's a funny feeling bubbling underneath this seemingly perfect facade. Is it the pressure to save her children from the beliefs of the school district? Or is it just that suspicious crow watching her every move? A piercing world premiere from a playful Chicago voice, Stephanie Alison Walker's Adirondack Chair Circle exposes the hilarious hypocrisy of the clubs we join and the company we keep. And has a damn good time doing it. 

The Comeuppance – Chicago Premiere!
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by ensemble member Tina Landau ​
A co-production with American Conservatory Theater 
Featuring ensemble members Celeste M. Cooper, Caroline Neff, Karen Rodriguez and Namir Smallwood​ 
February 4 — March 21, 2027 
in the Downstairs Theater 
Press opening: Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 7:30 pm

Welcome back, St. Anthony's graduating class of 2002! On the night of their 20th high school reunion, a group of misfit Millennial classmates reconnect for a familiar pregame: drinks, pot, a limo ride and a whole lot of messy memories. But, in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' riveting dark ensemble comedy, a specter looms over the proceedings, reminding us that time only marches forward, even for '90's kids. This Chicago premiere from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Purpose is a contemplative, hilarious and grave reflection on life and death. 

Ellen B. – English-Language Premiere!
Written by Marius von Mayenburg ​
Translated into English by Daniel Brunet
Directed by Whitney White
April 1 — May 9, 2027 
in the Ensemble Theater
Press opening: Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 6 pm

Astrid, a teacher, lives with Klara, her considerably younger partner – and also her former student. When Wolfram, the school's headmaster, drops by for a visit, he brings with him uncomfortable accusations, and the search for truth erupts into a wicked game of power and desire. In this psychological thriller with no easy answers, internationally-lauded playwright Marius von Mayenburg touches the nerve between past and present, professional and private, truth and lie.

The Night Fawn – World Premiere!
Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by ensemble member Terry Kinney
Featuring ensemble member Cliff Chamberlain​
May 27 — July 3, 2027 
in the Downstairs Theater
Press opening: Sunday, June 6, 2027 at 6 pm

Brendan has a story, one that hurts to tell. He's lost his job, his marriage has ended and he's headed back home to settle his late mother's affairs. It's there that he finds the need to talk, as an unthinkable secret from his childhood demands attention. A provocative confession with haunting implications about memory and revenge, Adam Rapp's The Night Fawn offers a sunset to our season – but real monsters don't wait to come out after dark. 

2026/27 SEASON ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Topdog/Underdog 

Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright) is a multi-award-winning writer and musician. She is the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog, which recently won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival. Her other plays include Sally & Tom (2024), Plays for the Plague Year (Drama Desk Award, Best Music, 2023) and Father Comes Home From The Wars (2014). Parks' first marathon-writing "micro diary plays," 365 Days/365 Plays were produced worldwide in what was the largest grassroots collaborative theatre project to date. She is a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, a novelist: Getting Mother's Body (Random House); and a screenwriter: Girl 6, Genius: Aretha, and The United States vs Billie Holiday. Parks also writes songs and fronts her band "SLP& The Joyful Noise," with her punk-couture medicine show, The Tune Up, world-premiering this summer. As a college student Parks is grateful to have studied creative writing with James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write for the theatre.

Kenny Leon (Director) is a Tony Award-winning director. Broadway: Othello, Our Town, HOME, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Topdog/Underdog, Ohio State Murders, A Soldier's Play, American Son, Children of a Lesser God, Holler If Ya Hear Me, A Raisin in the Sun, The Mountaintop, Stick Fly, August Wilson's Fences, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: This World of Tomorrow (The Shed), King James, The Underlying Chris, Everybody's Ruby, Emergence-See! (The Public), Smart People (Second Stage). Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors, Margaret Garner. Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, Colin in Black & White, 4400, Amend: The Fight for America, American Son (adapted for Netflix), Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live!, Steel Magnolias, Dynasty, In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus: Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company. Awards: Obie, Actors Fund Medal of Honor, George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre, Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre.

Glenn Davis (Lincoln) is an actor, producer and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, alongside Audrey Francis, where he has been an ensemble member since 2017. His Steppenwolf credits include Downstate, The Christians, You Got Older, The Brother/Sister Plays, Head of Passes, King James (also Mark Taper Forum), Describe the Night, and, most recently, Purpose. Broadway credits include Purpose (Tony nomination–Best Featured Actor, Tony Award–Best Play) and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (also Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum). Off-Broadway credits include Transfers (MCC Theatre), Wig Out! (Vineyard Theatre), Downstate (Playwrights Horizons, Outer Critics Circle Nomination) and King James (MTC). Other regional credits include Moscow x6 (Williamstown Theatre Festival). International credits include: Downstate (National Theatre, UK); Edward II, The Winter's Tale and As You Like It (Stratford Festival); Othello (The Shakespeare Company). Television credits include Billions, 24, The Unit, Jericho and The Good Wife. Glenn is an Artistic Associate at the Young Vic in London and at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. He is also a partner in Cast Iron Entertainment, a collective of artists consisting of Sterling K Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Michael Hill, Andre Holland and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Cast Iron is currently in residence at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2021, Glenn founded The Chatham Grove Company along with his producing partner Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Namir Smallwood​ (Booth) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, The Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Bug, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: Primary Trust (Goodman); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee), Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Adirondack Chair Circle

Stephanie Alison Walker (Playwright) is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright whose work is known for the personalization of the political, humor in darkness and the dramatization of the resilience of women. She is a native Chicagoburbian who has lived all over including London, Buenos Aires, San Juan Island and fifteen years in Los Angeles. She received her Bachelors in English/Creative Writing and Spanish from the University of Colorado and her Master of Professional Writing from the University of California. She began writing plays while working for Fox Theatricals in Chicago. Her play about the housing crisis, American Home, was the inaugural winner of American Blues Theatre's Blue Ink Award. Her play about the mothers of the disappeared in Argentina, The Madres, received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at Teatro Vista in Chicago, Skylight Theatre Company in L.A., Moxie Theatre in San Diego and Shrewd Theatre Company in Austin. It was the 2019 Winner of the Francesca Primus Prize, winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival, the Generations Prize and semi-finalist for the CTG/ Humanitas Prize for playwriting. Her follow-up play The Abuelas, premiered at Teatro Vista and was recently adapted into a short film titled The Birthday Gift. The Art of Disappearing was a finalist for the Primus Prize and enjoyed critical praise for the world premiere in Chicago by 16th Street Theater in 2015. Friends with Guns, her play about liberals and gun ownership was an O'Neill Finalist, winner of Best New Play at the 2019 Valley Theatre Awards, and had its Chicago premiere by A Short Leap Theatre Company in 2025. Sophia Hayden Deserves Better tells the story of the architect of the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was recently a part of Gglassfest by Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. The Ordeal of Water, inspired by the first women to work as Longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles, was most recently a part of Bay Street Theater's New Works Festival. Adirondack Chair Circle, her play that tackles suburban book-banning moms, was developed at The Inkwell Theater Company and A Red Orchid's Studio at A Red Orchid. Her short plays have been anthologized by Smith & Kraus. Her full-lengths are published by Broadway Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing plays, she is currently adapting Friends with Guns and The Abuelas as features while raising two spirited boys and selling real estate in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Honor Roll Playwrights, NNPN Affiliated Artist, and a proud alumni of the Playwrights Union. stephaniealisonwalker.com

Pam MacKinnon (Director) is a Tony, Drama Desk and multi-Obie Award winning director. She is the artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She has directed more than eighty productions. Her Tony Award-winning production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? originated at Steppenwolf. Her production of Bruce Norris's Downstate (Steppenwolf, National Theatre and Playwrights Horizons) was celebrated with several Jeff Awards and won Pam her second Obie. She served as president of SDC, the national Union of choreographers and directors.

Audrey Francis​ (Cast) currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. Audrey directed You Will Get Sick in Steppenwolf's 2024/25 season and POTUS in the 2023/24 season. She has performed on stage in Catch as Catch Can (upcoming), Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. Audrey is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Amazon. She is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.

The Comeuppance

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins ​(Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright. Recent theatre credits include Purpose (Tony Award; Pulitzer Prize; Broadway, Steppenwolf), Appropriate (Tony Award; Broadway, Second Stage), The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre), Girls (Yale Rep), Everybody (Signature Theatre), War (Yale Rep; Lincoln Center/LCT3), Gloria (Vineyard Theatre), Appropriate (Obie Award; Signature Theatre), An Octoroon (Obie Award; Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience) and Neighbors (The Public Theater). He currently teaches at Yale University and serves as Vice President of the Dramatists Guild council and on the boards of Soho Rep, Park Avenue Armory, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Dramatists Guild Foundation. Honors include a USA Artists fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, the MacArthur fellowship, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award.

Tina Landau ​(Director) is a writer, director and Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1997 where her 20 productions include Ms. Blakk for President (also writer with Tarell McCarney), The Brother/Sister Plays, The Wheel, The Time of Your Life, Head of Passes, Space (also writer), The Berlin Circle, The Tempest, Superior Donuts, and more. Many of these productions then moved on to play at multiple theaters such as The Public in NYC, the Taper in LA, Seattle Rep, American Conservatory Theater and Berkeley Rep. On Broadway, Tina wrote the book for and directed the musical Floyd Collins (Lincoln Center Theater, 6 Tony noms including Best Revival), wrote book, co-lyrics and directed Redwood (starring Idina Menzel), and conceived and directed The SpongeBob Musical (12 Tony noms, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle winner–Best Direction and Best Musical.) Her other Broadway credits include Paula Vogel's Mother Play (with Jessica Lange, 4 Tony noms including Best Play), Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts and the musical Bells Are Ringing (also both Tony nominated). Her Off-Broadway productions include Bill Irwin and David Shiner's Old Hats, Chuck Mee's Big Love and Iphigenia 2.0 (all Signature), Paula Vogel's A Civil War Christmas (NYTW), Tarell McCraney's Head of Passes and In the Red and Brown Water (both at the Public) and Wig Out! (Vineyard). Regionally, Tina has directed the musicals Transparent (CTG in Los Angeles) and Dave (Arena Stage), among numerous others. She's been additionally recognized by the Drama League, New Dramatists, Lucille Lortel and Obie awards, and is the recipient of a United States Artist Fellowship and a Princess Grace Statuette. Tina was an Artist-in-Residence at Little Island in NYC and is the co-author with Anne Bogart of The Viewpoints Book.

Celeste M. Cooper (Cast) is joyful to join the cast of The Comeuppance and is grateful to the creative team, fellow performers and audience for the opportunity to explore and share another story together. Steppenwolf: BLKS, Doppelgänger, Familiar, A Doll's House, Part 2, virtual show Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! (New York Times Critic pick); The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, POTUS. Chicago Theatre: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Court Theatre–Jeff Awards Best Production); Measure for Measure (Goodman Theatre); Stick Fly (Windy City Playhouse); Ruined (Eclipse Theatre); Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); and more. Regional: For Colored Girls... (Kansas City Repertory); Building The Wall (Curious Theatre in Denver); Mrs. Harrison (Indiana Repertory); What I Learned in Paris (South Coast Repertory); Confederates (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). TV: Recurring on Chicago P.D.; guest roles on 4400 and Sense8. Film: Spike Lee's Chiraq; leading role in indie feature Range Runners (currently streaming). Radio: Unshackled Radio Program – voicing dramatized true stories. Awards: Most Promising Actress (Black Theater Alliance); Best Actress – Range Runners (Twister Alley); NewCity Stage magazine's "People Who Really Perform for Chicago" (2020 & 2023). Education: BA – Tennessee State University; MFA – The Theatre School at DePaul University. IG: @be_that_light | Represented by: Paonessa Talent Agency

Caroline Neff (Cast) is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. At Steppenwolf, she was last seen in Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, Seagull, Dance Nation, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Linda Vista (also Taper Forum and Broadway), The Fundamentals, The Flick, Airline Highway (also Broadway), The Way West, Three Sisters, Annie Bosh is Missing and Where We're Born. Select theatre credits include: Lettie (Jeff Award Best Actor; Victory Gardens Theater); Uncle Vanya (Goodman Theatre); A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Jeff Award for Best Actress), The Knowledge, Harper Regan, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Steep Theatre); The Downpour (Route 66 Theatre); Port (Griffin Theatre); 4000 Miles (Northlight Theatre); Moonshiner (Jackalope Theatre). Regional credits include: Peerless (Yale Repertory Theatre). Film and television credits include: Parallax (upcoming Apple TV), FBI, Three Women, Let the Right One In, The Red Line, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Open Tables and Older Children, and heard in multiple Audible Projects such as: Song of the Northwoods, Crowded Hours, Denali and Boar's Nest. She is a proud company member of Steep Theatre and holds her BA from Columbia College.

Karen Rodriguez (Cast) currently stars as Wanda Salazar in Netflix's The Hunting Wives alongside Brittany Snow and Dermot Mulroney. She'll next star in Spider Noir in 2026 alongside Nicolas Cage and Brendan Gleeson. Ms. Rodriguez joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2018. On the Steppenwolf main stage, she has appeared in POTUS, The Seagull, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Dance Nation, La Ruta, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and The Rembrandt. Select theatre credits include I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Seattle Rep), The Way She Spoke (Greenhouse Theater Center), Breach (Victory Gardens Theater), The Displaced (Haven Theatre), Hookman (Steep Theatre) and Blue Skies Process (Goodman Theatre). Television credits include Acapulco (Apple TV) with Eugenio Derbez, SWARM (Amazon Prime) created by Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, The Big Leap (FOX), Shining Girls (Apple TV) with Elisabeth Moss and Jamie Bell, season 2 and 3 of Power Book IV: Force (STARZ), Chicago Fire and Chicago Justice. She's thrilled to be back on the Steppenwolf stage. Instagram: xkarenxrodriguez.

Namir Smallwood​ (Cast) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, The Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Bug, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: Primary Trust (Goodman); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee), Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Ellen B.

Marius von Mayenburg (Playwright) is a playwright, director and translator. Born in Munich, he studied playwriting at the Academy of the Arts, Berlin and was dramaturg and writer in residence at the Schaubühne Berlin. His plays (such as The Ugly One, Fireface, A Piece of Plastic) are translated into more than 30 languages, have been successfully produced worldwide at the Schaubühne Berlin, The Royal Court Theatre/London, the Young Vic, London, the National Theatre Oslo, Théâtre national de la Colline, Paris, La Scala, Paris among many others and have won several awards. As a translator he has translated works by William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, as well as contemporary plays by writers such as Martin Crimp, Alan Ayckbourn and Sarah Kane into German. His most recent trilogy consists of the plays Ex, Ellen Babić and Egal, which have all been premiered internationally at theaters such as Rikstheatre in Stockholm, Sweden, the National Theater of Reykjavik, the Burgtheater Vienna. As a director, Marius von Mayenburg has worked at the Schaubühne Berlin, Residenztheater in Munich, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Riksteater Stockholm, Nationaltheater Oslo and others.

Daniel Brunet (Translator) is a director, performer, producer and translator. He was born in Syracuse, New York, studied theater and film at Boston College and moved to Berlin in 2001 with the support of a Fulbright Scholarship. Brunet became Producing Artistic Director of English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center in 2012. He has received multiple awards for his over thirty play translations, including the Literary Fellowship in Translation from the U.S. National Endowment of the Arts. His translation of Wolfram Lotz's The Ridiculous Darkness was published by Oberon Books in 2019. In addition to Ellen Babić, Brunet has also translated Ex and Egal (Whatever) by Marius von Mayenburg.

Whitney White (Director) is a Tony Award nominee, Obie Award and Lily Award-winning director, writer and performer. Broadway: Liberation, Jaja's African Hair Braiding, The Last Five Years. Other: All Is But Fantasy (Royal Shakespeare Company), Walden (Second Stage), Jordan's (The Public), Saturday Church (NYTW), The Secret Life of Bees (The Almeida, UK), The Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf), Soft (MCC), On Sugarland (New York Theatre Workshop, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations, Outstanding Direction), Semblance (NYTW), The Amen Corner (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (WP Theater, Second Stage), What to Send Up When It Goes Down (The Movement Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth, A.R.T., The Public Theater). Staff writer: I'm a Virgo (Amazon Studios). Writer/performer of Macbeth in Stride (A.R.T., Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical Performance by an Actress). Recipient of the Herb Alpert Award, Jerome Fellowship, Susan Stroman Directing Award. Part of the Rolex Protegé and Mentorship Arts Initiative. MFA Acting: Brown University/Trinity Rep, BA: Northwestern University. Whitney-White.com

The Night Fawn

Adam Rapp (Playwright) is the author of numerous plays, which include Nocturne (New York Theatre Workshop), Finer Noble Gases (2006 Edinburgh Fringe First Award, 26th Humana Festival), The Metal Children (The Vineyard) and Red Light Winter (Steppenwolf, Barrow Street Theatre), for which he won Chicago's Jeff Award for Best New Work, an Obie and was named a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize. The Sound Inside received its world premiere at the 2018 Williamstown Theatre festival and was named one of the New York Times best plays of 2019. It premiered on Broadway at Studio 54 in the fall of 2019 and went on to be nominated for 6 Tony Awards, including Best Play. He received a Tony nomination for writing the book for the musical The Outsiders, which is currently running on Broadway. The Outsiders went on to win Best Musical at the 2024 Tony Awards. His playwriting honors include Boston's Elliot Norton Award, The Helen Merrill Prize, The 2006 Princess Grace Statue, A Lucille Lotrel Playwright's fellowship, The Benjamin H. Danks Award, the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Award, a 2021 Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Best Theatre Newcomer prize from List Magazine and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Adam served as executive producer and showrunner for American Rust: Broken Justice and recently published a new novel, Wolf at the Table.

Terry Kinney (Director) is a co-founder and ensemble member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. His Steppenwolf acting work includes Balm in Gilead, Orphans, Tracers, The Grapes of Wrath (Tony Award nomination), and Buried Child on Broadway. Steppenwolf (directing): Another Marriage, And a Nightingale Sang..., A Clockwork Orange, A Streetcar Named Desire, Of Mice and Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (also Broadway, winner Tony Award, Best Revival), and The Violet Hour. Other work: reasons to be pretty (Tony Award nomination, Best Play), The Price (Broadway), The Babylon Line (LCT), and Curse of the Starving Class. Film: Fly Away Home, Sleepers, The Firm, Last of the Mohicans, The Little Things, among others. Television: Oz, Good Behavior, Fargo, Billions, Inventing Anna, and The Watcher.

Cliff Chamberlain​ (Cast) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2018. Steppenwolf Theatre Company: The Dance of Death, You Will Get Sick, Fool For Love, The Minutes, Belleville, Clybourne Park, Theatrical Essays, Superior Donuts. Chicago: The Seagull (Goodman Theatre); The Sparrow (The House Theatre of Chicago). Broadway: The Minutes, Superior Donuts. Television: Homeland, Altered Carbon, The Act, Easy, State of Affairs, Chicago P.D., Paper Girls, The Chair. Film: The Rip, Moses the Black, The Wise Kids. Cliff trained at UCSB and The School at Steppenwolf.

ADDITIONAL 2026/27 SEASON INFORMATION

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each Subscription Series production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 50 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1975 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of young people in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Ashley Wheater MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, today announces the Joffrey's 2026-2027 season at Lyric Opera House, featuring the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's The Sleeping Beauty, set to Tchaikovsky's greatest score, and the Chicago premiere of John Neumeier's landmark narrative ballet Liliom. The Joffrey will be the first American company to bring both ambitious, larger-than-life productions to life.

The Joffrey Ballet begins its 2026-2027 season with the Chicago premiere of John Neumeier's Liliom, September 17–27, 2026. Inspired by Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play and later the basis for the musical adaptation Carousel, Liliom traces a haunting story of love and redemption set against the faded glamour of a Depression-era amusement park, featuring an evocative score by multi-Academy Award®-winning composer Michel Legrand. Soon after, two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker returns with its unmistakable sense of magic, December 4–27, 2026, followed by Notes on Love, February 4–14, 2027, a program exploring love through four distinct lenses—with favored works by Liam Scarlett and Nicolas Blanc, alongside a world premiere by Winning Works alum Houston Thomas. Closing the season in glorious fashion is the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's The Sleeping Beauty, a timeless fairy tale transformed into a theatrical spectacle, featuring Jerome Kaplan's lavish costume and set design and Tchaikovsky's greatest score. The beloved classic is a magical celebration for audiences of all ages, May 13–23, 2027.

"The 2026–2027 season places the Joffrey at the forefront of dance, with works of rare theatrical scale," says The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. "We are proud to be the first American company to present the Chicago premiere of Liliom, John Neumeier's masterful, heartbreakingly beautiful narrative ballet rarely seen in the United States, as well as the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's The Sleeping Beauty. Set to Tchaikovsky's greatest score, this magnificent season finale reminds us that light always prevails over darkness. Alongside these landmark productions is our winter program, which welcomes the return of Liam Scarlett's breathtaking Hummingbird, and a world premiere by Winning Works alum Houston Thomas—speaking to the Grainger Academy's lasting impact on artistic futures." Wheater continues, "This season brings the full breadth of the art form on one stage, performed by a Company dancing at the highest level."

"Following the Joffrey's 70th Anniversary, the 2026–2027 season sets the tone for the next 70 years," says President and CEO Greg Cameron. "With a Chicago premiere, a North American premiere, and a world premiere, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE has curated a season that reflects an organization operating at scale—investing in artists, pairing artistic ambition with structural strength, and asserting Chicago's role as a center for creative leadership. This season expresses the confidence and continuity of the Joffrey, with audiences at the center of it all."

All season performances take place at the Lyric Opera House in downtown Chicago at 20 North Upper Wacker Drive. All programs throughout the season feature live music performed by members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.   

About the 2026–2027 Season 

Liliom | September 17–27, 2026 

Choreographer: John Neumeier | Music: Michel Legrand

Chicago Premiere 

One of the most influential artists of our time, Neumeier brings his landmark narrative ballet, Liliom, to the Joffrey for its Chicago premiere. Inspired by Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play and later the basis for the musical adaptation Carousel, Neumeier's adaptation follows Liliom, the charismatic but self-destructive carnival barker whose fierce love for Julie is unraveled by pride, poverty, and rage. Set amid the dreamlike, faded glamour of an American amusement park during the Great Depression, passion turns toward crime—and ultimately, tragedy.

Granted a chance to return to Earth after death, Liliom confronts the consequences of his choices and attempts one final act of grace. What remains is a stark reckoning with guilt and the fragile possibility of redemption. Rarely presented in the United States, Liliom is among Neumeier's most profound artistic endeavors. Distinguished by his signature emotional depth and theatrical nuance, Liliom takes shape through multi-Academy Award®-winning composer Michel Legrand's evocative score, blending classical and jazz influences that echo a restless America.

From the choreographer of The Little Mermaid and other celebrated works, including Sylvia and the Lyric Opera's first collaboration with the Joffrey, Orphee, Neumeier's masterpiece Liliom makes its Chicago premiere with the Joffrey, the first American ballet company to bring the production to life. Learn more about John Neumeier here.

With gratitude to Liliom Presenting Sponsor Mr. and Mrs. Joel V. Williamson, Major Sponsor Pamela Crutchfield, and Production Sponsor Holly Palmer Foundation. 

The Nutcracker | December 4–27, 2026 

Choreographer: ©Christopher Wheeldon | Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky  

This holiday season, step into the spellbinding world where history and dreams intertwine. Join Marie and her Nutcracker prince on a fantastical adventure in Christopher Wheeldon's kaleidoscopic reimagining of The Nutcracker, set amid the wonder of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. On a magical Christmas Eve, after awakening to an epic battle between Toy Soldiers and the Rat King, a flurry of snowflakes sweeps Marie away on a whirlwind journey to the dreamlike fairgrounds of the World's Columbian Exposition. Set to Tchaikovsky's classic score, experience sprawling attractions from around the globe: the radiant Golden Statue, the mystique of an Arabian enchantress, vibrant Venetian masked dancers, Chinese dragons, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Learn more about Christopher Wheeldon here.  

With gratitude to The Nutcracker Presenting Sponsor Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company.

Notes on Love | February 4–14, 2027

Notes on Love explores a word that refuses a single definition. Winning Works alum Houston Thomas, alongside choreographers Liam Scarlett and Nicolas Blanc, consider the feeling through four distinct lenses: love as place, as longing, as memory, and as nostalgia—each revealing love in all its depth and beauty.

The full program is as follows: 

Dear Chicago: A Love Letter

World Premiere

Choreographer: Houston Thomas | Music: Jonathan Bingham

This world premiere from 2024 Winning Works choreographer Houston Thomas places Chicago front and center. Conceived as a love letter to the city that shaped him, the work translates its rhythm and creative drive into movement. An original score by Jonathan Bingham with layered poetry adds emotional depth to this ensemble piece, capturing the scale, energy, and pulse of Chicago itself. Learn more about Houston Thomas here.

With gratitude to Houston Thomas's World Premiere Commissioned Score Sponsor Zell Family Foundation.

All that Remains

Chicago Premiere 

Choreographer: Nicolas Blanc | Music: Ezio Bosso  

Beneath an imagined sky of clouds and rain, three dancers move through cycles of attachment and separation, love, and the memories that linger between them. Set to music by Ezio Bosso, whose compositions have long inspired Blanc and are celebrated for their beauty, sensitivity, and emotional power, All that Remains extends a deep artistic bond, allowing Bosso's resonance to live on through dance. Learn more about Nicolas Blanc here.  

Hummingbird

Choreographer: Liam Scarlett | Music: Philip Glass 

Scarlett's Hummingbird is a breathtaking exploration of human connection, blending classical form with emotional immediacy. Set to Philip Glass's Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, the work articulates love and longing through a progression of three pas de deux. Sweeping ensemble patterns give way to a searing second movement that pushes the dancers to visible exhaustion, revealing the strenuous demands of intimacy. Framed by John Macfarlane's hand-painted stage designs, Hummingbird feels both expansive and intimate—a precise, powerful meditation on what it means to connect. Learn more about Liam Scarlett here.  

Les Boeufoons

Choreographer: Nicolas Blanc | Music: Darius Milhaud

In 1920s Paris, no place captured the city's flourishing, eclectic spirit more vividly than the cabaret bar Le Boeuf sur le Toit. A cultural crossroads, it drew artistic luminaries from Cole Porter to Igor Stravinsky and took its name from Darius Milhaud's theatrical, Brazilian-inflected composition. Les Boeufoons draws inspiration from the surreal, uninhibited world of Jean Cocteau's original choreography and from the famed Fratellini brothers, the circus clowns who first brought the work to life.

Les Boeufoons is a co-commission with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The Sleeping Beauty | May 13–23, 2027  

Choreographer: ©Christopher Wheeldon | Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

North American Premiere 

A timeless fairy tale transformed into a theatrical spectacle, The Sleeping Beauty conjures a world of grandeur and enchantment. The beloved classic frames the enduring struggle between good and evil, as Princess Aurora falls under a spell that threatens to still an entire kingdom—only to be awakened by true love's kiss. Upon her return, the realm is restored, and light prevails over darkness. Choreographed by two-time Tony Award®-winner Christopher Wheeldon, The Sleeping Beauty blends classical elegance with vivid, cinematic storytelling. With dazzling choreography, Jerome Kaplan's lavish costume and set design, and Tchaikovsky's unforgettable score, Joffrey's season finale blossoms into a magical celebration for audiences of all ages.  From the choreographer of the critically acclaimed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker.

With gratitude to The Sleeping Beauty Presenting Sponsors Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark, and Mr. and Mrs. Joel V. Williamson, Major Sponsor Mary Jo and Doug Basler, and Production Sponsor Holly Palmer Foundation.  

Other Engagements 

Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet: Fall Program | November 2026  

ART on THE MART | December 2026 

ART on THE MART celebrates Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker. Figures of the re-imagined Chicago World's Fair-themed production will dance across the imposing facade of THE MART.   

Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet: Winning Works | March 2027 

The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet celebrates the Seventeenth Annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition. The culminating performances follow a national call for emerging choreographers whose unique perspectives inspire creativity in the form of original works of dance.

With gratitude to Winning Works Sponsors Pritzker Foundation and Rita Spitz.

Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet: Spring Program | May 2027 

The Joffrey Ballet's touring dates are to be announced.

Tickets and Subscriptions for the Joffrey's 2026–2027 Season Performances  

Three-program subscriptions for the fall, winter, and spring season productions, which do not include The Nutcracker, start at $138. Subscriptions are available for purchase online at joffrey.org, by mail (Joffrey Ballet Subscriptions, The Joffrey Ballet, Joffrey Tower, 10 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601), by telephone at 312.386.8905, by fax at 312.739.0119 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Single tickets for the September, February, and May performances, as well as The Nutcracker, will be available starting this summer. Single tickets are available by telephone at 312.386.8905 or online at joffrey.org. Please visit joffrey.org for updates.  

All performances are subject to change.  

About The Joffrey Ballet  

The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 71 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works. Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2026–2027 Season Sponsors: The Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, Gallagher, The Florian Fund, and Anne L. Kaplan. Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges our Season Partners: ATHLETICO and Chicago Athletic Clubs.

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  

The Story Theatre’s world‑premiere staging of Paul Michael Thomson’s Pot Girls bursts to life in a vivid, full‑throttle production at Raven Theatre. Pot Girls is a sharp, funny, and thought‑provoking new play that fuses feminist history, artistic accountability, and a rainbow haze of 1980s, weed‑soaked poetry and art.

Inspired as a thematic counterpart to Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, Pot Girls - directed by Ayanna Bria Bakari - leans into humor, theatricality, and a cloud of intoxication to explore how women create, collaborate, and collide both onstage and off. And in a bit of theatrical serendipity, both productions are currently running simultaneously at Raven Theatre. In fact, Raven Theatre and The Story Theatre are even offering special marathon days, giving audiences the chance to catch a matinee of Lucky Stiff’s directed Top Girls, stick around for some conversation with the creative team, then return in the evening for Pot Girls - all at a discounted rate (click here for details).

The story follows Caryl herself, a playwright on the cusp of her first major, Olivier‑eligible production - a show designed to spotlight women in the workplace. The year is 1982 and as she toasts the achievement with friends, her colorful London flat transforms into an impromptu hub where a lively, time‑spanning cohort of feminist writers drop in to drink, smoke, debate, and probe the ideas she’s celebrating.

The haze of a jubilant night eventually clears, and what remains is a sharper truth: this play lays bare the exhausting contortions women are expected to perform just to gain a foothold as authors and playwrights. It highlights not only the uphill battle of competing in a landscape where men still discriminate against women in their productions regarding creative authority, but also the added burden of being scrutinized for perfect political correctness the moment a woman-led production finally reaches the stage.

The many ways that women as authors have been discriminated against and unfairly censored or even hunted over the centuries is thoroughly laid out in a fantastic cast of intelligent expressive women.

The period feels fully realized, aided by Katelyn Montgomery’s evocative scenic work and Racquel Postilgione’s sharp costume design.

As the play unfolds, Caryl is pulled through a tangle of personal and professional upheaval - romantic tension with her partner Edith, pointed accusations about her racial blind spots, and the mounting pressure to tell women’s stories with integrity. Around her, the ensemble slips effortlessly between roles, embodying historical figures, colleagues, and critics who collectively push her toward an uncomfortable, necessary self‑examination.

In Pot Girls, Brenna DiStasio centers the production as Caryl, offering a steady emotional clarity that grounds the play’s wilder turns and quietly establishes her as its moral anchor. Ireon Roach, as Edith, wields her well-rolled blunt with sharp wit and charismatic intelligence, building a lively, charged dynamic with DiStasio that keeps the energy flowing like a river.

Peter Ferneding lends understated but essential texture as he shifts through historical and contemporary figures, his easy timing playing neatly against Tamsen Glaser’s agile, precise turns as multiple feminist icons, which bring warmth, wit, and tonal delicacy.

Vibrant, expressive energy radiates through each of Emily Marso’s roles, elevating every moment and sparking electric interplay with Glaser and Maya Bridgewater. Glaser and Bridgewater, in turn, deliver a fierce yet deep human presence across their characters, adding tension and charge to the ensemble’s debates. One of Bridgewater’s characters delivers a beautifully crafted, cathartic reflection on a young girl’s kidnapping and rape - written with such grace and restraint that it resonates powerfully with the conversations society is having today about trafficking and vulnerability.

Rounding out the cast, Laney Rodriguez displays a great sense of humor and threads emotional nuance through each character she inhabits, serving as a subtle connective force while carving out memorable moments opposite DiStasio and Roach. As a unit, the ensemble stays quick, engaged, and combustible, amplifying the play’s ideas with palpable charge.

Ultimately, Pot Girls crackles with ensemble energy and sharp ideas, offering an engaging, thought‑rich night of theatre for anyone drawn to fresh feminist work.

Highly recommended.

Pot Girls has been extended through March 8^th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon & Night, currently receiving its Midwestern premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre, is an ambitious, mind-bending exploration of the “new normal” in post-pandemic America. Greenidge, a playwright unafraid of tonal hybridity, situates her story at the uneasy intersection of middle-class and magical realism. Under AmBer Montgomery’s direction, the production attempts to navigate the landscape of family connection, digital surveillance, and the psychic fragmentation wrought by living life through digital screens.

The play unfolds over the course of a single day in the life of Mia, a work-from-home mother teetering on the edge of burnout. Kristin E. Ellis anchors the production with a performance that captures both the brittle humor and simmering desperation of a woman expected to hold everything together. Her Mia is perpetually toggling—between Zoom meetings and grocery lists, between maternal patience and private panic. Ellis embodies the quiet terror of a generation of women asked to endure the unendurable with a smile.

Opposite her, Emefa Dzodzomenyo gives Dailyn a restless, electric presence. As the hyper-aware Gen Z daughter oscillating between existential dread and a yearning for authentic connection, Dzodzomenyo resists caricature. Her Dailyn is sharp, wounded, and achingly perceptive—someone who has inherited not only climate anxiety and algorithmic pressure but also the emotional residue of her mother’s exhaustion.

The supporting cast deepens the sense of a household under strain. Christina Gorman’s Heather, Mia’s friend and confidant, functions as both comic relief and quiet warning sign—her lingering pandemic anxieties and conspiratorial asides suggest how prolonged fear can harden into identity. Hannah Antman and Soren Jimmie Williams lend a jittery immediacy to Nat and Chloe, capturing the skittish vulnerability of teens shaped by social media’s relentless gaze. That said, both performers read slightly younger than I imagined the characters to be, which subtly shifts the dynamic; their portrayals emphasize innocence and volatility over the more self-aware cynicism often associated with girls of that age.

The production’s most striking presence is Leslie Ann Sheppard as Miss Candice, a “Donna Reed  - Father Knows Best” AI-generated avatar of curated perfection who steps out of the algorithm and into the family’s living room. Sheppard’s performance is chilling in its serenity. With a voice that soothes and a gaze that scans, Miss Candice represents not simply technology but the seductive promise of optimized living—an influencer deity promising order amid chaos. Her presence pushes the play from realism into something more speculative, even dystopian.

Jackie Fox’s set and lighting design effectively ground the story in its post-pandemic malaise. The living room, cluttered yet aspirational, feels very lived-in and slightly unraveling. The use of projections is particularly striking; at times the audience feels as though it is peering through a phone screen. Notifications flicker, curated images intrude, and the boundary between the digital and the tangible dissolves. The design serves as a digital mirror—reflecting how social media refracts reality rather than simply documenting it.

Yet for all its thematic ambition, the production occasionally exposes a disconnect between script and staging. Greenidge clearly has much to say about female rage, consumerism, intergenerational trauma, and the violence of constant connectivity. However, Montgomery’s direction seems to engage these ideas primarily at a surface level, with moments of genuine thematic revelation passing too quickly to fully resonate. The result can feel unintentionally algorithmic—significant insights obscured beneath repetitive beats.

Moreover, despite the performances and the evocative design, the stakes never quite rise to meet the play’s expansive conceptual ambitions. Whether this disconnect stems from the script, or the direction is difficult to determine, but the result is the same: the looming threat of digital colonization and familial fracture hover suggestively rather than landing with decisive impact. The danger feels atmospheric instead of urgent, diffuse rather than devastating.

Morning, Noon & Night offers a portrait of contemporary anxiety, capturing the low-grade dread of a culture caught between the longing for authentic connections and the seductive pull of curated isolation. Like the screens it interrogates, the play pulses and glitches—at times mesmerizing, at times disquieting—but always insistently present, morning, noon & night.

RECOMMENDED

When: through March 28th

Where: Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Running Time: 90 minutes no intermission

Tickets:  $20  -  $60

773-770-0333

www.sgtheatre.org/season-35/morning-noon-night

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

The Chicago Metropolitan area has a soft spot for a beautiful disaster, and The Play That Goes Wrong delivers the kind of exquisitely engineered chaos that feels tailor‑made for this theater‑loving region. What begins as a straightforward 1920s whodunit quickly mutates into a full‑throttle demolition derby of missed cues, mutinous props, collapsing scenery, and actors clinging to their dignity by the frayed edges of their costumes. Still, this play-within-a-play has the Cornley Drama Society charging through their staging of Murder at Haversham Manor with heroic - if spectacularly misguided - determination, clinging to the illusion of control even as the entire production disintegrates with spectacular enthusiasm.

That staunch commitment - part boldness, part sheer delusion - is exactly where the comedy ignites. Each disaster tops the last, creating a giddy, snowballing momentum that captures the thrill of live theater at its most unpredictable: anything can happen, and in this gloriously unhinged production, absolutely everything does.

Now this wonderful wreckage has landed in the northwest suburbs, with Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in downtown Arlington Heights offering Chicago‑area audiences a prime view of just how fabulously wrong things can go - and how deliriously right it all becomes.

Adeptly directed by Jahanna McKenzie Miller, the production becomes a finely tuned symphony of disarray - each mishap landing with surgical precision, each failing set piece detonating like a perfectly timed punchline. What unfolds is a relentless cascade of comic disaster, the kind that sends laughter rolling through the audience in unstoppable waves and showcases just how artful a well‑executed trainwreck can be.

Ryan Armstrong (left) as Chris Bean / Inspector Carter and Ryan Michael Hamman as Max Bennett in The Play THat Goes Wrong at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.

To pull off such a bang-bang comedy, it all starts with the cast - and we’ve got a good one here.

Ryan Armstrong leads the beautifully controlled bedlam with a performance steeped in delicious self‑importance, giving Chris Bean - director, actor, and self‑appointed guardian of “proper theatre” - a pompous grandeur that’s as funny as it is precise, while his turn as Inspector Carter unravels in a perfectly paced crescendo of exasperation. Eric Amundson’s Charles Haversham is a riot of physical comedy, playing a corpse who refuses to stay still (hilarious!), and Casey Ross leans into Thomas Colleymoore’s melodrama with booming gusto, turning every line into a wonderfully overwrought declaration.

David Blakeman’s Perkins is a standout of earnest incompetence, mangling lines and props with lovable sincerity, while Ryan Michael Hamman’s Max Bennett steals scenes with wide‑eyed enthusiasm, overacting and shameless audience‑wooing as Cecil Haversham and Arthur the Gardener.

Even the sound and light operator becomes a crucial player in the unfolding disorder. Richaun Stewart turns Trevor Watson into a wonderfully frayed bundle of barely contained madness, playing the chronically overtaxed tech operator whose deadpan, slow‑burn panic becomes one of the evening’s most dependable laugh generators. Teah Kiang Mirabelli dazzles as Florence Colleymoore, embodying Sandra Wilkinson’s diva bravado with such gleeful abandon that each unhinged beat lands bigger than the last.

Rounding out the cast, Natalie Henry turns Annie Twilloil into the production’s unlikely center of gravity in the second act, charting a sharp, hilarious rise from hesitant stagehand to full‑blown spotlight thief.

Together, this ensemble builds a beautifully calibrated disaster - each actor contributing a distinct flavor of chaos that makes the entire production detonate with joy.

And then there’s the set, an impressive spectacle in its own right. Scenic designer Angela Weber Miller, properties designer Gigi Wendt, and technical director David Moreland push the production well beyond a typical farce, each adding a distinct layer of precision and controlled mishaps. The set functions as a full-fledged character, engineered to collapse, misfire, and betray the actors with such precision that its breakdowns become part of the comedy’s rhythm. Each wobbling wall, treacherous platform, and ill-timed malfunction gives the performers a fresh obstacle to hurl themselves against, turning physical comedy into a kind of athletic endurance test. The design doesn’t just support the charade - it actively conspires in it, creating a living, booby‑trapped environment that amplifies every pratfall and heightens the sense that the entire world of the play is gleefully turning against its inhabitants.

Written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer, the Olivier Award-winning The Play That Goes Wrong is the kind of theatrical joyride that reminds audiences why live performance is irresistible: it’s unpredictable, it’s explosive, and it’s crafted with such precision that the turmoil becomes its own kind of art. This production delivers laugh after laugh through fearless physical comedy, razor‑sharp timing, and a cast fully committed to the magnificent meltdown unfolding around them. It’s the rare show that guarantees a good time - whether you’re a seasoned theatre goer or someone who just needs a night of pure, cathartic laughter.

For tickets and/or more show information, visit https://www.metropolisarts.com/event/the-play-that-goes-wrong/. Through March 29^th.

Recommended.

Tickets: Regular $49, Preview $35, Students $25
Pay What You Can: February 25, 7:30 pm
Previews: Evenings, February 25 – February 27. Matinee, February 28.
Opening: February 28, 7:30 pm

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.

The Gift Theatre, led by Artistic Directors Brittany Burch and Jennifer Glasse, announces its 25^th Anniversary "Homecoming" Season. The landmark 2026 season features the return of the company's signature short play festival, a major Chicago premiere, and a new work by ensemble member Netta Walker, staged at iconic venues across the city including A Red Orchid Theatre, Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, and a return to Jefferson Park at the Copernicus Center.

The 25^th Season includes the annual short play festival TEN 25^th, March 25-April 4, 2026, to take place at A Red Orchid Theatre. The Chicago Premiere of Marble by Marina Carr, August 2-30, 2026, will mark a return to the company's home neighborhood. Hayward, a world premiere by new ensemble member Netta Walker, October 14-November 22, will be presented at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater. The season will close with a one-night event in December, the 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance at Jefferson Park's Copernicus Center.

Artistic Directors Brittany Burch and Jennifer Glasse comment, "As we look ahead, we're recommitting to our origins in Jefferson Park and actively exploring pathways to bring The Gift home again. Our 25th Anniversary 'Homecoming' season reflects that spirit—beginning with a winter gala and continuing this spring with TEN 25th at A Red Orchid Theatre and continuing with Marina Carr's captivating drama Marble, and Hayward, a new play by one of The Gift's newest ensemble members Netta Walker. We celebrate 25 years of intimate, ensemble-driven work by coming home—to our artists, audiences, and the neighborhoods that shaped the company."

Subscription packages are now on sale at thegifttheatre.org or by calling 773-283-7071. The Homecoming Subscription Package, $105, includes TEN 25^th, Marble and Hayward. The Homecoming Subscription Package+ Subscription Package, $170, includes TEN 25^th, Marble, Hayward and the 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance.  Subscribers save up to 15% off regular ticket prices, priority seating, free ticket exchanges and guaranteed seating to limited-run productions.

The 25^th Anniversary Homecoming Season is:

TEN 25^th

The Gift's Ten-Minute Play Festival of New Work

at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells St. in Chicago

March 25 – April 4, 2026

Tickets, $25, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071

TEN 25th features the work of Gift ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Erica Weiss, Gregory Fenner, Jennifer Glasse, Jennifer Rumberger, John Gawlik, Kenny Mihlfried, Pat Weber, Paul D'Addario and Shanésia Davis.

TEN 25th features 10-minute world premiere plays from Chicago playwrights John Gawlik, Jennifer Rumberger, Gregory Fenner, Kimberly Dixon-Mays, Dolores Diaz, Stephanie Alison Walker, Emilio Williams, Jermaine Jenkins, and Brett Neveu.

MARBLE
Chicago Premiere by Marina Carr

at Copernicus Center – Kings Hall, 5216 W Lawrence Ave in Chicago

August 2 – August 30, 2026

Tickets, $45-$50, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071

individual tickets will be on sale this spring

Marble follows two married couples, Ben and Catherine, and their friends Art and Anne, whose comfortable lives begin to splinter after a shared dream triggers suspicion and desire.

A surreal and haunting exploration of two couples whose lives collide through shared dreams, this production anchors the company's homecoming to the neighborhood where it was founded.

HAYWARD

World Premiere by ensemble member Netta Walker

Directed by AmBer Montgomery

featuring ensemble members Shanesia Davis and Gregory Fenner

at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St in Chicago

October 14 – November 22

Tickets, $45-$50, will be available this summer through the Steppenwolf box office.

A reimagining of the classics Hamlet and Electra. The play follows the main character Luna, who on the day of her father's funeral, confesses to her siblings that she has seen her father's ghost. Staged in Steppenwolf's intimate 1700 Theater, this production continues The Gift's commitment to ensemble talent and bold new narratives.

25th ANNIVERSARY BENEFÊTE PERFORMANCE

at Copernicus Center — Gateway Theatre 5216 W. Lawrence, Chicago, IL

December 7th 2026

Tickets $75, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071 tickets will be available this spring

The season will close out with a spectacular, one-night-only celebration honoring a quarter century of The Gift Theatre. This 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance, will be a night featuring our favorite scenes from over the years performed by ensemble members —the artists who have shaped this theatre across generations.

About The Gift Theatre
The Gift Theatre is a storefront nonprofit founded in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, committed to creating accessible, inclusive, and impactful theatrical experiences. Our identity is defined by intimacy, collaboration, and a belief that live storytelling can inspire and transform both artist and audience. Our programming isn't bound by genre but guided by character-driven, emotionally rich storytelling rooted in truth. Whether surreal or starkly naturalistic, each play we share reflects our commitment to creating spaces of deep connection—among artists, between artist and audience, and within our community.

The Gift Theatre ensemble includes its newest members Jennifer Aparicio, Shanésia Davis, Angela Morris, Jennifer Rumberger, Netta Walker and Patrick Weber. They join fellow ensemble members Daniel Ahlfeld, Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch, Hillary Clemens Harbor, Jenny Connell Davis, John Kelly Connolly (in memoriam), Paul D'Addario, Brendan Donaldson, Will Eno,

James D. Farruggio, Gregory Fenner, Ed Flynn, Gabriel Franken, John Gawlik, Maggie Andersen Gawlik, Emjoy Gavino, Jennifer Glasse, Andrew Hinderaker, Chika Ike, Evan Michael Lee, Sarah Luse, Marti Lyons, Alexandra Main, Martel Manning, Laura Marks,Kenny Mihlfried, Benjamin Montague, William Nedved, Darci Nalepa, Keith Neagle, Lynda Newton, Sheldon Patinkin (in memoriam), Maureen Payne-Hahner, David Preis, David  Rabe, Mary Ann Thebus (in memoriam), Michael Patrick Thornton, Hannah Toriumi, Erica Weiss, Jay Worthington, and Kyle Zornes.

When Raven Theatre’s artistic staff decided to include Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls in their current season, they could not have predicted that the opening would coincide with major eruptions in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Now, with the former Prince Andrew in jail and the President of the United States bloviating his innocence, this 1982 British play stings harder than ever.

Lucky Stiff’s smooth handling of a fine cast for Raven’s mainstage makes it clear why the play deserves its status as a feminist classic. From an informal angle, the reaction of a mostly youthful audience watching mostly youthful actors confirms that the stage is still the right place to comment mercilessly on societal injustice.

Nonlinear, nontraditional Top Girls premiered in the first years of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership – an imaginative treatment of the complexities of gender roles. How do you become a “top girl” in a man’s world without losing your soul? Depending on your politics, Thatcher either ran a country with necessary tough love and cooked dinner for her husband too; or she hacked away at Britian’s safety net while using taxpayer-funded help to maintain her Superwoman household.

In Act I, Marlene, the dynamic central character played by Claire Kaplan, hosts a dinner to celebrate her recent promotion at an employment agency. She gathers five historical women at a posh restaurant, sparely and elegantly designed by Joonhee Park, where they pour out their pain along with copious amounts of wine.

As Waitress (Colin Quinn Rice) serves with dispassionate efficiency, the women – explorer Isabella Bird (Susaan Jamshidi), Flemish folklore’s Dull Gret (Yourtana Sulaiman), Japanese courtesan Lady Nijo (Hannah Kato), 9^th Century’s Pope Joan (Morgan Lavenstein), and Chaucer’s Patient Griselda (Luke Halpern) – recount episodes of shocking male cruelty. Multiple accents and overlapping dialogue make the individual stories a little hard to follow. But each cast member creates such a distinct personality that a strong vibe emerges even if some details are lost.

In Act II, Churchill leaves fantasy behind and enters the very real working-class home of single mom Joyce (Jamshidi) and her 16-year-old daughter Angie (Sulaiman) who literally wants to kill her bitter mother. Spoiler alert, Angie flees to her Aunt Marlene’s office in London without doing the deed. There, female staffers interview other females for job placement. As one frustrated woman laments to Marlene, who now leads the department, “I have had to justify my existence every minute.” Centuries may have passed but talented women still fight for recognition.

When Angie shows up unannounced, she gets pushback instead of a warm welcome from Marlene. The teen desperately wants to acquire her role model’s independence, resources and, above all, confidence that mom-figure Joyce so obviously lacks. Marlene can’t hold back the sharp elbows and judges Angie accordingly, a girl who may not have what it takes to survive.

Act III moves even farther away from the play’s stylized opening with an extended scene that’s straight from the kitchen sink realism of post-World War II drama. Occurring a year prior to Act II, Marlene pays an unexpected visit to Joyce’s humble home and presents Angie with a dress that’s straight out of the traditional girlie playbook.

When it comes to success, “I’m not clever,” Marlene insists, “just pushy.” How Marlene has pushed herself to the top is clear by now. What she has pushed aside in the process tumbles out as the three women open their hearts in ways that leave them vulnerable. It is almost frightening. Four decades after Churchill penned Top Girls, news reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s atrocities only seem to confirm her point that womanhood is neither safe nor easy.

Top Girls runs through March 21^st at Raven Theatre. For tickets and information, go to www.raventheatre.com/stage/topgirls.

Recommended.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.

For some, an evening of Chekhov may sound like pure misery, but Red Theater’s “The Seagull” running at The Edge Off Broadway soars. The original adaptation by Red Theater cohort Ian Mayfield imagines Anton Chekhov’s emotionally searing dramady as a chamber play. Under his direction, this faithful version is a hidden gem of this winter’s storefront theatre scene.

Though known for depressing family melodramas, Chekhov did have a sense of humor, and perhaps in no other play is his cynical wit more on display than “The Seagull”. Any production is only as good as its neurotic, self-involved Arkadina. Anne Sheridan Smith is a captivating presence in the role of the celebrated actress. She brings an amusing larger-than-life performance that’s devilish to watch. Lovelorn and constantly drinking Masha played by Magdalena Dalzell delivers cutting physicality that’s also quite thrilling.

Jamie Herb is one of the production’s strongest assets in the role of Nina. Her performance takes full advantage of the closely drawn staging. She tells entire stories with haunting gazes. Her eventual breakdown feels more disturbing than the play’s actual tragic conclusion. However, perhaps no character is as pitiful as Medvedenko the schoolteacher. Ben Murphy plays the role with a subdued quietness that’s like whatever the opposite of “golden retriever boyfriend” energy is.

Original scoring by Jonathan Hannau lends to the chamber play atmosphere and elevates the ambiance. Maggie McGlenn’s sumptuous costumes combined with Hunter Cole’s minimal staging keep the focus on the action. As the actors move in and around the space, audiences will feel personally drawn in, as if they’re a silent guest at a party.

Red Theater’s “The Seagull” is a great example of what makes Chicago’s fringe and storefront scene so exciting. While many may look to the bigger institutions like Goodman or Steppenwolf to tackle major works by important playwrights, with the right talent in place a small theater can be just as impactful, if not more in some cases. Ian Mayfield’s version spends a lot of time dissecting Chekhov’s musings on artistic forms, and that curiosity about the craft of theatre feels evident in this cast. The result is a labor of love, and exactly what you want from a good night of theatre–that you lived through something. 

Through March 15 at Red Theater at The Edge Off Broadway. 1133 W Catalpa Ave. Tickets via www.redtheater.org

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Beloved children’s author Roald Dahl’s timeless story of the quirky and mysterious candy-maker looking for his heir apparent comes to life in an energetic and magical performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences’ musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory now on stage at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.

The 70-minute-long performance is a wonderful mix of old and new. Older members of the audience appreciated the familiar tunes from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, such as the iconic “The Candy Man,” “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” and “Pure Imagination” while the younger audience was captivated with the “Queen of Pop” (and next “It Girl”), Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee’s all-things techno obsession, and the very spoiled and demanding antics of Veruca Salt.

Upon entering the theatre, with the centerstage bathed in cool purple lighting and musical tributes featuring candy playing in the background, the audience is immediately transported to another place and time, where “pure imagination” reigns. The magic continues as the show opens with a flash news report from “Cherry Sunday” (Megan Long) about the famed candy-maker’s search for a suitable replacement to take over his workshop.

A delightful chorus of Oompa-Loompas, bedecked in colorful multi-patterned coats, jaunty bowler hats, and oversized sunglasses, appear in every aisle, allowing the young audience to feel part of the show, as they introduce us to the main man himself. Willy Wonka, wonderfully played by George Keating, brings just the right amount of quirkiness, charm, and empathy to his character.

The story continues as Mr. Wonka announces a worldwide contest, hiding five golden tickets in his chocolate bars. The lucky “finders” will be invited to visit his famed factory and be eligible for the grand prize. We meet young Charlie Bucket, played by the very talented Kai Edgar, who lives for Willy Wonka chocolate bars and dreams about winning a ticket. But his family is so poor that they can only afford to buy Charlie one candy bar on his birthday.

Charlie shares his dreams for helping his family and writes a letter to Mr. Wonka, telling him about the many wonderful candy confections he would invent for each family member, then sends it sailing out into the world, knowing there is little chance that he would ever win.

And, as the four golden tickets are quickly won by an assortment of spoiled, ill-mannered kids from around the world – the sausage-consuming Augustus Gloop (Elias Totleben), the foot-stomping demanding Veruca Salt (Elin Joy Seiler), the gum-chewing social-media queen Violet Beauregarde (Avelyn Lena Choi), and the techno-obsessed Mike Teavee (Gordon Henry Heisler) -- Charlie’s hopes dim. And when he, at last, does receive a Wonka bar, alas, no golden ticket. Charlie is distraught.

Yet, the kindly candy-story shopkeeper, who is unbeknownst to Charlie is Mr. Wonka himself, drops a dollar bill, and with it, Charlie buys the very last Wonka bar in the world. To his amazement, Charlie wins the last golden ticket. The audience broke into delighted applause as Charlie and his grandfather cavort around the stage in celebration.

Under the skillful direction of Amber Mak, who also choreographed the show, the magical world of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory comes to life through a combination of artful staging, colorful costumes, and confectionary props that looks almost good enough to eat. Throw in some bubbles and the clever use of large lighting panels that surround the stage and enhance the action on stage, and voilà – your imagination takes you right into the very heart of Wonka’s enchanted workshop.

The audience squealed in part dismay, part approval, as one by one the obnoxious cadre of children, brilliantly played by Totleben, Seiler, Choi, and Heisler, were eliminated from the competition because they crossed the line and broke the rules. And yes, thanks to an ingenious costume design, the gum-chomping Violet Beauregarde, does turn into a blueberry to the wonder of the crowd.

Finally, Charlie and his grandfather are the only ones left, and Mr. Wonka invites them into his sacred workshop where all the delicious designs are born. Leaving his book of creations behind, with a warning not to look inside it, Mr. Wonka and the grandfather go off to sign some papers for awarding the grand prize. As Charlie walks toward the forbidden book, the audience yelled at him to stop, but of course, he cannot help himself and opens the book.

When he discovered there were empty pages in the notebook, Charlie begins to sing again of his own dreams and visions for confectionary creations. When Mr. Wonka returns, rather than banishing Charlie from the factory as he did the other children for disobeying his rules, he tells Charlie that he indeed has won the grand prize because of his good heart and his pure imagination. Charlie is now the next “Candy Man” and inherits the factory.

As the young crowd applauded its approval and left the theatre thoroughly satisfied and entertained, the words to “The Candy Man” came back to me, “Who can take tomorrow and dip it in a dream?” The Candy Man can, and for one magical hour, the accomplished cast of the Marriott’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory did as well.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Theatre for Young Audiences is running through March 28 at the Marriott Theatre, located at 10 Marriott Drive in Lincolnshire. Performances take place on most Wednesdays through Sundays at 10 am with select 12:30 pm performances. Visit www.marriotttheatre.com or call 847.634.0200 for the exact schedule, as show times and dates may vary.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.