Displaying items by tag: chicago theatre

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of theater and a lot of musical performances. And because of that, people regularly ask what the best show I’ve seen is. Without hesitation, I tell them it was the 2018 Jeff Award-winning production of The Buddy Holly Story at American Blues Theater.

So, when I took my seat for American Blues Theater’s current production of Always…Patsy Cline and opened my program, I was thrilled to see many of the same names I remembered from the Buddy Holly cast and orchestra. And when I looked to my right, I was even more thrilled to see Michael Mahler - the musical director of the Buddy Holly show - seated just down the row, as he’s filling the same role with this show. I knew right then I was in for a night of good music.

Scenic designer Tara A. Houston’s bandstand - this was my first time attending a show at the theater’s Lincoln Avenue digs, which I found to be a really inviting venue - seconded the promise of a good time with its upright piano, upright bass, and lone classic silver Shure microphone just waiting for words to be sung to it. I was so excited for the music that I hardly noticed the rest of Houston’s set - a quaint mid-century kitchen tucked off to the side.

Because that’s the thing… I got to Always…Patsy Cline thinking I was just going to see yet another jukebox musical, albeit one done really well. But with this show, the audience gets a whole lot more than a standard IRL biopic.

Yes, it begins with Liz Chidester waltzing up to that Shure mic and singing into it about being back in her baby’s arms, of going out walking after midnight, of falling to pieces, and of being crazy for feeling so blue. Chidester nails Cline’s look - thanks in no small part to gorgeous costume design by Lily Walls which transports us back to the middle of the 20^th century one chic outfit at a time. And Chidester’s got a wonderful voice that gets to the places Cline’s voice got to, while mimicking that magical warmth and sheen that recordings of that era lent a vocalist. Yes, she makes a fine Patsy Cline.

And yes, the band is killer. Ian Paul Custer conducts while also adding Floyd Cramer-esque flourishes on the piano. Lior Shragg provides more than twenty musical numbers with their steady beat (and his beat-keeping becomes a plot point), joined in the rhythm section by versatile bassist, Marc Edelstein. Lauren Vogel’s fiddle goes from heartbreak to hoedown. And guitarist Nilko Andreas’ Fender Stratocaster approximates the whines of a lap steel one moment before slipping into more stately countrypolitan accompaniment.

Yes, if you go see Always…Patsy Cline simply for an overly generous and expertly played evening of deep cuts (I’d forgotten all about “Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray,” but it was a highlight) and country classics (Chidester’s dreamy vocals carried me off as she harkened the Nile and “old Algiers”), you will get way more than your money’s worth.

But while all of this is going on - while Chidester and her band are transporting us with song after song - this show is also not just another jukebox musical. Instead, it looks at how those singular talents worthy of their own musical affect us, the audience.

That role - of fan, of the one experiencing the music and being transported by the artist - is played onstage by the second member of this two-woman cast. Molly Hernandez - who played Buddy Holly’s wife and muse Maria Elena in not just the 2018 production I so loved but in a more recent Marriott Theatre production of the same, and who’s graced many other stages around Chicago in the years since - plays Louise, a hilarious, hard-drinking, fast-talking, all-heart Texas gal who just loves the records by this Patsy Cline. She loves those records so much, in fact, it leads to a one-night friendship and a lifelong (not long enough, sadly) pen-pal relationship between the two women. While her character’s name isn’t on the marquee, Hernandez is the show’s MVP. She’s the narrator. She’s the heart. And she’s a real hoot - strutting and sassing and boot-scooting all over the place, giving the show a real-world grounding that even the best shows about famous people can’t provide.

What was so unexpected about Always…Patsy Cline is that it understands something most jukebox musicals miss entirely (even the one at the top of my list!): the songs aren’t really the story. The people carrying them around in their hearts are. Director Harmony France gives us the larger-than-life Patsy Cline we paid to see by looking at her through the eyes of one of the millions spinning her records on their turntable.

And that’s what’s still sticking with me… Yes, I’ll remember Chidester’s velvety vocals, Hernandez’s comic and dramatic talent, and again, a killer country-and-western band. But mostly I’ll remember Always…Patsy Cline as less of a biopic than a love letter: to fandom, to friendship, to old country songs, and to the artists whose voices keep reaching across decades to soundtrack our lives. American Blues Theater has done it again with Always…Patsy Cline, running now through June 21st.

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

A strong Chicago theatre weekend starts with choosing your flavor, and this one offers a full flight. Whether you’re in the mood for something scrappy and strange, bright and nostalgic, or mythic and mischievous, the city’s stages have you covered. Three wildly different productions are running right now, and each one makes a compelling case for your time.

Shattered Globe’s Eelpout at Theater Wit is the pick for anyone who wants a show that feels distinctly Chicago - intimate, odd, and quietly daring. It’s the kind of storefront piece that rewards audiences who like their theatre a little off-center, with sharp writing and performances that dig into the emotional grit beneath the humor. If you’re craving something unexpected and handcrafted, Eelpout is the weekend’s sleeper hit.

If your week has been long and you want pure joy, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s The Wedding Singer is the fizzy, feel-good option. It’s big-hearted, neon-soaked, and built for audiences who want to laugh, tap their feet, and leave humming. Metropolis knows how to deliver a crowd-pleasing musical, and this one leans all the way into its ‘80s nostalgia and goofy charm.

And for something bold, clever, and completely its own, Lifeline Theatre’s Loki - The End of the World Tour offers a mythological comedy with cosmic stakes and storefront ingenuity. It’s fast, funny, and packed with the ensemble-driven inventiveness Lifeline is known for. If you want a show that feels like nothing else onstage right now, Loki’s your ticket.

Three shows, three distinct worlds - quirky storefront storytelling, musical escapism, and mythic mayhem. Whichever direction you choose, you’re in for a memorable night out.

Your favorite kids show is back! The Second City is excited to welcome the return of its wildly popular summer hit for young audiences. No Grown-Ups Allowed is a high-energy, fast-paced sketch and improv comedy show delivering 60 minutes of non-stop laughter for the whole family. Tickets sell fast every year! For tickets and more information, visit secondcity.com or call The Second City box office at 312-337-3992.

The show features a mix of family-friendly songs and sketches from The Second City's iconic comedy archives, alongside fresh new material created just for young audiences. And of course, it's all brought to life with the ridiculous improv hijinks The Second City is known for.

Starring a hilarious cast, No Grown-Ups Allowed is a one-of-a-kind interactive theatrical experience, giving kids the chance to jump into the action, whether from their seats or by joining performers live onstage.

No Grown-Ups Allowed runs Saturdays at 11am and 1pm, June 6 through August 29, with one added Sunday performance on July 5 at 11am and 1pm. Tickets are $29. Perfect for ages 6-13.

About The Second City

The Second City opened its doors in 1959 as a small comedy cabaret and has since grown into the world's most influential name in improvisation and comedy, celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2024. The Second City's stages, Touring Companies, and Training Centers across North America have proudly been the launch pad and artistic home for many of the funniest performers, writers, directors, and comedic minds on the planet. As well, for decades The Second City's corporate education and entertainment arm, Second City Works, has supported global businesses using the same methods pioneered on its stages to drive individual growth and organizational improvement.

For more information on The Second City, visit www.secondcity.com and follow The Second City on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Get ready for a cosmic comedy of gods, monsters, and mayhem that refuses to play by the old rules. That’s right - the universe is ending, and apparently it booked a headliner.

In Lifeline’s world premiere Loki: The End of the World Tour, we travel to another universe where Norse gods wrestle with fate, power, and the consequences of welcoming a trickster into their midst. Loki, half‑god and half‑giant, storms into Asgard with the force of a live wire, intent on reshaping his identity and carving out a place in the celestial hierarchy. His charm wins over Odin almost immediately, but the rest of the pantheon isn’t so easily convinced. While gentle Baldur welcomes him with the sunny goodwill he offers everyone, Thor bristles at the sudden competition for his father’s attention, and Freya senses danger in him from the start. Meanwhile, Loki’s three unusual children - Hel, Fenris (a wolfen creature), and the slithery Midgard Serpent - appear in Asgard as the very figures described in the prophecy Odin dreads, the beings destined to spark Ragnarok and bring the realm to its knees. Caught in the middle, Sigyn finds herself drawn to Loki’s restless spirit even as these revelations cast a looming war between gods and giants across their path. Loki’s return from the land of giants sets off a quiet upheaval in Asgard, and it’s clear the realm will never look the same again. Yep, Lifeline Theatre certainly lives up to its “Big Stories, Up Close” tagline in this original creation, transforming ancient myth into a visceral, close‑quarters clash of gods, secrets, and fate.

The show kicks off with a blast of rock‑and‑roll as the onstage trio - guitarist and music director Kelan Smith, keyboardist Kara Alexander, and drummer/bassist Alek Boggio - tears into the opening number. These three performers also serve as the Norns, guiding the audience through the story with a mix of narration, commentary, and musical firepower. Penned by Lifeline ensemble members Christina Calvit and George Howe and directed by Heather Currie, the “World Tour” concept gives the production a playful, concert‑style frame that keeps the energy high from the very first chord. Earplugs are free for anyone who wants them, and even with the show’s solid sound mix, you might be glad to have a pair handy - particularly in Act Two, when Boggio unleashes a drum assault that rattles the room.

Jack Chylinski leads the company with a magnetic, mercurial turn as Loki, slipping between charm, menace, and mischief with the ease of a born shapeshifter. The physicality is sharp and unpredictable, and they ride the rock score with a swagger that makes the trickster god both dangerous and oddly irresistible. Opposite him, Scott Danielson brings a seasoned authority to Odin, grounding the production with a commanding presence and vocals that cut cleanly through the music. Danielson’s All‑Father carries the weight of prophecy and fear in every scene, and the show deepens whenever he steps into the light.

Kelan Smith, Alek Boggio, Kara Olander, Janelle Anabria in LOKI THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR. Photo by Josh Bernaski.

Janelle Sanabria’s Freya is a powerhouse in every sense, her vocals soaring across the theatre with clarity, range, and emotional bite. She plays the goddess with fierce intelligence and a simmering distrust that adds real tension to the pantheon. Keenan Odenkirk, meanwhile, delivers a standout comedic performance as Thor, balancing bluster, jealousy, and impeccable timing. His ability to punch a line, hold a beat, and land a laugh gives the show some of its sharpest moments. Peter Gertas brings a bright, buoyant charm to Baldur, radiating warmth as the god of light and shifting effortlessly into his more grounded work as Mason.

India Renteria offers a luminous, heartfelt Sigyn, grounding the chaos around her with sincerity and emotional clarity. Loki’s three children - Grace Reidenauer as the coolly witty Hel, Anthony Kayer as the feral and unexpectedly tender Fenris (and the delightfully bold Thrym), and Avery Thompson as the playful, serpentine Middy - round out the ensemble with vivid, memorable performances. Each brings a distinct energy to the stage, and together they form a trio that’s as funny as it is thematically essential. The cast as a whole fuels the production with personality, precision, and a rock‑and‑roll spirit that never lets the momentum dip.

The physical world of the production is intentionally spare, yet it feels remarkably tailored to the story thanks to the combined work of scenic designer Lindsay Mummert, props designer Saskia Bakker, and lighting designer G. “Max” Maxin IV. Instead of overwhelming the stage with spectacle, the design team leans into simplicity and lets the atmosphere do the heavy lifting. The band sits off to one side in full view, their presence giving the show the pulse and immediacy of a live concert rather than a traditional musical. Maxin’s washes of purple light bathe the space in an otherworldly glow, transforming the minimalist set into something mythic, shifting, and just a little dangerous.

Anthony Kayer, Jack Chylinski, Grace Reidenauer and Avery Thompson in LOKI THE END OF THE WORLD TOUR. Photo by Josh Bernaski.

This production feels like lightning in a bottle, and the cast - backed by that ferocious onstage band - absolutely tears into it. New, original musicals don’t always find their musical footing right away, but this one arrives with a score that feels confident, catchy, and fully realized. Several numbers grabbed me on first listen, and by the time the show barrels into its final sequence, the music swells into a full‑throttle rock anthem that literally dares the audience to join in. The closing chorus suggests, with a wink and a blast of guitar, that if the world really is ending, we might as well crank the volume and go out in a rockin’ blaze of sound - and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that.

Loki: The End of the World Tour is the kind of original musical that proves, yet again, how fiercely inventive Chicago storefront theatre can be when it fires on all cylinders. Lifeline’s ensemble throws themselves into the chaos with precision, personality, and a rock‑and‑roll fearlessness that makes the whole night feel like a small miracle happening a few feet away. It’s smart, loud, heartfelt, and just strange enough to feel genuinely new - the sort of show you want to tell people about before it closes. And with the production running through June 14th, there’s still time to catch the lightning (or Thor's hammer) for yourself. As for logistics, street parking in the neighborhood remains one of the city’s best‑kept secrets: arrive a little early and you’ll likely snag a spot without the headache of garages or meters. For a show this fun, this fresh, and this full of talent, the trip is absolutely worth it.

For tickets/and/or more information, click here.

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

The Wedding Singer is currently onstage at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, offering a faithful and upbeat interpretation of the Adam Sandler–Drew Barrymore film. The production leans into the story’s rom‑com roots while making effective use of the Metropolis space, integrating ensemble work, clear character moments, and a series of well‑staged song‑and‑dance numbers to establish its easygoing, ’80s‑infused tone.

Before getting deeper into the production itself, it’s worth pausing to talk about the music. Not being familiar with the stage version - but very familiar with the film - I walked in fully expecting a night filled with Culture Club, The Cars, Depeche Mode, Dead or Alive, Huey Lewis, the B‑52s and, of course, Billy Idol. After all, Broadway has reimagined just about everything, so why not build a soundtrack from these great artists? But that isn’t what the musical sets out to deliver. While the film rolls out one 1980s hit after another, the stage adaptation replaces those songs with an entirely original score. Curious about the shift, and assuming it might be a budget decision, I did some digging - and here’s what I found.

Ok, so The Wedding Singer stage musical wasn’t conceived as a jukebox show. When Chad Beguelin, Tim Herlihy, and Matthew Sklar adapted the film for the stage, they chose to create an original score rather than license the movie’s well‑known pop hits. Securing rights to songs from multiple artists, labels, and publishers would have been enormously complex and prohibitively expensive (I was partially correct), and it would have limited the creative team to a patchwork of pre‑existing material. By writing new music, the creative team could shape songs around character development, pacing, and theatrical storytelling, all while capturing the spirit of the 1980s without relying on specific chart‑toppers. And while it may be a slight letdown for anyone hoping to hear those iconic hits, the production does nod to the film’s soundtrack: many of those artists play over the speakers as audiences enter, setting the mood with a warm wave of ’80s nostalgia before the show even begins.

From left - Cristina Benighoff, Kylie Tollefson, Jamie Dillon Grossman as Holly,  Teah Kiang Mirabelli as Julia and Jodi Gage as Angie. 

The musical adaptation of The Wedding Singer - with a book and music by the above mentioned Chad Beguelin, Tim Herlihy and Matthew Sklar - premiered at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre on February 8, 2006, following previews that began January 31. It later transferred to Broadway, where it began previews on March 30 and officially opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 27, 2006. Now, twenty years later, almost to the day after its Broadway debut, it has arrived in Arlington Heights.

For those anticipating a beat‑for‑beat version of the movie, the stage musical instead embraces a more expansive, stage‑shaped version of the story - exactly what a musical adaptation calls for. The core story and main characters remain, but it’s the show’s original songs, larger ensemble numbers, and broader comedic beats that naturally shift the tone. Certain plot points are streamlined, and some supporting characters are reimagined or expanded, while others, like the over-the-top lounge-singing character Jimmie Moore played by John Lovitz, don’t appear at all. The result keeps the spirit of the film intact, but filters it through the pacing, structure, and heightened style of a full musical.

At the center of the story is Robbie Hart, New Jersey’s go‑to wedding singer whose life unravels after his fiancée, Linda, leaves him at the altar. The musical charts his shift from upbeat crowd‑pleaser to heartbroken mess, blending the film’s familiar humor with a more expansive emotional arc. Robbie’s missteps, meltdowns, and attempts at recovery take on a brighter, more expressive energy onstage, all while staying true to the spirit of the original film.

Julia, the warm‑hearted waitress engaged to the wrong man, grounds the narrative and becomes the catalyst for Robbie’s rediscovery of hope. Their growing connection unfolds through new songs and heightened character moments as the two become closer and closer, surrounded by neon nostalgia and a fizzy sense of fun. By the time the show reaches its finale, it captures the same earnest, feel‑good spirit that made the Sandler and Barrymore film a favorite, now delivered with Broadway‑sized verve and a wink to every ’80s love story that came before it.

The score leans into the show’s 1980s setting with a mix of upbeat pop styles and earnest ballads, and while the songs themselves aren’t the most memorable, they’re delivered with strong vocals and crisp musical direction. Numbers like “It’s Your Wedding Day” and “Saturday Night in the City” bring plenty of energy, and pieces such as “Someday” and “If I Told You” give Robbie and Julia room to explore their emotional arcs. Altogether, the score creates a fun, nostalgia‑tinged atmosphere that supports the story even if the tunes don’t linger long after the curtain.

The Metropolis cast brings The Wedding Singer to life with an easy, infectious force that suits the show’s playful spirit. Abraham Deitz‑Green leads the production as Robbie Hart, offering strong vocals and confident movement throughout. His strength shows most clearly in the musical numbers, where his singing and dancing bring real appeal to the role and highlight where his talents truly land. His rendition of Adam Sandler’s “Grow Old with You” is especially sweet, giving the show one of its most heartfelt moments. There’s a sincerity in his approach that keeps the character engaging and makes it easy to root for him from start to finish. “Casualty of Love” lets Robbie hit rock bottom in spectacular fashion, and Deitz‑Green tears into the collapse with a mix of wild humor and crisp musicality.

Opposite Deitz‑Green, Teah Kiang Mirabelli brings Julia to the stage with a gentle warmth that immediately draws the audience in, and she positively glows as the character’s optimism and sincerity take shape. Her growing connection with Robbie feels effortless and genuine, supported by acting choices that are both clear and confidently delivered. Mirabelli gives Julia a grounded sincerity, a bright sense of humor, and a quiet emotional intelligence that enrich every scene she’s in. It’s a performance that consistently elevates the material and gives the show much of its heart.

Abraham Deitz-Green as Robbie Hart.

Around them, the supporting cast adds plenty of texture and momentum. Peyton Schoenhofer gives Glen just the right amount of slick confidence and the perfect touch of cockiness, while Andres J. DeLeon’s George and Danny Dollase’s Sammy bring sharp comedic timing to Robbie’s inner circle and enjoy several standout moments of their own, turning in multiple scene‑stealing bits that consistently lift the energy onstage. Jamie Dillon Grossman’s Holly brings a spark every time she appears drawing lots of laughs, and her vocals add real lift to the ensemble. Caron Buinis offers a crowd‑pleasing turn as Rosie, finding the humor in the role without tipping into caricature and ultimately delivering one of the show’s funniest performances. As Linda, Katherine Abel delivers a compact but very funny performance that adds just the right jolt of attitude.

The strong ensemble keeps the show moving with crisp choreography by Nich O'Neil and bright character work, giving the production a lively pulse from scene to scene. The airplane scene, packed with gleefully exaggerated celebrity impersonators, brings a burst of chaotic fun and stands out as one of the production’s funniest moments.

Guiding it all is director Amber Mak, whose steady hand shapes the blend of ’80s nostalgia, rom‑com sweetness, and high‑energy musical comedy. Her approach highlights the story’s heart without sacrificing its humor, creating a production that feels both affectionate toward the original film and confidently theatrical in its own right. The production maintains a lively pace from start to finish, striking a rhythm that keeps the story engaging without a single stretch that feels slow.

The glitzy, wedding‑themed set by Milo Blue gives the show a bright visual identity, and the choice to keep the live band visible throughout adds a dynamic, concert‑like presence that energizes every scene. Getting to watch the musicians play in full view is always a big plus for me. The band is beautifully led by Carolyn Brady - not Carol Brady; that would take us back to the ’70s.

One of the pleasures of this production is the steady stream of 1980s references woven throughout. A Mr. Belvedere shout‑out, a five‑pound car‑phone battery, a nod to the “Time to make the donuts” guy, and a perfectly timed “Where’s the beef?” all land with an easy, throwback charm. The show adds plenty of other touches from the era, delivered with just the right touch of silliness. From fashion jokes to pop‑culture moments I’m surely forgetting, each reference lands like a small time‑capsule detail that keeps the audience laughing and taps into the easy lure of the 1980s.

The Wedding Singer at Metropolis ultimately delivers a bright, good‑natured night out with plenty of laughs and well-choreographed musical numbers along the way. It leans into its ’80s nostalgia and rom‑com charm without taking itself too seriously, making it an easy pick for anyone in the mood for something fun and feel‑good. If you’re looking for a show that will lift your spirits and leave you smiling, this one is well worth the trip to Arlington Heights.

Through May 24^th at Metropolis Performing Arts Center.

For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

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

Physical Theater Festival Chicago, the city’s annual celebration of contemporary, movement-based performance, announces a bold lineup spotlighting local creativity. Each year, Physical Theater Festival reimagines what a live theater experience can be and do across cultures, languages and genres while showcasing a variety of performing arts, including clown, mime, improv, puppet/object theater, circus and dance. At this festival, the physical theater runs the gamut from innovative street theater, to award-winning and critically acclaimed new dramas, comedies and dramedies.

The festival proudly features homegrown talent, including headliner company Full Out Formula, who recently returned from Adelaide Fringe in Australia with their award-winning show, I Think It Could Work, June 3 - 7; six new short-form acts on Scratch Night, Monday, June 1 and two medium-length works with Made in Chicago on June 2. Physical Theater Festival also adds a robust slate of community workshops, June 4 - 7, each honoring the city’s vibrant performance scene. 

International artists and companies scheduled to perform during the seven-day special event include: the Chicago return of Argentinian’s physical chameleon Luciano Rosso; the United States premiere of Peruvian mask theater ensemble Compañia de Teatro Físico; Korean-American powerhouse Sora Baek and Portland’s all-ages clown duo A Little Bit OFF. Please note: Previously announced performances of Jetlag by Chaliwaté (Belgium) have been cancelled. 

General admission tickets for individual shows at The Dance Center at Columbia Chicago are $40 and tickets at Theater Wit are $36, industry/students/seniors/veterans tickets are $26 at The Dance Center and $23 at Theater Wit. There are two offerings for festival passes: Option one: $189 (general admission) for the "The Whole Shebang”

Festival Pass or $119 (for industry/students/seniors/veterans). Option two: "Just “The Headliners" Festival Pass is $159 (general admission) or $89 (for industry/students/seniors/veterans). Workshop participants may purchase a full workshop pass for $210 for all four sessions. Tickets and passes may be purchased at PhysicalFestival.com.

13TH PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO CALENDAR OF EVENTS

(Information on companies and individual artists may be found at PhysicalFestival.com.)

Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. 

Scratch Night

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Scratch Night, a festival favorite, kicks off the local programming by giving emerging Chicago artists a platform to share new short works in progress. Known for its energetic environment, Scratch Night has become a springboard for experimentation and collaboration among the city’s most daring physical theater and dance makers. Among the lineup is a diverse group of performers from multiple disciplines ranging from dance and acro to clown: The Piel Canela Company, THE FLOCK, Sarah Beck, Dawn Heilung, Haven Rawley, Ryan Eykholt and Richie Whitehead, Luke Vertiglio and Emil Holt and Ella Kramer.

Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m.

Made in Chicago Night

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Out of Scratch Night grows the Made in Chicago series—an opportunity for two local artists or companies to expand on work that originated at Scratch Night in up to 40-minute performances. This year’s program includes INSÉKTA with MATADORA and LegLand with The New F-Word.

MATADORA is a devised choreographic work exploring the question: “What does rage look like in the body?” Tracing the transformation of suppressed Latiné rage into a force of dignity and self-possession, the piece blends movement, ritual and theatricality. INSÉKTA, a Venezuelan–Peruvian director, choreographer and performer based in Chicago, creates work at the crossroads of dance, absurdism and Latiné Futurism. MATADORA is supported by a residency with Pivot Arts at the Wirtz Center.

In The New F-Word, award-winning Chicago ensemble LegLand dives into the atmospheric world of fog, its mystery, mood and absurdity. Building on their acclaimed Scratch Night 2025 performance, LegLand fuses comedic discomfort and moody theatricality to ask: “What’s really so cool about sitting in a smoky room anyway?” This new iteration brings audiences a theatrical playground bursting with surreal wit and visual flair.

Wednesday, June 3 and Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m.

I Think It Could Work by Full Out Formula (Chicago)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

From the mischievous minds of Full Out Formula comes their seminal creation, I Think It Could Work, a daring and playful leap into the unexpected. With bright colors, dazzling acrobatics and unflinching trust, this Chicago-based contemporary circus collective invites audiences into a speculative world where your choices decide their destiny. It's a circus like you’ve never seen before: live, improvised and unforgettable.

Full Out Formula is a circus collective that makes people believe in the possibilities of their own world. It's a sneaky but feral rebellion based in Chicago, founded in 2023 by company members Sierra Rhoades Nicholls, Kevin Flanagan and Liam Bradley.

Wednesday, June 3 at 9 p.m., Saturday, June 6 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 

at 11 a.m.

Beau and Aero by A Little Bit OFF (Seattle, USA)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Multi-award-winning Beau and Aero ask the question, “What if the Wright brothers went wrong?” Beau and Aero is an acrobatic, slapstick, latex-heavy comedy featuring two incompetent aviators on their quest for flight. Pompous pilot Beau and his clueless co-pilot Aero have crash-landed. The unlikely aeronautic duo tries everything to get back into the air - from propellers and parachutes, to balloons of all sizes, but to no avail. Distracted by their own imaginations, and the notably unhelpful contents of their emergency supply crate, the two tumble through hijinks and comedic conundrums, before emerging out the other side. The show blends clown with elements of acrobatics, mime and puppetry, with wordless humor that will tickle audiences of all ages and languages. A strong vintage aesthetic paired with the duo’s ridiculous antics onstage is a nostalgic nod to timeless classics of old American Vaudeville. It’s like Charlie Chaplin meets Amelia Earhart. 

Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Los Regalos/The Gifts by Compañia de Teatro Fisico (Peru)

The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.

The international section of the festival opens with this beloved multi-award-winning show from Peru. A father and his two sons live alone in a house without women.The most routine of tasks such as preparing breakfast, bathing or housework turns into real adventures when tackled by three inexperienced men and their fear of now knowing what they are doing. The journey that the elder brother needs to make in order to leave home, and the fear of saying goodbye to the ones we love, will be the starting point of our story.

The June 4 performance of Los Regalos/The Gifts will be followed by a meet and greet and talk back with the artists and a Peruvian reception sponsored by Tanta Chicago and the Consulate General of Peru in Chicago.

Thursday, June 4 and Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m.

SELL ME: I am from North Korea by Sora Baek (South Korea/USA)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

A sold-out hit at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performed in the United States. Capitol Center, this powerful, fast-paced solo piece is inspired by the true stories of courageous North Korean women defectors. On her fifteenth birthday, Jisun, a North Korean girl, decides to sell herself to an old man to buy medicine for her dying mother. After risking her life crossing into China, she learns her body is considered worthless. Will she survive in a merciless foreign land where her very existence is illegal?

Thursday, June 4 - Saturday, June 6 at 9 p.m. 

Apocalipsync by Luciano Rosso (Argentina/France)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

The Argentine actor from Un Poyo Rojo (Physical Theater Festival 2025), takes audiences on an extravagant journey with his one-man show Apocalipsync. Born during the spring 2020 pandemic, this show offers a reflection on isolation, creativity and a cartoon-like view of our contemporary world. Luciano Rosso brilliantly embodies around forty eccentric and witty characters who accompany him on an endless journey within the solitude of his apartment. On stage, he uses his elastic body to showcase his many talents: dance, clowning, contortion and especially lip sync. It is an exhilarating and hilarious performance about the many inventive ways we find to escape boredom.

​Workshops at the Wirtz Center Chicago 

Abbot Hall, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr., Evanston 

WORK IT! 

Beyond performances, the Festival continues its commitment to artist development through workshops led by visiting artists. A dynamic series of four hands-on workshops will take place June 4 – 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., bringing international artists for an immersive exploration of physical theatre, movement, clowning, and storytelling. Designed for multi-level practitioners and curious newcomers alike, the series invites participants to expand their creative range. Join us for this rare opportunity to train across disciplines in a focused, collaborative environment.

 Workshops Sneak Peek:

o Partner Acrobatics - Weight Sharing, Counterbalances & Lifts!

o From Neutral Mask to Melodrama

o Clown, Stage Presence and Acknowledging your Audience

o Write Your Own Solo Show 

Ticket information, full schedule and artist details are available at PhysicalFestival.com.

ABOUT ALICE DA CUNHA, CO-FOUNDER and ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Alice de Cunha is a Chicago-based Brazilian and Portuguese actress, director and producer. She co-directed with Sandra Marquez the multi-award-winning Teatro Vista show The Dream King. Acting credits include Steppenwolf Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Theater 503, as well as House Theater for which she received a Jeff Award for Best Ensemble for United Flight 232.

She is the artistic director and co-founder of Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival, an annual festival committed to present in our city international acts that represent the future of what theater can be and do. She has extensive experience in the international theater festival sector and has worked, among other festivals at CASA (UK), Shortcutz London, TODOS (Portugal) and the Chicago Latino Film Festival. De Cunha is an artistic consultant to Theater Unspeakable and an adjunct professor at Loyola University.

ABOUT MARC FROST, CO-FOUNDER and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Marc Frost is an actor, deviser, educator and Chicago native who has performed and produced work in Brazil, Ireland, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. He created Theater Unspeakable as a platform for original works of devised, physical theater. Based in Chicago, the award-winning company has toured nationally, performing at venues including Lincoln Center Education (NY) and Kennedy Center (DC). He currently teaches at Roosevelt University. Frost is also a proud graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute’s 14-Week Training Program for Commercial Theatre Producers in New York City.​​

ABOUT PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO

Physical Theater Festival Chicago brings to Chicago audience-beloved, virtuosic live performances from around the world that inspire theatergoers and local artists. Launched in 2014 by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, the Festival was founded to introduce a more progressive, physical approach to theater-making in Chicago.

Now in its 13th year, the Festival showcases award-winning, ensemble-created works spanning traditions, while also highlighting outstanding contemporary works from international artists and Chicago companies.

The 2026 Festival partners include Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, International Latino Cultural Center Of Chicago, The Dance Center At Columbia College, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Theater Unspeakable, Consulate General Of Argentina and Consulate General Of Peru.

Dark comedies built around relationship dynamics have always drawn me in because they reveal conflict with a kind of honesty that feels both familiar and unpredictable. When couples clash, the humor isn’t just situational; it’s rooted in history, habit, and the tiny emotional landmines only long-term partners know how to trigger. Fault fits squarely into that tradition, taking the everyday rhythms of a long marriage and pushing them just far enough to expose the raw, funny, and uncomfortable truths beneath the surface. That blend of recognition and surprise is exactly what makes this kind of comedy so compelling, and why Fault lands with such a specific charge.

That sense of intimate volatility is exactly what Jason Alexander explores in his return to Chicago Shakespeare Theater. With Fault, he brings the sharp directorial instinct he showed in his earlier CST production Judgment Day and applies it to a far more contained emotional landscape. In this world premiere written by Scooter Pietsch, he shapes the play’s tightening grid of tension and moral uncertainty with a touch that feels both precise and unexpectedly humane. The result is a tightly focused piece driven by tension that sparks almost instantly - less an explosive outburst than a controlled shift in the room - with the personal fractures between the characters steering the story toward its breaking point.

Pictured are Enrico Colantoni (Jerry), Playwright Scooter Pietsch, Rebecca Spence (Lucy), Nick Marini (Shaun), and Director Jason Alexander. April 18– May 24, 2026, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Photo by Justin Barbin.

In Fault, the night detonates the moment Jerry Green walks in expecting to celebrate a career defining merger and instead finds his wife, Lucy, in an intimate moment with a young man she has just met, Shaun. What could have ended in a single, stunned confrontation instead becomes the spark for a long, spiraling night in which no one is allowed to leave, and nothing stays contained. The shock of the discovery quickly gives way to a volatile mix of accusations, shifting alliances, and long suppressed grievances, turning their home into a closed-door standoff where every truth feels like a trap and every explanation opens a deeper wound. Jerry and Lucy have long operated as a high functioning power couple, relying on professional unity to keep their marriage steady; once that balance collapses, the cracks at home widen just as quickly. It is interesting that Pietsch also underscores the irony that Jerry’s career‑defining merger has just made the couple newly minted billionaires after a long string of failures, and yet - proving that all the money in the world can’t change some people - they still behave like high‑achieving narcissists, turning their blame and abuse on each other and on the young stranger they’ve invited into their lavish home.

As the hours stretch on, the situation tilts from chaotic to revealing, exposing the fractures that have been quietly shaping this marriage for decades. Jerry’s need for control, Lucy’s hunger for something unspoken, and Shaun’s unexpected presence collide in ways that force each of them to confront what they’ve been avoiding. What begins as a moment of betrayal becomes a full-scale excavation of loyalty, resentment, and the stories couples tell themselves to stay intact. The play’s dark humor emerges from this escalating tension - how quickly a single mistake can unravel a life, and how a marriage can be tested most brutally not by the act itself, but by everything it brings to the surface. And just to remind you, this is a comedy - and a hilarious one at that.

Jerry even admits at one point that arguments never really have winners, a truth he delivers with the weary certainty of someone who has spent years circling the same conversational battlegrounds. Yet the play understands something deeper and more uncomfortable: that couples can become strangely addicted to the very banter that exhausts them. The back‑and‑forth may bruise, but it also affirms a shared language, a familiar rhythm, a way of feeling alive inside a relationship that has otherwise gone quiet. In Fault, that warped need becomes both a source of comedy and a mirror held up to the audience, revealing how easily love and combat can blur when two people know each other too well.

For all its blistering comedy, Fault is threaded with the quieter, more unsettling realizations that come with aging - what it means to feel your desirability slipping, to lose track of the person you married, or to crave the parts of yourself you fear have vanished. The betrayals at the center of the play aren’t just about infidelity; they’re about the desperate need to feel seen, wanted, and alive again. Beneath the chaos and sharp-edged humor runs a steady pulse of vulnerability, as each character confronts the version of themselves they’ve been avoiding. And just when the night seems like it can’t twist any further, the play barrels into a smash bang ending that lands with real force - the kind that sends audiences out buzzing, debating, and replaying the final moments long after the curtain comes down.

Presenting the world premiere dark comedy Fault, by Scooter Pietsch and directed by Jason Alexander. Featuring Enrico Colantoni (Jerry) and Nick Marini (Shaun). Photo by Justin Barbin.

The cast of Fault features three principal performers, each driving a different charge in the play’s volatile, rapidly escalating night. Enrico Colantoni gives Jerry Green a grounded, lived in presence, letting decades of pent up frustration surface through tightly controlled physical choices and a dry comic timing that makes his smallest shifts register. Opposite him, Chicago favorite Rebecca Spence shapes Lucy Green with a blend of wit, restraint, and emotional clarity; her sharp physical beats and instinctive timing keep each exchange taut while still allowing the humor to flicker through. Shaun, whose chance encounter with Lucy at the bar leads him into the Green household, played by Nick Marini, adds a destabilizing charge to the night, using quick, reactive movement and an agile sense of timing to tilt the dynamic just enough to expose the deeper fractures beneath the couple’s carefully maintained surface.

Their combined work is strengthened by the breadth of experience each actor brings to the stage. Colantoni’s long career in film and television, including standout turns in Veronica Mars and Galaxy Quest, gives his performance a steady, lived in weight. Spence, a Chicago mainstay with a Jeff Award and recent visibility in The Madison, brings sharp focus and emotional clarity to Lucy. Marini adds a younger charge to the trio, drawing on credits like Cobra Kai and Dropout TV to shape a presence that subtly disrupts the relationship dynamic.

The action unfolds inside a tastefully appointed luxury home crafted by scenic designer Paul Tate DePoo III, who gives the Greens a space that gleams with success without ever feeling sterile. A streamlined bar sits at the rear of the room, and the warm finishes, refined furnishings, and subtle touches make the environment inviting rather than ostentatious - a polished retreat that still feels lived in. It’s the kind of setting that should radiate comfort and control, yet under Alexander’s direction it gradually sharpens, its clean lines and curated surfaces taking on a quiet tension as the night begins to break down.

Alexander’s own trajectory mirrors that same level of craft, extending far beyond the stage. Although Jason Alexander is widely known for his television work on Seinfeld and film roles ranging from Pretty Woman to Shallow Hal, he brings none of that celebrity shorthand to Fault. Instead, his decades in front of the camera seem to refine his instincts behind the table. His sense of timing, character shaping, and emotional pacing reflect the precision of someone who has lived inside stories of every scale. It’s a résumé that could easily overshadow a production, yet here it deepens his approach, grounding the play’s volatility in choices that feel thoughtful rather than showy.

Running just ninety minutes without an intermission, Fault maintains a tight, steady pulse that matches the tightening chamber of its late-night unraveling. Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the world premiere through May 26, offering audiences a sharply observed look at a marriage pushed past its breaking point. What stays with you isn’t only the tension or the humor, but the clarity of the production itself, which recognizes how a single, seismic domestic shift can rattle everything a couple has built, sending shockwaves through a foundation that once seemed unshakeable.

Highly recommended.

For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

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

For its 13^th free summer production, Midsommer Flight will present one of Shakespeare's most highly regarded and popular comedies. AS YOU LIKE IT, known for its witty dialogue, pastoral setting, and the strong female lead Rosalind, is one of Shakespeare's 10 most frequently produced plays. It takes some of Shakespeare's frequent tropes - intra-family conflicts, gender disguises, and lovers who must overcome obstacles in order to be together – and creates a lighthearted, romantic comedy that has been praised for its sophisticated banter. True to the comedy's famous line – "All the World's a Stage" – Midsommer Flight will again be creating natural stages in six Chicago parks over six summer weekends. The company will crisscross the city, with performances on the near south side (Chicago Women's Park and Gardens), farther south at Nichols Park in the Hyde Park neighborhood, the west side (Kelvyn Park), and the north side (Gross (Theodore) Park in Lincoln Square, Winnemac Park in Ravenswood, and Touhy Park in Rogers Park). Opening night is Friday, June 26 at 6 pm at Chicago Women's Park and Gardens, 1801 South Indiana Avenue in the South Loop (Near South Side).
 
Founding Artistic Director Beth Wolf (she/her/hers), named one of NEW CITY STAGE's 2026 "50 Players Who Really Perform for Chicago," announced her cast of 12 principals and six understudies today. Appearing as Rosalind, who like her father Duke Senior is banished from court by her uncle Duke Frederick, is Stephanie Mattos* (she/her). Barry Irving* (he/him) will play both Duke Frederick and Duke Senior. Orlando, who is attracted to Rosalind and flees to the Forest of Arden to escape a death threat from his brother, will be played by Thomas Russell (he/they). Orlando's brother, Oliver, will be played by Ian Voltaire Deanes (he/him). Ebby Offord* (she/they) will appear as Rosalind's loyal cousin Celia, who travels to the forest with Rosalind. Accompanying Rosalind and Celia to the forest is Touchstone, the Court Jester, to be played by Chase Wheaton-Werle. Jack Morsovillo* (he/him) will be Jaques, a melancholy and dramatic lord who camps with Duke Senior in the forest.
 
In the forest, the exiles meet the shepherds Silvius (Brandon Beach*, he/him) and Audrey (Jennifer Mohr, she/her). Silvius has unrequited love for the shepherdess Phebe (Triniti Cruz, she/her), who falls in love with Rosalind while Rosalind is disguised as a man. Meanwhile, Audrey is charmed by Touchstone.
 
Also in the principal cast are Connor O. Locklin (he/him) in multiple roles (Charles / First Lord in forest / MarText / Second Brother), and Riley Samuel Merritt (he/him) as Amiens and First Lord at court. The understudies are Alexander P. Garza (he/him, u/s Duke Frederick and Duke Senior), Jerome Michael Jones (he/him, u/s Orlando, Oliver), MJ Handsome (she/they, u/s Rosalind, Celia), Robert Wood Frank (he/him, u/s Silvius, Touchstone), Matt Keeley (he/him/his, u/s Charles / First Lord in forest / MarText / Second Brother, Jaques, Amiens), and Siyi Wang (she/her/hers, u/s Audrey, Phebe).

The AS YOU LIKE IT production team will include Rachel Sypniewski (she/her/hers, Costume Designer), Jeremiah Barr (he/him/his, Scenic/Props Designer), Jack Morsovillo* (he/him/his, Music Director), Will Wilhelm (they/them/theirs, Text Coach), Bryson David Hoff (he/him/his, Vocal Coach), Courtney Abbott (they/them/theirs, Intimacy Director), Thomas Russell (he/they, Fight Director), Becca Holloway (she/her/hers, Casting Director), Hailey Piorek (she/her/hers, Stage Manager), Chloe Steuber (she/her/hers, Assistant Stage Manager), and Joshua Pennington* (he/they, Assistant Director).

*Indicates Midsommer Flight Artistic Ensemble member
 
Midsommer Flight's productions are performed in natural sunlight and without amplified sound, much as they were done in the Bard's day. Midsommer Flight has become one of Chicago's best-loved and most highly regarded producers of free summer Shakespeare. THIRD COAST REVIEW's Nancy Bishop, in her 3-1/2-star review of 2024's ROMEO AND JULIET summed it up by writing, "Is there anything as lovely as theater in the park on a warm summer evening?" Tristan Bruns of NEW CITY said in his review of 2025's LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, " ...the sun had died down and a light breeze cut the humidity. Monarch butterflies tumbled through the air and rested on laps. Midsommer's ebullient take on Shakespeare matched the surroundings perfectly...This is the Shakespeare I want to see on a cool summer evening, sitting in a folding chair and sipping a LaCroix beside a butterfly companion."
 
LISTING INFORMATION

AS YOU LIKE IT
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Producing Artistic Director Beth Wolf
June 26 - August 2, 2026
Fridays, Saturdays*, and Sundays at 6 pm, Thursday, July 2 at 6 pm
*No performance Saturday, July 4
Admission is free (donations gladly accepted)
Opening night – Friday, June 26, 6 pm in Chicago Women's Park and Garden, 1801 S. Indiana Ave, 60614
 
Performed in six different Chicago Park District parks

• June 26, 27, 28 at Chicago Women's Park and Garden, 1801 S. Indiana Avenue, 60616
• July 2, 3, 5 at Gross (Theodore) Park, 2708 W Lawrence Avenue, 60625
• July 10, 11, 12 at Nichols Park, 1355 E 53rd Street, 60615
• July 17, 18, 19 at Kelvyn Park, 4438 W Wrightwood, 60639
• July 24, 25, 26 at Winnemac Park, 5100 N Leavitt, 60625
• July 31, August 1, 2 at Touhy Park, 7348 N Paulina Avenue, 60626

AS YOU LIKE IT is a vibrant Shakespearean comedy that wittily explores love and gender roles. Banished from court by her uncle, Rosalind escapes to the Forest of Arden, where she disguises herself as man in order to win over her lover by trying to convince him he should forget her. The play examines various types of love—from passionate to superficial to mature—offering a nuanced look at romantic relationships and human connection and playfully exploring the fluidity of gender roles. Audiences are encouraged to come early and bring a picnic to enjoy this free programming. Seating is first-come, first-served, and audience members can bring their own blankets or chairs. 

Free Reservations are encouraged but not required. Those with reservations will be contacted in the event of weather cancellations or other last-minute updates. Reservations will be available through the Midsommer Flight website at www.midsommerflight.com beginning on June 1. Show information on website at www.midsommerflight.com, including detailed schedule and info about directions and parking at each park.
 
ABOUT MIDSOMMER FLIGHT. Midsommer Flight is a theatre company dedicated to presenting high quality, accessible productions of Shakespeare's plays in Chicago communities. After the company's well-received inaugural production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in 2012, the Chicago City Council honored Midsommer Flight with a resolution praising "the Midsommer Flight theater troupe on their dedication to bringing the arts to underserved communities."  The company incorporated as a not-for-profit in the state of Illinois in early 2013 and has produced ROMEO AND JULIET (2013, 2024), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (2014), MACBETH (2015), TWELFTH NIGHT (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) AS YOU LIKE IT (2016), HAMLET (2017), THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (2018), THE TEMPEST (2019), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (2012 AND 2022), CYMBELINE (2023), and LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST (2025). The company was nominated in 2019 for the third time for the League of Chicago Theatres "Emerging Theatre Award."
 
Midsommer Flight is committed to presenting financially accessible theatre. Productions are 100% free to the public (donations gratefully accepted). Audiences are encouraged to come early and bring a picnic to enjoy this free programming. For more information visit www.midsommerflight.com. 
 
ABOUT NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS
 
AS YOU LIKE IT is presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor's Office and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with local artists and organizations, presents engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement, and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. For more information, please visit www.nightoutintheparks.com.

Curious Theatre Branch, launches its 38th Season, with the revival of Talking About Godard, written by Beau O’Reilly and directed by Beau O’Reilly with Briavael O’Reilly, May 29 - June 28, at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. The opening night is Friday, May 29 at 8 p.m. The performance takes place Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The running time is currently 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are priced on a “pay what you can” scale, with a suggested price of $25. For more information about Talking About Godard visit CuriousTheatreBranch.com.

In Talking About Godard, three restless artists live awkwardly together. Helen chain smokes, has sex with whomever and talks straight. Mary Barnes is obsessed with the films of Jean Luc Godard and is determined to make her own Godard film in Super 8. A neighborhood thug named Leon helps Chrissy by stealing suitcases from O’Hare and adds to the spoils of the household. Then a French caller comes looking for love. The play examines female friendship and cohabitation in the 90s, the artistic process and how groups do and don’t satisfy our needs.  

Talking About Godard was originally produced by The Curious Theatre Branch in 1996 and its cast included Jenny Magnus (Helen), Vicki Walden (Mary Barnes) and Paul Leisen (Leon), who repeat their original roles in this revival. New cast members include Kristin Garrison (Chrissy) and Jayita Bhattacharya (Leon). Directed with Briavael O'Reilly, and using a production committee of Paul Brennan and Jeffrey Bivens on video and images, Julia Williams on tickets and set design, David Isaacson on script for the video, Andy Soma on art consultation, Vesna Grbovic and Graciella Garcia on production assistance and Beau O’Reilly on outside eye.  

ABOUT BEAU O’REILLY, PLAYWRIGHT and DIRECTOR

Beau O’Reilly is a founding member and co-artistic director of the Curious Theatre Branch and the bands Maestro Subgum and the Whole and The Crooked Mouth, as well as a curator of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival for 30 years. His work has appeared at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Poetry Foundation and on “This American Life.” The author of more than 80 original plays, O’Reilly is also a working actor who teaches playwriting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His latest solo album, “Thrifty,” was released on Uvulittle Records in 2021.

ABOUT BRIAVAEL O'REILLY, DIRECTOR

Briavael O'Reilly has been a theater kid her whole life, at least since her dad got her into shows at the Woodstock Opera House as an elementary schooler. She was a member of Theater @ First and PMRP in Boston in the late aughts. In Chicago, she's been in the booth for Rhinofests, BeauTowns, This is Not a Churchill; Evanston, Which is Over There; To End to Seem to End and many a Crooked Mouth show. Onstage appearances include Rung, March!, The Skriker and Hit Me Like a Flower. This marks O’Reilly’s directorial debut.

ABOUT CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH

Curious has been holding up their end of the Chicago theater scene since 1988, creating new works of the imagination, works focused on language and creatively expressing the difficulties of being human. Curious Theatre Branch is dedicated to the creation of new plays and performances and to the production of its annualRhinoceros Theater Festival. Curious aims to promote innovative works of the imagination in the performing arts from a broad and inclusive spectrum of artists and are also devoted to mentoring programs that engage emerging artists as a way to enrich and expand our artistic community. Curious is committed to creating and producing new plays and performances in a collaborative manner, encouraging our members as artists to share decision making and responsibilities, while expanding their skills as writers, actors, designers, directors and arts administrators. Curious also is committed to the idea that a pay what you can pricing policy is sustainable and will suffice over the long term as an economic model.

Curious Theatre Branch, launches its 38th Season, with the revival of Talking About Godard, written by Beau O’Reilly and directed by Beau O’Reilly with Briavael O’Reilly, May 29 - June 28, at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. The opening night is Friday, May 29 at 8 p.m. The performance takes place Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The running time is currently 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are priced on a “pay what you can” scale, with a suggested price of $25. For more information about Talking About Godard visit CuriousTheatreBranch.com.

Mother-daughter relationships are somehow deemed different.  More seminal than the bond between a father and son. More instinctive than between sisters.  When trust is broken, all bets can certainly be off.  But that doesn’t seem to be the case for Thelma and Jesse, a mom and her daughter who live together in Marsha Norman’s magnificent ‘night Mother, just opening at Redtwist Theatre in Edgewater.  They have a balance and flow that suggests a seasoned understanding.  A harmonic acceptance of their lives together.

Thelma, played so fully by Redtwist ensemble member, Kathy Ruhl, is a pleasing mix of pragmatism and discreet earnestness.  A woman who’s lived a long life, withstood a lot and is making the most of the years in her final season.  Knitting on her well-cushioned sofa, cell phone dangling from her lanyard, TV playing in the background, she’s thinking about how she’s going to satisfy her sugar fix.  And settles on a snowball before contemplating many other options as the evening passes.

Thanks to the prodigious thought and scrupulous detail Bobbie Buie poured into the set design, Thelma’s modest home has the soft glow of easy unpretentious comfort.  Everywhere there are signs that point to a contentment that’s been well earned.  The world she created, along with Harper Justus’s precise and subtle sound design, saturated you in place.

Anne Sheridan Smith in the role of her daughter, Jesse, is much more wired; frenzied in an organized way.  When she shoots out of her bedroom door, she’s clearly a woman on a mission to get a lot of things done.  Quickly.  As she settles down, she’s simply determinedly methodical and impressively so.  There’s some light haggling with her mother.  It seems like something they just occasionally do.  Normal.  Tonight, giving her mother a manicure is high on Jesse’s to do list.  It’s not long before they settle down at the kitchen table and normal goes away.  

A small cloud of foreboding drifted in when Jesse began looking for some things in their makeshift attic. One of them is a gun. When her mother keeps pressing her on why she wants or needs one, she forces her daughter’s hand. Jesse declares to her mother, not coldly but matter-of-factly, that tonight she’s going to use it to kill herself.

It’s the kind of statement that instantly triggers incredulity.  And automatically, by reflex, Thelma’s “mom” response zooms past tilt.  Even though she may not initially believe Jesse, she hears her.   And intuitively she wants to fix it as she struggles to even comprehend the magnitude of what she’s been told.   ‘night Mother soon becomes a push and pull with Jesse always exhibiting the greater strength against a formidable opponent.  She has the inner conviction to see this grim task through.  You can sense that when she first told her mother what she was going to do. Like her mother, we too want to know why.

A dissection of one person’s why is what this intricate and intimate story is all about.  And the way Smith inhabits her character, she functions as an outstandingly plausible stand-in for many of us.   People who not only have had enough but also look at themselves and don’t see enough. 

Her mother doesn’t really understand. Not at first.  It’s as the tandem airing of their lives that reveals how it’s come to this. 

Well into this gripping one act performance, wonderfully directed by Redtwist’s Artistic Director, Dusty Brown, Thelma describes herself as a “plain country woman”.  Life for her is something you just did.  It’s the kind of existence where naivete and ignorance may thrive in abundance, but neither carries an especially detrimental cost.  When it came to Jesse’s early childhood rearing of Jesse though, perhaps it did. Thelma and her husband discovered late in their daughter’s development that the fits she experienced as a child were epileptic.   Undiagnosed and untreated for far too long, Jesse internalized them as manifestations of a personal flaw.  A flaw that inevitably, in her mind, produced terrible consequences.

She never directly states it, but it’s clear she blames herself for the way her son, Ricky, is turning out.  A thief, drugs, regularly in run-ins with the police.  Thelma says it’s just a phase.  He’ll grow out if it and be a “fine young man”.  But through a haze that’s draped in quiet anguish, Jesse senses otherwise.  It’s the same with her ex-husband. In Cecil’s case, he was there and then he was gone.  The man her mother found for her, who she came to love and who chose not to stay.

They’re all hard blows.  Jesse has weathered them.  Now it sounds like she’s tired.  Sick of it all.  Living with her mother.  Lonely present.  Lonely future.  She’s felt this way for so long that she’s used the last 10 years to plan for this night.    She’s gotten it so fine-tuned, she can give her mother detailed instructions on who to call when after the deed is done, and why.

For this compassionate plunge into the unthinkable, Marsha Norman won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1983.  A native of Kentucky, you can hear a faint sound of the south in the way Thelma and Jesse talk to one another.  The weight of the subject matter, the care in which these two women are drawn and portrayed, the way every argument Thelma raises against this tragic decision is rebuffed by unswayable conviction, keeps you rapt.  A sliver of life captured beautifully and unforgettably on the stage.

‘night Mother

Through May 24, 2026

Redtwist Theatre

1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

Chicago, IL    60660

For tickets and more information:  https://www.redtwisttheatre.org

Highly Recommended

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