The novel version by Margaret Atwood of The Penelopiad was released in 2005. Soon afterwards, a theatrical version was performed at the Canadian National Arts Center and Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company. And now, in March of 2024, it opens at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
Odysseus is the hero of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Penelope is his wife. This is her story.
Bill W. is an alcoholic and he is struggling to keep it together. He needs to find another drunk to talk to. No one else will understand what he is going through. So, he finds Dr. Bob, an alcoholic surgeon. Just talking to him helps more than anything else ever has. Together, they decide to put together a program which eventually becomes Alcoholics Anonymous.
It’s a very interesting and heartwarming play. Alcoholism is defined as the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol. The characters are truly suffering from this dependence as they reach their rock bottom, but then they slowly pull themselves out of it.
Photos by Cortney Roles
Ronnie Marmo (I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce) is great as Bill. Marmo is very invested in the role as he has been attending meetings since he was 17. Steve Gelder is excellent as .Dr Bob, who displays such a full range of emotions on his journey to sobriety. Katherine Wettermann (Gigi’s Party) is excellent as the very understanding wife of Bill. Elizabeth Rude is superb as Dr. Bob’s wife. Phil Aman is amazing as a variety of drunks who are the first people Bill and Bob try to reach. Marla Seidell is so joyful as many fun characters.
A man takes his girlfriend to a small cabin near a river. He teaches her how to fish and then he cooks their fresh catch. He tells her that he loves her and that he has never taken another woman here before. However, the girlfriend sees clues that another woman has been in the cabin. The girlfriend walks off the stage and another girlfriend walks on, which leaves the audience to figure out what is happening.
Jez Butterworth has written a very funny, romantic, and dramatic play. Loose Cannon has done a great job capturing each of those elements. Considering this is only their second production, their future looks bright.
Cameron Schmalz is great as the man who has a developed a routine to win over his girlfriends. Greta Schultz is great as the girlfriend who pretends she doesn’t know how to fish. Ellie Duffey is excellent as the girlfriend who teases him about talking to another fisherman at the river. Lastly, Abbie Rasmus is solid in her supporting role.
Here are the Top 5 reasons to see Black By Popular Demand:
In one sketch, four cast members come out with balloons and/or pillows stuffed into the back of their pants for the big booty sketch. It’s absolutely hilarious. One of them jokes that he can’t use a fireman’s pole because when he hits the ground, he just bounces all the way back up! Arlieta Hall shines in this sketch.
Photo by: Nolis Anderson
In another scene, a young woman’s family is appalled at her new bangs. Also, they can’t believe that she listens to Paramore. Faith Valerie is so funny in this one as the young woman.
The dancing in the show is fantastic. Most of the cast has a dance solo that has the crowd cheering. Sameul B. Jackson’s dance is one of the best.
There is also a card magic show by Deshawn Mason that features Adonis Holmes on a mic giving hilarious commentary.
In one sketch a young couple is on their balcony talking to an old couple also on their balcony in Wrigleyville. Both couples are played by Breanna Ghostone and Samuel B. Jackson in a hilarious fashion.
Cost of a ticket: $48
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The novel version by Anne Fine, titled Madame Doubtfire, was released in 1987. The film version of Mrs. Doubtfire was release in 1993 starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, and Pierce Brosnan. The musical version first premiered in Seattle at the end of 2019. It opened on Broadway in December of 2021. And now in February 2024, it opens at The Nederlander Theatre in Chicago
A married couple with three children are having issues. The father is being unresponsible and doing things against her wishes. So, the mother decides to divorce him and she is awarded full custody. Since the father only gets visitation rights once a week, he decides to dress up as an old Scottish woman and apply to be their nanny.
In this production, they truly captured the spirit of the movie and successfully added to it. The musical is so funny and heartfelt too. The songs by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick fit right into the story and truly elevate it.
The entire cast is fantastic. The performance by Rob McClure (Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in this role) as Mrs. Doubtfire is absolutely amazing. His funny voices are so great and the amount of costume changes is mind-boggling. Maggie Lakis is excellent as the mother. It’s a tough role to play and she nails it. Also, Lakis and McClure are married in real life. Leo Roberts is great as the mother’s new love interest. He is perfectly cast as the counterpoint to the father.
This is a very impressive and must-see show! This touring version has definitely maintained it’s Broadway worthiness.
Cost of a ticket: $110 (Orchestra)
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Topdog / Underdog premiered off-Broadway starring Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright in 2001. It transferred to Broadway the following year. It was revived in 2022 on Broadway and won the Tony for Best Revival of a play. And now, in February of 2024, it opens at the Windy City Playhouse, the new home of Invictus Theatre Company. (Their old home was The Frontier in Edgewater.)
Photos by Through Line Studios
Two brothers are living in a squalid house. Lincoln plays the 16th president in an arcade, who repeatedly gets shot by the customers. Booth steals from department stores, but he wants to run a 3-card-monty game. He wants Lincoln to teach him so he can make a lot of money and win over Gracie.
This play is very well written by Suzan-Lori Parks. The drama slowly builds to an intense climax. It’s a very intimate stage. During the curtain call, the weight of the performance is still hanging on the actor’s faces and in the audience.
Mikha’el Amin is excellent as Lincoln, who is glad he stopped playing the game and got a steady job. DeMorris Burrows is fantastic as Booth, who envisions great wealth coming from the game.
Cost of a ticket: $28 (Previews and Mondays)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
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Get tickets now for Topdog / Underdog at Windy City Playhouse through March 31st!
Early in the set, they play “Complainer” from their 2019 album, New Age Norms 1. “You say you want to change this world / Well, you must really believe in magic / Stand up and show them who you are / Don’t sit around and complain about it.” This a great tune that gets the sold out crowd dancing.
Next up is “So Tied Up”, which they recorded with Bishop Briggs. “So (so tied up) / We’ve been here before / So (so tied up) / You want something more / Lover, best friend, my worst enemy / You know I won’t let you get away.” This track has such a great beat and it keeps the great vibe going.
They close their set with “First” from their 2014 album, Hold my Home. This is their most popular song on Spotify with over 257 million streams. “First you get close, then you get worried / You wanna light it now, the candle from both ends.” It’s a giant sing-a-long for this one.
The encore begins with “Love is Mystical” from their 2017 album, LA DVINIE. “Love is mystical / Love will break the chains / You might feel invincible / And you might be afraid / Light in darkness will show you the way / Give you the power to believe again”. This one is a rocker and the audience eats its up!
They finish the night with “Something Is Not Right With Me” from their 2008 album, Loyalty to Loyalty. “I tried to call you collect / You said you would not accept / Your friends are laughin’ cause / Nobody uses pay phones.”
At the end, the audience leaves with giant smiles on their faces after a great night of music.
The host for the evening is David Crabb. He tells a great story about being a camp counselor. He had to go talk to the camper after he was caught sneaking a look at the Russian worker’s showers. He ran into the camper many years later on the NYC subway. The camper was with a big group of friends and told him that he designed jewelry for Beyonce. David was so glad to hear that he was doing well.
The first storyteller is Danny Artese. He talks about coming out to his friends and his family when he was 12, but not being able to come out in public. He had a big crush on a fellow classmate and the song “If” by Janet Jackson perfectly described how he felt. “Never once you looked at me / Don’t even realize that I’m wantin’ you / To fulfill my needs, think what you want.” It’s a great story about youthful desires.
Elain Gale is the second storyteller. She compares her past marriage to spiderwebs. When a web gets destroyed, a spider just starts rebuilding a new one. So, now that her married life is over, she has to start building a new life. It’s an interesting comparison in which she also mentions the study by NASA about web creation by spiders on different drugs.
The third storyteller is Sam Feirstein. He weaves together the story of growing up being called “Fat Sam” (from the 1976 movie Bugsy Malone) and his friend getting him an audition to be a model in a commercial. He is very excited to be praised for how he looks since he lost the weight he had growing up, but things don’t go as he hoped.
The last performer is Peter Kim. He tells a story about growing up in Flushing, NY with an abusive father. He is very happy when his parents get divorced and he begins living with just his mother. One day, his mother says that she plans to move to Virginia to live with her new boyfriend. Peter has to choose whether to move with her or stay in town and live with his father. He is a junior in high school at the time. It’s an excellent story about big decisions.
Catch the next live show of RISK! on Tuesday, 3/19/24, and listen to the podcast anytime here.
Cost of a ticket: $23
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
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Chloe Radcliffe has cheated on her partners many times. She has created this hilarious and gutsy one woman show to tell her story. Cheating is something that most people don’t talk about, and she wants to bring it out of the darkness. She talks a lot about her upbringing. Her parents were never married and they split up when she was a baby. Her father moved to another state, but still visited every month. Neither of her parents remarried, so she never saw a healthy relationship growing up.
She talks through her many relationships and the moment when she cheated. It’s something people don’t usually talk about, so it’s fascinating to hear. The entire time she is weaving in hilarious jokes. It’s a whirlwind of a story that is expertly crafted with a great balance of serious moments that has the entire venue silent and comedy that has everyone laughing. It’s great comedic storytelling that will surely lead her to great things.
Cost of a ticket: $22.50
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –
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The novel version of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was released in October of 2017. The Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago staged the world premiere in February of 2020. Now it is playing at the Greenway Court Theatre in February of 2024.
Julia is the 15-year-old daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. She is attending the funeral of her older sister, Olga, who was tragically hit by a bus. Julia is devastated by this loss and struggles to make sense of some things that she finds in Olga’s room. But still, Julia manages to get back to her life and plan her quinceañera and to begin dating.
Photo by Nick Graves
Isaac Gómez (La Ruta) has expertly adapted this novel to the stage. While the play does begin in tragedy, this play is mostly light-hearted and funny. It’s a great coming of age story that reminds us all of our time in high school.
Photo by Nick Graves
Gabriela Machuca is outstanding as Julia. Impressively, she is on stage for the entire hour and 40 minutes. She displays a great range of acting during this time. Noelle Howe is excellent as Julia’s best friend, who helps her greatly to get back to normal. Heather Lee Echeverria is excellent as Olga, the perfect Mexican daughter. Presciliana Esparolini is so strong as Amá (mother), who grieves the hardest. Jacob Cherry is great as Julia’s love interest. The rest of the supporting cast is also solid.
Cost of a ticket: $42 PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value – Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
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