A young woman and a young man meet on a train traveling across the country from Los Angeles to New York City in 1940. She is heading home to Corbin, Kentucky. He was originally planning to go his home in a neighboring town in Kentucky. However, after learning that F. Scott Fitzgerald and Nathanael West are also on the train, he has become inspired to continue all the way to New York to begin his career as a writer. They quickly develop a chemistry with each other.

Arlene Hutton has written a very sweet and romantic play. In this production, they talk very quickly. There are almost no pauses without anyone talking. It makes the play feel a bit rushed. The runtime is about 70 minutes, which is quite short for this play which usually lasts 90 minutes. There are two short breaks between scenes. These could easily be converted to short intermissions to allow the audience a minute to breath and digest all the dialog. It may also be a good idea to add in more movement, instead of them sitting down next to each together most of the time.

Alec Hadden is charming and friendly as the man ready to begin his career as a writer. He is very happy and plays a very likeable character. Kelsey Wittig is great as the woman who wants to be a missionary. She is so very sweet and kind.

Cost of a ticket: $31
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Get tickets to Last Train to Nibroc through January 29^th!

Quinn Delaney

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline explores the life and career of the country music legend. The story starts in her hometown radio station in Wincester, Virginia. It then heads to honky tonks on the road. Then she is recording at a studio in Nashville, TN. The Grand Ole Opry soon follows along with Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall.

A great song in the show is “Leaving On Your Mind”. “If you’ve got leaving on your mind, tell me now, get it over.” It’s so simple and so heartbreakingly beautiful which also perfectly describes the show. If you aren’t familiar with Patsy Cline’s music, this is an excellent introduction. 

The best song is saved for last, “Crazy”, which was written by Willie Nelson. “I’m crazy for trying. And crazy for crying. And I’m crazy for loving you.” The band is fantastic, prominently playing at the back of the intimate stage.

Gail Bliss is fantastic as Patsy. This is her final tour of this show after doing it for 30 years. Over this time, she has truly mastered this role with her excellent voice. In addition, Dan Embree is hilarious as the radio DJ and the comedians. He’s so goofy and corny.

Cost of a ticket: $76 (A three course dinner is included with all tickets and it is served before the show.)

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Get tickets now for A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline through February 5^th!

Quinn Delaney

Stepping is a dance style created by historically African American fraternities and sororities. Step Africa! was founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams and has toured more 60 countries and ranks in the top ten of African American dance companies.

The performance tonight at the Auditorium Theatre is very high energy and the dancers have great coordination with each other. There is also a lot of interaction with an enthusiastic audience as they encourage clapping, stomping, and dancing along in a call and response style.

Early in the show they have a competition between the men and the women, fraternities verse sororities. It ends up in a 1-1 tie, as I suspect they intended.

The show could use an intermission. It runs about 85 minutes and the audience was clearly getting restless towards the end. Most of the dance shows at the Auditorium Theatre do have one or even two intermissions.

During the show, there is never any music playing. it’s just the sound of them stomping with their tap shoes and clapping. Only at one time do they use drums.

Late in the show, they introduce a dance that they learned by traveling to South Africa. They wear shin high boots like the ones worn by the miners who created the dance. It is very similar to Step and fits in very well with the rest of the pieces.

Cost of a ticket: $83 (Mid Orchestra)

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Check out their website for information about future shows.

Quinn Delaney

Stand Up Stand Up is a premier stand up show that is on every Wednesday in January at the Den Theatre. Wait staff will take your orders during the show, but there isn’t a drink minimum.

The host and opener for the evening is Eric Emerson. He regrets majoring in Sociology, because it doesn’t lead to any jobs. His first job out of college was as a swim instructor, for dogs! He’s very funny and does a great job hosting all night.

The next comedian, Brandon Kieffer, talks about taking his dog to the vet and being shocked by the $1200 price tag for a 3 day stay at the vet. Afterwards, the vet says his dog will need a specialist. He decides to get the dog 2 weeks of pain killers while he decides what to do. He calls around to find out how much it would cost to put down his dog. Most places say $300 to $400, but one place says $75. “That’s just a Polish guy with a hammer!”, he says.

The next night he comes home to discover that his dog got into the pain killers and ate them all! Well, maybe this issue just fixed itself. However, the next morning, the dog is just fine; “I guess he really is a member of the family!”

Michael Meyers talks about how Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder have very specific mannerisms. Ever wonder why there aren’t white performers like that? It’s because the blind white guys can’t see their mannerisms to copy them! Later on he talks about how he suspects that at this point in his life, he will never have children. However, he does think it’s very possible for him to become a step-dad. In a very funny bit, he explains that he is fully ready to be called Mike condescendingly by his step children. “Screw you, Mike!” he says pretending to be his step child. 

Cost of a ticket: $24

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Get tickets for Stand Up Stand Up now!

Quinn Delaney

Two sisters are trying to sort out the details of their mother’s funeral. The elder sister, named Him, was by her side as she was dying. She already went ahead and made funeral arrangements. The other sister, Sophea, didn’t even know her mother was dying until after the fact. Upon returning to town, she insists that her mother be cremated in accordance with Buddhist tradition, to help her soul reincarnate. Him struggles with her history as a Cambodian refugee while Sophea searches for her identity as she was born after they fled the country.

Vichet Chum has written a very complex but balanced play about Cambodian refugees. It interweaves flashbacks seamlessly with drama and humor.

It really could use an intermission. Multiple audience members exited during the long play which was very distracting. After the climactic fight between the sisters would be a perfect time for this.

Jennifer Lim is excellent as Him, the responsible older sister who feels like it’s all on her shoulders. Francesca Fernandez McKenzie is great as Sophea, the rebellious younger sister trying to grapple with the situation. Wai Ching Ho is outstanding as the wise-cracking mother who says whatever she wants. Coburn Goss is solid as Him’s husband, the light hearted and caring Christian pastor. Lastly, Nima Rakhshanifar is very funny as the college student who cuts their grass and enjoyed conversations with their mother.  

Cost of a ticket: $64 (Standard Ticket)

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Get tickets now for Bald Sisters through January 21^st!

Quinn Delaney

Tonight’s show is cohosted by Claire Caplan and Tom Dustin. Claire is an excellent singer. She sang during breakfast at Blue Heaven this morning. She sings a few Christmas songs, including “Santa Baby”, which sounds absolutely great.

They present a funny video where Aubrey Urban and Tom Dustin are interviewing candidates to play Santa for the kids. Gwen Filosa comes on stage dressed as Santa. A tall bearded guy (Steve Crane) is on stage dressed very casually in pajamas. After some deliberation, the tall guy is chosen because he looks more like Santa Claus. Gwen is pissed as she clearly put more effort into the auditon.

Steve Crane has slogans for all the bars in Key West. These might be funny for the locals, but the room full of tourists don’t get the jokes.

A guy who regularly performs at Irish Kevin’s takes the stage with a guitar. He proceeds to play a very funny song about a dysfunctional Christmas. The son is pissed off because he didn’t get his bike. The daughter is angry because she didn’t get her gift either. The song includes a lot of profanity, including the C-word, which he can only say if it is in a song at Irish Kevin’s.

Cost of a ticket: $29

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Get tickets for future shows here.

Quinn Delaney

During World War II, Jack and Louise are introduced by their families and encouraged to write letters to each other. Jack is working as an Army doctor in Oregon treating patients coming in from the Pacific. Louise is living in New York City as an actress searching for work on Broadway. They enjoy writing to each other so they agree to meet up in New York City. However, Jack finds it very difficult to obtain a leave from the army in order to make the trip.

Ken Ludwig has written a very nice play that is very enjoyable as the romance slowly develops. It is a tribute to his parents, who also wrote letters to each before they met. At times in the production, it seems more like they are talking on the phone or texting, as the back and forth is very quick. While this makes the communication by letter less realistic, it makes the play feel more lively instead of just two monologues.

Jessica Miano Kruel is so sweet and nice as Louise. She does a great job getting Jack to open up. Cody Borah is at first very awkward and formal as Jack Eventually, he opens up and expresses his emotions fully which allows for a deep connection to form.

Get tickets now for Dear Jack, Dear Louise through January 14^th!

Cost of a ticket: $53

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Quinn Delaney

In 1984, the film version of Footloose was released starring Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. In 1998, the musical version opened on Broadway. In 2011, another film version was released starring  Kenny Wormald and Dennis Quaid. And now, in December of 2022, Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production opens at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Ren has just moved to the small town of Bomont from Chicago with his mother. At high school, Ren thinks everyone is playing a joke of him when they tell him that dancing is illegal. He soon learns that after four kids died in a car accident coming home from a dance, they passed this law. At first, he tries to go along with it, but eventually he decides he needs to fight it.

This is a great family friendly musical. It’s good light-hearted holiday fare. The choreography is excellent, especially in the opening and closing numbers. The entire cast is great and truly bring this story to life. If you are a fan of the films, you will definitely enjoy this production.

Cost of a ticket: $57

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Get tickets now for Footloose through January 1^st!

Quinn Delaney

Nathan Graham is a singer and songwriter who was born and raised in Chicago. This past weekend, he was the opener for Sister Hazel at the House of Blues, a band and venue close to his heart as he was on the exact stage just last year with Sister Hazel. During his performance, he shared his fond memories as this was also the stage he first performed at following COVID. 

Mr. Graham has been performing for years and has established his career as a performer over the past decade connecting with his fan base locally in Chicago, as well as internationally. His list of accolades and experiences also includes being a contestant on The Voice in 2017 where he performed, Chris Stapleton’s, “Nobody to Blame.”

The song choice reflects his music style which according to Mr. Graham merges influences of South Side Soul and Nashville Americana. During this performance, the venue was packed and fans enjoyed the performance as they sang along to his most popular hits including, “Somebody Else,” “Fake Friends,” and “I’ll Get it Right.” With his soulful voice and meaningful songwriting, there is no doubt that Mr. Graham will continue to expand his fan base. 

Cost of a ticket: $39
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D

Dear Evan Hansen first premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2015. It opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in 2016 and ran until September 2022. It won Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score at the Tony’s. On a national tour, it stopped in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace from February 12^th to March 10^th in 2019. The film version was released on September 24, 2021 And now, in December of 2022, it opens at the Nederlander Theatre.  

Evan Hansen is a high school student with high social anxiety. He finds it difficult to make friends, especially a girlfriend. His only companion is a friend of the family. A therapist suggests that he write letters to himself. After resisting for a while, he begins one with “Dear Evan Hansen”. He discusses his troubles and worries. This letter eventually gets into the wrong hands and he lies about it. These lies snowball into a bigger and bigger lie while at the same time helping Evan overcome his anxiety.

This is not your typical joyful Broadway musical. It is deeply emotional as it explores dark content. It is very well done and there is a lot of joy and laughter as well. The singing and music are also excellent, especially “Waving Through A Window”.

Anthony Norman is perfect as Evan, who is on stage for most of the show. He expertly expresses the social anxiety, even when it makes the audience uncomfortable. Pablo David Laucerica is charming and fun as Evan’s family friend. Alaina Anderson is excellent as Evan’s love interest. Nikhil Saboo greatly captures the conflicted brother character of Connor. John Hemphill and Lili Thomas expertly play Connor’s parents. It’s a very powerful moment when Hemphill’s character releases his emotions. Micaela Lamas is solid as Evan’s classmate searching for her place. Lastly, Coleen Sexton is powerful as Evan’s single mother struggling with work and classes.

Cost of a ticket: $132 (Orchestra Center)

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Get tickets now for Dear Evan Hansen through December 31^st!

Quinn Delaney