Clyde’s had it’s World Premiere at the Guthrie in 2019 when it was titled “Floyd’s. It then ran on Broadway from November 2021 to January 2022 which earned it a Tony Nomination. Now, in September of 2022, it makes its Chicago premiere at the Goodman Theatre. It will then play in the Mark Taper Forum in LA from November 15 to December 18th.
Photos by Liz Lauren
Four former convicts are working a sandwich shop named Clyde’s. The owner hires them because she is also an ex-convict. They work very hard because they know nobody else will hire them. After time, they come to enjoy the work and strive to make the perfect sandwich. They also bond with each other as they share their stories about where things went wrong and how they ended up in prison.
This play is hilarious. There are also some great pyrotechnics involved. Lynn Nottage (Sweat) has written a very humorous and inspiring story. By the end, you’ll want to be friends with all the workers.
Danielle Davis (Fun Home), the understudy, is superb as the fierce and relentless boss. Kevin Kenerly is so smooth as the artistic one. Reza Salazar (Clyde’s World-Premiere, Louis (FX)) is so emotional and expressive. Garrett Young is excellent as the newcomer who regrets his tattoos he did to survive in prison. Nedra Snipes is great as she struggles with her relationships.
The film version of Anastasia was released in 1997. The musical version premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in April 2017. And now it opens at the CIBC Theatre as part of a national tour.
It is 1918, Bolshevik officials executed Czar Nicholas II and his family, but Anastasia escaped. She is suffering from amnesia and does remember who she is. Anastasia’s grandmother offers up a reward for anyone who can find her. Two men decide to audition women to find someone to be a good enough fit to fool her and collect the reward. They hire Anastasia, who is going by Anya. They teach her all about her family’s history and how to act. They then travel to Paris to meet the grandmother and claim the reward.
This story is based on the true history of the Romanovs. However, in 1994, scientists used DNA to prove that Anna Anderson was not the czar’s daughter, but a Polish woman named Franziska Schanzkowska (from history.com).
I’d recommend getting an obstructed view ticket near the front on the sides. Very little will be missed from these seats.
Cost of a ticket: $110 (Middle of the Mezzanine)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Anastasia through September 25th.
A family has gathered to make a big stew for a large church event The grandmother is joined by her two daughters and one grand-daughter. The story begins very light-hearted and funny. They all get very excited about the youngest auditioning for a Shakespeare play. They all want to run lines with her and show off their talents. As the story continues, the tension and drama rises as many secrets are slowly revealed. Where are all the men is a major secret to discover.
Photos by Michael Brosilow
Zora Howard has written a great slice of life play about the black experience. Being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist is well deserved It’s a great balance of humor and drama.
The cast is excellent. Velma Austin is fantastic as the grandmother who loves cooking for her family and others. Demetra Dee (Relentless, Be Here Now) is so charming as the grand-daughter who is very shy about her upcoming audition. Jazzma Pryor is stellar as the elder daughter who wants to run everything. Jasmine Cheri Nush is great as the younger daughter who is so happy to have found her man.
Martha Washington, the widow of George Washington, American’s first president, is sick. All her slaves can’t wait until she passes away because according to George’s will, they will all be free after she dies. She meets with her lawyer who advises her to free them before they kill her. This is based on the real history.
From there it gets a bit psychedelic and bizarre. There is scene with a game show about American Revolutionaries. Then there is a courtroom scene in which George Washington is the star witness. Another scene features them bidding on Martha as if she is a slave. James Ijames has written a very avant-garde piece.
A group of students have signed up for a month long class to prepare for the PSAT. Their goal is to do well enough to become National Merit Scholars. While studying, the students question the merit of this test. Does it really prove who are the best students?
The entire cast is great. Juan Gonzalez Machain is the strict teacher who consistently gets his students to become National Merit Scholars. Magdalena Dalzell is the senior advisor for the class who is also a cheerleader. She wants to class to focus more on boosting morale than just lessons.
Maddie Powell is the rebellious punk girl who transferred schools, but is still coming back just for this class. She is the only one who doesn’t have to wear a student uniform, so she wears shirts that say Nirvana, The Doors, and Claud Monet. She also has a fantastic speech against standardized tests. Amber Washington is the overachiever who is determined to score well in order to put her on the path to attend Yale.
Alex Rocha is the student running for class president and trying hard to make his family proud. Tatiana Bustamante (Gypsy, Lizzie) is the best friend who thinks he is running for president for the wrong reasons. Justin Kuhn is the popular kid who loves to make jokes during class. Sripadh Pulligilla is his sidekick who wants to come out from under his shadow.
The posted start time for the show is 8 pm, so it is quite a surprise when the opener takes the stage at 7:30 pm. They wrap up at 8:10 pm. It is even more of a surprise when Florence + The Machine take the stage at 8:35pm while many people are still making their way into the venue.
Midway through “Dog Days Are Over”, Florence asks everyone to put away their phones and share a moment with everyone. “You are now free!” she declares. It is great to have a break from everyone holding up their phones to record the performance. This is their most popular song on Spotify with over 593 million streams.
During “What Kind Of Man”, when the electric guitar comes smashing in, Florence punches the air with all her might repeatedly to the beat. She belts out “What kind of man loves like this? What kind of man?” It’s a very powerful song and an incredible performance.
As they play the first few notes of “Shake It Out” in the encore, excitement fills the audience as they know this is one of the best songs of the night. “Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa. And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off!” It’s a fantastic song to include in the encore and to send the audience out full of joy.
Welcome to couples therapy camp! Today we have our best couple from the last session to help us out. “What is an issue you have?” He never picks up his things. She is always bugging you while you just want to do your favorite thing, which is what? Watching Breaking Bad, for the first time. The actors then sit down and one says “I’m so excited to watch this. I loved Malcolm in the Middle!” “Oh ya, me too!” What’s the secret she must reveal? “That she has seen all of the show!” “I must confess something. I know this isn’t like Malcolm in the Middle at all because I have seen the whole series, just like the rest of the world!” (It ended in 2013). This is a great example of a scene where the format was created beforehand, but all the content is improvised. It’s a great idea and totally delivered on this night.
Photos by Timothy M. Schmidt
During the 3rd set, which is completely improvised, they end up in a scene with a man talking to a bad beekeeper. A bee flies by and says “Bzzzz, she’s killing us!” He confronts her about this, saying that he can talk to bees. They don’t like the Mountain Dew Baja Blast she is giving to them. Also, he sees them having sex! Cut to a lady walking in who says she is here to… see the show. Cut to her getting caught by her partner with a ticket to “Beetastic!” She admits that she has loved bee sex since she was kid learning about nature in science class. Cut to that teacher talking about pollination while she gets visibly excited Cut to her going to meet up with a bee and then he turns out to be an undercover cop! Wow, what a roller coaster of a sketch that really shows off the cast’s improv chops.
Mark Campbell (The Best Decision You’ve Ever Made) is excellent in many roles especially as the man from the Western Suburbs. Jordan Savusa (Together at Last) is great as the man listening to a very unique podcast. Terrence Carey is great as the police officer giving a white person the experience of being racially profiled. Claudia Martinez is stellar as the Mexican father who can get out of paying for any driving accident. Alex Bellisle (The Best Decision You’ve Ever Made) is solid as the daughter who is a terrible driver. Meghan Babbe (subbing in tonight for Laurel Krabacher) is superb as the bad beekeeper.
While this is not the funniest show they have ever done (there were two quite serious sketches), it is still full of laughs and worth the cost of admission.
Cost of a ticket: $55 (General Admission)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
The film version, titled The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, was released in 1994 staring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp. The musical first debuted in Sydney in October of 2006. It premiered on Broadway in 2011. It went on tour in 2013, including a stop at the Auditorium Theatre. It opened on July 15, 2022 at the Mercury Theater.
Photos by Brett Beiner Photography
A drag queen decides it is time to drive across Australia from Sydney to Alice Springs to meet his son. He books a show in Alice Springs and brings along two other drag queens. Along the way, they encounter new friends and enemies in their adventure across the outback. Interwoven into the story are dance hits such as “It’s Raining Men,” “I Will Survive,” and “True Colors.”
It is a very fun and campy production. The costumes are excellent and there are so many of them. It’s very impressive how many changes there are. The set is also very well designed and transforms easily from scene to scene.
The entire cast is great. Josh Houghton is excellent as the father traveling to see his son. He is quite nervous about making a good impression. Shaun White is fabulous as the new young star whose dream is to dance and sing on the top of Ayers Rock, aka Uluru, in full Kylie Minogue drag. Honey West (Gypsy) is fantastic as the veteran drag queen teaching everyone else the ropes. Jason Richards (Avenue Q and The Producers) is great as the helpful local who hits it off with Honey’s character. Ayana Strutz (A Chorus Line) is exceptional as Bob’s wife who has one hell of a scene going nuts in a bar. Marcus Jackson (Sister Act) and Matthew Weidenbener (A Chorus Line) display some superb dancing throughout the show.
The Cults are very excited to be back on the road. This is one their first shows since the pandemic. They play a lot of songs from their latest album, Host, which was released in 2020, and a lot of older ones too.
Midway through the set, they play “You Know What I Mean”. The contrast in this song is excellent. It starts off so slowly and sweet, but then the crashing guitars come in and crank it up to a new level.
To close out their set, they play “Abducted”. “He tore me apart because I really loved him. He took my heart away and left me to bleed out, bleed out.” The driving melody coupled with the driving vocals sound great tonight.
Nobody left the venue when they left the stage, as they all knew an encore was coming. Sure enough, they return very shortly after. After just the first note of “Go Outside”, the audience erupts and the music stops. The lead singer says “Psych”! It’s not clear if it was a technical glitch, or them just teasing the iconic xylophone start of the song. They start again and then it stops again after a few notes. Then, on the third time they play the whole song.
To end the night, they play “Always Forever”. It’s their biggest hit with over 258 million streams on Spotify. They bring out a special guest, Cullen Omori, the guitarist from Smith Westerns. “You and me always forever. We could stay alone together.” It’s such a beautiful song and a fantastic close to the night.
Dance for Life is an inspiring event that merges talent and philanthropy into one spectacular evening. It brings together the best Chicago dance companies and all proceeds go toward the Dancers’ Fund; a resource which provides financial assistance to professional dancers in their time of need, including covering medical expenses. It is one of the many ways our vibrant dance community joins forces to care for its own.
As dance enthusiasts entered the Auditorium Theatre this year, one could immediately feel the infectious joy that carried through the evening with each performance as this was the first Dance for Life at The Auditorium Theatre since the pandemic began. The joy and support from the audience radiated to the dancers who in turn delivered a magical evening filled with grace, beauty, precision, and undeniable talent.
Below you will find the program, along with information for upcoming performances by the dance companies that participated in this year’s Dance for Life.
Chicago Dance Crash performs the Chicago premiere of “Us vs. Them,” a section of its 20th anniversary work Booms Day! choreographed by Annie Franklin to music by Man From Sol, Jonah k, and Overlook.
Next Performance: Booms Day – August 26th to September 10th at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater performs Parallel Lives, choreographed by Co-Founder and Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott to original music by Evangelos Spanos, based on La Folía. This modern work is inspired by poor working women who’ve shared life-changing events, both beautiful and tragic.
Next Performance: At the Auditorium Theatre on November 5th.
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater performs Baile de Luis Alonso, choreographed by Irma Suárez Ruiz to music by Gerónimo Giménez, based on a one-act lyrical play by Javier de Burgos that premiered in 1889 at the Teatro Español. Composer Giménez fell in love with the production; in 1896 it opened as a zarzuela (Spain’s light opera) at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid to great reviews.
Giordano Dance Chicago performs Shirt Off My Back, a jazz work choreographed by Ray Mercer to music by Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds, and Bongi Duma. Beginning with indistinct whispers, fluid lines, and undulating torsos, Mercer modulates the go-for-broke energy with interludes of liquid partnering and solos. A brief section underscores the strength of the company’s men in precise unison moves. The dancers make swift exchanges across space, volleying shirts on and off from dancer to dancer. A rousing wind-up culminates in an ecstatic group finale.
Next Performance: Catch the Light at the Harris Theatre on October 21st and 22nd
The Joffrey Ballet performs Élégie by Yoshihisa Arai set to Morceaux de Fantasie by Sergei Rachmaninoff, performed live on piano by Jorge Ivars. Élégie is about a love gone by—not just the loss of it, but the passion and beauty that comes from time spent with another. It’s an homage to the meaning that can come from the deepest, most visceral human connection. The dancers embody Rachmaninoff’s incredible score, making the experience both visual and auditory.
Next Performance: Beyond Borders at the Lyric Opera from October 12th to 23rd
NAJWA Dance Corps performs sections of The Guinea Suite, choreographed by Mouminato Camara to live percussion: “Guinea Fare,” a celebration of the Susu people featuring a dance women perform for marriages, naming ceremonies, and female initiations, and “Sorsene,” an initiation dance for the young of the Baga people from the Boke village of Guinea, West Africa.
Trinity Irish Dance Company performs American Traffic, a progressive Irish dance work choreographed by Michelle Dorrance and Melinda Sullivan, set to drums and hand percussion by Steven Rutledge. The work offers a hybrid of Irish step and American tap that plays at the intersection of rhythmic sensibilities and rebellious histories.
PlaylistHQ 