*** Recommended *** Frankly, I found “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” to be really heavy going. Even though it was superbly acted, it felt interminable, maybe because playwright Suzan-Lori Parks has adopted the techniques of ‘theater of the absurd’ as her own. Know before you go that “Father Comes Home…” is actually three hour-long plays, intertwined but strangely able to stand alone. Although belief is stretched in Part 1 & 2, belief must be completely abandoned in Part 3. By the way, forget about the ‘father’ in the title, he doesn’t exist! 3 Spotlights

**** Highly Recommended **** Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel, “Neverwhere”, is on my top 10 list of favorite books, so I was beyond excited when I had the opportunity to see Robert Kauzlaric’s 2010 adaptation at Lifeline Theatre. That production had me on the edge of my seat. This time around, my friend Karen, another Gaiman fan, went with me. The 2018 version “Neverwhere”, directed by Ilesa Duncan, has a different look but was just as engrossing. The audience was spellbound. 2 hours seemed like 20 minutes! 4 BIG Spotlights

**** Recommended **** If you’re looking for adventure in a live theater this summer, then Lookingglass Theatre is the place to go. Their production of “20,000 Leagues under the Seas” is a whopping grand summer adventure! “20,000 Leagues” has a bit of swashbuckling, a touch of aerial derring-do, a brooding anti-hero, a brilliant female scientist and all the creatures of the sea! By the way, I’m not quite sure when summer and adventure became synonymous, but since that’s a Lookingglass specialty, you can’t go wrong. 3 ½ Spotlights

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** "Flies! The Musical!" which is receiving its world premiere at Pride Films and Plays, is a thoroughly entertaining and highly hilarious musical parody with a very clever book and surprisingly intelligent and sharp-witted lyrics by Larry Todd Cousineau. Clearly an audience favorite, the show has been extended to mid-June and is one of the best original musicals to be presented in Chicago within the past year. The numerous aspects of this production that help to solidify that endorsement are the catchy tunes composed by Cindy O'Connor, the lively direction of Michael Driscoll, the inventive choreography of Sawyer Smith and a very youthful and energetic cast of eight that give it their vigorous best throughout the entire show. Oh, and did I mention those precise, hysterically complex lyrics by Cousineau? 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS

****Highly Recommended **** Sometimes a simple conversation with extraordinary people can become a heart-warming play. Such is the case with Goodman Theatre’s new production, “Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years”, a conversation with two delightful, articulate, educated and very opinionated maiden ladies. If you’re looking for action, this is not the play for you. This is love, family lore, American history, and pearls of wisdom gained through experience. 4 Spotlights

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** If you have never seen "Waiting for Godot" on stage before you may rarely ever get another chance to see such a definitive production of Samuel Beckett's masterpiece than the one presented by Ireland's Druid Theatre Company which played a far too brief limited engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as a part of the Chicago Shakespeare WorldStage series. Avid Chicago theater-goers were fortunate to see a strongly acted and deeply passionate interpretation of this work which is often taught and analyzed by older high school students or young college theater majors. It is considered one of the most revolutionary works of the 20th century and a profound meditation on the state of mankind. Director Garry Hynes has made this a glorious and theatrical "Godot" and, unlike other versions that you may have seen, Hynes has found the beating heart at its center and infused all of the proceedings with copious amounts of love. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS

**** Highly Recommended **** Honestly, I didn’t expect to like Court Theatre’s production of “The Originalist”, since I completely disagreed with the politics of the principal character, Antonin Scalia. Much to my surprise, I did enjoy “The Originalist”. While I’m sure that the real Antonin Scalia was a brilliant, arrogant and dogmatic know-it-all, playwright John Strand’s portrayal of a ‘kinder, gentler’ Scalia made for a good play. I thought it was well written, letting us meet a wonderfully adversarial Scalia with all his human frailties. 4 Spotlights

*** Recommended *** Frankly, I found the Writers Theatre production of “Buried Child” to be very heavy going. It’s weird, depressing and way too long (at nearly three hours). All of the characters are selfish and detestable people with the exception of the outsider - but she’s pretty selfish herself. I couldn’t find any redeeming characteristics in any of them. The acting was superb, however, so I give “Buried Child” 2 ½ Spotlights