Recommended **** Shakespeare under the stars is one of my favorite summertime activities. First Folio’s outdoor stage set in the lush Mayslake Peabody Estate is the perfect place to watch “Henry V” and a mini-version of the war at Agincourt – and the action was not confined to the stage. Kudos to Director Hailey Rice on an exciting production! 4 Spotlights
Highly Recommended **** “The Wizard of Oz” Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s summer family show is bright, colorful and fun! Kids of all ages will love it! It’s not too long, just 75 minutes, but everything from the original is included. The set is simple, the costumes are colorful, the music is lively, and Toto is a real dog! Everyone will cheer for Dorothy as she outsmarts the Wicked Witch of the West, played by twelve-time Jeff Award winner, Hollis Resnik. 4 Spotlights
Highly Recommended **** Who knew that ‘80s pop music the people of today’s LGBTQ community and ancient Greece would make a wonderfully farcical jukebox musical? Taking that music, those people and that place – and the right cast – and Kokandy Productions made magic with campy romp, “Head Over Heels”. “Head Over Heels” is a little bit risqué, a tiny bit bawdy, kind of farcical, and very, very funny. 4 Spotlights
* Somewhat Recommended * I was really looking forward to seeing “Pride and Joy: The Marvin Gaye Musical” because I’ve always loved Marvin Gaye’s music. What a disappointment! The cast is talented – they all have really good voices – and the music is Motown, but the book (the storyline) is awful! If I were to rank the jukebox musicals I’ve seen over the years, “Pride and Joy” would probably come in dead last. 1 Spotlight
**** Highly Recommended **** I have a new entry to my personal top ten musicals, “Six”! I loved this new pop-rock concert musical starring the six wives of Henry VIII so much that I’ve downloaded the soundtrack – and bought tickets to see it again! How’s that for a recommendation? I’m telling you, I LOVE this show! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended **** “Falsettos” is an unusual musical in that it defies classification. It’s about the angst-ridden lives of six New Yorkers, but it’s not annoying – at least most of the time. It has funny bits, but it’s not a comedy. It has really sad bits, but it’s not a tragedy. The entire script is sung, but it’s not an opera or even an operetta. It’s actually a musical soap opera about “homosexuals with children”, but it’s also a beautiful musical experience sung by six outstanding voices. 4 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** I’ve had a hard time writing about Court Theatre’s production of “The Adventures of Augie March”. If you haven’t read Saul Bellow’s 1953 coming-of-age novel about a man-child – and I haven’t – you’ll probably have a hard time with this adaptation. It was difficult to keep track of the forty-some characters played by an ensemble cast of thirteen. I read somewhere that Bellow’s novel meanders through several hundred pages – this stage production meandered through three long acts, coming in at a little over three hours (and two intermissions). 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** I was delighted when I read that Teatro Vista was restaging “La Havana Madrid”, this time at the Den Theatre. Sandra Delgado’s well-researched play about La Havana Madrid, a nightclub which was located on the second floor of a building on the corner of Belmont and Sheffield, melds the sounds of mambo and salsa with some of the stories of the people of all ages who frequented the club. “La Havana Madrid” is in my top ten favorite shows of all time! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** I have to confess, I am a Cub fan, so, of course. I loved “Miracle”. If I were a Sox fan – or a fan of any other major league team - I doubt if I’d be so excited. “Miracle” is the perfect musical for Cub fans of all ages, because the 2016 World Series win meant so much to so many people. I am here to tell all of those fans that for me, watching “Miracle” was like watching the World Series all over again! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended **** I enjoyed everything about the Goodman Theatre’s production of “The Winter’s Tale”, which is so rarely produced I’d only seen it once before. “The Winter’s Tale” is not one of Shakespeare’s comedies, although it has some rather hilarious comedic elements. On the other hand, it’s not a tragedy, either. This tale of lost children, star-crossed lovers, murder and mayhem might just qualify as a rom-com. 4 Spotlights
