Spotlight on Reviews

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED****  Oh, those memories, how they light the corners of our minds. But, as our narrator in “Buyer & Cellar” quickly points out, the human brain is round, so how could it have any corners, unless it is warped? Well, enough about trying to parse the lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman to the theme from “The Way We Were.” Instead, let’s focus on the product of the slightly warped and wickedly creative mind of playwright Jonathan Tolins, whose 2013 off-Broadway hit “Buyer & Cellar” is getting a rousing production at Pride Films and Plays that is as thoroughly hilarious as it is genuinely heartfelt. 4 SPOTLIGHTS

****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED****  Upon entering the Harris Theatre, you may have felt that you were actually in a large nightclub, with DJ Prince The Game Changer spinning from a large booth that sat at stage left. This 17-year-old turntablist had the capacity crowd on the main floor moving and grooving in their seats to some pretty impressive throw-back early 1990's beats (think Robin S and Crystal Waters) and mesmerized by some trippy visuals projected onto a large movie screen. The vibe was most definitely chill and not at all what you might expect for an event titled "XQ Super School Live", which is an emerging and flourishing network of "educators, students, families and other civic-minded people who are reimagining high school education in the United States" has partnered with Pop-Up Magazine to bring this well-organized and highly entertaining multimedia storytelling experience to Chicago for just one evening.  4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS

Not Recommended * As my friend and I walked out of the theater after “The Ridiculous Darkness”, she commented that that was two hours she’d never get back. Sadly, that’s exactly how I felt. In the publicity blurbs, “The Ridiculous Darkness” is described as a German-written dark comedy. It was certainly dark, but I didn’t see any comedy. This production had no idea where it was going and it definitely didn’t have a clue where it had been. Don’t waste your time. 1/2 Spotlight

***RECOMMENDED*** As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June of 2015 that legalized same-sex marriages, there have been numerous plays that have featured gay couples navigating the uncertain terrain of wedded bliss. The majority of these works were written by cisgender males and, not surprisingly, all of the main characters have been gay men, most of whom are considering adopting children, expecting their new arrivals through surrogacy or already enjoying their little bundles of joy and adapting to their unfamiliar roles as parents. One of the most well-known of these plays is S. Asher Gelman's "Afterglow," which caused quite a sensation when it opened Off-Broadway and had a successful run of nearly a year and a half. 3 SPOTLIGHTS