**** Recommended **** Audiences are loving Mercury Theater’s production of "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", a delightful retelling of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel. William Hauptman’s musical adaptation is an old-fashioned story featuring wonderful bluegrass-style music with both music and lyrics written by Roger Miller. I guarantee you’ll enjoy "Big River", I sure did! 4 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** Sometimes when I see a play about families, I think about what Dickens said – something about it being the best of times, and the worst of times. Family issues are at the center of "Last Night and the Night Before", a gripping play at Steppenwolf, and they certainly meet that criteria. A joyful reunion interrupted by an unfriendly lover; a husband deserted by his wife; a child abandoned by her mother; sisters who love each other, yet rip each other to shreds – take your pick, it’s all here! 3 ½ Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** "The Porch on Windy Hill" is billed as “a new play with old music.” That ‘old music’ is folk music, music that tells a story, music that’s handed down through generations. The ‘new play’ has a familiar concept – anger, resentment and a failure to communicate caused a family split resulting in years of silence and hurt feelings. Making music brings the two sides together. I loved the music so much I found myself wishing "The Porch on Windy Hill" was in my neighborhood. I’d be there in a flash! 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended **** When spring is almost here, I start thinking about baseball, so I had a lot of fun watching "Damn Yankees" at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Since I’m a hereditary Cub fan, I totally share the sentiments of those hard-up Washington Senators who always finish behind those "Damn Yankees"! Marriott’s production is enthusiastic, energetic, and exceedingly well choreographed. Once again, they’ve hit it out of the ballpark (lol)! 4 Spotlights
**** Recommended **** I was in a quandary as I watched "The Little Mermaid". The performance was magnificent, the performers, especially Victoria Jaiani, were incredible. The story is dark, sad and brooding, quite frankly making me a little uncomfortable, and I wasn’t all that fond of Lera Auerbach’s score either. John Neumeier’s choreography was complicated and challenging, making for a beautiful ballet. As usual, the Joffrey dancers execute the most complicated choreography with flawless technique and timing. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** Paramount Theatre’s production of "School of Rock" is a totally fun show. Although the story is rather predictable, nobody cares! From their first appearance until the final number, a dozen (or so) of the most amazingly talented kids steal the show. Take your family - kids, grandkids, even a rent-a-kid – "School of Rock" is the perfect musical to introduce them to live theater. 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** “Grease is the word…” at least through June 4th in Oakbrook Terrace. The kids at Rydell High are back in a colorful, exuberant and energetic production complete with plenty of teen angst and rock and roll! Overall, I liked the show but – and this is a big but – they never actually did the Hand Jive! They danced all over the stage, but those hand motions were only in evidence for about 10 beats. What’s that about? If you’re going to include the song, you’d better do the dance! I guess that makes me a Grease purist (lol). 3 Spotlights
**** Highly Recommended **** "Galileo’s Daughter" is an absolute gem. There isn’t anything I’d change about this Remy Bumppo production. The cast is superb, the set looks/feels like Florence and the story is interesting and engaging. Only 85 enchanted minutes long, "Galileo’s Daughter" is on my top ten must-see list for 2023! 4 BIG Spotlights
*** Recommended *** A jukebox musical is a story written to feature hit songs of a popular music group or genre. More often than not, these musicals turn out to be light, frothy musical romps. "Jagged Little Pill", which features the music of Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name, definitely breaks that mold. It’s dark, depressing and sad, but it did have a real impact. I thought Act I was somewhat over-choreographed and the music was so loud I had a hard time understanding the words in many of the songs. 3 Spotlights
*** Recommended *** Robert Falls has assembled a stellar cast for the Goodman Theatre’s production of "The Cherry Orchard". Although the story is about the Russian aristocracy in denial, Chekhov said it was a comedy (although I’ve always thought the story was tragic), so this cast played it for laughs and they got them. I thought everything – costumes, set, et al – was just about perfect, but I’m still not a Chekhov fan. By the way, is the term ‘Russian comedy’ actually an oxymoron? 3 ½ Spotlights
