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April 20, 2016 20 WINDY CITY TIMES THEATER REVIEW Mitera Playwright: Maria Burnham At: Strangeloop Theatre, Berger Park North Mansion, 6219 N. Sheridan Rd. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/2502445; $18 Runs through: May 14 BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL Mitera. Photo by Austin D. Oie Playwrights have been fascinated with unmarried sisters for 2,500 years. Consider: The Suppliants (Aeschylus), Three Sisters (Chekhov), The House of Bernarda Alba (Garcia Lorca) and Nunsense (just kidding). Maria Burnham follows the thread in Mitera (Greek for “mother”), her world premiere about three Greek-heritage sisters living in present-day small-town Mississippi. The locale and ethnicity match Burnham’s own upbringing, but only are window dressing for Mitera, which might just as readily concern sisters of any heritage, anywhere in the United States. In ascending order of age, sisters Dimitra (Lilly Apostolou), Nitsa (Holly Robinson) and Olga (shout-out to Three Sisters) range from mid-20s to mid-30s. Their Greek-born mother has just died (American dad is long gone), leaving them considerable property in Mississippi as well as family lands in Greece. But there’s a catch: Mom’s will says Dimitra must marry or the sisters lose everything to a male cousin back in Greece. Why Dimitra has to marry and not either older sister isn’t really made clear, except that Olga (Allison McCorkle) long ago resigned herself to being caretaker for mom and housekeeper for all, leaving her with ample reserves of bitterness and resentment. Olga now reveals she’s gay, and the siblings weigh the merits of an arranged hetero marriage vs. marrying for love ... if the Supreme Court clears the way in Mississippi. The court does, and Act II is Dimitra and Megan’s wedding day upon which contingency heir Dimitris (Michael Wagman) arrives from Greece to threaten the marriage and seize the U.S. property. He’s in cahoots with Nitsa—up ‘til now, seemingly supportive of Olga—although the exact logistics of their plan aren’t quite clear. There’s blackmail involving Dimitra’s cellphone and earlier indiscretions; counter-blackmail by the girls’ supportive godmother, Sharon (Patricia Tinsley); and a tender heart-to-heart between Olga and Dimitra. Sexist cousin Dimitris is sent packing fairly easily, as Mitera concludes with the sisters standing in solidarity. It’s an appealing play that would be much better if Burnham fully committed herself to the comedy inherent in its plot, having more fun with Greek stereotypes, sisterly rivalries, the smarmy artificial villain, the wily godmother, etc. She could shorten that heart-to-heart scene, too, as it stops the play’s forward motion in Act II, and makes its point well before it concludes. Nitsa needs an expository scene as well. It’s a nice production, as directed by Letitia Guillaud in the extremely cozy living room of Berger Park’s Gunderson Mansion, which we share with the actors in fly-on-the-wall intimacy. However, this close environment also suppresses the comedic impulse, as humor—funny lines and business—cannot be exaggerated or even pointed up very much. A production that allows Mitera to be bigger might also allow it to be funnier. THEATER REVIEW Carlyle Playwright: Thomas Bradshaw At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: 773-443-3800; www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Carlyle; $10-$40 Runs through: May 1 BY JERRY NUNN Main character Carlyle Meyers goes from Democratic to Republican beliefs and we, as an audience, are along for the bumpy ride in the world premiere of Carlyle. From bullying to gun control, nothing is off limits in a story where being a Republican trumps being Black. This is a play that is not afraid to tackle this tough terrain and deals with many racial issues that have carried over from the past until today. The show is presented in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre, which is utilized in exactly the right way. Entrances and exits are sometimes in the aisles with minimal set pieces keeping the focus on the characters. There are off-color jokes that tackle controversial subjects, including sex and abortion, with one character exclaiming “Only Gays get AIDS.” Setting the show in the ‘80s and ‘90s allows plenty of ignorance to be spotlighted, and Carlyle does not shy away from that. House lights are brought up at one point while planted actors ask questions to the performers on the stage. This backfired a bit on James Earl Jones II in Carlyle. Photo by Liz Lauren premiere night when a Republican lady in the audience spoke up and clapped at uncomfortable places throughout the performance. The actors played right along, though, and kept things moving. James Earl Jones II, as Meyers, leads a strong cast from prep school to the GOP. He keeps the character likeable even while stating some daring ideas. Costume pieces are dropped center stage hilariously at times. The sparseness doesn’t distract from the action until the world’s biggest flag arrives. Theater is a reflection of our society, and this satire has plenty to keep our minds stirring. We have political shows now hitting the Windy City—like Hillary and Clinton last week and now Carlyle—to make us wonder what comes next. How about a play with a gay Republican’s life story? THEATER REVIEW Mary Page Marlowe Playwright: Tracy Letts At: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-335-1650 or www.steppenwolf.org; $20-$89 Runs through: May 29 BY SCOTT C. MORGAN Tracy Letts’ world-premiere drama Mary Page Marlowe for Steppenwolf Theatre Company will likely divide audiences. Those expecting a sprawling three-hour epic in the vein of Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama August: Osage County might be disappointed by this compact one-act focusing on the title character’s “ordinary” life. And some will question why Letts chose a time-shifting structure to show snapshots of Mary Page Marlowe’s major life-turning points or moments of self-realization—particularly when the play’s abrupt ending catches so many people off guard. But perhaps Letts just wanted to explore the significant events in a regular woman’s life—particularly when she had control taken away from her due to actions both within and beyond her control. Yet one can argue that Mary Page Marlowe. Photo by Michael Brosilow Mary Page Marlowe is, in fact, epic. The play’s casting features six different actresses at different ages depicting the title character (there were seven, but director Anna D. Shapiro opted to not use actual infants in the bitter argument scene leading to the marriage breakdown between Marlowe’s parents just after World War II). It is luxury casting all around, especially with many stellar actors from the large ensemble appearing in only one or a few scenes. And when you consider that Mary Page Marlowe faces down parental abandonment, adultery, divorce, alcoholism and prison, it is hardly an “ordinary” life. Sure, it may not all add up to an overarching symbolic statement that some audiences may wish for, but Letts’ depiction of Mary Page Marlowe’s existence touchingly veers from so much potential and hope to debilitating upset for losses and lingering regrets. Shapiro keeps the proceedings intense and interesting as the times skip around locales in Ohio and Kentucky. Projection designer Sven Ortel’s subtle work is a great assist to all the spot-on historical period work done by costume designer Linda Roethke and set designer Todd Rosenthal. There really isn’t anything to fault in the ensemble performances, though a few get more chances to shine. Rebecca Spence as the middle-aged Mary Page Marlowe gets a particularly intense acting work out as she spars with her upset daughter (Madeline Weinstein, as the wonderfully confrontational Windy Gilbert). Tony Award-winning actress Blair Brown (Copenhagen) is also very moving as the latelife Mary Page Marlowe—particularly when she gets a piece of good news from her third husband, Andy (affably played by Alan Wilder), and when she looks back on the difficult course of her life. So though Mary Page Marlowe might not live up to expectations based upon Letts’ previous work, the play still gives audiences plenty to ponder about for personal reflection. Hopefully, anyone between the seven different age ranges of Mary Page Marlowe will be able to relate. CRITICS’ PICKS c Jerusalem, Profiles Theatre at the Main Stage, extended through May 22. British antiestablishment playwright Jez Butterworth is at it again and nobody does amoral unshaven dropout better than Darrell W. Cox making with the acting chops at full throttle. MSB The Life of Galileo, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at the Greenhouse, through May 1. Was the father of modern science a sellout who paved the way for nuclear weapons or was he just playing the authorities until he could hatch a plan to foil them? MSB Rent, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at the No Exit Cafe, through May 15. This cozy Rogers Park hidaway was such a perfect site for a musical about brave young artists finding their way in a hostile world that the production’s been extended. MSB United Flight 232, The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre, through May 21. Vanessa Stalling’s theatrical adaptation of Laurence Gonzales’ book Flight 232 detailing the 1989 DC-10 crash-landing in Sioux City, Iowa, is disquieting and deeply moving. SCM —By Barnidge and Morgan
WINDY CITY TIMES April 20, 2016 21 Donica Lynn in Dreamgirls. Photo by Kelsey Jorissen DOUBLE REVIEW Dreamgirls Book and Lyrics: Tom Eyen; Score: Henry Krieger At: Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: 773-327-5252 or PorchlightMusicTheatre.org; $35-$51 Runs through: May 22 Trash Playwright: Johnny Drago At: New American Folks Theatre at Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets: NewAmericanFolktheatre.org; $20 Runs through: May 15 BY SCOTT C. MORGAN The pursuit of fame and celebrity can be nasty and heartbreaking. That’s apparent in two current Chicago shows: Porchlight Music Theatre skillfully crams the R&B/pop epic Dreamgirls into Stage 773’s thrust space, while New American Folk Theatre is making a pigsty of an upstairs Den Theatre studio with the Midwest premiere of the camp-drag comedy Trash. Both shows have great potential to attract audiences identifying as gay or queer. But it’s Dreamgirls that largely impresses throughout while Trash disappoints on multiple levels. A smash hit since its 1981 Broadway debut, Dreamgirls has taken on even more pop cultural currency thanks to director Bill Condon’s acclaimed 2006 film adaptation. Fans of the musical will forever be debating the starry vocals (such as Jennifer Holliday vs. Jennifer Hudson singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”) as they all played women in a fictionalized girl group modeled on The Supremes in the 1960s and ’70s. When held up to these Broadway and Hollywood greats, the Porchlight cast can’t compete even with all of their impressive vocal gymnastics. Nonetheless, director/choreographer Brenda Didier’s ambitiously scrappy and smooth production for Porchlight shows that a big musical like Dreamgirls can still wow on an intimate scale (especially in Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen’s original stage version). Most of the budget looks to have been lavished on Bill Morey’s sparkly period costumes and Kevin Barthel’s numerous wig designs—especially since audiences can fill in the scenic blanks for all If you missed the recent acclaimed touring revival of Roundabout Theatre Company’s landmark 1998 revival of Cabaret, you can at least see Kander and Ebb’s show itself in a suburban community theater production courtesy of Big Noise Theatre. Cabaret plays through Sunday, May 8, at the Prairie Lake Theater, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays with 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays, Sundays and on Wednesday, May 4. Tickets are $30 and $25 for seniors; call 847- 604-0275 or visit BigNoiseTheatre. org. Photo by Riah Dunton e SPOTLIGHT the musical’s many locations. The leading Dreamgirls trio of Candace C. Edwards, Katherine Thomas and Donica Lynn all give hard-working performances, particularly Lynn as the Florence Ballard-inspired character of Effie White. And Dreamgirls also allows for many great male performers to shine, which is the case with Evan Tyrone Martin as the manipulative manager Curtis Taylor, Jr., Gilbet Domally as the songwriter C.C. White and especially Eric Lewis who sings and dances up a storm as the hard-driving soul singer James Thunder Early. Very few good things can be said about Johnny Drago’s Trash. It’s the kind of campy show you’d expect from Hell in a Handbag Productions, but they would have had the good sense to reject it due to Drago’s weak script that revels in Southern stereotypes before it veers unconvincingly into Greek tragedy. The shriek-filled performances, under director Derek Van Barham, are also marred by poor comic timing—particularly Anthony Whitaker in drag as the overweight former Hollywood starlet Jinx Malibu, who rose to fame via a series of exploitative “Pussy Rocket” sci-fi flesh films. Just what Trash is trying to say in terms of mocking washed-up celebrities and their clueless families is baffling. Alas, Trash is a fitting title for the show in more ways than one. HARRIS THEATER PRESENTS MIAMI CITY BALLET FRIDAY / APR. 29 / 7:30PM Symphony in 3 Movements Viscera Symphonic Dances choreography by George Balanchine, music by Igor Stravinsky choreography by Liam Scarlett, music by Lowell Liebermann choreography by Alexei Ratmansky, music by Sergei Rachmaninoff SATURDAY / APR. 30 / 7:30PM Serenade Heatscape Bourrée Fantasque choreography by George Balanchine, music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreography by Justin Peck, music by Bohuslav Martinů choreography by George Balanchine, music by Emmanuel Chabrier SAVE 40% OFF TICKETS WITH CODE: MCB40 312.334.7777 | HARRISTHEATERCHICAGO.ORG 205 EAST RANDOLPH DRIVE The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Imagine Campaign, Resident Company Collaboration Sponsor The Harris Family Foundation, Caryn and King Harris Dance Residency Fund, Presenting Sponsor The Northern Trust Company, Lead Corporate Sponsor Season Sponsor Official Airline of the Harris Theater Season Hotel Partner
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