Emily McClanathan - Page 2

Dave Malloy's staged song cycle GHOST QUARTET is a madcap romp through seven centuries of mythology, folk tales, gothic horror stories, murder ballads, and more. Described in the lyrics as a 'circular story,' the nonlinear plot follows four friends through interweaving stories that include two sisters in a murderous love triangle, a modern-day subway platform homicide, and retellings of Arabian Nights and Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Malloy's musical influences are as eclectic as his literary sources, and fans will recognize many of the styles present in his best-known work, the Tony Award-winning NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812.  

Daniel Zaitchik's new musical DARLING GRENADINE delicately balances sentimentality and realism in a heartfelt look at one man's struggle with addiction and its effect on those who love him. In its Midwest premiere at Marriott Theatre, Aaron Thielen directs a stellar cast who do equal justice to Zaitchik's charming score and to his imperfect, lovable characters.

Upon arrival at Windy City Playhouse's flagship venue in Irving Park, audience members are handed an acceptance letter welcoming them to Brown University's class of 2011. Thus begins an intimate journey through the world of THE RECOMMENDATION, written by Jonathan Caren and directed by Jonathan Wilson. For its Chicago premiere, Windy City Playhouse artistic director Amy Rubenstein has overseen a revised script and a new concept that stages Caren's play in the theater's signature immersive style. Audiences follow the actors from room to room and even drink alongside them, from slurping Jello shots in a college dorm to sipping sake in a Hollywood lounge.

In THE RIVER, Tony Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth spins an atmospheric tale with as many twists and turns as its namesake. Following its 2012 premiere in London and subsequent Broadway run, Jerrell L. Henderson directs the Chicago premiere by BoHo Theatre, now a resident company at the Greenhouse Theater Center.

'I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.' So Jane Austen famously prefaced the vivacious Emma Woodhouse, whom she describes as 'handsome, clever, and rich' in the opening words of her 1815 novel. Indeed, Emma, the meddlesome, would-be matchmaker is arguably the most controversial among Austen's canon of beloved protagonists. Yet, love or hate the leading lady, EMMA features many of Austen's most amusing supporting characters, and here is where Lifeline Theatre's production of this romantic comedy thrives.

With Lookingglass Theatre Company being the fourth Chicago theater to produce a Frankenstein adaptation over the past year in celebration of the novel's 200th anniversary, audiences may well ask what more can be said about this classic tale. Rest assured: in MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN, writer and director David Catlin offers a unique and poignant perspective by placing the author herself, a highly imaginative and emotionally vulnerable teenager, center stage. Artist and artwork become intricately entwined as Mary Shelley (Cordelia Dewdney) pours her personal pain into a work of fiction that has captivated readers for centuries.

British novelist Roald Dahl possessed that rare quality in an author of children's books: the ability to captivate the imaginations of his young readers and simultaneously entertain their parents. His distinctive witty prose, dark humor, and eccentric characters are beloved worldwide: a daunting precedent for the Royal Shakespeare Company when it premiered the musical adaptation of MATILDA in 2010, with a book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. This production proved wildly successful in the West End (where it is still running), on Broadway, and internationally. Now, Drury Lane Theatre presents the regional premiere, directed and choreographed by Mitch Sebastian.

Marriott Theatre's FOOTLOOSE is a fun-filled throwback to the '80s, with a strong ensemble cast that does full justice to the original film's chart-topping hits. Directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by William Carlos Angulo, this production radiates infectious energy.

A thought-provoking blend of philosophy, politics, and personal ethics, Kate Fodor's HANNAH AND MARTIN explores the fall-out of one German intellectual's entanglement with the Nazi party. Now playing at Shattered Globe Theatre under the direction of Louis Contey, Fodor's historical drama recreates the love affair between the eponymous characters, German-Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (Christina Gorman) and her mentor, philosopher Martin Heidegger (Lawrence Grimm). Following their relationship from Arendt's time as a student in the 1920s, the crux of the play centers around her moral crisis post-World War II, when she must decide whether to help the disgraced Heidegger rebuild a semblance of a career following his long-time support of Hitler's regime.

In true science fiction fashion, British playwright Caryl Churchill's gripping two-hander, A NUMBER, raises more questions than it answers. Set in the near future and structured as a series of tense encounters between a father and his grown son(s), the play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2002 during the height of the debate over the ethics of cloning. Now playing at Writers Theatre, family dynamics take the foreground as director Robin Witt explores the devastating effects of a father's choices in the lives of his offspring.

As with most tales of doomed romance, Giuseppe Verdi's LA TRAVIATA highlights the contrasts between two social spheres and the difficulties faced by lovers who try to bridge this chasm. In this 1853 opera, based on a play by Alexandre Dumas, fils, the beautiful courtesan Violetta Valery (Albina Shagimuratova) tries to escape her past life among the hedonistic upper classes of Paris to settle down with her true love, Alfredo Germont (Giorgio Berrugi). After a brief period of bliss, the couple is driven apart by the strict bourgeois morality of Alfredo's family, in particular his father, who refuses to overlook Violetta's shameful past until she is on her deathbed.

Before attending THE PRODUCERS at Paramount Theatre, I had a disturbing dream in which this production cut everything deemed offensive or politically incorrect from the original: tap-dancing Nazis, sex-crazed old ladies, grossly stereotyped portrayals of, well, everyone. 'But what will they have left?' my dream-self protested. Fortunately, my fears were allayed upon seeing Paramount's production; director Jim Corti stages a madcap romp that revels in the irreverent humor of Mel Brooks.

In HOW TO CATCH CREATION, a world premiere at Goodman Theatre, playwright Christina Anderson tackles universal themes: the desire for human connection, the pursuit of creative and intellectual passions, and the longing to leave a meaningful legacy. Niegel Smith directs this intricately crafted tale, which spans five decades and follows six Black American artists whose paths intersect in surprising ways.

When Dr. Rosalind Franklin, portrayed by the formidable Chaon Cross, makes her first entrance in Court Theatre's PHOTOGRAPH 51, it's immediately clear that she inhabits a world dominated by men. Director Vanessa Stalling arranges the rest of the cast-who are all male-on the upper level of Arnel Sancianco's two-story set so that they literally look down on Franklin as she appears, last, on the ground floor. This striking image sets the tone for playwright Anna Ziegler's imaginative rendering of an often-overlooked piece of history: the essential contributions of chemist Rosalind Franklin to the discovery of DNA's configuration in the 1950s.

In his Tony-nominated revival of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, now playing on tour at Broadway in Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre, director Bartlett Sher delivers a fresh and strikingly relevant vision of this 1960s classic. While Sher carefully honors the cultural and historical setting, a rural Jewish community in early twentieth century Russia, this production achieves a timelessness that speaks to the plights of marginalized people throughout history.

To sum up the Goodman Theatre's pairing of holiday productions this season: it was the best of humanity; it was the worst of humanity. While Tiny Tim's blessings and Scrooge's transformation warm hearts nightly in the Goodman's Albert Theatre, across the lobby in the Owen Theatre is a much different scene: a sardonic sendup of Christmas commercialism as told by Crumpet, an elf in Macy's Santaland. Based on the essay by humorist David Sedaris, which propelled him to fame when he performed it on NPR in 1992, Joe Mantello's one-man stage adaptation of THE SANTALAND DIARIES stars Matt Crowle and is directed by Steve Scott.

The Goodman Theatre's annual production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, now in its 41st year, embraces Charles Dickens' world with all of its Victorian charm. And rightly so: after all, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, are largely credited with popularizing Christmas traditions in Britain. Between these royals and the legacy of Dickens' beloved tale, nothing says 'Christmas' quite like carolers in top hats and gas lamps glowing in the London fog.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a prime example of the power of live theater: relying on evocative language, simple yet effective sound and lighting design, and skilled acting, this two-man gothic thriller easily surpasses any high-budget horror film in its ability to create a communal sense of fear among an audience.

With its abundance of classic tunes and tightly choreographed ensemble numbers, Irving Berlin's HOLIDAY INN is the perfect fit for the Marriott Theatre, a company that excels with dance-heavy shows in its intimate, in-the-round space. Denis Jones directs and choreographs a talented cast in this regional premiere of the 2016 Broadway musical (which Jones also choreographed). Based on the 1942 film featuring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, the stage adaptation makes some vital updates (most obviously, getting rid of a notorious blackface number), while capitalizing on the nostalgia of songs like 'White Christmas,' 'Happy Holiday,' 'Blue Skies,' and 'Cheek to Cheek.'

In an era when stage adaptations of animated films are seemingly a dime a dozen, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has stood the test of time, and for good reason. When the 1991 Disney film was adapted for Broadway in 1994, composer Alan Menken nearly doubled the number of songs, and the additions that he wrote with lyricist Tim Rice are every bit as stunning as the originals (with lyrics by the late Howard Ashman). Further, Linda Woolverton's book for the musical lends depth to characters previously left underdeveloped in her film screenplay, especially the Beast and his household. Drury Lane Theatre's new production honors both the film and Broadway versions, but director Alan Souza and his creative team deliver a refreshingly original vision, giving the talented cast space to breathe new life into familiar characters. The result is a beautifully designed, thoughtfully staged, and strongly acted fairy tale that should delight audiences of all ages.