Critic's Notebook
Here's a look at currently running plays recently reviewed by the Daily Herald.
"Bleacher Bums," Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. In its 2004 Chicago revival, this 1977 comedy inspired by die-hard Chicago Cubs fans underwent script changes to update and make it more family friendly. For Metropolis' production, director John Hildreth has set the play in its original era adding a bit of nostalgia (not to mention irony considering how well the team is doing now). Set during a game with the St. Louis Cardinals, the action centers around the fans (the gambler, the super fan, the sunbather) and their reaction to the game. A must-see for any Cubs' loyalist, the show is, with one exception, well-cast and looks great thanks to set designer Adam Veness. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 7 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 6. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission. Parking: Street parking and free municipal lot nearby. Tickets: $27. Rating: For teens and older, contains strong language and adult themes. Box office: (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com. Reviewed by Scott C. Morgan. Two and a half stars.
"Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief," Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. Director Jaclyn Biskup's cheeky, burlesque-inspired approach and her eager young cast spice up Paula Vogel's darkly comic, behind-the-scenes riff on "Othello," in which Shakespeare's devoted wife is the very strumpet Othello imagines her to be. Vogel's play is modest but Biskup's presentation is artful. Moreover it includes a naughty little amuse-bouche in the form of a 1920s vaudeville-style curtain raiser featuring a kittenish quintet performing bawdy blackouts and giddy tunes that feed stereotypical male stereotypes. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays through Aug. 23, also 3 p.m. Aug. 16 and 23. Running time: About two hours, no intermission. Parking: Limited metered parking available. Tickets: $20. Rating: For adults, contains adult language and sexual references. Box office: (312) 388-7660 or themilltheatre.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Two and a half stars.
"The Full Monty," Marriott Theater, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Alene Robertson nearly steals the show as a whiskey-voiced, onetime vaudeville performer in Marriott's production of the bawdy musical based on the British film about desperate, out-of-work steelworkers turned strippers determined to bare all to make some money. It's an energetic, envelope-pushing production featuring a cast that displays a real camaraderie. Showtimes: 1 and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 21. Running time: About two hours, with intermission. Parking: free lot adjacent to theater. Tickets: $45, $55, dinner packages available. $30. Rating: For adults, contains sexual references, strong language and brief nudity. Box office: (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com. Reviewed by Lisa Friedman Miner. Three stars.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Bailiwick Repertory, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Dennis DeYoung's musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's 19th century novel is rather less than the sum of its parts. Parts of the ambitious show, including several hook-heavy ballads of the sort the former Styx pianist was known for, are quite good. It's a well sung show, but DeYoung's book is weak; the often bombastic score lurches between power ballads and arena rock anthems and the set is unimpressive. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 3:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 31. Running time: About 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission. Parking: Metered parking, valet. Tickets: $25-$45. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (773) 883-1090 or bailiwick.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Two stars.
"Jersey Boys," Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. The superb touring production of this exuberant bio-musical about the rags to riches to wreckage to reconciliation tale of The Four Seasons delivers on its promise as one of the season's most anticipated shows. The show looks and sounds great thanks to the Broadway design team, songwriters Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, and the talented, charismatic cast. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; open run. Running time: About 2¨ hours, including intermission. Parking: Paid lots nearby. Tickets: $30-$150. Rating: For adults, includes explicit language and sexual references. Box office: (312) 902-1400 or ticketmaster.com. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Three and a half stars.
"KOOZA," United Center parking lot, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago. More grounded, with less aerial acts than 2006's "Corteo," Cirque du Soleil's touring production "KOOZA" still engrosses with its old-school staples including a gripping high-wire act and thoroughly enjoyable slapstick courtesy of three comic clowns. The astonishing visuals (a mélange of Hindu, Indian and Asian influences) include a towering set piece called the Bataclan remain along with moments of great delicacy, in the form of remarkable feats of contortion. This being Cirque, there are plenty of thrills in the form of a bold teeterboard routine and the heart-stopping, gravity defying performances of Carlos Enrique Marin Loaiza and Angelo Lyerzysky - the Cirque equivalent of rock stars - who richly deserved the thunderous applause they received for their Wheel of Death act. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays; 4 and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 24. Running time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, with intermission. Parking: $20. Tickets: $38.50-$125. Rating: For most ages. Box office: (800) 678-5440 or cirquedusoleil.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Three and a half stars.
"The Lion in Winter," Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. James Goldman's delicious depiction of domestic dysfunction centered around the battle between Henry II, his estranged wife Eleanor and their three sons over the succession of the crown, gets a brilliantly fortifying revival under director Rick Snyder. An engaging, intuitively directed show, it benefits mightily from the galvanizing performances of its leads real-life husband and wife Michael Canavan and Shannon Cochran. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 17. Running time: About 2 hours 10 minutes, with intermission. Parking: Free street parking adjacent to theater. Tickets: 40-$65. Rating: For high school and older. Box office: (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Four stars.
"Much Ado About Nothing," Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. First Folio Shakespeare Festival's honest, unpretentious and entirely entertaining production of this well-loved comedy features pitch-perfect performances from Nick Sandys and Melissa Carlson as Benedick and Beatrice whose bickering can't mask their mutual affection and respect. Showtimes: 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays through Aug. 17. Running time: About two hours, 45 minutes with intermission. Parking: Free lot on the grounds. Tickets: $21, $26. Rating: For most audiences. Box office: (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Three and a half stars.
"Plaza Suite," Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Centered around a trio of less than happily wedded middle-age, middle-class couples, Neil Simon's comic meditation on marital discord has a pathos that director Steve Scott illuminates quite effectively in Eclipse Theatre's well-cast, sure-handed revival featuring CeCe Klinger bringing a restless energy to the woman trying to save her marriage; and wonderfully comedic performances from Jon Steinhagen, who mines laughs from an arched eyebrow and a glare, and Cheri Chenoweth whose fluttery nervousness never gets old, as parents trying to coax their reluctant daughter to go throw with her lavish wedding. Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 31. Running time: About two hours, with intermission. Parking: $6 with ticket stub in the Children's Memorial Hospital Parking Garage. Tickets: $25. Rating: For teens and older. Box office: (773) 871-3000 or eclipsetheatre.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Three stars.
"Superior Donuts," Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. More intimate than his Pulitzer Prize-winning predecessor, Tracy Letts' latest lacks the sweep and scale of "August: Osage County." But this funny, aggressively authentic play is a solidly entertaining, albeit familiar story about the unlikely friendship between a disillusioned hippie and doughnut shop owner and his young college dropout employee who's written the great American novel. Michael McKean ("Best in Show, "This is Spinal Tap") plays the aging hippie Arthur with masterful understatement that makes the play's contrived monologues palatable. The charismatic Jon Michael Hill's performance as young Franco confirms again Hill's an actor worth watching. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; through Aug. 24. Running time: About two hours, 15 minutes with intermission. Parking: $9 in Steppenwolf lot. Tickets: $20-$68. Rating: For adults, strong language, mature subject matter. Box office: (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org. Reviewed by Barbara Vitello. Three stars.
Three more choices
News
The Elgin Arts Commission salutes local theater with "Walkabout: Theater on Your Feet." Held at several downtown Elgin venues, the mini-festival showcases short plays performed by Janus, Vex and Elgin theater companies as well as Independent Players and Nothing Special Productions. Participating venues include: the Elgin Arts Showcase, Al's Cafe, Elgin Books, Elgin Public House, Lily Falls and Ravenheart Cafe.
Guided tours depart every 15 minutes between 1 and 2 p.m. Aug. 16, 23 and 30 at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. Reservations required. (847) 841-1713.
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