THE HOMOSEXUALS at About Face Theatre

If you take a lot of “Love, Valour, Compassion!”, roll it with some of the fluidity of “La Ronde” add some of the self loathing of “Boys in the Band”, mix in a little bit of racy confessional of “Party” and cook it in a time line that resembles “Merrily We Roll Along” and you have About Face Theatre's World premier of Philip Dawkins “THE HOMOSEXUALS” which opened at the The Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater last night.

About Face Theatre concludes it's 15^th anniversary season and kicks-off GLBTQ Pride Month with the world premiere of THE HOMOSEXUALS” by Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins, directed with loving care and a strong sense of focus by AFT Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar and features a talented cast that can turn from heartbreak to laughs in the blink of an eye.

The play starts out very much like Stephen Sondheim's “Merrily We Roll Along” at the end of a short relationship between Evan and Peter. Evan is breaking up the romantic aspect of the relationship he has with Peter in hopes of finally being able to go at it alone and wanting to be friends instead. The play then follows a time line in reverse with Evan and his relationships within a circle of friends that by the end of the play shows us his first encounter with the people that will play an important part of his life.

The play captures in an honest way the thin line between friendship, and love and how those in the gay community can sometimes blur those lines in search of the hopes that everyone looking for love has or will settle for in life. It also shows by staying in those lines can destroy the foundation of those very relationships that you spend time cultivating in search of selfish love.

Earlier in the day I had caught one of the final showings of the film version of Stephen Sondheim's “Company” and again noticed the similarities between THE HOMOSEXUALS and Company in the sense that both shows are about one man on the outside looking in with his highly varied lot of friends. However in Company we are presented with Bobby a character that is all charisma and charm who bounces from one zany couple to another all the while seeming the same yet never losing what his friends obviously see in him.

In THE HOMOSEXUALS we are left with Evan who appeared to be the least interesting person in his circle of friends. It's a hard trick to pull off in theater or anywhere else, to show a character's warts before you can show what makes them endearing. I felt Patrick Andrew’s Evan tried as hard as he could but in a role that seems to be tossed from one scene to another came across as being whatever he needed to be for that particular scene and made it very hard to get emotionally invested in his character when things are presented in reverse.

The ensemble is filled with actors who mine the rich complexities of the script and bring a fluidity to the piece when their roles are mostly required to be just in scenes. As Peter Scott Bradley pulls out the full force of battered show campy without sacrificing any of the level of pathos he could have easily done, Stephen Cone's portrayal of Michael, one of the few in this group who could only be called friend hits with devastation as it also rings home all too honestly. As the lone female in the group Tam Elizabeth Ledo's not only owns the stage but appears to still be on it far after her scene has come and gone. Ms. Ledo is a force of nature particularly in her rapid fire take down of Evan's internal homophobia. While Scott Bradley, Eddie Diaz, and John Francisco have the least fleshed out character scenes they all do well connecting the dots within those scenes to bring out what makes Evan the person he is today one just wishes those lines for those actors gave them a little more strength to play off of.

Once the moving back in time structure was established it wasn't difficult to follow along and in many instances for the cast played well in scene structure and dramatic arc unlike say Merrily were the device lessens the power of the piece this actually helped it grow.

There are so many things in THE HOMOSEXUALS that are wonderful and leave you with a warm feeling of being at a party with a group of people that you have known forever, people that can make you laugh and cry and feel in a few moments and feel like a family that you might never have had . If only we could feel the same way about the center of the family that we we do with its surroundings.

THE HOMOSEXUALS plays June 11 though July 24, 2011 at The Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.aboutfacetheatre.com or (773) 871-3000.

The Homosexuals

THE HOMOSEXUALS

BY PHILIP DAWKINS

JUNE 11 - JULY 24, 2011
VICTORY GARDENS RICHARD CHRISTIANSEN THEATER
2433 N. LINCOLN AVE.

Tickets on sale NOW!  Click HERE to purchase or call Victory Gardens at 773 871 3000.

Opening Night Gala: June 19th at 5pm.  Click here for more details.
Starring AFT Artistic Associates Patrick Andrews, Scott Bradley, Elizabeth Ledo and Benjamin Sprunger, as well as 
Stephen Cone, Eddie Diaz and John Francisco, THE HOMOSEXUALS is a play exploring friendship through the lens of sex.
On his first night in a midwestern city, Evan meets a circle of men who become his closest friends and potential lovers.  Chicago
playwright Philip Dawkins' comedic and heartbreaking work is for anyone who's ever fallen in love with a friend.  In other words,
it's a play for humans.

Chicago the Musical with Broadway in Chicago

“You are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery ---all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts.”

At the beginning of the show a woman in black utters those line and out of all those things at least she's telling the truth, what she leaves out is you are also seeing a story a brilliant story sadly as current today as it was ahead of its time in 1975. The times just needed a while to catch up to the show.

The current tour playing a limited one-week engagement at the Oriental Theater, the Tony award winning Kander & Ebb smash hit “Chicago” brings a freshness and excitement that I haven't seen in several other touring companies of this 15 year old hit that I haven't seen in a while.

Thanks to the rapid flying direction by directed by Scott Faris, recreated from the revivals original direction by Walter Bobbie the show moves around at a quick piece, finds some originality, which is a joy considering he's working with a piece that by now is so well known thanks to the Oscar winning film and numerous television performances. If Bristol Palin is performing a number on “Dancing with the Stars” then there's a possibility that the show might be a tad bit overexposed. While Mr. Faris shows an assurance that never seems to falter, he is not the only one quilty of this heavenly crime. His partner Gary Chryst choreography while recreating Ann Reinking's moves brings an electricity to the moves that will leave you feeling like you just got a workout in your seat.

Their behind the scenes work shows off with the onstage performances notably Seinfel's John O'Hurley who brings an easiness and comedic flair to the role of lawyer Billy Flynn to the point that you almost felt like he was the star of the show. I say almost because of what heart the show may pretend to have is those killer dames of Tracy Shayne as Roxie Hart and Terra C.MacLeod's Velma Kelly. Ms. Shayne who plays the role with a bitter jadedness that might come across as being detached from the proceedings comes to life during her big first act solo “Roxie” and sells the heck out of “Me and My Baby.” From the moment she makes her appearance Terra C.MacLeod plays Velma Kelly as her life depended on it, as which it should since Velma in the right hands can be the show stealer, and in her telegraphed to the last role performance Ms. C.MacLeod comes dangerously close to doing just that. Ron Orbach as the put upon Amos Hart shows that no one could look right past him during his number “Mr. Chellophane,” while Roz Ryan plays her performance of Mamma Morton into another state but has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. The rest of the cast performed this show with a freshness and excitement that could be felt at the back of the theater.

The sets, costumes, and lighting hold up to the high standard quality of this production. In a town where all those sins are a common occurrence this is simply a show that can not be missed.

“Chicago” is playing at the Oriental Theater at 24 W. Randolph Street thru Sunday June 12^th. Individual tickets are on sale now and range from $30 to $95. Tickets are available at all Broadway in Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St: 151 W Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway in Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway in Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations (including Hot Tix and select Carson Prairie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores), and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Tickets are available now for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway in Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.

For more information, visit www.chicagothemusical.com or www.BroadwayInChicago.com

The Cherry Orchard at Raven Theatre

“Tragedy is Easy, Comedy is Hard”

That famous phrase kept running though my head Sunday night during Raven Theatre's production of Anton Chekov's final play “The Cherry Orchard,” which closed out their 2010-2011 season.

Sadly also running though my head was that Raven Theatre seems to have gotten the comedy down pat but at the expense of the tragedy and theatricality of this piece.

The Cherry Orchard is a play that some companies do the show as a strict drama and some others, most notably the 1977 Lincoln Center production that featured Irene Worth, Raul Julia, Mary Beth Hurt and Meryl Streep as Dunyasha play up the comedic aspects of the piece without sacrificing the drama. However if you play up the comedy then you should up the dramatic aspects of the piece and the aspect that seemed most lacking in this production was the drama within the characters. The cast with a few exceptions seemed to either overplay the comedy or left the drama alone so much that the play fell flat.

The play, tells the tale of the Ranevskayas, a Russian family of fleeting wealth and history whose estate faces financial ruin unless strong measures are taken to save it. With the structure of their way of life crumbling, money has run dry and options are few. When the family matriarch Lyubov Ranevskaya returns from the arms of her freeloading younger lover, a devoted former servant provides a solution. Will the family take action to save their estate and wealth or will they be condemened by their own arrogance and inertia.

Raven's production will draw on the historic parallels of post-emancipation Russia and America, they do this by casting African American actors as the servants to emphasis the class differences that define one's place in society. However the issue this poses is besides that it bothers you that slavery seems to be used as a gimmick it also takes you out of the setting of Russia in the early 1900's.

Besides that the actors seem to be directed to perform their monologues out to the audience instead of dialogue to one another, this is another jarring device that makes it hard to concentrate on the performances.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing in this production. As Lopakhin the families trusted friend Frederick Harris seems to be telegraphing his role to the last role in an intimate theatre, Sophia Menedian delivers her role as the dutiful and lovestruck daughter Anya in a whiny tone that doesn't convey that she is as guilty as her family in the delusions of their future. Jason Huysman as Pishchick is saddled with an unfortunate costume and Ron Quad as Gayev finds humor in Gayev however he misses a lot of the sadness that you should feel for this man. I found Manny Buckley's to lack the sexual confidence that Yasha should have. In the showy leading role of Lyubov Ranevskaya, Joann Montemurro lacked the ability to convey a grand dame that is losing everything. There were certain moments that felt like they could have been played up. Most noticeably when she tears up the letter from her former lover. This was done in an emotionless moment that felt like she was merely tearing up a bill or as she's speaking to Michael Peters student Trofimov, in her speech about love you never felt like she had ever been in love.

There were several bright spots in this production, I found the above mention Michael Peters to be quite impassioned and delivered his lines with conviction. Liz Fletcher playing the farcical Governess Charlotta had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand while as the servants Fernando S. Albiar and Kelli Strickland played the humor of their roles to the hilt. I also enjoyed the work of Helen Young as the put upon adopted daughter Varya. She realized that her role was grounded in tragedy and stayed there.

The Cherry Orchard is a play where it shows the follies of the wealthy and that though their own arrogance bring their problems unto themselves. Raven Theatre was able to make this piece run smoothly but also at the expense of the characters and the dramatic tension of this piece.

The Cherry Orchard plays Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and on Sundays at 3pm, at their East Stage 6157 N. Clark. Tickets are $30 for all shows with $5 discount for students/seniors, $15 for groups of 10 or more for Thursdays, Fridayand Sunday performances, subject to availability. Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre.

Tickets can be orded though the website at www.raventheatre.com or 773-338-2177.

Brigaddon at Light Opera Works

As I watched Light Opera Works glorious production of Alan Jay Lerner and Federick Loewe's musical “Brigadoon,” I couldn't help but think how wonderful it was to hear a 24 piece orchestra play such classics as “Waitin' for My Dearie”, “Come to Me, Bend to Me”, “Almost Like Being in Love”, and the list goes on and on.

In the dreamy town of Brigadoon, a mysterious village that appears for only one day every hundred years, though to it's inhabitants, the passing of time is no longer than one night. The only rule is that no one from Brigadoon may ever leave, otherwise the site and all its inhabitants will disappear into the mist forever. Lost in the Scottish Highlands are two American tourists Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas who stumble upon the village just as a wedding is about to be celebrated, and their arrival leaves a lasting mark on the villagers.

Evanston based Light Opera Works has assembled a top notch cast and crew for this show and the list of reasons to see to run out and see this show could end up looking like a grocery list for a family of ten.

I have to say that at the top of the list is the orchestra led by Roger L. Bingaman, who is able and lucky enough to conduct such a large group, at least by what is usually the norm for most theater companies . It's always a pleasure to hear this particular score played so beautifully be all involved.

That is not to short change this work on this production by Rudy Hogenmiller who directed and choreographed this production with a fluidity that keeps the show moving along but also makes makes for lasting impressions even after the show has ended.

Also included high on the list is the cast that handles the score and dancing with grace and as easily as they are able to tackle some of the jaw dropping fight sequences that happen in the 2^nd act. Robert Hunt sings the role of Tommy Albright with a stunning baritone that was able to stop both acts with “Almost Like Being in Love” and with “There But for You Go I.” His partner in crime leading lady Jennie Sophia who was wonderful in Circle Theatre's production of “Kiss Me Kate” employs her gorgeous voice on “Waitin' for My Dearie.” and the aforementioned love as easily as she handles both the Scottish dialect and her characterization of Fiona MacLaren.

In the secondary leads both Clay Sanderson and Maggie Portman charmed and had the audience eating out of their hands. Ms. Portman who usually can be seen as a leading lady in such serious pop operas as “Evita” and “Chess” shows that she can float though comedy with as much assurance as she does on “The Love of My Life.” A special mention must also be made for Brandon Moorhead who floats though one of my favorite songs “Come to Me, Bend to Me” as smooth The rest of the large ensemble should all take a third bow for their work in this production.

On stage the scenic design of Nick Mozak and the costume design of Ricky Lurie match the rest of this shows high standards of taste and excellence. It made me happy to be able to see the amount of hard work it must have taken to assemble these components on stage and they should both take their bows along with everyone else.

This is a show that hasn't been revived on Broadway in quite some time and even though I do have some reservations about the overall book to the show, I feel that the villagers are too trusting of these strangers right away and I don't know if anything outside of this wonderful town quite works as it should Light Opera Works in every aspect holds up a exemplary list of reasons why this show should be done more often as long as those productions where held to the high standards of there production.

Brigadoon runs at Light Opera Works plays from Sunday, June at 2p,, Wednesday June 8th at 2pm, Friday, June 10th at 8pm, Saturday June 11, at 8pm and Sunday, June 12th at 2pm. It's playing at the Cahn Auditorium at 600 Emerson Street in Evanston IL and tickets can be purchased by either calling (847) 869-6300 or at www.LightOperaWorks.com.

Light Opera Works presents Midwest New Musicals

Midwest New Musicals:
a musical theater writers workshop
and development program starts new
core sessions on Chicago's North Shore
for the 2011-12 season

In association with Light Opera Works in Evanston Midwest New Musicals is meeting on Chicago's North Shore for an intensive program, where writers explore the use of music, lyrics and dialogue through hands-on assignments that introduce them to musical theater forms and collaborative technique, culminating in public performances of the Mini-Musicals Project.

The workshop meets monthly in two, four-hour sessions and Saturdays and Sundays 10 am-2 pm, September 24, 2011, through June 24, 2012.

Information: www.LightOperaWorks.com

or (847) 869-6300

jsparks@light-opera-works.org or (323) 371-8205

Evanston, IL: Midwest New Musicals, a writers workshop and development program lead by John Sparks, begins on September 24, 2011 and continues through June 24, 2012.

Midwest New Musicals is an ongoing forum where lyricists, composers and book writers create and discuss their work. Divided into three levels, workshop members meet 10 times per year for intensive weekend sessions led by Workshop Director John Sparks, and Associate Artist Larry Todd Johnson. Sessions will take place on Chicago's North Shore. In addition there are interactive online Labs for the individual disciplines of book writing, lyric writing and composing for musicals.

The study and writing process leads to a Mini-Musicals Project where participants create short musicals for a pre-selected ensemble and production team. The project culminates in a formal public presentation.

Fees for the Midwest New Musicals Core Curriculum are $645 per term, or $1,200 if enrolling for two terms in advance.The fall term is a pre-requisite for the winter/spring term. The winter/spring term includes the Mini-Musicals Project. One Lab is included in two-term fee.

Additional Labs: $495 each.Application Fee (non-refundable):$25.

The culminating exercise of first-year workshop writers is the Mini-Musicals Project. Participating authors create short musicals for a pre-selected ensemble and production team. The 2011 Mini-Musicals Project is Spring Rains and Labor Pains and is comprised of four pieces: Life Has its Ups and Downs by Gail Sonkin & Laura Toffenetti, Real Life by Scott Free & John David Nelson, Surrogates by David Charles Goyette, Mike O'Mara & Jean Vanier and Another Life by J. Linn Allen & Leo Schwartz. The stage director is Allan Chambers, the music director is Jessica Hunt, and the performers areKelllie Cundiff, Kevin Grubb, Amy Malcom, Mark LeBeau and Amanda Marcheschi.

Spring Rains and Labor Pains, the 2011 Mini-Musical Project takes place on Sunday, July 17, 6:30 PM at the McGaw YMCA Children's Center Auditorium at 1420 Maple (at Lake) in Evanston Tickets for the general public are $10 at the door.

Since 2009, Midwest New Musicals, has been a resident arm of Light Opera Works, Chicago's specialists in operetta and musical theater. With the Midwest New Musicals, Light Opera Works is able to expand its programming and service to the field by providing an outlet for writers and for new works of musical theater.

Workshop Leader Biographies

John Sparks (Workshop Director) is the Artistic Director for the Academy for New Musical Theatre in Los Angeles where he has taught since 1981. In 1987 he founded the musical theater writers workshop at the former Theatre Building Chicago where he served as Artistic Director from 1999 to 2009. John is also currently a board member and guest instructor with Mercury Musical Developments in London. John has written many musicals that have been produced in Los Angeles, Chicago and on the east coast, including: Babes In Barns (music and lyrics), Hans Brinker (lyrics), Cashel Byron (book),The Arresting Dilemma of Mister K (book), and On The Brink (book and lyrics). He has received awards such as the After Dark Award for Best Score and several commissions from Theatre Building Chicago and the Frederick Loewe Trust, awarded by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. John studied with the late Lehman Engel, renowned musical director and founder of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and with Broadway and Hollywood director Michael Gordon.

Larry Todd Johnson (Associate Artist) is a book writer and lyricist originally from Southern California. With composer Cindy O'Connor, his musical 40 is the New 15 received Stagescene LA's award for Best New Musical 2010, received a 2010 GLAAD Media Award Nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre, and was chosen by Stephen Schwartz to be part of the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop. Larry and Cindy won the Kennedy Center National Playwright's Award as well as the ACTF Musical Theater Award for their work on the musical-drama All That He Was. Other projects include Beautiful (with Cindy O'Connor and Adrian Bewley) Now and Then a Hero (with composer Jake Anthony) and The Last Princess (with composer Allen Hong.) For television, Larry has written animated series teleplays for Yin Yang Yo!, The Care Bears, and Angela Anaconda, to name a few. He holds a BA in Theatre from UCLA and a Masters in Playwriting from CSUF.

Light Opera Works is a resident professional not-for-profit theater in Evanston, founded in 1980. The company's mission is to produce and present musical theater from a variety of world traditions, to engage the community through educational and outreach programs, and to train artists in musical theater. All productions are presented in English, with foreign works done in carefully edited modern translations. Maximum scholarship is employed to preserve the original vocal and orchestral material as well as the spirit of the original text whenever possible. Audiences have come to know that at Light Opera Works they will experience repertoire often unavailable on the stages of commercial theaters and opera houses, in modern productions with professional artists and full orchestra.