Northbrook Star

Childish behavior not just for kids in ‘Carnage’

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:06:01 -0500

If one could apply a pH test to “God of Carnage,” the acid level would be off the scale. Yasmina Reza’s savage, absurdist comedy, now on stage at Citadel Theatre with an accomplished cast directed by Wayne Mell, is full of humor.

Escapist comedy ‘Girl in My Soup’ order of the day

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:50:00 -0500

Terence Frisby’s comedy, “There’s a Girl in My Soup,” had a record-setting run on London’s West End, where it played from 1966 to 1972. It also scored on Broadway and was turned into a popular movie in 1970.

Bad behavior good for laughs in ‘God of Carnage’

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:02:01 -0500

There’s a simple reason why Wayne Mell wanted to direct “God of Carnage for Citadel Theatre Company. “It’s all about parents being children,” he said. Yasmina Reza’s hilarious comedy focuses on two sets of parents who are meeting to discuss a playground disagreement between their sons.

‘Yo Gabba Gabba!’ pays a visit

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:54:01 -0500

Californian Christian Jacobs had nothing against the purple dinosaur. It was a harmless character his oldest daughter was watching on television ten years ago… and it kept her happy.

Metropolis celebrates play fest winners

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:46:02 -0500

Three judges reviewed 52 plays to select the winners in Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s New Play Festival. The five winning plays — three by adult playwrights and two by teenage authors — will receive staged readings by professional actors on Sundays, Jan. 20-Feb. 17.

Acting is real thrill of ‘The Letters’

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:30:39 -0500

“The Letters” is an example of truly exceptional performances in the service of a script that’s not always on the level of the acting. Directed by Kimberly Senior at Glencoe’s Writers’ Theatre, the two-person piece is something of a political thriller. The trouble is, playwright Jonathan Lowell’s end game twist is visible from a distance. The arc of the pendulum is predictable here; it’s evident early on that in this particular game of cat and mouse, the roles of predator and prey will reverse at least once before the hunt is concluded. The primary reason to see “The Letters” is …

Smiles on tap in Marriott’s ‘My One and Only’

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:50:01 -0500

Can a musical tap its way to happiness? Certainly! Especially if it is packed with songs by those great Gershwin guys. “My One and Only” is running at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through Jan. 6 and from the opening number by the three New Rhythm Boys (Quinn M. Bass, Jarran Music and Clinton M. Bass), through a virtuoso interlude from tap great Ted Louis Levy, to a company kick-line with the formidable Felicia P. Fields, the show is fueled by fancy footwork. The score includes such treasures by George and Ira Gershwin as “S’Wonderful” and “Nice Work If You …

‘One and Only’ upbeat romance set to great Gershwin

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:08:02 -0500

Can an ambitious aviator and a former English Channel swimmer find true happiness? Given enough great Gershwin songs it could happen in “My One and Only” at the Marriott Theatre.

Catch a special version of ‘The Things They Carried’

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:24:00 -0500

Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried has been hailed as one of the best and most important pieces of literature about the Vietnam War, and audiences will have the opportunity to experience it in a unique way on Sept. 29 at the Elgin Community College Arts Center. The book, a collection of short vignettes about the main character’s experiences during and after the war, is being staged as a one-man show as part of The American Place Theatre’s Literature to Life program. Gwen Brownson, director of national education for the New York-based theatre company, said the program is designed to …

Sweet memories from ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ at Metropolis

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:51:45 -0500

The sweet sounds of ’50s and ’60s pop tunes hold a special place in the hearts of those who grew up hearing them, but the music has an even broader reach.

A bad business at Citadel

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:20:01 -0500

Lawrence Garfinkle knows a good deal when he sees it. And the New York corporate raider sees a great one in the undervalued stock of a small town company called New England Wire & Cable. If the stockholders agree, they will profit handsomely, too.

Bold decisions make ‘Hamlet’ strikingly dark

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:26:00 -0500

“Hamlet” has a lean and hungry look. And that’s as it should be in Writers’ Theatre’s stark and accessible production of Shakespeare’s seminal tragedy. This is, after all, a ghost story that’s all to do with death, starting in the aftermath of one murder and ending with bodies piled up like cordwood on the stage.

North Barrington native plays angry Jesus in ‘Under 1%’

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:42:01 -0500

Ryan Archibald grew up in North Barrington loving baseball, football, singing and comedy pretty much equally well. He played football in the fall, baseball in the summer and sang in choirs the rest of the year. Comedy was strictly a spectator sport for him in the beginning, watching “Bill Cosby” and “Three’s Company” when he was little, then the Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz era of “Saturday Night Live” in middle school, and “Monty Python,” of course. He also started attending Second City shows in Rolling Meadows as soon as he and his friends could drive. His priorities shifted …

Magic meets modern in ‘Enfrascada’

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:32:01 -0500

Magic, says playwright Tanya Saracho, isn’t as spectacular a practice as people have come to expect, with wizards and wands and flashing lightning and all manner of special effects — but that doesn’t mean it’s not a potent force. Especially when women and love are involved. “It’s not like ‘Harry Potter,’ ” said the rising star of Chicago theater, who has made a name for herself with plays celebrating the lives of Hispanic women, typically originating from the Teatro Luna theater company she co-founded. “I wish it was, but no. It’s really much more subtle. It’s about the sublime shifting of …

Everyone can laugh at ‘Girls Night Out’

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:30:00 -0500

Metropolis Performing Arts Center didn’t exactly go out on a limb in bringing to its stage “The Second City’s Girls’ Night Out.” Like it has for so many other revues, it’s drawn from the peerless Chicago comedy club for what’s a real crowd-pleaser. The lively production is smartly directed by Ryan Bernier with meticulous musical direction by Lisa McQueen. It features a deft five-member cast: Christine Tawfik, Rachel Laforce, Carisa Barreca, Ariel Dumas and Tim Stoltenberg — and is decidedly aimed at a female audience. But men will find its timeliness and fun appealing as well. Topics encompass a broad …