Ada Grey has loved theater since she saw her first show at age two. She started reviewing at age 4 and started acting at age 6. Her philosophy of criticism is to respect the people who created the art, be genuine, and give helpful criticism. She is happy to be back to reviewing for the 2021-22 season.
Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Annie. It was directed by Martin Charnin and the book was by Thomas Meehan. The music was written by Charles Strouse and the lyrics were by Martin Charnin. It was choreographed by Liza Gennaro and the music direction was by Keith Levenson. It was about a girl named Annie (Issie Swickle) who was an orphan and she lived in an orphanage. But the head of the orphanage, Miss Hannigan (Lynn Andrews), was very mean to everyone. But then Oliver Warbucks (Gilgamesh Taggett), who is a billionaire, wants to take an orphan in and care for it for the next two weeks. When his secretary Grace Farrell (Ashley Edler) goes and chooses Annie to come and stay with them, Miss Hannigan was not happy. Then they decide to go look for her parents, with the help of President Roosevelt (Allan Baker), the entire government, a radio show, and Daddy Warbucks. I thought that this was a fun show. Everyone loves the songs and I thought it was clever and fun.
The show was very clever because of some of my favorite moments, like how whenever someone would say we need "a new…" and then it would be something different which is not a new deal. You expect that President Roosevelt is going to say "a new deal" because that is one of his famous phrases, but then it takes a super long time, until basically the end of the scene! Another clever line was the one where Miss Hannigan said, "Next thing you know they'll make this into a musical!" And they already have! And she's in it! And then the entire audience was laughing so hard. So, I thought that was pretty funny. I thought the entire radio scene was basically super clever. Like they had a puppet announcer (Brian Cowing), but of course you can't see a puppet announcer through a radio, so that was silly. I also thought the Boylan sisters (Lily Emilia Smith, Meghan Seaman, and Hannah Slabaugh) were pretty funny because they were doing all these dance moves that are supposed to be super cool and awesome, but no one can see them of course. And also they had a masked announcer (Todd Fenstermaker), which I thought was pretty funny because no one could see he had a mask on! And the tap dancing was also very funny, because they just used tap shoes not on Bert Healy's (Cameron Mitchell Bell) actual feet. They just tapped on a foley board with the foley guy's (John Cormier) hands. I also thought that the dog (Sunny, trained by William Berloni) was super adorable and clever because he would go from the middle of the stage and then go back and then come back out and he would just follow directions perfectly. It was amazing!
I thought that all the orphans were really awesome at something. Like Molly (Lilly Mae Stewart) was a really great actress. Duffy (Isabel Wallach), July (Angelina Carballo), and Pepper (Adia Dant) were amazing dancers. Kate (Sydney Shuck) and Annie were really great singers. Tessie (LillyBea Ireland) was very funny. Everyone loves the song "Hard Knock Life," and it is still going through my head today. I thought the choreography was really great because it was kind of like the cup song: they moved around the buckets to the tempo of the music. I thought that was really awesome.
I really liked Miss Hannigan; she is so evil but in such a funny way. Then also I really liked the song "Little Girls" because it seemed true that little girls could seem very very annoying. But also I don't think you should twist off their necks just because they are being annoying. I also thought that her costumes (by Suzy Benzinger) were really great because they seemed like her so much, like she was trying to be sexy and totally failing. They would have short skits and all, but the rest would be kind of ragged. I really liked the song "Easy Street" too. I've heard that phrase before, and I think that is where Miss Hannigan needs to go, but she has to earn it, not just go and kill little girls for their money. I really liked the dance. It was just so funny and so silly, like how the Rooster (Garrett Deagon) and his girlfriend Lily (Lucy Werner) were saying "Annie is the key!" and then suddenly Miss Hannigan just starts shaking her butt at the audience like an insane person.
My favorite scene was the oval office scene. I really liked President Roosevelt. I thought he was very funny. And then Annie comes in and wants to meet him so bad. And then she starts singing. And because he heard her sing on the radio, that made sense. And then my favorite part of it was how President Roosevelt was like, "All of you sing!" and then one of them, Ickes (Cormier), was like, "No, I won't sing" but then he finally does. But then by the end of it the guy who was like "I'm not going to sing" then is on his knees on the floor and his arms are spread out and he has a giant smile on his face and he is still singing. And I think that that was just super super funny.
People who would like this show are people who like awesome dogs, Franklin Roosevelt, and Easy Street. I think that people should go see this show. I had a lot of fun and the songs will be going through your head for a long time!
Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called The Humans. It was written by Stephen Karam, and it was directed by PJ Paparelli. It was about a family who comes together for Thanksgiving and decides it is a great time to reveal all their secrets! Then, of course, that is not exactly the best idea because they are supposed to be thankful for what they have, but if they are just talking about all the bad things in their lives it doesn't make it a very happy event. I really really liked this show, and I thought it was a great idea. You wouldn't really want to see a really happy Thanksgiving on stage because that would probably be pretty boring. You want to have some tension in a show, but you don't want to have tension in your own Thanksgiving. Seeing this play makes me thankful that I don't have a family with a lot of scary secrets.
The people in the family are the mom (Hanna Dworkin) and dad (Keith Kupferer), and there is an old grandma named Momo (Jean Moran). Aimee (Sadieh Rifai) was the older sister. Brigid (Kelly O'Sullivan) was the youngest sister and it takes place at her apartment. She also had a boyfriend whose name was Richard (Lance Baker). The place that they are in is an apartment in New York and it looks pretty cheap. It has two floors, and that is a good thing. I liked how the set (by David Ferguson) made the two floors look really real and how they made it look like an actual house. It was kind of dirty and you could see the uneven splotches and stuff on the walls. That showed that Brigid didn't have the best life possible. I thought the sound effects (design by Patrick Bley) were also pretty cool because they were super funny. They were super loud; it was like the lady upstairs was throwing pots and pans on the floor. Usually the parents live out in a quieter country place, so they are like, "Why are they so noisy?!" And then they say, "Oh, she'll quiet down" but then she never does.
One of my favorite parts was when the mom and both the daughters were just putting up this lantern so they could see because the lights had gone out, and once they got it working they saw a cockroach. The noise they made was just hilarious. That told me what the women were like. They weren't fainting on the ground or anything, but they were still pretty scared. Then the men had to rush up because they wanted to see what was going wrong, but then, because everyone was gone downstairs, the grandma was going and trying to cook something. That is a problem because she can't really function very well. I think that was a great use of what you can do in a show where you can have two things happening at once, but the audience will still see what is going on in both places. When you see the grandma getting off the couch you are like, "Oh no!"
I thought that all the crazy dreams that Richard was having were pretty funny. Like how he fell through an ice cream cone made out of grass and turned into an infant, which I think is probably one of the strangest dreams I ever heard of. But he also just came out and said it like this was just like a normal topic. I thought that was funny because that is such an unusual thing to say. There were also more scary dreams, like the one where the dad had a dream about a woman with no face, and there was this skin over everything, but it was all stretched. I have actually had dreams like that, so I thought it was cool. You sort of find out what that means later in the play, but I can't tell you that because I don't want to give it away.
I really liked the tradition of the peppermint pig. I want one myself! It showed me that the family had very strong traditions because it seemed like they always did that. The pig reminded them of what they were thankful for and also that they were a family. They actually need that reminder because sometimes they feel like they are not actually a family anymore because they don't live in the exact same place anymore and they have different religions and they didn't like the same topics of conversation. They didn't like some of the same things to eat. After they break the pig, you feel really sorry for the family when the big secret gets revealed at the end. But you have to go to the show to find out what it is!
People who would like this show are people who like family, Thanksgiving, and peppermint pigs. I think people should definitely go see this show. It was an amazing play. It made me think a lot about my family and what might happen to it. This is a very serious play but they still find ways to make it funny. The characters always seemed to say what a real person would say in that kind of situation, and I thought that that was great writing!
I had so much fun interviewing all these people for Frederick, the musical at Chicago Children's Theatre! It closes this weekend. Go see it! It was awesome. You can read my review here.
Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called The American Revolution. It was a devised piece directed by Marc Frost of Theater Unspeakable. All the actors were elevated on a small platform and they had to perform almost everything on it. The only time they didn't, it was only one guy and he had fallen into the water. So that made a lot of sense and I thought that was really awesome too. The effect of having it performed on the platform is the spectacle of seeing people put on this giant show, which is about war, in a a minimum amount of space. Usually when you see a show about war they use up the entire space because war is about a big thing happening to countries where they are fighting for something that they want. And they also made everything with their bodies. If someone was sitting in a chair, that chair would be made out of two people. I think that is a great idea because of a point that I found which is that when a war is happening or after a war everyone has to make things with their own hands because usually there is not much left for people. I absolutely loved this show and I think everyone should go see it. It is about the faults of governments, war, and freedom. They were trying to tell you a different story about the American Revolution from what you would just see in a history book. They made a twist on it. Even if you are in a small space with only a platform and some actors and no props at all, you can make a great show!
My favorite scene was the Philadelphia scene. It had General Howe (Vanessa S. Valliere) and one of his officers (Brittany Anderson) talking about where they were going to strike next. Then Howe started getting very obsessed with Philadelphia. Then he said, "Just keep your finger right there on Philadelphia and we'll come back to that later." And whenever the officer even moved his finger slightly, Howe would be like, "Nope. Put it back." I liked that so much because it was so funny. He was somehow just obsessed with this city. Also how angry the officer was getting was super funny. Howe would say, "Don't forget about Philadelphia. You won't forget about Philadelphia, will you?" And then the officer said, "Yes of course I would never forget about Philadelphia. Now back to the plans." And this went back and forth for a very long time and it was just hilarious. It was in the play because Howe actually went to Philadelphia instead of coming to the battle where he was supposed to meet the British soldiers and fight with them. If he'd shown up, the British might have had a better chance of winning the war.
Sam Adams (Kathleen Hoil) was basically a crook who had this gang of people who would dump tea into the harbor. So they had a tea harbor for a little while. That must have been nice. You could go swimming and have some lukewarm tea. He did that to show King George that this was a horrible idea to make everybody drink tea so he could get more money. I thought Sam Adams was very funny, especially how loyal people were to him. Like when somebody said, "I like tea!" he said, "No you don't" and they said, "No I don't. Of course I don't. I hate tea!" They were so loyal because they didn't want to get hurt by him. That is a very different view of the revolution than I had before I saw this show!
I really liked George Washington (Jeffrey Freelon). I thought he was very funny. I really liked the part where he was talking to Governor Dinwiddie (who was very Dim-witty, ba dump tshhh). Whenever Dinwiddie sent George Washington on one of his missions Washington would have a way of saying they should go, like "Tally Forth!" but then once he had said it once he had to say it a different way the next time to get them to go. I thought it was super cool how the same actor who played George Washington also played his slave, who fought in the war with him. It showed how George Washington treated his slaves; he treated him unlike himself even though in this production he was himself. The actor changed from being regal and famous-acting to being a shivering soldier trying to keep warm in a barn. It is a good idea to know that George Washington had slaves, to know that he is not a perfect person. He was a person who had flaws and he shouldn't be people's role model in how you should treat people. He could be a role model in being a soldier.
People who would like this show are people who like cute little girls slamming doors in people's faces, flexible kings, and Philadelphia. I think people should definitely definitely go see this show. I had so much fun. This is for kids and grown-ups. Go and see it with your friends and family. I absolutely loved it!
Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was directed by Kirsten Kelly and it was written by (has anyone heard of this name before?) William Shakespeare. This was a program for teenagers who go to Chicago Public Schools all around the city so they can learn about Shakespeare and have a big fancy performance at the end. I think that this is a great idea and it worked out really well. I thought the performance was very great and inspiring. They performed their hearts out! I had so much fun at this show.
I really liked the idea of having parts played by multiple people so then all the different people can experience it in a bunch of different ways. If you're in the show you might play Oberon and Puck and Starveling at different times. They would have articles of clothing that were just like the ones worn by the other people playing the same character. That made the audience understand what character they were seeing talk. And that makes it sort of tricky for me personally as a reviewer to remember which actors played which roles in which moments. So I'll be talking about characters instead of actors, but I want to say that I liked all of the performances very much.
I really liked the scene where Hermia and Helena were having a fight as well as Demetrius and Lysander. The fight choreography was by Matt Hawkins. I think it looked really amazing. The teenagers were amazing fighters. One of my favorite parts of it was when Helena and Hermia were fighting and suddenly Helena needed help, and another version of her (another student playing the same role) came out and started fighting too. And then, Hermia needed help, so another version of her came out. And the same with the boys. They weren't being replaced at first, both versions were fighting. And then the people who had been fighting at first would leave and Helena 2 and Hermia 2 would continue on. That was so fun because it just seemed so nonsensical and amazing. It drew your attention to how everyone was switching parts all the time.
I thought that the Pyramus and Thisbe scene was hilarious. You can't really go wrong with this scene. It is just great. I really loved the moment where Pyramus/Bottom came out riding on his horse but it was just a small stuffed horse. And then once he got off it, it would fall over sometimes. And just this tiny little horse to be standing there, wobbling and then falling over, was just hilarious. And then Bottom would come back over, realize it had fallen over, and pick it up again. It made Bottom seem very clueless as to how to cope with something going wrong in a performance, and that is the perfect way to play Bottom. What The Wall looked like was basically a teenager wearing a shirt that said "The Wall" who was listening to music while trying to do a play at the same time. I thought that was pretty funny. Moonshine was very funny, because she was very sassy. And that is the best kind of Moonshine: a sassy Moonshine. The Lion was very funny because she said, "I am the Lion" and then gave out the tiniest little roar possible. I think Snug needed some Katy Perry music at that moment!
One of my other favorite moments was when Philostrate was talking about the different options that they had to see a play and one of them was “The riot of the tipsy Bacchanals / Tearing the Thracian singer in their rage.” And then as he said "tearing the Thracian singer in their rage," there were these people dressed in very Shakespearean clothes, like with the feathers in their hats, and they started clawing in the air like they were tearing a Thracian singer in their rage! I liked that a lot, and I thought it was very very very funny.
People who would like this show are people who like Shakespeare, Chicago Public Schools, and tipsy Bacchanals tearing Thracian singers in their rage. This was a great experience for me and I think for the students and their teachers and the artists that worked on it as well. Watch for it next year! It was great!
Once upon a time I went to a show for the second time and it was called Great Expectations. There were different actors this year, but I thought all the actors from this year and last year were both amazing. You can read my first review of Great Expectations, but here are some of my favorite things about the new production.
I thought the fights (choreographed by Sam Hubbard) were very cool. I especially liked the underwater fight between Compeyson (Amanda Drinkall) and Magwitch (Cody Proctor) because it was very intense. This Magwitch showed more how scared and sad he was than how scary he was. I thought that was very cool. I also liked the fight between Herbert (Caleb Fullen) and Pip (Mike Tepeli). It was funny last year as well. One of my favorite parts and lines, probably to the end of my life, is when Herbert gets punched in the face and says, "Oh, it's okay. My fault entirely."
I thought the sailor dance was very funny again. One of my favorite parts of it was when the woman who also played Miss Havisham (Mary Winn Heider) was dancing with the man who also played Joe (Paige Smith) and then he just starting sticking out his butt and she started sliding down into sort of a lunge. They looked out at the audience and just had this "I'm so sexy" expression as they slowly slid down or stuck their butt in the other person's face. I thought that was probably one of the funniest things ever. I thought they were amazing as Joe and Miss Havisham too.
People who would like this remount are people who like Victorian novels, awesome underwater fights, and supposedly-sexy sailor dancing. People should definitely go and see this show. I absolutely loved it. It was on my top ten of 2013!
I had an interview with the friendly and talented Adina Aaron who plays Bess in Porgy and Bess at The Lyric Opera. It was so much fun interviewing her and I'm excited to see the show.
Ada Grey: What is your favorite part in the show?
Adina Aaron: With Bess there are so many parts. I like the Crown and Bess duet. It is really exciting.
Ada Grey: What is your approach to playing Bess?
Adina Aaron: Well, Bess is someone who has had a really disturbed life, so I just try to make sure that everybody understands what she's been through. You know what I mean? She's had a really hard life. You know, she's been abused by everybody she's dated. So I just want the audience to understand the abuses, and the way she deals with the abuses is that she drinks and she does drugs.
Ada Grey: Some people don't think this is a very accurate portrayal of African-American people in the 1930s because it was written by white people. Why do you think it is still a good idea to put on this show?
Adina Aaron: It definitely deals with a lot that went on in that time period. And you know, Ada, the interesting thing is a lot of that still happens today. I mean, look at the Ferguson trial that's happening right now that they just ruled on. You have what they call police brutality, the excessive use of force. Not only is it pertinent for the 1930s, but it is also relevant today, unfortunately. I think for me it is an opera with a story that is so relevant. And it's important to do it because you still have people today that deal with drug abuse, you still have people today that deal with domestic abuse. You have so many people that are still in relationships that are being abused. You still have racial injustice. I think Gershwin was pretty amazing in that he captured all of that. I don't think color matters. Color doesn't matter. He wanted to tell a great story, and he did his research, and he told a great story.
Ada Grey: If there were a sequel to Porgy and Bess, what do you think would happen in it?
Adina Aaron: You know, Ada, it is sad, because I think if there was a sequel, I don't think Porgy makes it to New York. I'm not even sure Bess makes it to New York, to be quite honest with you. One of the other characters is called Sportin' Life; he's a really bad guy. He's a drug dealer and all that. I don't even think Sportin' Life makes it to New York with Bess, because he just wants to use her. He wants to use her for her body, for her good looks. And I honestly think he probably gets to the next big city, which may be Washington D.C., and I think he probably just sets up shop there and uses her there. I honestly don't even think Bess makes it there to New York.
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