Review of Cardboard Piano at TimeLine Theatre Company

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Cardboard Piano. It was by Hansol Jung and it was directed by Mechelle Moe. It was about a girl named Chris (Kearstyn Keller) whose parents were missionaries in Uganda. She falls in love with a girl from the township, Adiel(Adia Alli) and we meet them on the day of their marriage, but it is not legal or considered acceptable by their parents or the community. After they have secretly exchanged vows, they accidentally alert rebel soldiers of their whereabouts. One of the soldiers, Pika (Freedom Martin), is trying to escape the rebel army, which he was forced to join, and he takes refuge in the church. But he is followed by a soldier (Kai A. Ealy) who wants to take him back by any means possible. The second act takes place in the same church, but about fifteen years later. It is about love, forgiveness, and the prospect of change. I thought this was very moving and beautifully suspenseful. I had so much love for the characters and really cared about how the story would turn out.

I really liked the relationship between Adiel and Chris. I think the main reason why I grew to love them so quickly was because of how pure their relationship is. They had so much hope invested in each other and everything seemed new and beautiful to them. They love each other so much that they would leave everything behind for each other. And even though they get into arguments, they still find a way to agree. I think that it is interesting that the tape recorder is used to record their wedding vows as well as the judgment and forgiveness Chris gives to Pika later in the act. This one tape contains Pika's confessions of the murders he has committed as a soldier and Adiel and Chris's confessions of their love for each other.

This play sheds light on a relevant problem in the Christian community, which is homophobia. It is true that the Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin. But there are a lot of sins that people trying to defend their homophobia may also commit that are actually in the ten commandments (unlike homosexuality). Both Pika and Paul (Ealy), the new pastor of of Chris's family's former church, believe that homosexuality is a sin, but both of them have done far worse things to people than loving who they want to love. Forgiveness is very important to both Pika and Paul when it comes to getting forgiveness for themselves, but it doesn't seem like they show any mercy or give anyone else a chance before going to extremes. I understand why they are like this because their entire community has told them that feeling attraction to the same sex is utterly wrong. And they had very traumatic childhoods. But I hoped that by them seeing that gay people can help strangers and show devotion to people and give second chances, they would realize that how they were taught was wrong.

The story of the cardboard piano is told twice in this show in two different contexts by two different people. The first time it is a desperate attempt by Chris to show Pika that he can trust her because she knows what it is like to have done something wrong. The story is about how Chris's dad made her a piano out of cardboard when she was little because she wanted a real one so badly. She is so disappointed that it isn't a real piano that she tears it up. But then her father goes into his office with the ruined piano and Chris starts to think he may never love her again. Her father finally opens the door and he has completely rebuilt the piano and gives it back to her, saying "Every time we break something, it’s okay, so long as we fix it." It is basically saying we make mistakes but as long as we don't cover them up and act as if they never happened, it's okay. The story is retold by Paul's wife Ruth (Alli) when she tells the story of how they got engaged. In that version of the story it is not a father and daughter, it is a husband and wife, which changes the dynamic. This version of the story is less about taking responsibility and working together to fix things and more about the husband's hard work being ruined and him striking a bargain to get what he wants--his wife to stay with him. I think that says a lot about each of the characters and what they value.

People who would like this show are people who like analyzing religion in a creative way, adorable secret lesbians, and dueling cardboard pianos. I think this show is really beautiful, heartbreaking, and amazingly acted. All the elements in this play were beautifully done. I think that people should definitely go see this show. It moved me a lot and I think it has important insights.


Photos: Lara Goetsch

Review of Brown Paper Box Co.'s Little Women

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Little Women. The music was by Jason Howland, the lyrics were by Mindi Dickstein, and the book was by Allan Knee based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. It was directed by Stephanie Rohr and M. William Panek. It was about the March sisters--Jo (Tessa Dettman), Meg (Andi Sharavsky), Amy (Kim Green), and Beth (Sarah Ford)--who lived in Massachusetts during the Civil War. It is about family, growing up, and ambition. I thought this was a fun show. I think it is an adaptation of a great story that is mostly true to the book. The music at points wasn't very interesting to me, but it was well performed.

I think the romantic relationships in this production were very specific and effective despite the relationships being underwritten. I think that is a sign of really great actors when they can take a relationship that is given little to no attention by the script and make it seem vital. Meg and John Brooke (Dwayne Everett) had an adorable and effective relationship, even though we didn't get to see their courtship develop very much on stage. They only have one song, "More Than I Am," together but it means a lot and it shows us how devoted John Brooke is going to be to Meg. Even though you only get to see them talk together for a short time, you see how vulnerable they can be with each other. That is very important and they have a very prosperous marriage. The relationship between Jo and Professor Bhaer (Matthew Fayfer) is very sweet and unexpected, but they seem to work very well together. They have this adorable flirtatious scene right before Jo goes back to tend to Beth, which leaves you on a cliffhanger about what is going to happen with them. They are ok with disagreeing, in fact it gives them purpose. In the song "A "Small Umbrella in the Rain" they talk about how they disagree a lot and they may not be super similar but they work well together and love each other and that should be enough. I was rooting for this relationship the most because they both are sort of odd ducks and it is nice to see people who are outsiders find each other. Bhaer doesn't want to change Jo; he wants someone who has strong opinions and ambition.

The relationship between Beth and Jo seems quite underdeveloped in the script, as well, but the actors seemed to create that context for themselves. Because they developed this relationship, it makes Beth's death even more heartbreaking. I really dislike the song that they sing during Beth's goodbye, "Some Things Are Meant to Be," but their acting made up for it throughout this scene because Jo was so scared for Beth and they both love each other a lot. You haven't really seen their love that much before, but you believe it has been there the whole time. I feel like everything in the performance of the song seemed genuine despite the lyrics that were simplistic and unnecessary. I feel like the performers did a phenomenal jobs because I was almost moved to tears despite my dislike of the lyrics.

Jo has a song called "Astonishing" which is about how Jo thinks that she could be known and loved for writing and doing what she loves as long as she puts enough work into it and keeps going even though she keeps being denied. It is sung beautifully and has some really well sung high notes. I feel it is the most memorable song in the show. We also see a lot of Jo's ambition in her storytelling which is very dramatic and over-the-top. The actors who play her sisters, Marmie (Denise Tamburino), Brooke, Mr. Laurence (Ken Rubenstein), and Laurie reenact her words around her in a very melodramatic way. Jo eventually learns that being authentic is more interesting than creating a new universe. If everything is over-the-top and there is no clear reason why anything is happening, you have fewer points of connection to the story. The melodramatic stories are very stage appropriate and funny. Jo feels immersed in them and her family and friends perform them with gusto, which shows that she shouldn't be writing about Clarissa, Rodrigo, and a Troll, but instead about the people who support her and take joy and her stories. And that is what she does with Little Women.

People who would like this show are people who like healthy argumentative relationships, great actors filling in gaps, and ambitious little women. I think people should go see this show. It has a lot of really good performances and the cast works really well together. I liked it.


Photos: Zach Dries

Review of La Ruta at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called La Ruta. It was by Isaac Gomez and it was directed by Sandra Marquez. It is about the community of Ciudad Juárez in Mexico on the border with the United States. They are a poor community and many of the women work in factories, and those are the women the play focuses on. Women are going missing and being abused and murdered throughout the community and people in authority are not taking it seriously. The play and the people's stories are based off of interviews with some of the women the characters are based on. It is about love and loss, denial and injustice. I think this is a heartbreaking and powerful story. It brought my attention to an issue that is not talked about very much. It is disgusting that the rape, murder, and abduction of so many women is covered up and ignored by authorities.

The first scene really sets a menacing tone. We learn that Marisela's daughter has gone missing. Marisela (Charín Alvarez) is waiting with her friend Yoli (Sandra Delgado) at the bus stop for Yoli's daughter Brenda (Cher Álvarez) and handing out flyers about Marisela's daughter. But as the buses keep coming, the tension starts to build because Brenda is not on the bus she was supposed to be on or the one after that. There is also, surprisingly, quite a bit of humor and you see a love between the friends. It diffuses the menace, but only for a short amount of time. And it makes you care about the characters even more deeply. Throughout the show they return to moments of humor and beautiful relationship building, which makes your connection to the characters even deeper.

Ivonne (Karen Rodriguez) is a very beautifully complicated character. She has many conflicted loyalties throughout the show which results in her having to make very difficult choices. She loves both her sister and her coworker Brenda, who also becomes a sisterly figure to her. She is forced to choose between them, but that doesn't necessarily mean she can get what she wants. She doesn't have as much control as she wishes she had because she doesn't have a gun or a penis. Other characters sometimes see her as the beacon of trouble and think that she has something to do with the disappearances. But they don't understand how complicated her situation is.

There are no men in this play which I think is a very interesting idea. I think it adds a lot to the story because instead of seeing men doing horrible things, we get to imagine them which shows them in vivid detail in our heads. We don't think of them as human, we think of them as mythical monsters. We get to see the men through the eyes of women who have lost people that they loved and nothing else matters. All they see is an evil entity who is trying to take away people they love. It is important to remember that it is terrible humans who do these things. There is someone to blame and they are blamable. Not representing them as humans in this play lets us put their actions first which is fair because they did not think of their victims as human beings. They thought of them as objects they could manipulate to their will. Because media and culture and government encourage the ownership of women, rape and murder become a way of telling women they shouldn't exists as humans. Because we don't see individual men in this show, we are able to understand the perspective of the women and how it is a bigger problem than just a few evil men.

People who would like this show are people who like stories about terrifying realities, complicated characters, and blended humor and menace. I think this is a very thought-provoking and powerful show. I really liked it.

Photos: Michael Brosilow

Ada Grey's Top 12 Plays and Top 6 Musicals

I loved so much theater that I saw this year. From a flawlessly performed Gypsy to a surprisingly relatable brony play. From a chilling Hamlet to a laugh-out-loud funny Legally Blonde. From heartbreaking (The Light and The Color Purple) to terrifying (The Displaced and Hinter).  Theater this year has been eye-opening and beautiful in many ways. I'm so glad I got to see so much of it this year. And to close out 2018, here are my top 12 plays and my top 6 musicals!


TOP 12 PLAYS


The Antelope Party (Theater Wit)

People who would like this show are people who like not-always-magical friendships, plays about fascist Antelopes, and terrifying anime sunglasses. I think that everypony should go see this show. It is such an absorbing story. Everything--from the fabulous acting, to the set packed full of paraphernalia and references,...to the sparkly costumes, to the strange sense of menace that you feel throughout the play--draws you in. I loved it.

Read the full review here.


Birds of a Feather (Greenhouse Theater Center)

People who would like this show are people who like toxic masculinity hawks, humanized penguins, and show tune mating calls. ...It is so well-acted, hilarious, and moving. I really loved it.

Read the full review here.

Columbinus (The Yard at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like turning tragedy into art, realistic teen stories, and sobbing your face off. I think this is a really hard and beautiful and relevant show. The show addresses a lot of topics I'm very passionate about, and it handles those topics carefully and well. At the end they give you information about taking action. I think everyone should go and see this. The day that I am writing this review there has been another school shooting, so it has been hard to write. I think it is very important that people go see this show but also that they take action to help prevent any more mass shootings.

Read the full review here.


The Displaced at Haven Theatre

People who would like this show are people who like horror romcoms, suspense, and bubble wrap tickle monsters. ...I loved it!

Read the full review here.


Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (First Floor Theater)

People who would like this show are people who like poetic solutions to real problems, mermaid cake, and awkward prayers. It is a really fascinating and beautiful story. I loved it.

Read the full review here.


Guards at the Taj (Steppenwolf Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like moral questions, brotherhood, and harem duty. ...It is such an interesting, beautiful, and sometimes disturbing show. It has amazing performances. I loved it.

Read the full review here.

Hamlet (The Gift Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like rotten decor, baby Hamlets, and Ophelia and Laertes playing video games. I think this is an amazing show. It basically did everything right, and I absolutely loved it.

Read the full review here.


Hinter (Steep Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like Bavarian murder mysteries, complex relationships among women, and secrecy bread. ...It is a really great story with compelling characters. I'm still theorizing about this play and it was a lot of fun in a creepy way. I loved it.

Read the full review here.


The Light (The New Colony)

People who would like this show are people who like healthy relationship options, bantering couples, and enormous bowls of chocolate. It makes you think about the characters in so many different ways. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry, I had all the feelings in this show, and I loved it.

Read the full review here.


This Bitter Earth (About Face Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like emotional arrangements, adorable and flawed relationships, and belting Gloria Gaynor in gay bars. ...It was a beautiful story, amazingly acted. I loved it.

Read the full review here.


The Shipment (Red Tape Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like flipping the script, chilling transitions, and productive discomfort. ...I think it is a really important and thought-provoking show, and I want a lot of people to have this experience.

Read the full review here.


The Wolves (Goodman Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like orange peel pictures, yogurt yurts, and angry water drinking. ...It is powerful and empowering and reminds you of how things felt when you were a teenager.

Read the full review here.



TOP 6 MUSICALS


9 to 5 (Firebrand Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like musical allyship, empower ballads, and awkward vixens. ...I think this is an important musical and I think they did a great job with it. I loved it.

Read the full review here.

The Color Purple (Broadway in Chicago)

People who would like this show are people who like inspiring stories, power pants, and suggestive chores. ...It is a powerful, surprisingly funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming show. I loved it!

Read the full review here.


Company (Venus Cabaret Theater at Mercury Theater)

People who would like this show are people who like marriage karate, the evolution of relationship craziness, and crawling away from your problems. I really loved this musical. It has great lyrics, great music, and it was performed very well in a new and interesting space.

Read the full review here.


Gypsy (Porchlight Music Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like metaphorical sets, engaging overtures, and flawlessly performed stage mothers. I think this is an amazing show. ...It made me see new things about Gypsy I hadn't thought of before. I loved it.

Read the full review here.

Legally Blonde (Paramount Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like Irish fantasies, fabulous Greek choruses, and shopping for the cause of love. It is a lot of fun, hilarious, and a surprisingly communal experience. I really liked it.

Read the full review here.


Spring Awakening (Blank Theatre)

People who would like this show are people who like musicals about sexuality and adolescence, joyful mistakes, and learning how to grow up. It is beautifully complex, has heart-wrenching songs, and the characters are portrayed wonderfully. I really liked it.

Read the full review here.


Photos: Charles Osgood, Evan Hanover, Claire Demos, Emily Schwartz, Liz Lauren

Review of Broken Nose Theatre's Plainclothes

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Plainclothes. It was by Spenser Davis and it was directed by Kanomé Jones and Spenser Davis. It was about a department store called Brady's with a large undercover asset protection staff. When a crisis situation arises, the team is forced to adapt to new monitoring and tensions between employees. I think this is a really well-written and performed show with a thought-provoking plot and complex characters. You love all of the characters, even though all of them are flawed. It made me think about the constructs and concepts of race, how people project their emotions and guilt onto others, and how ingrained systems of authority are. I really loved this play.

In the first scene you are introduced to Llermo (Alejandro Tey) and Bobby (Adam Soule) and T (Stephanie Shum). They all work in the same department at the same level with similar pay. They all seem to have fun at work and work well together. They joke around together. They may not really love their job, but they like each other. There is a new woman at the job, Syd (Elise Marie Davis) who wants to become a cop, but is using this as a practice for her real dream job. In this scene they are introducing Syd to how things work at Brady's, when someone tries to steal something in the store. This scene establishes how good things are at Brady's before the incident that is just about to take place. You get to see how close everyone is and you get the contrast with the next scenes so you can see how their relationships have deteriorated. It is very effective that we don't actually see the incident, we just hear it offstage and then T runs in with blood on her shirt. It is a jolt, a jumpstart into this play that just keeps getting more and more high stakes. Throughout the rest of the play you think, anything can happen at any time because this opening scene was so gutting and immediate.

The shoplifters, Jomal (Ben F. Locke) and Pete (David Weiss), are very different people but seem to shoplift for similar reasons. Jomal is a hyper, enthusiastic, and wears brightly colored booty shorts. But under that happy, carefree exterior is a more self-conscious person who thinks about his past actions. Pete is a internet star who seems to either have fallen on hard times or just wanted to steal something. They both seem to be compelled to get in trouble and have this strange confidence that they won't get caught even when they do. Pete is more snotty in his cockiness because he thinks his fame and money can get him out of anything. Jomal has a lot of confidence too, and no one seems to be able to bring him down, so it is surprising when Mary (RjW Mays) seems to be able to. Mary works in the lingerie section at Brady's and she and Jomal are frenemies; they argue a lot but seem to really like each other. She's always teasing him about the spelling of his name. But there is a shift in what Mary shows as her personality which was a very surprising and interesting way to conclude her character arc. She shows that she is capable of prejudice even against her own race.

Karina (Carmen Molina) is a supervisor for the undercover team. We don't see her until the second scene when she conveys what happened offstage that we did not see. At first, she seems like she might be a side character, might not ever show up again, because the first purpose we see her serve is just to convey information. But then we start to follow her and her relationships. We see one of the most quickly developed story arcs in the show. It runs parallel for awhile to T's story arc, then they cross paths, but they come to different conclusions. They both realize how corrupt Brady's really is, and they both have opportunities to climb the ladder--but the opportunities are not what they seem.

People who would like this show are people who like jolting opening scenes, interesting character arcs, and booty-short shoplifters. I think this is an absorbing, funny, and thought-provoking show. It has a really interesting plot and has phenomenal actors. I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Photos: Austin D. Oie

Ada Grey's Shows of Christmas Past

Here are links to my favorite holiday shows that I reviewed in the past that are playing again this year. I'm sorry I won't have time to see them again! 

The Ruffians' Burning Bluebeard

People who would like this show are people who like 1903 humor, reasonable/not-very-reasonable snack-eating fairies, and halves of cotton balls. I think that people should definitely definitely go see this show. I had so much fun and so much fear and afterwards you are very sad about it but you are also remembering all the wonderfully horrible jokes, and "Rehab," and clowns coming out on camel carts, and flowers being thrown to the audience.

Read the full review here! Tickets available here.

The House Theatre of Chicago's The Nutcracker

People who would like this show are people who like heartwarming family stories, sugar plum cookies, and toys that understand innuendo. I have seen it since I was five or six and I am absolutely in love with it. And I notice new things every year. You should all make it a tradition.

Read the full review here! Tickets available here.

Goodman Theatre's A Christmas Carol

People who would like this show are people who like creepy Christmas stories, scarf comedy, and family. I think that people should definitely go see this show. I thought it was beautiful, funny, and amazing!

Read the full review here! Tickets available here.

Q Brothers Christmas Carol at Chicago Shakespeare Theater


People who would like this show are people who like the Christmas spirit, busting a move with a busted leg, and smelling corn excessively. I think that people should definitely definitely go see this show. It is so much fun and a great thing to bring the whole family to. Read the full review here! Tickets available here. 

Photos: Michael Brosilow, Evan Hanover, Liz Lauren.

Review of Red Theater Chicago's An Oak Tree

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called An Oak Tree. It was by Tim Crouch and it was directed by Jeremy Aluma. It was about a man who was a hypnotist (Gage Wallace) and earlier that year he had been driving to a gig and hit a young girl with his car and killed her. Since her death her father (a different actor every night, Katy Collins when I saw it) has started to go crazy, and he decides to go to the hypnotist's show and see his daughter's killer face to face. It is about grieving, rationality, and oblivion. I think this is a really fascinating show. It really made me think a lot about how it would differ from night to night with different actors playing the father.

The general concept of the show is that the actor playing the hypnotist does the show every night and the other actor has never seen the show or read it. I think the reason the playwright made the decision to make the actor who played the father different every night was because the character of the father is so disoriented that having the actor who played the father actually be as disoriented as the character adds to the audience experience. I think it adds a lot to see the actor playing the father discover the same things that the audience is discovering in real time. The concept reminds us how theatrical performances are different every night even if the script is the same and it has the same actors. It also shows the importance of relationships in theater, not just between characters but between actors because you are watching two actors interact as well as two characters.

I think it is really interesting how the hypnotist seems to be filtering all his pain and suffering by making the volunteers in his show go through the same pain that he did. It seems like the show is saying that audiences, even without audience participation on stage, feel the pain that the characters are feeling and what the playwright has gone through. The hypnotist seems to be "recasting" his own role with audience members and making them feel the feelings he doesn't want to anymore. There is a strong theme of replacement in this show because you get a new actor every night but also the father has replaced his daughter with an oak tree and the hypnotist is recasting his life. In this play it seems that grieving is also a process of replacement.

People who would like this show are people who like intriguing theatrical metaphors, exploring grief, and immersive disorientation. I think that people should definitely go see this show. I think this is a really thought-provoking and unique show. I think it is very well acted and I love the concept.


Photo: Matt Wade