Play | The Hanslick Girls

March 19, 2018

City Blown Away: Theatre Evolve’s “Twelfth Night”

It was Dania who had convinced the others to sit in the front row. Gwen typically preferred at least a row of distance between herself and the action, especially in a blackbox as small as the McKaw. But Dania was insistent.

“They wouldn’t put chairs out if they didn’t want people sitting there,” she said, excitedly bounding to the chairs just by the edge of the stage. “Come on, Gwen.”

Eleanor, impartial, followed Dania, and so Gwen tagged along. It meant she had to crane her neck upwards to see Olivia, when Chelsee Carter held court from her chair on the platform. But for most of the action of the play, the actors remained in the sweet spot at center stage.

February 19, 2018

Desire To See: Hedy Weiss’ “Pass Over” Review

PART OF CHICAGO THEATRE WEEK 2018

“I’ve always left “Ragtime” infused with renewed optimism…This time I felt quite sad. That’s a perfectly legitimate thing to wish might happen to an audience in the theater, and Bowling is a very capable and often-compelling director of musicals; I am just not convinced it is fair to this piece.”

Gwen stopped on that line in Chris Jones’ review of Ragtime at the Marriott. She considered what the context of that criticism really was – Jones’ disappointment that a musical that typically left him hopeful was given a less optimistic makeover.

February 16, 2018

Brave Space Talk: The New Colony’s “The Light”

As soon as the performers, Jeffery Freelon Jr. and Tiffany Oglesby, had left the stage, the space was taken over by an earnest young white man with a neatly cut beard.

“Thank you all so much for attending this evening’s production of The Light, by Loy Webb,” he beamed, as the audience began subtly pulling on their coats. “If you have the time to stay, we will be holding a talkback here in the theatre, following the performance. The New Colony is a non-profit company, and we raise much of our revenue from donations…”

The sales pitch continued. Gwen looked over at Eleanor, raising a hand to indicate interest. Do you want to stay?

Eleanor’s hands shuffled to indicate back to Gwen. If you want to.

February 12, 2018

Founding The Father: Jackalope Theatre’s “Franklinland”

PART OF CHICAGO THEATRE WEEK 2018

Gwen had always been – as far as she could recall, anyway – a strong proponent of casting beyond image. When dealing with historical figures onstage, she always considered it far more important to capture the spirit and character of a historical figure, more than casting a lookalike simply for visual accuracy. Her varied opinions on cross-gender and race-conscious casting stemmed from this central belief.

Thus, she was surprised when her initial reaction to Jackalope Theatre’s Franklinland was her unease that –

“He doesn’t really look that much like Benjamin Franklin at the beginning.”

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