“The Band’s Visit,” reviewed
Don’t miss it.
Sasson Gabay and Chilina Kennedy in the touring company of The Band’s Visit. Photograph: Matthew Murphy
Hi friends,
I’m not doing a full digest this week, but I did want to direct your attention to my review of The Band’s Visit, which is up at the Sun-Times today. The musical, directed by Chicago’s favorite son David Cromer, is here on tour just through September 15. I wish it were staying longer, so I could see it a second time. It really is a breathtakingly original and affecting work. Go see it.
In other news, the nominations were announced late Tuesday night for the Equity Jeff Awards. As always, there are some nominations I strongly agree with and some I deeply disagree with. But overall, this list feels like an even more bizarre hodgepodge than usual. Of the six productions nominated for ensemble in a play, for instance, only two were nominated for best production, and not one got a single nod for an individual performer. How are we even defining these categories!
And while I’m glad to see a few stray nominations for adventurous and exciting new works, I can’t help but notice a general lean toward the non-challenging. The two most-nominated productions on the list are Paramount’s stagings of The Producers and The Wizard of Oz! Here, in the year of our lord 2019, the Jeff committee is showering nominations on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast! There’s a lot of rewarding of safe choices here. Makes you wish we had some other system(s) of recognizing excellence in this city’s theater—not to supplant the Jeffs, but at least to supplement them. The 51st annual Equity Jeff Awards will be presented October 21 at Drury Lane Theatre.
Speaking of Drury Lane, and of safe choices…
If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ve seen two new reviews from me this week:
From left: Natalie Santoro, Mark Ulrich, Eliza Stoughton, Terry Bell and Heather Chrisler in Howards End. Photograph: Michael Courier
Remy Bumppo’s new adaptation of E.M. Forster’s Howards End features two indelible performances from Eliza Stoughton and Heather Chrisler, but Douglas Post’s script feels rushed. Read the full review here.
The company of All Quiet on the Western Front at Red Tape Theatre. Photograph: Austin D. Oie
Another new literary adaptation, Red Tape Theatre’s staging of Erich Maria Remarque’s World War I novel All Quiet on the Western Front, contains some thrilling lo-fi stagecraft, but adapter-director Matt Foss goes a little heavy on the modern touches. Read the full review here.
If you’re not a paid subscriber, now’s a great time to level up. To kick off the new fall theater season, I’m offering 20 percent off for 12 months (billed annually or monthly) through September 15.
Upgrade to a full subscription for more reviews from me like those above. If you’re already a paid subscriber, 1) THANK YOU, and 2) pass this offer on to your friends—it’s good for all new subscriptions. Or you can use it to give a gift subscription! Everybody wins.
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