Third Coast Creatives

Playwright Shannon O’Neill’s newest work, May The Road Rise Up , is like a glass of fine Irish whiskey on a cool Chicago night - filled with character intermixed with smoky secrets.   This play is not what you may expect.   This is an Irish family drama where no one dies. Contrary to expectations, May The Road Rise Up is not dark and dreary, but rather infused with humor.   This Jeff Recommended world premier only reinforces The Factory Theater’s reputation as a hidden jewel in Chicago Theater. Vic Kuligoski, Patrick Blashill, and Loretta Rezos in May The Road Rise Up at The Factory Theater Production Photo by Michael Courier The story revolves around the Murphy family and their circle of friends.   They have suffered a terrible tragedy. Everyone in their small town knows what happened, even if no one (including the family) talks about it.   Rather than deal with the grief, both family and friends choose to slap a band-aid over the pain and let the hurt fester over time.

For decades, Cole Porter was the toast of Broadway.   With successful shows such as Kiss Me Kate , Anything Goes , and Silk Stockings along with constant flow of hit songs cascading off his keyboard, just having Porter’s name on the marquis was a producer’s dream.   At the urging of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, Porter agreed to pen the score for a show set in Montmartre in the 1890s.   Written towards the end of his career, Can-Can was Porter’s “poke-in-the-eye” to the censors he felt were holding Broadway back.   With its latest production in its Porchlight Revisits series, Porchlight Music Theatre brings Can-Can , Porter’s irreverent homage to the wicked revelry of Montmartre to Chicago’s Gold Coast’s Ruth Page Center for the Arts for three high kicking performances.   Beginning its fifth year, this special series provides an opportunity for music theatre aficionados to experience musicals that opened on Broadway, but are no longer frequently produced.   Set in