Third Coast Creatives

  The wind blew cold across my back as I turned the corner with a promise of the Chicago winter soon to come.   Heads turned as the wind followed me through the door into the lobby of the Goodman Theatre.   The occasion was opening night for the Goodman Theatre’s 44 th presentation of A Christmas Carol .   As I walked down the aisle to my seat, it struck me that it had been nearly 40 years since I had seen Goodman’s production of The Christmas Carol.   I had worked on Goodman’s A Christmas Carol during its second through fourth seasons.   I worked behind the scenes helping to create the magic under the direction of the iconic Tony Mockus.   A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas , a novella by Charles Dickens, was first published in 1843.   Prompted by financial pressures, Dickens is said to have written the story is less than six weeks.   Published on December 19, 1843, the first edition was sold out by Christmas ...

  For over 25 years, The Factory Theater has presented original, creative, and sometimes challenging shows created from scratch.   The ensemble continue this tradition presenting the world premiere of The Kelly Girls , written by Shannon O’Neill and directed by Spenser Davies.     In 1960s Belfast, conflicts between various political factions threaten to tear Northern Ireland apart from the inside.  Sisters Fianna and Regan Kelly feel compelled to engage in the fight for their homeland.  But when they join the ranks of the Provisional IRA and find themselves committing acts of brutal terrorism and guerilla warfare, both young women are forced to question how much they are willing to destroy in the name of unity.  Playwright Shannon O’ Neill follows up her critically acclaimed May the Road Rise Up with this story of political upheaval and taking a stand. Ben Veatch, Brittany Brown, Anne Sheridan Smith, and Amber Washington in The Kelly Girls Photo b...

Chicago theater has long had a reputation for producing some of the best theater in the country.   As a result, Chicago audiences expect a high bar as they enter the theater doors.   Occasionally, audiences are blessed with productions that exceed that bar.   Warp (produced by the Organic Theater), Macbeth (starring Aidan Quinn at Northlight Theater), and True West , Balm in Gilead , and Of Mice and Men (Steppenwolf Theater) are examples Chicago theater productions people continue to talk about years, or even decades, after the lights go down.   Under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight Music Theatre kicks off its 25 th season with their production of Sunset Boulevard that may well join the list of special productions that theater aficionados will boast “they were there when…”. Based on the Academy Award winning Billy Wilder Film, Sunset Boulevard features music by Andrew Lloyd Weber with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christo...

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 th...

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 frequentl...

The winds may have been howling through Chicago’s downtown theater district, but mere weather wasn’t enough to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds that passed through the doors and lobby.   After all, they were joining the quest with one of the most popular heroes in young adult fiction.   The off-Broadway hit, The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical, launched its national tour at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre.   The winner of several Drama Desk Awards, the show is a musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s popular YA series, featuring a book by Joe Tracz and music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki. Unusual for a national tour, this action-packed theatrical adventure has most of its original cast intact. Kristin Stokes, Chris McCarroll, and Jorrell Javier in The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical Photo by Jeremy Daniel Percy Jackson fans are sure to find this musical adaptation far more enjoyable than the 2010 film version or the 2013 sequel.   The s...

Inclement weather and holiday mayhem resulted in a series of scheduling audibles in the week before Christmas.   Completing what tasks I could, I found myself with the choice of battling holiday traffic home or find something else to do until the traffic dissipated.   I decided to treat myself to an off-Loop show.   After a quick internet search, I decided to check out the Otherworld Theatre’s world premiere of Joseph Zettelmaier’s The Winter Wolf .   I’m glad I did. Shariba Rivers and Molly Southgate in Otherworld Theatre's The Winter Wolf Photo by Steven Townshend It’s Christmas Eve in Cora’s house.   She’s visited by her beloved grandfather, a man of high spirits and failing health.   They sit around the fireplace as he tells her the legend of the Winter Wolf, a strange creature who serves as Time’s hunter, stalking those who are in the winter of their lives.   That night, the Winter Wolf comes for Cora’s grandfather, but the young girl ma...