Third Coast Creatives

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...

e-quiv’-o-ca ’ -tion n.   1.   to use terms having two or more meanings in order to deceive or mislead   2. Uncertain; doubtful   3.   Suspicious Micahel Dalberg and Brendan Hutt Photo by Steven Townshend Idle Muse Theatre Company kicked off its 2019-20 Season with Equivocation , by Bill Cain, at the new Theatre Off Broadway.   This work is a perfect choice for a company with a mission to produce theater that is transporting, timely, and true.   Cain’s multi-layered storytelling is not far off from current political events. The story transports us to the aftermath of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to assassinate King James I and destroy the British parliament. Playwright William Shagspeare (the contemporary spelling of the Bard’s name) has received a royal commission to write a “true history” of the events, subject to the particular specifications of His Majesty.   Shag and his fellow troupe members work to unravel the truth be...

She made her Broadway debut in Beauty and the Beast , originating the role of Belle.   For two and a half years, Susan Egan enchanted audiences with the Alan Menken songs, providing a strong positive role model to princesses everywhere.   It was okay for a girl to be smart and have a dream of a better place.   Egan received both Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations (1994) for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance.   Egan continued in the Disney realm providing the voice for the sassy Megara in the animated Hercules .   Animation fans will also recognize Egan as Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond on Cartoon Network’s hit Steven Universe, Lin in the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away , Gina in Porco Rosso , and Angel in Lady and the Tramp II .   In addition, she appears regularly in television and film. Egan brought her significant talents to Chicago as part of the 2019 Grant Park Music Festival.   She was joined by Madison Claire Parks...

The Factory Theater concludes its 26 th season with a world premiere production of Prophet$, written by Anthony Tournis and directed by Wm Bullion.   Chicago winters can challenge even the hardiest soul, so when spring finally arrives, locals search for reasons to laugh.   Prophet$ offers plenty of opportunities for audience to laugh off the cobwebs of winter. Eric Roach, Anthony Tournis, and Eric Wang In The Factory Theater's Production of Prophet$ Photo by Michael Courier It’s 1988 and a time of excess.   We meet a trio of down and out hustlers as they watch their latest scam, selling bootleg pornography tapes to teenagers, come crashing down. Vic (played by Tournis), and his hapless cohorts Seth Levy (Eric Wang) and Owen (Eric Roach), are trying to figure out what to do next.   As they watch successful TV Evangelist Leslie Good (Timothy Amos must have received his evangelical training in Slytherin), soliciting contributions from his virtual flock, ...

From April 5-7, the 9 th Annual Chicago Comedy Film Festival (CCFF) debuted over 85 short comedies.   The festival showcases films that range from low budget to studio quality, championing strong voices in comedic storytelling.   CCFF’s mission is to support comedy as a vital and influential art form.   For nearly a decade, CCFF strives to provide a vibrant platform for creatives from around the globe to network, share ideas and inspiration, collaborate and more. Through the years, several films that have played this festival have gone on to distribution, Netflix, or other platforms. Throughout the festival, venues were packed with filmmakers, friends, fans, and supporters of indie films.   There were Q&A sessions with the filmmakers at the end of each session.   In between showings, viewers discussed their favorites prior to casting their votes for the audience choice awards.   I came to the festival to see The Great Chicago Fire by s...

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...