OCTET by Dave Malloy at Raven Theatre. Jeff Recommended and extended to June 7. From the website: "In an anonymous meeting room on the North Side of Chicago, a group of people —always eight—gather to sing. Best known for the Broadway hit NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, Dave Malloy’s OCTET uses chamber-inspired a cappella music to explore the total impact of life online. Hailed by the New York Times as “the most original and topical musical of the year” for its 2019 Off-Broadway premiere, this inventive and acutely relevant piece reflects the perils of the digital age." @raven_theatre
EELPOUT by Paul W. Kruse at Shattered Globe (performing at Theatre Wit) through 5/30. Jeff Recommended. From the website: "Sven and Ole have been best buds since kindergarten. When they gather to celebrate Ole’s wedding to Lena with an ice-fishing bachelor party, an unexpected confession begins to crack their plans wide open.
As the beer flows and temperatures drop, they hook into deeper truths, along with a talking fish. This hilarious and surreal comedy is a long-awaited fantasia on Midwestern masculinity." @shatteredglobe
COVENANT by York Walker at the Goodman Theatre through May 31. Jeff Recommended. From the website: "Expect one devilish twist after another in Covenant, a mythic and suspenseful new play hailed as “blackout-and-blood-curdling-scream deliciousness” (New York Magazine), “undeniably spooky (and) absolutely enjoyable” (TheaterMania). He left the small Georgia town a struggling guitarist—and returned a blues star. As rumors of a darker deal abound, it becomes clear that he’s not the only one with a secret….or seeking salvation. This “striking Southern gothic work” (New York Times) explores the power of belief and the thin line between rumor and truth." @goodmantheatre
DO SOMETHING PRETTY by Melissa Ross at Rivendell Theatre, through 6/6. Jeff Recommended. From the website: "Summer of 1992. The United States is in a recession. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is about to run for president. Kurt is married to Courtney. Yo MTV Raps is on the TV. And Zach Morris is the only kid with a cell phone.
On a hot August night in a small Massachusetts town the last few weeks before school starts. Three teens try to navigate their way through the murky path to adulthood. Phoebe wants to grow up. Jason wants Evie. And Evie just wants to get as far away from everyone as she possibly can." @rivendelltheatre
I HATE HAMLET by Paul Rudnick at the St. Sebastian Players, through 5/17. From the website: "Andrew Rally has TV fame, a beautiful girlfriend, an amazing apartment and an offer to play Hamlet—a role he hates—in Central Park. When a seance brings back the ghost of legendary actor John Barrymore, Andrew’s life spirals into hilarious chaos."
BIRTHDAY CANDLES by Noah Haidle at Buffalo Theatre Ensemble through June 7. From the website: “Ernestine Ashworth spends her 17th birthday agonizing over her insignificance in the universe. Soon enough, it’s her 18th birthday. Even sooner, her 41st. Her 70th. Her 101st. Five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one cake baked over a century. This poignant and funny play takes its audience through the highlights, heartbreaks and extraordinary moments that make up one woman’s ordinary life.” @bteatthemac
THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR by Paul Slade Smith, Jeff-recommended, through this weekend at Northlight Theatre. From the website: “Young author Oliver Adams is on the brink of success, with his novel set to be published and soon to be adapted for the Broadway stage! When he, the famed (and married) playwrights, and his longed-for leading lady all converge for a weekend at a Newport mansion, the housekeeper that would rather they all leave isn’t the only thing that goes awry. In a romantic screwball comedy that hearkens back to days gone by, only the power of theatre can save the play, Oliver’s novel, and his heart.“ @northlightthtr
Congrats to all the Tony nominees, and special congrats to our The Dramatists Guild of America members: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bess Wohl, Chris Hoch, Cinco Paul, David Lindsay-Abaire, Gina Gionfriddo, Samuel D. Hunter, Stephen Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, and Tye Blue! @dramatistsguild
FATHER OF THE BRIDE at Drury Lane through May 31. From the website: “…the classic comedy that has touched our hearts for decades. Based on the novel that inspired the Elizabeth Taylor and Steve Martin films, this hilarious yet bittersweet play reminds us that sometimes the greatest love à father can give to his daughter is to let her go.” @drurylaneproductions
OUT HERE at Court Theatre through May 10. From the website: “Dawn has a house, a husband, and a family, but she wants more. She wants her ex-girlfriend, Robin. She wants nothing to change and she wants everything to change, and she wants to control all the terms. As she’s caught between what’s been and what’s next, Dawn must learn to reimagine her expectations, harmonize with loved ones, and trust the process. If she can do all that, she might just learn a new song.“ @courttheatre
Little did I know that the lovely, gracious lady seated next to me at MPAACT's production of SUN TEA (at the Greenhouse Theatre through May 31) was Shirley Carney, the author of the warm, female friendship-centered stories that were adapted by Lauren Wells Mann into this evening of theatre. I thought she was just another patron that I was sharing the experience with. We talked about Al Jarreau as his recording of "Summertime" played before the performance, and laughed along with the 5 women friends during the play. (And sang along with some of the musical transitions between scenes.) After the play was over, we spoke briefly about the importance and centrality of female friendship in our lives, and how difficult it was at this time of life to see our friendship circle grow smaller. And then, just as we were leaving the theatre, I heard another audience member say "Thank you" to her and realized...this was the author- she was the source of the joyful stories we'd just experienced. I've seen these stories dramatized, and now I want to read them! @mpaact
THE MOVEMENT YOU NEED, written and performed by Brendan Hunt, at Steppenwolf Theatre. From the website: "Emmy and SAG Award winner Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso’s co-creator/writer/“Coach Beard”) presents his hilarious new one-man show fueled by bittersweet memories of his Chicago childhood, a love for The Beatles that got him through it and the tongue-tied moment he met Paul McCartney. The Movement You Need is a laugh-filled love letter to the family that makes us, the music that shapes us and the crazy shit life throws our way." Through May 10. @steppenwolfthtr
