Displaying items by tag: Lucky Stiff

The Story Theatre’s world‑premiere staging of Paul Michael Thomson’s Pot Girls bursts to life in a vivid, full‑throttle production at Raven Theatre. Pot Girls is a sharp, funny, and thought‑provoking new play that fuses feminist history, artistic accountability, and a rainbow haze of 1980s, weed‑soaked poetry and art.

Inspired as a thematic counterpart to Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, Pot Girls - directed by Ayanna Bria Bakari - leans into humor, theatricality, and a cloud of intoxication to explore how women create, collaborate, and collide both onstage and off. And in a bit of theatrical serendipity, both productions are currently running simultaneously at Raven Theatre. In fact, Raven Theatre and The Story Theatre are even offering special marathon days, giving audiences the chance to catch a matinee of Lucky Stiff’s directed Top Girls, stick around for some conversation with the creative team, then return in the evening for Pot Girls - all at a discounted rate (click here for details).

The story follows Caryl herself, a playwright on the cusp of her first major, Olivier‑eligible production - a show designed to spotlight women in the workplace. The year is 1982 and as she toasts the achievement with friends, her colorful London flat transforms into an impromptu hub where a lively, time‑spanning cohort of feminist writers drop in to drink, smoke, debate, and probe the ideas she’s celebrating.

The haze of a jubilant night eventually clears, and what remains is a sharper truth: this play lays bare the exhausting contortions women are expected to perform just to gain a foothold as authors and playwrights. It highlights not only the uphill battle of competing in a landscape where men still discriminate against women in their productions regarding creative authority, but also the added burden of being scrutinized for perfect political correctness the moment a woman-led production finally reaches the stage.

The many ways that women as authors have been discriminated against and unfairly censored or even hunted over the centuries is thoroughly laid out in a fantastic cast of intelligent expressive women.

The period feels fully realized, aided by Katelyn Montgomery’s evocative scenic work and Racquel Postilgione’s sharp costume design.

As the play unfolds, Caryl is pulled through a tangle of personal and professional upheaval - romantic tension with her partner Edith, pointed accusations about her racial blind spots, and the mounting pressure to tell women’s stories with integrity. Around her, the ensemble slips effortlessly between roles, embodying historical figures, colleagues, and critics who collectively push her toward an uncomfortable, necessary self‑examination.

In Pot Girls, Brenna DiStasio centers the production as Caryl, offering a steady emotional clarity that grounds the play’s wilder turns and quietly establishes her as its moral anchor. Ireon Roach, as Edith, wields her well-rolled blunt with sharp wit and charismatic intelligence, building a lively, charged dynamic with DiStasio that keeps the energy flowing like a river.

Peter Ferneding lends understated but essential texture as he shifts through historical and contemporary figures, his easy timing playing neatly against Tamsen Glaser’s agile, precise turns as multiple feminist icons, which bring warmth, wit, and tonal delicacy.

Vibrant, expressive energy radiates through each of Emily Marso’s roles, elevating every moment and sparking electric interplay with Glaser and Maya Bridgewater. Glaser and Bridgewater, in turn, deliver a fierce yet deep human presence across their characters, adding tension and charge to the ensemble’s debates. One of Bridgewater’s characters delivers a beautifully crafted, cathartic reflection on a young girl’s kidnapping and rape - written with such grace and restraint that it resonates powerfully with the conversations society is having today about trafficking and vulnerability.

Rounding out the cast, Laney Rodriguez displays a great sense of humor and threads emotional nuance through each character she inhabits, serving as a subtle connective force while carving out memorable moments opposite DiStasio and Roach. As a unit, the ensemble stays quick, engaged, and combustible, amplifying the play’s ideas with palpable charge.

Ultimately, Pot Girls crackles with ensemble energy and sharp ideas, offering an engaging, thought‑rich night of theatre for anyone drawn to fresh feminist work.

Highly recommended.

Pot Girls has been extended through March 8^th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

When Raven Theatre’s artistic staff decided to include Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls in their current season, they could not have predicted that the opening would coincide with major eruptions in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Now, with the former Prince Andrew in jail and the President of the United States bloviating his innocence, this 1982 British play stings harder than ever.

Lucky Stiff’s smooth handling of a fine cast for Raven’s mainstage makes it clear why the play deserves its status as a feminist classic. From an informal angle, the reaction of a mostly youthful audience watching mostly youthful actors confirms that the stage is still the right place to comment mercilessly on societal injustice.

Nonlinear, nontraditional Top Girls premiered in the first years of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership – an imaginative treatment of the complexities of gender roles. How do you become a “top girl” in a man’s world without losing your soul? Depending on your politics, Thatcher either ran a country with necessary tough love and cooked dinner for her husband too; or she hacked away at Britian’s safety net while using taxpayer-funded help to maintain her Superwoman household.

In Act I, Marlene, the dynamic central character played by Claire Kaplan, hosts a dinner to celebrate her recent promotion at an employment agency. She gathers five historical women at a posh restaurant, sparely and elegantly designed by Joonhee Park, where they pour out their pain along with copious amounts of wine.

As Waitress (Colin Quinn Rice) serves with dispassionate efficiency, the women – explorer Isabella Bird (Susaan Jamshidi), Flemish folklore’s Dull Gret (Yourtana Sulaiman), Japanese courtesan Lady Nijo (Hannah Kato), 9^th Century’s Pope Joan (Morgan Lavenstein), and Chaucer’s Patient Griselda (Luke Halpern) – recount episodes of shocking male cruelty. Multiple accents and overlapping dialogue make the individual stories a little hard to follow. But each cast member creates such a distinct personality that a strong vibe emerges even if some details are lost.

In Act II, Churchill leaves fantasy behind and enters the very real working-class home of single mom Joyce (Jamshidi) and her 16-year-old daughter Angie (Sulaiman) who literally wants to kill her bitter mother. Spoiler alert, Angie flees to her Aunt Marlene’s office in London without doing the deed. There, female staffers interview other females for job placement. As one frustrated woman laments to Marlene, who now leads the department, “I have had to justify my existence every minute.” Centuries may have passed but talented women still fight for recognition.

When Angie shows up unannounced, she gets pushback instead of a warm welcome from Marlene. The teen desperately wants to acquire her role model’s independence, resources and, above all, confidence that mom-figure Joyce so obviously lacks. Marlene can’t hold back the sharp elbows and judges Angie accordingly, a girl who may not have what it takes to survive.

Act III moves even farther away from the play’s stylized opening with an extended scene that’s straight from the kitchen sink realism of post-World War II drama. Occurring a year prior to Act II, Marlene pays an unexpected visit to Joyce’s humble home and presents Angie with a dress that’s straight out of the traditional girlie playbook.

When it comes to success, “I’m not clever,” Marlene insists, “just pushy.” How Marlene has pushed herself to the top is clear by now. What she has pushed aside in the process tumbles out as the three women open their hearts in ways that leave them vulnerable. It is almost frightening. Four decades after Churchill penned Top Girls, news reports of Jeffrey Epstein’s atrocities only seem to confirm her point that womanhood is neither safe nor easy.

Top Girls runs through March 21^st at Raven Theatre. For tickets and information, go to www.raventheatre.com/stage/topgirls.

Recommended.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.

Goodman Theatre’s 2025 production of A Christmas Carol delivers a reimagined yet reverently faithful vision of Charles Dickens’ enduring holiday masterpiece. Directed by BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley, the staging infuses fresh energy into the familiar tale, striking a delicate balance between honoring tradition and embracing innovation.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted miser who scorns Christmas and human kindness. On Christmas Eve, he is confronted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, and guided by three spectral visitors - the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Their haunting revelations force Scrooge to witness his own failings, the hardships of others, and the bleak destiny awaiting him. Awakened to the power of compassion and generosity, he greets Christmas morning as a transformed man - joyful, benevolent, and fully embracing the spirit of the season.

At the center of this transformation is Christopher Donahue, returning to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge with a performance that brims with nuance. Donahue embodies the character’s frosty detachment and biting cynicism with precision, while gradually revealing the vulnerability and humanity that make Scrooge’s redemption so powerful. His portrayal anchors the production, ensuring that audiences experience not only the spectacle of Dickens’ ghosts and festive scenes, but also the emotional depth of one man’s journey from isolation to generosity.

Surrounding him is an ensemble that blends the wisdom of seasoned Goodman veterans with the energy of exciting newcomers, forging a dynamic interplay that keeps the production alive and ever-evolving. Their chemistry, paired with imaginative staging and subtle special effects, ensures that longtime patrons experience the story anew while first-time audiences are swept into its magic.

Beyond the performances, the production dazzles with fresh choreography, inventive musical direction, revitalized design elements and special effects that elevate the performance. The stage becomes a canvas of contrasts: the eerie, otherworldly visitations of Marley and the Ghosts unfold with haunting theatricality, while the warmth and intimacy of the Cratchit household radiate joy and tenderness.

Every moment is meticulously layered with detail, reminding us that Dickens’ tale is more than a seasonal tradition—it is a living parable of generosity, compassion, and the enduring bonds of community.

(L-R) Jon Hudson Odom, Ella Boparai, Carmelo Kelly, Viva Boresi, Bethany Thomas, A’mia Imani, Henry Lombardo, Sól Fuller and Helen Joo Lee.

For close to fifty years, Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol has stood as a defining ritual of Chicago’s holiday season—a theatrical gathering place where generations of families, friends, and theatergoers return year after year. More than just a retelling of Dickens’ classic, the production has become a civic tradition, woven into the fabric of the city’s winter celebrations.

This year’s staging carries that legacy forward with renewed vitality, reminding audiences why the story continues to resonate across centuries. At its core, A Christmas Carol is not simply the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption; it is a parable about the power of empathy, generosity, and human connection. Goodman’s production magnifies those themes by transforming the theatre itself into a communal space - where laughter, music, and the haunting presence of Dickens’ ghosts converge to awaken the spirit of compassion.

The endurance of this holiday cornerstone lies in its dual nature: it is both deeply personal, charting one man’s journey from isolation to belonging, and profoundly collective, celebrating the bonds that unite a community. Each performance becomes a reminder that the true gift of the season is not material wealth, but the shared warmth of kindness and fellowship.

The cast assembled for Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol is nothing short of outstanding. Christopher Donahue, stepping into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge after Larry Yando’s celebrated tenure, delivers a performance that is both commanding and deeply human. His portrayal captures the character’s sharp edges and biting cynicism, yet gradually reveals the warmth and vulnerability that make Scrooge’s transformation so moving - you can’t help but be won over by him. Donahue was nothing short of electrifying, also bringing a masterful sense of graceful physical comedy to the role. He embodied the rakish, childlike exuberance and sheer JOY that floods Scrooge when he discovers it’s not too late to transform his life.

One of the evening’s biggest laughs came as Donahue realized that only a single night had passed with the spirits—despite their showing him years of missteps and warning that he must change his ways immediately or face a hated death and generations of sorrow. The audience roared, and I’ve never heard such sustained laughter in this production before. It was pure delight.

Ella Boparai brings a radiant charm to Tiny Tim, embodying the innocence and hope that anchor the story’s emotional core. The ensemble as a whole is vibrant and cohesive, each member contributing to the production’s energy and richness.

Among the spirits, Bethany Thomas shines with grandeur and generosity as the Ghost of Christmas Present, while Daniel José Molina delivers a chilling, spectral presence as the Ghost of Christmas Future. Lucky Stiff rounds out the trio with a compelling and evocative Ghost of Christmas Past, guiding Scrooge through memories with both tenderness and gravity.

 (L-R) Christopher Donahue and Daniel José Molina.

Jon Hudson Odom brings remarkable depth to Bob Cratchit, embodying Dickens’ humble clerk with a warmth and sincerity that make him the beating heart of the production. His performance captures Cratchit’s quiet resilience and steadfast kindness, elevating the role from supporting character to emotional cornerstone. Odom’s nuanced portrayal balances gentle humor with the weight of hardship, reflecting the struggles of working families while never losing sight of Cratchit’s unwavering optimism.

In scenes with the Cratchit family, Odom radiates tenderness and devotion, particularly in his interactions with Tiny Tim. The father-son bond he conveys is both poignant and inspiring, a reminder of the fragile yet enduring hope that sustains the family through adversity. His presence underscores the stark contrast between Scrooge’s cold isolation and the Cratchits’ warmth, amplifying the play’s central themes of compassion, perseverance, and the transformative power of love.

Together, this company breathes fresh life into Dickens’ timeless tale, ensuring that every scene resonates with theatrical magic and emotional depth.

I wholeheartedly encourage audiences to experience this beloved Goodman holiday tradition - an annual production that never fails to capture the true spirit of the season. For anyone eager to embrace the warmth, wonder, and festive magic of Christmastime, A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre is the perfect way to step into the holiday “spirit.”

A Christmas Carol is being performed at Goodman Theatre through December 31^st. For tickets and/or more show information, visit https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/a-christmas-carol/.

I arrived at the Goodman Theatre for the opening of its 47^th annual production of A Christmas Carol, directed by Jessica Thebus, like many of us—not really feeling the upcoming holidays. I’m usually a real Pollyanna, trying to put on the happy face. I’m usually Bob Cratchit, the good soldier. I’m Tiny Tim Cratchit, even, throwing around “God bless us, everyone” like it’s tinsel. But not this year. This year, I got to the Goodman feeling like a regular Scrooge. And then I walked into the lobby and the whole thing hit me like a series of middle-of-the-night spectral visits upon a four-poster bed. It changed me.

From the balcony above we were greeted by Benet Academy’s Madrigal Singers, sprinkling down on us carol after carol. Seated next to a large, unlit Christmas tree was William Buchholtz, a Native American flautist and a haunting caroler himself. Thebus, back for her fourth Goodman production of this holiday favorite, addressed the audience, lighting the tree and spreading some cheer—and we hadn’t even found our seats yet.

Once the show began, the sets by Todd Rosenthal transported us back to a different beautiful but bleak era—Dickensian England. All of the trappings one expects of A Christmas Carol are there. Muffed carolers, chestnut peddlers and poultry peddlers, and Scrooge & Marley’s beckoning lending house. There we meet Christopher Donahue’s Ebenezer Scrooge—mutton-chopped and hunched and as unhappy as we expect Scrooge to be. But that darkness, very real and very dark, is constantly counteracted by the radiance of the rest of the cast. Anthony Irons’ Bob Cratchit, cheerful charity collectors played by Penelope Walker and Wai Kim, and Dee Dee Batteast’s ever-loving niece all fend off Scrooge’s glare and gruffness by not even acknowledging his grinchiness—their world, while perhaps less financially happy than Scrooge’s, is a completely separate and better world emotionally than his, down to the vibrant colors of their costumes.

(L-R) Anthony Irons, Christopher Donahue, Ava Rose Doty, Xavier Irons, Henry Lombardo, Isabel Ackerman, Viva Boresi, Tafadzwa Diener and Susaan Jamshidi.

Once back at Scrooge’s house (whose ghastly door knocker made both me and my young daughter jump, even though I knew what was coming) we are surrounded by this bleak world this miserable old miser’s made for himself. It’s drafty and dark and dusty and the perfect place for the jarring arrival of Scrooge’s long-dead partner, Jacob Marley, played by William Dick.

The sights and sounds of Marley’s visit are frightening, even when expected, but they contrast the joy and light spread by the first two spirits who visit Scrooge once Marley departs. Lucky Stiff’s Ghost of Christmas Past is buoyant and bright and over the top—meant to get Scrooge’s attention and ours. The spirit transports us all back in time where our hearts break along with a young Ebenezer Scrooge, portrayed brilliantly by Henry Lombardo, and then leap across the hardwood of Fezziwig’s warehouse-turned-dancehall, only to be broken again by Scrooge’s interaction with his true love played charmingly by Amira Danan. We see all the light Scrooge has lost—and it only makes him and the world he’s created that much darker.

Scrooge’s present is as sad as the present world around him is resolutely jolly, made all the more so by Bri Sudia’s Ghost of Christmas Present. The Cratchit children—Isabel Ackerman, Viva Boresi, Xavier Irons, Tafradzwa Diener, and Ava Rose Doty as Tiny Tim—counter Susaan Jamshidi’s tired and realistic Mrs. Cratchit, just as Batteast does at an evening party attended by other folks who are over it.

While Marley’s ghost was truly terrifying, this Ghost of Christmas Future was less scary and sadder—a dead flower, a faded dowager. But, of course, it’s the specter of a sad future that finally snaps Scrooge out of his life of being a scrooge.

And Donahue’s transformation is very real. We’re all used to a claw-handed and clench-jawed Scrooge from film after film. And we know the change to come—to that of a heel-clicking distributor of charity and cheer. But seeing it happen right there, before our eyes, was as magical an effect as any of the magic on display. A real Christmas miracle.

Now, I have no clue if transforming a Scrooge-like audience was Thebus’ intent (or Dickens’), although I’m sure that’s what both were aiming for. But just like the Victorians who Dickens was addressing, our world today could use some hope and some cheer. And just as Donahue’s Scrooge did onstage, I found myself leaving the Goodman Theatre a little more hopeful and a little more cheerful. I have no idea if you’ll experience the same transformation as I did, but I can promise you that this production of A Christmas Carol, at the Goodman Theatre from now through December 30, will at the very least entertain you and warm your heart this holiday season.