Displaying items by tag: chicago theatre

Overshadowed Theatre Productions brings fresh energy to one of musical theatre’s most enduring classics, offering a spirited and thoughtful take on My Fair Lady. This production leans into the story’s sharp contrasts - class and aspiration, control and independence - and invites audiences to see Eliza Doolittle’s transformation with new clarity. It’s a familiar tale, but Overshadowed’s staging makes it feel newly engaged and unexpectedly resonant.

Taking place in 1912, Edwardian London, My Fair Lady is the story of Eliza Doolittle (Kimberly Nicolosi), a resilient young woman who sells flowers for tuppence and whose Cockney accent marks her as invisible to the upper-class Londoners who pass her by. When she crosses paths with Henry Higgins (John Hacker), a brilliant but insufferably arrogant linguist, he boasts that he can remake her into someone society will accept - someone who can pass as a duchess at an embassy ball. What begins as a bet between scholars becomes a transformation that neither fully anticipates.

As Eliza endures Higgins’ relentless drills and dismissive temperament, she begins to outgrow the very mold he tries to force her into. Her ascent exposes the absurdity of class performance, the fragility of male ego, and the uncomfortable truth that respectability often demands erasing the people who need it most. By the time Eliza steps into high society, she is no longer Higgins’ creation but her own person - one who refuses to be spoken for, spoken over, or spoken down to.

The musical’s enduring tension lies in the question it never answers neatly: whether transformation is liberation or simply another form of confinement. My Fair Lady may dazzle with its elegance, but its heart beats in Eliza’s insistence that dignity is not something granted by others - it’s something claimed.

Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady entered the musical theatre canon in 1956, following its development in 1955–56 and a Broadway premiere led by Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. The story later reached an even wider audience with the 1964 film adaptation, starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza and Rex Harrison reprising his stage role as Higgins, released on October 21, 1964.

Overshadowed’s current production of this defining musical is anchored by Kimberly Nicolosi, whose Eliza Doolittle grows with steady assurance and a clear emotional arc that makes her transformation feel genuinely earned. Nicolosi is an absolute whirlwind of conviction, with vocals that match her intensity beat for beat, and a charm that makes her Eliza impossible to resist. Opposite her, John Hacker offers a thoughtfully restrained Henry Higgins, capturing both the character’s intellectual rigidity and the subtle shifts that reveal his dependence on Eliza, and his performance brings a compelling, understated complexity to the role. They shape the show’s strongest and most engaging dynamic. Surrounding them, Glen Lindemann brings gentle dignity to Colonel Pickering, while Madeline Frederick’s composed Mrs. Pierce adds welcome stability to Higgins’ household. Brad Holloman provides lively humor as Alfred P. Doolittle, and the Eynsford-Hill family - Sharon Lindemann as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill and Aren Dawson as Freddy - adds a touch of sweetness and refinement. Anita Silvert’s poised Mrs. Higgins offers a calm counterbalance to her son’s bluster, and she delivers a few of the play’s most pointed one-liners with crisp, knowing precision. Under Reba Hervas’ direction, the ensemble works together with easy cohesion, and Hervas guides the production with a steady, confident hand that keeps the storytelling clear, warm, and consistently engaging.

Though wrapped in Edwardian charm, My Fair Lady carries a clear feminist undercurrent, rooted in Eliza’s fight for self-determination. Her journey is not simply one of refinement but of agency - choosing to reshape her life, challenge the limitations imposed by class and gender, and ultimately assert her independence from Higgins’ control. The production highlights how her transformation belongs to her alone, not to the men who presume to mold her, allowing the story’s critique of patriarchal entitlement and its celebration of female autonomy to resonate beneath the musical’s elegance.

The production’s musical backbone shines through beloved highlights such as “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “The Rain in Spain,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” and “On the Street Where You Live,” each handled with care under Karen Archbold’s attentive music direction. The staging moves with an easy flow thanks to Katy Smith’s well-shaped choreography, which keeps the transitions light and the ensemble well-coordinated. These elements honor the classic craftsmanship of Alan Jay Lerner, who penned the book and lyrics, and Frederick Loewe, whose score remains one of musical theatre’s most enduring treasures.

The set design stands out as one of the production’s most impressive achievements, delivering a level of polish that will surprise audiences unfamiliar with Overshadowed’s work. Thoughtfully constructed and visually cohesive, it creates an environment that supports the storytelling without ever overwhelming it. This marks the first production by the company to utilize a massive video board, and its use is highly successful - enhancing the world of the play with vivid, effective projections that expand each location with striking clarity. The video board works in concert with well-crafted props and scenic pieces that are seamlessly brought in when needed, creating transitions that feel both fluid and purposeful. The scenic and projection work by Yohannan Lee adds depth and atmosphere, giving each setting a sense of place and intention. Complementing the world onstage, Megan Wilburn’s costume design brings the period to life with authenticity, from the tailored silhouettes to the women’s elaborate Edwardian picture hats, which add a flourish of social detail and visual charm. All of these design choices elevate the production with a craftsmanship that feels both ambitious and warmly inviting.

(from left) - Al Gorr, Brad Holloman and Tony Lopez in My Fair Lady.

Stepping back from the production itself, Overshadowed Theatre reveals a company with a purpose that complements the kind of storytelling seen on their stage. I was struck by how deeply rooted their mission is in creating a welcoming, family-friendly space where storytelling and community go hand in hand. Their history reflects a commitment to mentorship and faith-centered values, with an emphasis on giving young performers a place to grow while offering audiences productions that uplift rather than overwhelm. Overshadowed cultivates an environment built on encouragement, accessibility, and shared experience. The company resides within Jubilee Bible Church in Medinah, IL, and the theatre is fully ADA accessible, with vast and easy parking, spacious corridors, and plentiful concessions that make the audience experience comfortable from the moment you arrive.

Audiences can also look forward to a whimsical shift in tone as the company prepares to stage A Midsummer Night’s Dream, bringing Shakespeare’s mischievous magic, tangled romances, and fairy-filled forest to life. Following that, their upcoming season offers a wide range of titles: Flame of Fire (Sep 18–Oct 10, 2026), an original play written and directed by Artistic Director Reba Hervas. Based on the true 1956 story of Operation Auca, the production recounts the lives of missionaries Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian, who were killed while attempting peaceful contact with the isolated Huaorani tribe in Ecuador. The play also explores the extraordinary aftermath, as their wives chose to return to the jungle to forgive the tribe and continue living among them. The season continues with It’s a Wonderful Life (Nov 27–Dec 19, 2026), James and the Giant Peach (Jan 22–Feb 6, 2027), The Stranger by Agatha Christie (Mar 12–20 and Apr 1–10, 2027), and Titanic the Musical (July 9–31, 2027). It’s an ambitious slate that blends classic storytelling, family favorites, and dramatic intrigue, promising a season with something for every kind of theatre-goer.

Overshadowed Theatre’s My Fair Lady emerges as a thoughtful production with a clear point of view, delivered with care both onstage and behind the scenes.

Recommended.

For more show information and tickets, visit https://www.overshadowed.org/.

In the sharp-tongued world of Sarah Burgess’s Dry Powder, presented by Gwydion Theatre Company at the Greenhouse Theater Center, the pursuit of money is a blood sport. The play centers on a high-stakes private equity firm caught in a massive public relations nightmare after laying off thousands of grocery store workers the same week its co-founder threw a flashy engagement party featuring an elephant – but it was just one elephant!

All hope isn’t lost for their reputation, however. A potential way out comes thanks to a struggling, American-made luggage company that believes the firm can save them. Of course, as the firm weighs the acquisition, their definition of “help” may not align with the company’s. At the helm is Rick, the ultimate decision-maker, who has two distinct angels on his shoulders: Seth, the optimistic partner who brought the deal to the table, and Jenny, his cold-hard-cash counterpart. From Seth’s perspective, the deal is a perfect fit; they can rescue an American brand without layoffs and emerge as heroes. For Jenny, this luggage company is just baggage—unless it can be downsized, moved overseas, and engineered into something it once stood against.

Directed with precision by Ellie Thomson, Dry Powder completes Gwydion Theatre’s season, which has explored themes of class, money, and power, and how all three can entangle the soul. The production asks what happens to our humanity when everything is reduced to a column on a balance sheet.

The production thrives on the electric, friction-filled chemistry of its cast, anchored by a series of standout performances.

Carol Kelleher delivers a masterclass performance as Jenny. Playing the de facto villain of the piece, Kelleher crafts a remarkably complex and compelling performance that is utterly enjoyable to watch. She doesn’t just play the role; she completely becomes the character, infusing Jenny’s brutal, unrelenting perspective of greed with a sharp humor. Her performance ensures that even at Jenny’s most calculating, you cannot look away.

As the firm’s head, Rick Yaconis turns in a powerful performance, deftly striking the balance between a paternal mentor and a greasy titan. He shifts effortlessly between a ruthless opponent and a pat-you-on-the-back salesman. 

Grayson Kennedy, a founding member of Gwydion Theatre, brings immense depth to Seth, the firm’s supposedly earnest, morally grounded partner. His clean-cut delivery fits the role perfectly. 

Tommy Thams, co-founder of the theatre company, rounds out the dynamic as Jeff, the CEO of the targeted luggage company. Thams infuses Jeff with the relaxed, easygoing charm of an old buddy, making the audience root for the company’s success and feel genuinely betrayed by what unfolds in the final act.

Burgess’s script is complex, mining dark humor from the shifting dynamics and war of words between these characters. 

Ultimately, Dry Powder leaves the audience reflecting inward. It might be easy to dismiss this play if we aren't personally in a position to dismantle - or attempt to save - a multimillion-dollar company, but the narrative transcends the boardroom. The play holds up a mirror and forces us to look closely at ourselves: Are we good or are we just being nice?

As Jenny pointedly notes, she never lies to the client. Her emotions, her greed, and her hawkish nature are never disguised. Seth, conversely, hides behind a comforting “nice guy” persona, genuinely believing he occupies the moral high ground. But in trying to appease both sides – a greedy firm and a company that needs help – is he actually better or just deceiving himself?

It’s these thought-provoking questions that make Gwydion Theatre’s production a gripping triumph that lingers long after the final blackout.

Dry Powder plays at the Greenhouse Theater until July 26. Tickets and show information here.

Suffs is a musical about history, yes, but more importantly, it is a musical about momentum: who creates it, who resists it (and why), who gets left behind by it, and what it costs to keep pushing it forward.

Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement in the 1910s, the show follows a group of young suffragists led by Alice Paul, the real-life founder of the National Woman’s Party. Together, they organize, protest, clash with political leaders, become political prisoners, and (spoiler alert) eventually help gain women the right to vote through the 19th Amendment. But Suffs is not content to frame that victory as clean or uncomplicated, or to pretend that, even a century later, the battle is anywhere near over. The musical is just as interested in the fractures within the movement itself: the younger, more aggressive activists pushing against the older, more “respectable” wing of the Suffrage movement, and the women of color forced to fight for a movement that still asks them, again and again, to wait their turn.

That is where Suffs feels most relevant. It is not only a story about the past, but about the way progress still happens now: through generational disagreement, imperfect coalitions, strategic compromises, moral failures, and the constant fear that too much change too quickly might provoke as much backlash as liberation. Shaina Taub’s book, music, and lyrics do an incredible job balancing real history with theatrical fiction, making the politics legible without flattening the people involved into saints or symbols.

Marya Grandy (Carrie Chapman Catt) and company in SUFFS.

Under director Leigh Silverman, the first national tour’s production is just as anchored by its remarkably talented cast as it is by history; the entirely female company takes on both women and men throughout the story. Maya Keleher is excellent as Alice Paul, bringing both vocal strength and exactly the right kind of young, audacious drive to the role. Her Alice has the spunky determination of a character like Newsies’ Katherine, but grown up: sharper, more self-assured, and driven by something deeper than ambition. She is unabashedly devoted to her cause and makes it clear that, no, it’s not just because she’s young.

Playing opposite her are historical figures Carrie Chapman Catt (Marya Grandy), the mature and strategically tactful leader of NAWSA, and President Woodrow Wilson (performed by u/s Merrill Peiffer). Grandy’s dynamic with Alice Paul is one of the production’s strongest relationships, the two women foiling each other beautifully as they reveal different forms of conviction, compromise, and care. Peiffer’s handling of the presidential role was especially smart: funny and pointed, but never so exaggerated that it breaks the world of the show.

A special shoutout also has to go to the trio of Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton), Mary Church Terrell (Trisha Jeffrey), and Phyllis Terrell (Victoria Pekel). Multiple times, the energy in the theatre seemed to shift the moment the three of them took the stage together. Their scenes carried a stillness and gravity that made the room go quiet in the best possible way.

Brandi Porter (Dudley Malone) and Jenny Ashman (President Woodrow Wilson) in the First National Touring Company of SUFFS.

Suffs, which premiered Off‑Broadway in 2022 before its award‑winning 2024 Broadway run, continues to prove its power throughout its highly anticipated national tour. The score delivers some of the musical’s most defining moments, from the sharp, scene‑setting opener “Let Mother Vote” to the driving protest energy of “The March (We Demand Equality).” The emotional weight lands beautifully in “I Was Here,” a moving tribute to Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell, while “Keep Marching” rises as the show’s breakout anthem, capturing the spirit of persistence that fuels the entire production.

If I have a critique, it’s that the show leans a bit too heavily into the idea of the production’s scale growing in tandem with the movement’s momentum. Conceptually, I love that choice. In practice, however, especially within the limits of a touring production, the early restraint makes the show take a long time to feel truly sweeping. The first act is good, but it was not until the second half of the second act that I found myself thinking, “Why haven’t they been singing like that, and dancing like that, the whole time?” The choreography has similar highs and lows: effective in moments, but not always as polished as it needs to be for the more intricate sections to feel truly stunning.

Still, by the end, Suffs lands exactly where it needs to. It leaves the audience empowered without pretending that empowerment is the same as change. The show understands that history is not something we revisit for comfort, but something we return to for instruction. Its final message, “your ancestors are all the proof you need / That progress is possible, not guaranteed,” is both a warning and a call to action. Suffs reminds us that the march is not over - and that the responsibility to keep moving belongs to all of us.

Recommended.

Presented by Broadway In Chicago, Suffs is running at CIBC Theatre through July 19th. Tickets are available here.

Oil Lamp Theater, currently presenting The Last Five Years, now extended through July 19, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, music by Joshua Salzman and orchestrations by Larry Hochman, directed by Scott Shallenbarger and music directed by Aaron Kahn, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

Modern dating is a mess. Sometimes to find Mr. Right you need to find Mr. Wrong – even if that means seeing someone stuck on their ex, awkward encounters of the intimate kind and lots of bad coffee dates. Opposites attract in this feel-good musical that will transport you into the heart of your favorite guilty pleasure rom-com. Created by acclaimed musical team Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman and inspired by Jane Austen’s gold-standard romance novel “Pride and Prejudice,” this delightful modern musical will make you fall head over heels.

The cast of I Love You Because includes Aiden McCoy (any with respect, Austin Bennet); Maxwell J DeTogne (any with respect, Jeff Bennet); Hannah Kipp  (she/her, Marcy Fitzwilliams); Kristin Brintnall (she/her, Diana Bingley); Daria Koon (she/they, NYC Woman); Tommy Rothwells (he/him, NYC Man); Freddy Mauricio (he/him, Austin Bennet U/S); Nic Eastlund (he/him, Jeff Bennet U/S); Kaitie Bonds (she/her, Marcy Fitzwilliams U/S); Dominique Ruffalo (she/her, Diana Bingley U/S); Nikki Holladay (she/her, NYC Woman U/S) and Joe Dennis (he/him, NYC Man U/S).

The production team includes Scott Shallenbarger (he/him, director); Aaron Kahn (he/him, music director/accompanist); Bob Knuth (he/him, scenic designer); Devin Meseke (he/him, properties designer); Maya Reter (she/her, sound designer); Sara Segneri (she/her, stage manager); Danielle Reinhardt (she/her, costume designer); Conner Nicoson (they/them, technical director); Connor Windle (she/her, production manager) and Rose Leisner (she/her, company manager).

ABOUT SCOTT SHALLENBARGER, DIRECTOR

Scott Shallenbarger makes his Oil Lamp debut with I Love You Because. Representative credits include Miracle on South Division Street, I And You, Baby the Musical (Citadel Theatre); Les Miserables (Uptown Music Theatre Company); The Glass Menagerie, Six Degrees of Separation, The Road to Mecca, Hot L Baltimore, The Children’s Crusade (Raven Theatre); Jeffrey and Love, Valor, Compassion (Hubris Productions) and Skyscraper (Piven Theatre). Shallenbarger is a published playwright and teaching artist who would like to thank you, dear audience, for attending live theatre. 

ABOUT AARON KAHN, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Aaron Kahn is thrilled to be returning to Oil Lamp after previously working on the productions of It’s A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play and The Marvelous Wonderettes. Kahn is also a private voice teacher at the Christopher Laughlin School of Music in Northbrook and is a staff accompanist at Carthage College. Other favorite music and assistant music direction credits include: Fugitive Songs (Stagedoor Manor); Mel Brooks’ The Producers (Music Theater Works); A Little Night Music (Theo Ubique) and Spring Awakening (4 Chairs Theatre). 

MORE FROM FROM OIL LAMP THEATER

Dial M for Murder

October 2 – November 1, 2026

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott

Directed by Daniel King

Preview Performances: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. 

Opening Night: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. 

Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one will see coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspense is to die for…

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

November 20 - December 27, 2026

Adapted by Joe Landry

Directed by Becca Holloway

Preview Performances: Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. 

Opening Night: Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. 

Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. (Understudy Performance); Wednesday Dec. 16 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The holiday tradition returns for its 13th year. Audiences may experience unmatched holiday cheer with Frank Capra's beloved classic, “It's a Wonderful Life,” reimagined as a captivating live radio play, complete with foley sound effects and set in our own WBFR radio studio.

Journey to Bedford Falls, where George Bailey's troubles lead him to wish he was never born. Clarence, an angel sent to intervene, steps in to make his wishes come true and George quickly learns just how many lives he has touched and just how blessed he really is.

*All productions, dates, creatives, etc. are subject to change.

ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER

Oil Lamp Theater is a professional nonprofit performing arts organization in Glenview, Illinois, welcoming over 10,000 patrons annually from more than 225 communities—41% from Glenview and others from across the North Shore and Chicago. Since establishing its intimate 60-seat home in downtown Glenview in 2012, Oil Lamp has grown into a cultural beacon, earning recognition as “Best Live Theatre in the North Shore” for four consecutive years.

With more than 70 productions to date, Oil Lamp is known for its dynamic Mainstage season, special events and its resilience during the pandemic, when it innovated with drive-in performances and outdoor productions. Today, the theatre continues to foster connection, broaden horizons and illuminate the human condition through professional theater and year-round programming.

In addition to its productions, Oil Lamp Theater operates Oil Lamp Academy, its education branch dedicated to “Training for Life Through the Performing Arts.” In 2025 alone, the program served more than 230 students ages three to 97 years old, offering classes that use theater as a pathway to build confidence, creativity and lifelong skills.

This past September, Oil Lamp launched  Light The Way, a transformative fundraising campaign designed to expand arts education, strengthen essential staff and establish a larger performance venue with the goal of staying in downtown Glenview. Building on its roots as a scrappy storefront, Oil Lamp is evolving into a more robust organization—without losing the intimacy and warmth that define its theater experience. Oil Lamp Theater hopes this announcement inspires excitement throughout the community. Stay tuned as additional news is shared in the near future. For information or to support the campaign go to OilLampTheater.org/Light-the-Way or reach out to Oil Lamp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Oil Lamp Theater, currently presenting The Last Five Years, now extended through July 19, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production, I Love You Because, August 14 - September 13, book and lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, music by Joshua Salzman and orchestrations by Larry Hochman, directed by Scott Shallenbarger and music directed by Aaron Kahn, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., with an opening performance Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. (which is an understudy performance); Wednesday, Sept.. 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.  

Goodman Theatre’s Iceboy! arrives as a gleefully off the rails musical that blends Broadway glamour, Neanderthal chaos, and theatrical myth making into one of the most delightfully strange premises to hit Chicago in years. It’s a satire, a love letter to showbiz, and a playful reimagining of how Eugene O’Neill might have found inspiration for The Iceman Cometh - if history had taken a wildly different turn.

Set in 1939, Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh” follows Broadway superstar Vera Vimm, who purchases the newly thawed 40,000‑year‑old Neanderthal after he’s discovered in the Arctic. An orphan herself, Vera risks the last of her money because she sees in Iceboy not just a curiosity, but the possibility of a son. Once he thaws, “Iceboy” unexpectedly becomes a theatrical sensation, charming Manhattan and quickly rising to stardom. His meteoric fame threatens Vera’s own spotlight, creating a comic rivalry as she scrambles to maintain her status.

Meanwhile, playwright Eugene O’Neill - stuck in a bout of severe writer’s block - becomes fascinated by Iceboy’s sudden cultural impact. In this fictionalized retelling, Iceboy’s presence and persona inspire O’Neill to write The Iceman Cometh, intertwining the Neanderthal’s improbable celebrity with one of American theatre’s most iconic works. The musical plays as a satirical backstage romp - part showbiz fable, part absurdist comedy - where ambition, ego, and theatrical legend collide, all delivered with a cheerful, madcap sensibility that feels straight out of the Mel Brooks playbook. The tone is broad, cheeky, and joyfully irreverent, embracing the kind of anything goes comic mayhem Brooks perfected in The Producers and Young Frankenstein.

Megan Mullally as Vera Vimm and Nick Offerman as Eugene O'Neill in Iceboy! at Goodman Theatre. Photos by Todd Rosenberg.

To appreciate just how boldly Iceboy! reframes O’Neill’s legacy, it helps to remember what The Iceman Cometh actually is.

O’Neill’s future Pulitzer Prize offering inspired a four-hour film that’s essentially a parade of drunks in a dim bar, each clinging to dreams they’ll never pursue - the bar itself a metaphor for their inability to move forward, trapped in the same place both physically and emotionally. The 1973 film adaptation centers on the down and out patrons of Harry Hope’s saloon in 1912 Greenwich Village. These men - alcoholics, former revolutionaries, disgraced professionals - spend their days drowning in booze and clinging to “pipe dreams” of future redemption.

Their routine is disrupted when charismatic salesman Theodore “Hickey” Hickman arrives - sober, zealous, and determined to force everyone to abandon their illusions. Hickey’s mission to strip the barflies of their comforting fantasies leads to emotional unraveling, bitter confrontations, and ultimately a chilling confession about his own past. The story is a tragic, philosophical exploration of hope, delusion, and the brutal cost of facing reality.

All of that brooding, booze-soaked existentialism makes Iceboy!’s approach even more refreshing. Where O’Neill’s world traps its characters, this musical unleashes its own with joyful abandon - led by an ensemble so charismatic and so sharply funny that the show vibrates with life.

Guiding the production is director Marc Bruni, who shapes the show with crisp timing and a clear sense of comic architecture, keeping its wild premise buoyant without letting it unravel. The music by Mark Hollmann gives the story a light, upbeat foundation, and the lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss add steady humor throughout. The book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Reiss keeps the tone approachable, offering just enough structure for the characters to play within. Joann M. Hunter’s choreography provides simple, well‑placed movement that supports the show’s comic rhythm without calling attention to itself.

It certainly helps that Iceboy! is powered by an outrageously talented and instantly likeable ensemble. Husband and wife duo Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally make a dynamite team - Offerman is superb, bringing his signature deadpan charm to Eugene O’Neill, the same understated precision and dry, unflappable humor that’s made him beloved in Parks and Recreation, Devs, and The Last of Us. Mullally, best known for her Emmy winning turn as Karen Walker on Will & Grace, her unforgettable Tammy II opposite husband Nick Offerman on Parks and Recreation, and her Broadway run in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, delivers a riotously funny, razor sharp performance as Broadway titan Vera Vimm. She tears into the role with fearless comic bravado and vocal firepower that reminds you she’s a true musical theatre pro - her belt is thrilling, her phrasing wickedly playful, and her comedic musicality is a show in itself. Few performers can time a sharp aside with Mullally’s precision.

(L-R) Melanie Brezill, Shawn Pfautsch, Megan Mullally, SarahStiles and Grey Henson in Iceboy!

Cedric Yarbrough, best known for Reno 911! and Speechless, is terrific as Floyd Richards, Vera’s devoted lover and perpetually stressed playwright. He brings a warm, rumpled charm to the role, layering Floyd’s desperation with impeccable timing, sly vocal humor, and a steady stream of perfectly landed one-liners. His presence gives the show a grounded comic pulse that keeps the chaos humming - and his baritone is impressive.

Chicago favorite Alex Goodrich is a delight as Frankenstein, one of Vera’s long-suffering caretakers, layering the role with buoyant physical comedy and a wonderfully off-kilter energy that fits the show’s boisterous comic verve.

As Iceboy or “Jeff,” Grey Henson is a revelation - wide eyed, instinctive, and musically explosive. He plays the Neanderthal with such innocence and uninhibited theatrical gusto that the audience can’t help but root for him. He’s a genuine surprise as well, offering several scene-stealing moments that deepen the show’s comic momentum and give its wild energy an extra spark.

And Sarah Stiles, as Lambert, Vera’s whip‑smart, perpetually overwhelmed assistant, makes every appearance count with her explosive comedic instincts and razor‑precise delivery. Her timing is immaculate - every flustered aside, every clipped retort, every moment of mounting panic lands with such clarity and control that she elevates even the smallest beat. Stiles has a way of shaping a line so it hits with both intelligence and impact, turning Lambert’s exasperation into one of the show’s most consistently funny throughlines.

Together, this ensemble - Offerman, Mullally, Yarbrough, Henson, Stiles, Goodrich, and a bench of other strong players rounding out the cast - forms an ecstatically silly comedy machine, a group so talented and irresistibly likeable that the laughs never let up and every performer feels essential to the show’s delirious momentum.

The musical numbers are wonderfully fun. Songs like the opening number “Historic Find,” the gloriously unhinged “Can You Call Me ‘Mama’?,” and the full company showstopper “Hooray for Iceboy!” set the tone for the musical’s raucous spirit. Each one is packed with sharp wit, big Broadway energy, and the kind of gleeful absurdity that keeps the audience laughing long after the button. “Historic Find” opens the show with a clean burst of discovery‑driven momentum, “Can You Call Me ‘Mama’?” makes full use of Mullally and Henson's sharp comic instincts, and “Hooray for Iceboy!” brings the full company together for a lighthearted, good‑natured celebration. This sample size of songs highlights how musically nimble and consistently funny Iceboy! is - a score that shifts easily between cleverness, silliness, and moments of heightened theatrical play.

One of the funniest musical numbers in the show is “Marry Me,” sung with perfect comic contrast by Grey Henson and Sarah Stiles. In it, Iceboy proposes to Lambert with disarming sincerity, offering what he believes are tender declarations of affection - only to fold in a series of prehistoric “courtship traditions” drawn from his caveman understanding of romance. Throughout the song Iceboy sings to her, “I want to take you from behind,” his way of saying he'd like to marry her. The result is a wonderfully off‑balance duet that lands as one of the show’s most genuinely hilarious moments.

Adding to the show’s irresistible charm is the fantastic Art Deco set designed by Paul Tate Depoo, which instantly places us inside Vera Vimm’s lavish living room - all gleaming lines, bold geometry, and glamorous period detail. Depoo’s design captures the theatrical excess of 1939 Broadway while giving the actors a playground of visual delight. On each side of the stage, Eugene O’Neill’s writing desks sit like dueling stations of inspiration and frustration, a clever touch that keeps his presence woven into the action. And, true to O’Neill’s legacy, there’s always a bottle within reach, a sly nod that becomes both a running joke and a thematic anchor. It’s a smart, stylish environment that supports the comedy while grounding the show in a richly imagined world.

Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh” is an outrageously inventive, joy-charged burst of musical comedy that proves Goodman Theatre can still surprise us in the best possible ways. With its fearless cast, sharp writing, and deliriously fun score, it’s the kind of show that sends you out grinning and grateful for the sheer imagination on display. Iceboy! runs through August 9th at Goodman Theatre and stands as one of the most riotously entertaining nights out you’ll find this summer.

Very highly recommended.

Now extended through August 16th. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.

Opera Festival of Chicago continues its season with two mainstage productions - La Bohème and Adriana Lecouvreur - each featuring the Opera Festival of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus and performed at the George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. 

I had the chance to see Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, directed by Festival General Director Sasha Gerritson and conducted by Sir Emanuele Adrizzi, and it proved to be an outstanding, deeply felt evening of music and drama.

Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème unfolds in the chilly garrets and bustling cafés of 1830s Paris, where a group of young artists survive on charm, wit, and the fragile hope that beauty might be enough to sustain them. The opera begins in a drafty attic shared by the poet Rodolfo and the painter Marcello, whose playful banter masks the hunger and hardship of their bohemian life. Everything shifts when Mimì, a shy, dreamy seamstress with a failing candle and failing health, knocks on their door. Her tender connection with Rodolfo ignites instantly, carrying them into the vibrant chaos of Café Momus, where Marcello’s fiery former lover Musetta steals the spotlight with her flirtations and razor‑sharp instincts.

But as winter settles in, the opera’s warmth gives way to harsher truths. Only the rich are safe and well fed in this cold bleak landscape of artistic poverty. Mimì’s illness worsens, and Rodolfo’s fear of losing her fractures their love, even as they cling to moments of sweetness. Both Mimì and Rodolfo are swept up in the sudden, poetic rush of feeling that sparks between them during their first meeting over her extinguished candle, a moment Puccini shapes with irresistible warmth. Their ensuing duet, “O soave fanciulla,” is written as a rush of idealized, almost dreamlike love - sung here with such radiance that it feels too perfect to endure, and tragically it doesn’t, as the briefness of their time together becomes one of the opera’s most heartbreaking truths. 

By the final act, the bohemians reunite in their attic, trying to conjure laughter out of scarcity, until Musetta arrives with the gravely weakened Mimì. What follows is one of opera’s most devastating endings: a quiet, intimate vigil as Rodolfo realizes too late that the love he tried to protect has slipped beyond saving. Puccini shapes this world with music that aches, soars, and ultimately reminds us how fiercely we hold on to joy, even as life insists on its fragility. Puccini also paints a world in which artists of every stripe are routinely exploited by the comfortable classes - the dull rich, who commission work and then pay only sporadically, as if deprivation were somehow a necessary ingredient of genius. In reality, it is the indifference of these wealthy patrons that forces the bohemians into constant hardship, driving them to beg, borrow, and even steal simply to keep food on the table and have their housing bills covered.  

(L to R) Alexandra Razskazoff, “Mimi” and Nathan Granner, “Rodolfo” in LA BOHÈME. Photos by A.Deran Photography.

This La Bohème features a cast whose vocal and dramatic instincts sharpen Puccini’s world into something immediate and deeply felt. Alexandra Razskazoff’s Mimì is nothing short of luminous - her soprano glowing with warmth yet edged with delicacy, embodying a young woman whose softness hides a life lived perilously close to the margins. A rising artist with an increasingly international footprint, Razskazoff traces Mimì’s arc with such emotional transparency that her final moments land with quiet, devastating force. Opposite her, tenor Nathan Granner brings a beautifully burnished tone and an instinctive musicality to Rodolfo. Long admired for his expressive phrasing and crossover versatility, Granner sings with a poet’s sensitivity; his Rodolfo is impulsive, romantic, and heartbreakingly human, especially as love and fear begin to pull him apart.

Catherine Antonia Samartin lights up the stage as Musetta, her bright, agile soprano and irresistible charisma making every entrance feel like a spark catching fire. Musetta is also the victim of this us versus them world where her beauty and charms are commodified on the older wealthy man she is forced to keep company with in order to receive her beautiful wardrobe and warm home to live in. Her scenes with Kenneth Stavert’s Marcello are especially electric. Stavert, with his rich, grounded baritone and wonderfully lived‑in ease, brings both humor and heart to the painter whose bravado barely conceals his vulnerability. Anthony Reed’s Colline provides a beautifully resonant counterweight to the lovers’ volatility - his “Vecchia zimarra” delivered with a quiet, dignified ache that speaks volumes about loyalty and sacrifice. Jonathan Wilson brings quicksilver energy and crisp comedic timing to Schaunard, shaping the role with warmth and buoyancy, while veteran bass William Powers steals scenes with effortless charm as both Benoit and Alcindoro, reminding audiences why he remains one of American opera’s most reliable character treasures. David Greene adds a welcome burst of color as Parpignol, enriching the Act II bustle with a touch of whimsy. This ensemble shapes a Bohème that feels vividly inhabited and emotionally true, a testament to what Puccini’s world becomes when every performer contributes with such specificity, generosity, and heart.

One of the production’s most striking assets is its massive, 50‑plus‑member chorus, whose sheer presence reshapes the entire world of La Bohème. Their sound adds a thrilling sweep to Puccini’s score, amplifying the emotional stakes and giving the bustling Parisian scenes a vivid, lived‑in texture. In Act II especially, the sheer size and vocal richness of the ensemble create a sense of overwhelming festivity, making the Christmas Eve Café Momus tableau feel like a city bursting with life. But the chorus also deepens the opera’s more intimate moments, surrounding the central lovers with a sonic landscape that underscores both the joy and the fragility of their world. It’s a rare gift to hear a chorus of this scale in a production of Bohème, and here it elevates the performance into something grander, more immersive, and undeniably unforgettable.

(L to R) Kenneth Stavert, “Marcello;” Anthony Reed, “Colline;” William Powers, “Benoit;” Nathan Granner, “Rodolfo” and Jonathan Wilson, “Schaunard” in LA BOHÈME from Opera Festival of Chicago. Photos by A.Deran Photography.

The set itself is perfectly workable and the large video boards truly animate the space, supplying shifting imagery of snowfall and other atmospheric touches throughout the evening. Because the opera is sung in Italian, overhead supertitles - crisply projected and easy to follow - add a modern presentational layer that supports the storytelling without ever competing with Puccini’s world. 

This La Bohème resonates with honesty, heart, and thrilling musicality, carried by a cast and chorus performing at the height of their powers. It’s a standout achievement for Opera Festival of Chicago - and a compelling reason to experience not only this production but also their Adriana Lecouvreur, by Francesco Cilea, directed by Shifra Werch and also conducted by Sir Emanuele Andrizzi, which promises its own dramatic and musical rewards.

Recommended.

Performances are held at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. 

La Bohème - Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. 

Adriana Lecouvreur - Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m. and Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $25 to $150 and are available at  www.OperaFestivalChicago.org.

The musical Water for Elephants, presented by Broadway In Chicago and based on Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel, is the rare touring Broadway production that feels like two forms of live entertainment fused perfectly. It is a sweeping musical, yes, but it is also a full-blown circus spectacle – and, more impressively, it manages to blow you away on both fronts.

Told through the memories and ghosts of an elderly Jacob Jankowski, Water for Elephants follows a young Jacob who, under unfortunate circumstances, follows the age-old childhood dream of running away with the circus. The show brings to life the complicated realities behind that fantasy: the idea of stumbling into a secret, self-contained world where danger, wonder, chosen family, and reinvention all exist under one big top. From the moment Jacob enters that world, the audience is drawn in with him.

Particular standouts in the principal cast were Zachary Keller as Jacob Jankowski, whose vocal talent and charisma are matched only by Robert Tully as Older Jacob – the perfect pairing across time. As Marlena, Helen Krushinski commanded the theatre like a pure-of-heart ringmaster, capturing our attention both on trapeze and vocally. However, no one made the audience laugh harder than Tyler West as Walter, the gritty, spunky clown and knife-thrower whose physical comedy was unmatched, projecting every larger-than-life expression to the backs of the theatre.

The show’s creative engine fires on all cylinders: a soaring score from the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co. (The Tale of Despereaux), a sharply crafted book by four‑time Tony Award nominee Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher), and tour direction by Ryan Emmons, faithfully re‑creating Jessica Stone’s Tony‑nominated original staging (Kimberly Akimbo).

(left-right) Connor Sullivan, Helen Krushinski, and Zachary Keller in Water for Elephants. Photos by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade. 

The most immediately astonishing element of this production is, unsurprisingly, the circus work. The show features a truly impressive range of skills, including aerial hoop and silks, Spanish web, trapeze, and dozens of genuinely death-defying acrobatic tricks and stunts. These sequences are not treated as decorative flourishes or occasional spectacle breaks; they are woven directly into the fabric of the show, pulling us behind the scenes of how the circus breathes, moves, celebrates, and survives.

Aside from their incredible acrobatic talent, it is the ensemble’s acting and collective presence that really bring the Benzini Brothers Circus to life. They do not just perform like a group of talented individuals; they feel like a community. Their presence gives the spectacle a lived-in quality, as if we are getting a glimpse into a strange, beautiful little village that existed long before Jacob arrived and will continue on after he leaves. The choreography only deepens that feeling, filling the stage with constant motion that still somehow feels purposeful, like the well-oiled machine behind a traveling circus, rather than chaotic. Even in the busiest moments, there is a sense of shared rhythm and collective trust among the ensemble that’s impossible to fake.

That trust extends beyond performance and into the technical construction of the show itself. Throughout the production, the cast quite literally assembles and dismantles the world around them. The big top is built, broken down, reconfigured, and rebuilt in front of us, using artistry to turn scene transitions into their own kind of performance. For a concept that presents so many obvious challenges – live animals, circus-scale theatricality, and the limitations of a traveling production, to name a few – Water for Elephants meets each obstacle with remarkable creativity and a steady grounding force.

The touring cast of Water for Elephants.

The production design is especially successful because it knows when to lean into abstraction. Rather than attempting to make every element literal, the show often suggests the world of the circus through movement, fabric, shadow, structure, the bodies of its performers, and some of the most beautiful puppets I’ve seen on stage. The amount of thought that went into creating something cohesive, theatrical, and fully transportable - without dulling any of its magic - feels less like standard Broadway stagecraft and more like a feat pulled off by a traveling chosen family.

All of this authenticity, however, at times feels at odds with the musical’s book and score. The ensemble feels so natural, so physically and emotionally connected to one another, that a few of the more dramatic scenes begin to feel noticeably staged by comparison. That is not a question of the principal cast’s talent, but rather a limitation of translating this story from novel to musical. There are moments when the circus – and even the puppets – feels startlingly real, and moments when you are reminded that you are very much watching a musical. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but the gap between them can be jarring. Still, that critique feels small compared to the scale of what the production accomplishes. It is also worth noting how vocally balanced the ensemble remains despite the wide range of performers on stage. In a show that combines musical theatre performers with circus and acrobatic artists, maintaining that level of cohesion is both a performance achievement and a technical one.

Water for Elephants captures the exact feeling it is chasing: awe. It is dangerous, romantic, inventive, and deeply theatrical, with a company that makes the impossible look effortless.

For anyone who has ever wanted to run away with the circus – or simply be reminded of what live performance can do when artists push it to its limits – Water for Elephants is running at James M. Nederlander Theatre through July 5th. Tour information and tickets are available at https://waterforelephantsthemusical.com/.

Overshadowed Theatrical Productions announced their 2026-2027 season entitled “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Moments,” which includes five main stage productions and special events.

Kicking off the season is an original play written by Artistic Director Reba Hervas entitled “Flame of Fire.” The story is inspired by "Operation Auca," a mission to make peaceful contact with an Ecuadorian tribe. Remembering the events 70 years later, this dramatic play follows missionaries Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian and their wives as they bravely prepare for what would change their lives forever. Auditions for this empowering tale will be held on Tuesday, July 28.

For the Christmas season, Overshadowed will present the beloved “It’s a Wonderful Life,” adapted by Jason LeBlanc from the film by Frank Capra. This cherished story follows George Bailey as he discovers the most precious gift thanks to some heavenly help by a quirky angel trying to earn his wings. The film turns 80 years old this year.

In January, the season continues with the family-oriented “James and the Giant Peach (TYA).” Adapted from Roald Dahl's book, this musical follows the adventures of a young boy and his strange new friends as they travel in a giant peach to New York. Book by Timothy Allen McDonald with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known for "Dear Evan Hansen."

The spring will feature a rare Agatha Christie mystery, “The Stranger.” Considered a lost play until 2019, this intriguing tale will have audiences on the edge of their seats as a woman’s whirlwind romance takes a turn when she discovers something about her husband’s past.

The season wraps with the Tony Award-winning “Titanic” with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone. This beautiful musical delivers powerful emotional moments and soaring songs that bring history to life.

The season will also include the return of Shakespeare on the Grass, a partnership with the City of Itasca. “A Midsummer Night's Dream” will be presented on August 15 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at 201-261 S. Walnut Street, Itasca, in the newly renovated gazebo. The event is free and will feature food and beverages for purchase from local vendors.

In February, Overshadowed will also present its annual Valentine’s Day show with a special performer to be announced at a later date.

Season subscriptions are available for purchase on Overshadowed’s website or by calling the box office at (630) 634-2100.

Production Dates:

• “Flame of Fire”: September 18 – October 10, 2026
• “It’s a Wonderful Life”: November 27 – December 19, 2026
• “James and the Giant Peach (TYA)”: January 22 – February 6, 2027
• “The Stranger”: March 12–20 and April 1–10, 2027
• “Titanic”: July 9–31, 2027
• Shakespeare on the Grass: “A Midsummer Night's Dream”: August 15, 2026 (1 p.m. & 4 p.m.)

About Overshadowed Theatrical Productions

For over 20 years, Overshadowed Theatrical Productions has provided high-quality, family-friendly theater that entertains, inspires, and promotes a Biblical message while fostering a positive community atmosphere. The company is also dedicated to training and encouraging the next generation of performers and theater technicians.

Anton Chekhov, a Russian playwright who was also a doctor, can claim a level of regard few writers achieve and maintain so long after their deaths.  Born in 1860, the same year the Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, his plays are routinely produced on stages in America and around the world because of what they reveal about who we are.  That’s especially true for Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, written in 1899, just a few years before the playwright died. Its popularity may be due to its mystery.  Is it about resilience or is it about failure?  Is it a comedy or a tragedy?  It’s the kind of work that leaves you with questions about not only its two main characters, Sonya and her Uncle Vanya, but also about us. 

A part of the city’s theater community since 2011, Astonrep Productions is a small Chicago company intent on “creating compelling and intimate experiences that challenge audiences”.  Their interpretation of Uncle Vanya that opened over the weekend at The Edge Off Broadway succeeds in doing so with some reservations. 

It’s the first American company to mount this commissioned 2024 Canadian adaptation of Chekhov’s classic.  Liisa Repo-Martell’s revamp of the play dutifully adheres to the structure, plot themes and character composition of the original.  But the play’s softer aspects, the features that define its essence and purpose, are less reliable and sure. 

Displeasure with self is one of first things we get a sense of when the play opens. But even before that awareness sets in, there’s a curiosity the audience notices while they’re selecting their seats before the play begins.  A man is slouched in an upholstered chair with one leg over its arm.  He’s at the back of the stage and asleep.  (We later learn he’s passed out drunk.)  Soon after and closer to us, a man and woman are talking.  They’re in the sprawling home of a rural Russian estate well over 100 years ago.  He’s Mikhail Astrov (Robert Tobin), the local doctor and she’s Marina, a housekeeper very ably played by Liz Cloud, who clearly possesses a warm motherly instinct and a sharp wit.   Astrov’s lamenting his fate as a country doctor.  It’s all tedium.  The people are gossip thirsty “savages”.  His life has no fulfillment.  He’s not married.  He’s not in love with anybody and his youth is behind him.  The demands of his work, a sour outlook and his liberties with vodka are catching up with him by slowly dismantling his good looks.

L-R: Robert Tobin, Natalie Hurdle. Photo by Paul Goyette.

By calling him a moron, the doctor’s antipathy for the sleeping man is made clear even before he wakes up.

As more people enter the story, we find ourselves in the middle of a family crisis.  Vanya, the man who was sleeping in the chair, and his niece Sonya (Natalie Hurdle) have been the caretakers of the estate since her mother died.  Sonya’s father, Alexandre (Geoff Isaac), is a professor in the city who’s been forced out of his university position and has now returned to the homestead.  He’d been relying on income from the estate to support his lifestyle in town.  He’s not returned alone.  Joining him is his much younger and very beautiful second wife, Yelena, with Andi Muriel in the role. Things are tense.  Alexandre’s pompous and obliviously demanding.  And Vanya, played with visceral intensity by Rian Jairell, is demonstrably resentful. 

An appeasing conflict avoider, Sonya’s loyalties are split between the natural draw a child has to her father and her uncle who’s labored with her to keep the estate viable at tremendous personal sacrifice to them both.  Now a young woman, she seems to know it’s Vanya who’s been more the nurturing father presence for her and that other than each other, the estate is all that either of them have.   

Additional strain is added with the presence of Yelena.  Her beauty is like an intoxicant for both Vanya and the dissatisfied doctor, Astrov.  They’re both brazen in their desire for her.  Watching them shamelessly try to seduce her is equal parts comic and piteous.

With so much instability, friction and doubt in the air, you’d expect to feel the charge of that energy engulfing the air.  Directed by Derek Bertelsen, it doesn’t arrive with any real intensity until the second act when Sonya’s father floats the idea of selling the estate. And that’s despite the considerable investments Jairell as Vanya had been contributing up to that point.  Because It’s so transparent Alexandre wants the money from the sale to fund his return to the city and his refined form of living, Vanya’s resentment turns to rage.  Finally filling the production with heat.

It dials up too when Sonya confesses her attraction, indeed love, for Astrov to Yelena.  Unrequited never looked so vulnerable and fragile.  

Part of Repo-Martell’s adaptation included revising the language to be more contemporary and ostensibly more approachable.  It works in an essential way.  Both Jeremiah Barr’s handsome set and Natalie Shoch’s costume designs are ambiguous enough to blur any specific time reference.  But in the back of your mind you know this is all happening in a very distant time and place.  One where duty and tradition held much more sway.  That difference can often be found in the words used to express and explain obligations and choices.  Here there’s a nagging sense that you may be missing important steppingstones.

In the end, things aren’t much different from where we found them in the beginning.  Except everyone is much more depleted.  Drained.  But still tasked with shouldering their disappointments and continuing with their lives.  In Chekhov’s original script, the word “rest” is used to represent that place of willful resignation that amounts to acceptance of one’s inevitable destiny.  In this adaptation, the word “peace” is substituted.  They say the same thing about something we’ve all experienced. When we’ve had to pull ourselves up out of the ashes and push forward.  Uncle Vanya brings that feeling front and center and offers understanding through catharsis.  That alone will keep it in heavy production for a few more centuries at least.

Uncle Vanya

Through July 5, 2026

Astonrep Productions

Venue:  The Edge Off Broadway

1133 W. Catalpa Avenue

Chicago, IL  60640

For more information or tickets:  https://www.astonrep.com

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