Tag: musical

Theo Ubique Little Night Music

I knew there will be video clips later, and here it comes! Enjoy!

Theo: Little Night Music

I went there with a friend on Friday night: great as always! Unfortunately, they don’t post any videos until the show is almost over, so the only thing I have now is this collage of promotional photos.

My friend said that she feels this show would be better on a bigger stage, but I love how Theo does it in an intimate setting, with the artists moving around the tables. I’ve subscribed for their next season. Unfortunately, I didn’t talk my friend into the subscription, so it looks like I will have to buy an extra ticket for each show separately 🙂

Death Becomes Her

My neighbor, with whom we have most of the subscriptions, is traveling for the next couple of weeks, so we exchanged tickets for several shows. We ended up with three shows in one week, and that’s why I was unable to go to Joffrey one more time.

That being said, on Friday, it was Death Becomes Her. As I learned later, it was the week of the world premiere, and Chicago was fortunate to experience a pre-Broadway run of this show.

It was perfect in all possible ways. Brilliant acting, singing, and dancing, amazing costumes, sets, and stunts. It reminded me of Karel Capel’s play Makropulos Affair. I love pretty much everything Karel Capek has written, including his short stories and plays, and I think his legacy has been unjustly forgotten. The Makropulos Affair and The White Disease are my favorites, and I am so sad that his plays never get any attention anymore. Even RUR, which gave the world the word “robot” – how many people know what it’s about?

In any case, Death Becomes Her reminded me of one of my favorites. Since the show has just been launched, there are very few videos available, and they do not give any idea about how awesome the show is. I hope there will be more to come!

Theo: A Tribute To Sondheim

I finally found clips from yesterday’s performance!

Theatrical

Very briefly about my two cultural outings.

We saw Purpose At Steppenwolf with Igor a week ago. I didn’t like it that much. I was hoping I would like it a lot, but in the end, my impressions are inconclusive. The reason might sound ridiculous: I felt like “they talked too much.” But seriously, the play starts with a very long monologue of the main character, and there are multiple very long monologues closer to the end. And also, possibly because it was still a preview performance, many of them didn’t sound natural. All characters were perfectly recognizable, and I liked all the actors, but still, I didn’t get a feeling of play as one powerful piece, as I was hoping for.

Then, I went to see Peter Pan at Nederlander Theater on Thursday, and that was a pure joy! So well put together, the music, the set – everything, The flights are done so naturally, it’s so easy to believe :). Knowing a little bit about young actors and what it takes, I can only admire the work of the producers, especially having how big the roles are.

We went home with some magic dust 🙂

Assassins At Theo

The week is almost over, but it feels like it was just yesterday: I went to Theo to see a performance of Assassins with my long-time friend who is very much into musical theater.

That was a perfect outing for us! The first time I saw a show at Theo, I loved it but realized I wanted to be at the table. Then, I subscribed for a table sitting, and it was awesome. This time, I added a ticket for my friend and dinner for both of us. I didn’t want to add a dinner just of myself, and I was not sure whether I wanted to spend an extra hour and a half in the theater before the performance. With my friend, however, everything was just perfect!

We both liked the food, and we had enough time for a long conversation, and she liked the show, and she liked the whole cabaret idea (and I liked it, too!).

Today, I was finally able to find a show clip, which I am happy to post.

And here is more reading about the musical. It is running for five more weeks! (And I just can’t believe I am so fortunate to have several amazing theaters so close to home)

A Wonderful World Musical

This is a new musical about the life and career of Louis Armstrong, and I went to see it on Friday. That was one of the conflicts my neighbor and I an into because of having too many subscriptions :). Two long shows in two consecutive days is not a great idea, especially approaching the end of a busy week.

I really liked the singers, and the dances, and everything was spectacular, but I felt less impressed than the night before at Joffrey.

All pictures are from the playbill.

Theo Cabaret: Baked!

I learned about Theo almost by accident (I don’t even remember where I saw the ad), went to see the Three Penny Opera, and loved them! And I decided to subscribe for a season – just one seat for each performance, without my neighbor or anybody. When we went there together with Boris, we had the side seats, and I realized that if I wanted to have the best experience there, I needed to be at a table. That’s what I subscribed for, and it was a perfect experience indeed.

The authors of Baked! are young, and so is the cast, and it’s a little bit silly and naive but also heartbreakingly sincere! I really enjoyed it!

MJ Musical

this musical was a part of my Boadway in Chicago subscription, and my neighbor with whom we share this subscription had a conflict, and then her conflict ran into my conflict, and finally, the only show we could see was the last one. And then she got COVID. And then she recovered but was still too weak to do things. And finally, she said she could make it!

We went on Friday night, and that was the beginning of my long weekend. The day at work was unbelievably quiet (after the end of the month, the end of the quarter, and before the long weekend, there was virtually nobody in the office). We were dismissed about 3-30, and I spent the next two and a half hours doing my things and picking up loose ends.

And then we went to the show, and it was fantastic!

The music was extremely moving and energizing, and since we sat very closely, we weree so absorbed by the music that we could not even talk after the show ended. We just repeated to each other: It was so good!

An Opera Close To Home

How come I didn’t know about the Theo Ubique Cabaret until I saw a review in Tribune a couple of weeks ago?! I purchased tickets for Saturday night because I wanted to go somewhere with Boris after the conference, and I didn’t want to return late from the Loop.

I was so tired by Friday evening, and even more by Saturday afternoon, that I thought that I would let these tickets go, the would be no fun when I am so tired. And you’ve already guessed – I am happy we went.

Here is a review of the show I found online, and the last paragraph says:

With all its conflicts and contradictions–including the fact that this anti-capitalist broadside is being presented by a non-union company–this is still the single best Brecht production I’ve ever seen on a Chicago stage. Veteran director Anzevino and company know what works in cabaret, and the concept–dark, broad and boldly theatrical–is right on target. This “Threepenny Opera” is not pretty, but it is indeed art. And if the theater gods are just, it will be a hit.

And I agree!