Latest from Steven Oxman | For the Sun-Times
Directed by Audrey Francis, Noah Diaz’s play is a delicate, whimsical and evocatively elusive work of imagination about illness and death. And money. And acting, sort of. And “The Wizard of Oz.”
What book writer David Lindsay-Abaire, composer Jeanine Tesori and director Jessica Stone get so right is the way they blend the extreme with the ordinary, the aching with the whimsical, the relatable with the ridiculous.
“42 Balloons” has a lot of retro style, the type that blends nostalgic fondness with a whole lot of self-conscious winking.
What makes “Hymn” genuinely special is the relaxed authenticity of the performances and the fluid elegance of director Ron OJ Parson’s production, both made possible by the inspired choice by playwright Lolita Chakrabarti to adapt the play to Chicago’s South Side.
Director Charles Newell’s production is a thrillingly staged piece of theater, uncannily appropriate to the moment.
There’s really no question that “Henry Johnson” is David Mamet’s best play in many years.
The Writers Theatre production considers language in all its contradictions, as a vehicle for understanding and misunderstanding, human progress and historical loss.
The intense drama may not be among Suzan-Lori Parks’ most immediately satisfying works, but it is so evocative, so layered, so thought-provoking, that it should be seen and treasured.
Susan Booth’s staging offers slick designs, evocative transitions and the TV familiarity of Helen Hunt and Robert Sean Leonard. Ultimately, though, this is a production that loses more and more steam as it continues.
Company veteran Caroline Neff and newcomer Nick Gehlfuss perfectly inhabit the volatile couple in Sam Shepard’s twisted love story.