A Year with Frog and Toad
The long-awaited Chicago Children's Theatre's inaugural production, Robert and Willie Reale's adaptation of the beloved children's stories by Arnold Lobel, A Year with Frog and Toad , has opened in the Owen Theatre at The Goodman and what a marvelous experience for the young and young at heart. Director Henry Godinez has put together five top-notch performers to portray the adventures of two best friends as Spring arrives and until Winter prepares them for hibernation once again.
Joseph Anthony Foronda is a wonderful Frog who proves he can handle any role and Bradley Mott, a true "character actor," has a flair for comedy demonstrated by his Toad. The ensemble (Julie Ruth, Ora Jones and La Shawn Banks) takes on all of the other roles from the birds to squirrels, a mouse, a lizard, moles and a snail. They all perform over 90 minutes of songs (led by Jonathan Mastro) and dances (Choreography by Marla Lampert) on adorable sets by Geoffrey M Curley and using delightful props and foliage designed by Scott Pondrom. The costumes by Rachel Healy are fun, and the sound (Andre Pluess and Ray Nardelli) is first-rate.
The biggest problem facing this new company is living up to the standard set by this production.
A Year with Frog and Toad
The Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn
Tickets: $17-$38
Reservations: 312-443-3800 or visit www.goodman-theatre.org
through March 5th
The Well-Appointed Room
Tony Award winner Richard Greenberg ( Take Me Out , The Dazzle ) returns to Steppenwolf Theatre with yet another world premiere. "The Well Appointed Room" is two one act plays linked together by the actual apartment where both stories take place and by the catastrophe of 9/11.
The first story, Nostalgia , worth the price of admission on its own, deals with a playwright (Tracy Letts) and his wife (Amy Morton). He is the confident, optimistic American who on a perfect Sunday morning is preparing their perfect Sunday breakfast. She starts the day off on an explosive note and as the story proceeds, little by little destroys all of what has seemed to be their perfect marriage, walking out at the very end of the story. Their relationship is not equally shared—he feeling that everything was ideal and she just waiting for the right moment to depart. We are left to question how much 9/11 had to do with this result, and how much each of us searched into our past after this ordeal.
The second story called Prolepsis , less realistic and lacking a feeling of completion despite wonderful acting, starts in 2000 as Mark (Josh Charles) and Gretchen (Kate Arrington) meet at a bus stop during a rainstorm. They begin to date, wed and soon Gretchin is pregnant (although this period seemed to go on for a lot more than nine months). Mark, narrating the entire story and talking to the audience from time to time, is the "new" post 9/11 American. Everything appears to be perfect for this happy couple. After searching far and wide, they buy the apartment whose owner ate himself to death (he exploded) and ergo, "the Well Appointed Room" is on the market. One rainy night, Gretchen meets another man and from this meeting on their lives begin to slide downhill. The mystery man is played by Tracy Letts (and Ms. Morton also takes on another role in the second play as well.) See this production, if for nothing else, the sheer energy that Mr. Letts and Ms. Morton bring to their roles. Terry Kinney's direction is superb and Robert Brill's set is very realistic. The projections (Sage Marie Carter) on the scrim to start the second play are wonderful and the music and sound by Rob Milburn & Michael Bodeen truly help to set the tone.
The Well-Appointed Room
Steppenwolf Theatre
Tickets: $20-$60
Reservations: 312-335-1650 or online at www.steppenwolf.org
through March 12th
Run for Your Wife
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights has put together another English farce, Run For Your Wife and it hits the spot. The story is about John Smith, a London Taxi driver who has two wives and two homes and he juggles them very nicely until, one night, he attempts to rescue an older woman being mugged and ends up being injured and is taken to the hospital. Both of his wives are concerned about his whereabouts and each calls their local police department (the two homes are 4 1/2 minutes apart by taxi, but in different towns) to report him missing. The two police officers' investigation leads to a series of a hilarious combination of lies, more lies and bigger lies, until the truth comes out and then—well, I won't spoil it for you, but the ending is hysterical.
Director Daniel Scott has assemble a very sharp cast to handle the roles written by Ray Cooney ( known for light, slapstick comedy) on a wonderful set by Dustin Efird. The use of one set to represent both apartments was a great idea, and the opening scene where both the wives called the police, sitting on the same sofa, was amusing and required strong timing which was handled well by Rossana Di Silvio Woldman as Mary (the first and older wife) and Erin Ordway as Barbara (the younger, voluptuous wife). Also excellent were Eric Lenhart (Detective Troughton), Charlie Beck (Detective Porterhouse) and Andrew J. Pond as Bobby Franklyn (the upstairs neighbor at the second apartment (his "gayness" is perfect). And well-timed is the interplay between John Smith (Rick Smith has a wonderful face for comedy/farce) and his upstairs neighbor Stanley at the old house (show stealer J. Ben Parker who makes every sentence, every gesture and every move a focal point). In a farce, timing is essential and this cast works as a unit under the solid direction of Mr. Scott.
Run for Your Wife
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
111 W. Campbell
Tickets: $27-$37
Reservations: 847-577-2121 or online at www.metropolisarts.com
through March 5th
The Boys Next Door
A pure theatrical treat describes the Provision Theater Company's production of Tom Griffin's The Boys Next Door at The Theatre Building Chicago on Belmont. We enter the world of the mentally and emotionally challenged and see the obstacles in their lives, and Griffin does this with a warm and caring touch. Director Lou Contey has assembled a marvelous group of actors: Timothy Gregory is Jack, the caretaker of the four main characters; Arnold (a spirited performance by Scott Aillo), Lucien (Robert Cornelius), Barry (Dennis Grimes, more emotionally disturbed than retarded) and Norman (brilliantly played by the very funny Brian McCartney). Nancy Parlapiano adds a wonderful touch as Sheila (Norman's girlfriend) and they have a dynamic scene to end act one with some breathless dance steps.
This is a theatrical experience for teaching us about a world that most of us really know very little about and this cast makes it all appear very real.
The Boys Next Door
The Theatre Building
1225 W. Belmont, Chicago
Tickets: $25
Reservations: 773-327-5252 or at any Ticketmaster outlet or www.ticketmaster.com
through March 5th
Alan Bresloff writes theater reviews in the Chicago area.
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