Emily McClanathan - Page 3

Chicago actor Christine Bunuan stars as Gigi in the national tour of MISS SAIGON, which plays at Broadway in Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre November 14 through December 8. Bunuan recently spoke to BroadwayWorld Chicago about bringing this epic love story on the road.

Though often described as a 'universal language,' music, perhaps more than any other art form, is intricately linked to the memories and emotions of the individual. LADY IN DENMARK celebrates the power of music to weave together the strands of one life: in this case, the songs of Billie Holiday and the reminiscences of a fictional, elderly Danish immigrant living in Chicago.

Author Michael Morpurgo (of WAR HORSE fame) once interviewed three World War One veterans from rural England and later wrote, 'There was no poetry in their stories, only horror and regret and great sadness for the loss of good friends.' In PRIVATE PEACEFUL, Morpurgo captures this horror, regret, and sadness, but there is also profound poetry in his ode to the futility and injustice of war.

After performing in HELLO, DOLLY! on Broadway, Jess LeProtto currently stars as Barnaby Tucker in the first national tour of the Tony Award-winning revival. In advance of the tour's four-week engagement at Broadway in Chicago's Oriental Theatre, I spoke with Jess about taking this heart-warming, hilarious Broadway hit on the road.

The Irish Times Best Actor nominee Shane O'Regan stars in PRIVATE PEACEFUL, Simon Reade's stage adaptation of the novel by Michael Morpurgo, the celebrated author of WAR HORSE. This story of World War One charts the life of a young soldier, Thomas 'Tommo' Peaceful, who faces the firing squad for cowardice. After critically acclaimed tours across Ireland in 2017 and 2018, the production recently embarked on a tour of the U.S. and is now playing at Chicago's Greenhouse Theater. I had the opportunity to interview Shane O'Regan and discuss the tragedy of WWI, the beauty of Michael Morpurgo's writing, and the challenge of playing 24 characters in a one-man show.

It's not uncommon for artists to create beauty from the pain of their own pasts, but few do it as bravely and poignantly as David Cale in WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. Staged in the Goodman Theatre's largest venue and programmed as the subscription season opener, this 90-minute, one-man show packs an emotional punch in the most understated of ways.

Drury Lane Theatre's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS brilliantly captures the dark comedy of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's popular musical, based on the low-budget 1960 horror film. Scott Calcagno directs a cast who masterfully balance the campy humor with genuinely moving performances as the hapless inhabitants of Skid Row.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but in SWEET CHARITY, it's all in the leading lady's name. Charity Hope Valentine: the dance hall hostess who gives away her last dime to those in need, remains boundlessly optimistic no matter what life throws her way, and, above all, believes in finding love.

In true Dostoyevsky fashion, Shattered Globe Theatre's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT examines human depravity and the desperation that can drive people to appalling extremes. And the view is as bleak as a Siberian winter: under the direction of Louis Contey, the ensemble cast fills the intimate space at Theater Wit with a tension that rarely relents over the course of nearly three hours.

Paramount Theatre's production of LEGALLY BLONDE-THE MUSICAL lands the familiar tale of sorority-girl-turned-lawyer Elle Woods firmly in 2018, and it works well. Based on the 2001 movie, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2007, and, unlike some stage adaptations of beloved chick flicks, still resonates in today's post-Weinstein world. A strong female protagonist, working hard to achieve her goals, leaves behind toxic relationships and surrounds herself with people who believe in building each other up. While the narrative is empowering, LEGALLY BLONDE never lets the tone get too serious, with plenty of humor, larger-than-life characters, impressive dance numbers, and all the glitz, glam, and 'Omigod's that one would expect from the women of UCLA's Delta Nu.

In a charming take on Cole Porter's 1930s musical, Music Theater Works' ANYTHING GOES delivers lively big-band music, crowd-pleasing dance numbers, and a hearty dose of nostalgia. Directed by Rudy Hogenmiller and choreographed by Clayton Cross, a strong ensemble cast brings to life an eclectic assortment of characters-nightclub singers, undercover gangsters, hapless young lovers, a drunken businessman, a bumbling aristocrat, and more. Brought together in the confines of a transatlantic ocean liner, mischief and misunderstandings abound in true P.G. Wodehouse* fashion, until a series of farcical ruses brings about the inevitable happy ending, complete with a wedding (or three).

It is no small feat to create a believable portrait of a great artist that pays equal homage to their creative genius and their ordinary hopes, struggles, and failures. Playwright Jim McGrath does exactly this for Ernest Hemingway in PAMPLONA. Under Robert Falls' direction, renowned actor Stacy Keach returns to the role he was meant to play in spring of 2017, before a mild heart attack prevented the Goodman's world premiere production from opening. It was worth the wait.

It's difficult to remember the last show that made me laugh as much as the Marriott Theatre's MURDER FOR TWO. It was probably THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, which is currently reigning as the longest-running play on Broadway and soon to embark on a national tour. Murder mystery farces are clearly in fashion, but MURDER FOR TWO falls into a delightful subgenre of its own.

As the curtain rises on Drury Lane Theatre's production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, we view a striking image: the interior of a derelict Mississippi mansion, complete with crumbling masonry, mossy growths on the ceiling, and a none-too-sturdy grand staircase. Amid these ruins, each member of the dysfunctional Pollitt family battles other forms of decay: failing health, eroding relationships, toxic jealousy, and thwarted ambitions.

In FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks draws on Homeric tradition to spin an epic of the American Civil War. Intended as the first three parts of nine, an episodic structure ties loosely together the narrative of Hero (Kamal Angelo Bolden), a Texas slave who must decide whether or not to join the Confederate army under his master's promise that fighting will earn his freedom.

Goodman Theatre's revival of HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS feels less like an evening in the theater than time whiled away in the company of two delightful women. Based on the 1993 New York Times bestselling memoir of the same title, this play shares the oral history of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African American sisters who were born in 1889 and 1891, respectively.

Playwright John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR fits neatly into the tradition of his Irish-American heritage; through unpretentious characters and witty dialogue, he spins a tale that explores universal themes of loneliness, longing, home, and family. Steve Scott directs this production by the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, the Equity company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn, IL.

If you've ever wanted to rock out in a historic opera house, look no further than JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Lyric Opera of Chicago. In a bold departure from the American classics typically staged during the spring 'Broadway at Lyric' series, Lyric presents the North American premiere of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera.

The Marriott Theatre marks the 75th anniversary of OKLAHOMA! with a production that celebrates the best of Rodgers and Hammerstein - delightful dance numbers, impressive vocals and eminently hummable tunes - while offering a fresh take on a beloved classic.

In Steppenwolf Theatre's world premiere of THE DOPPELGÄNGER (AN INTERNATIONAL FARCE), playwright Matthew-Lee Erlbach employs all the tricks of the genre - crashing furniture, ridiculous situations and rapid-fire wordplay - to shine a light on political corruption and socio-economic injustice.