'Museum'
The Chicago Cultural Center's Studio Theatre, Appetite Theatre, is presenting Tina Howe's "Museum," a sort of blend of character studies on the last day of a special exhibit in a non-named museum. The exhibit is made up of four paintings that are all white, a "sculpture" which is made up of a clothesline from which are hung a series of types (a child, a man, a bride and what appears to be a Muslim) and a basket of clothespins, the old fashioned wood ones with the round top and no springs and several statures/sculptures made of small animal bones.
We, the audience, feel as we are at an exhibition as the auditorium does not go into dark—the house lights are on the whole 90 minutes (no intermission). There are lots of characters, many of the actors taking on many roles and each individual has his or her own reason for being there. The one constant is the security guard (Mark Sharp) who deals with French lovers (Tom Weber and Jenny Beacraft), a photographer ( John Blick) who must get a permission slip to take photos (sort of running joke), some teen-agers (Krista Forster, Ben Alvey and Stesha Merle—Ms. Merle and Ms .Forster are able to switch to other characters and we hardly notice that they did so), and of course the tourists who take the walking tours as well as those who do the unguided tour using a listening device (a great bit, handled very efficiently by Steve Ratcliff and Chris Blumer as the Salts). We meet all types on this day: skeptics, lost souls, and friends of one the artists as well as one of the artists themselves (or is it two?).
While this is not a great script, it is an intriguing story, well acted by a new group that works hard at making this script better than it appears to be written. They make it entertaining and let's face it— that is what the theatrical experience should be.
"Museum" through March 26th
The Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph
Tickets: 773-275-1931 or visit www.appetitetheatre.com
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'Josephine Tonight!'
Written by Sherman Yellen and Wally Harper, "Josephine Tonight! A New Musical" has some very promising moments and director Steve Scott manages to use the small studio stage to its best advantage.
"Josephine Tonight!" is based on the early life of Josephine Baker and has music that is rich in ragtime, soul and some very sultry jazz. We watch young Josephine grow from a street hustler to a genuine icon during what was a major time of change in America.
There were several bright spots, talent-wise in this production, Melanie McCullough is a dynamic Josephine, and Wayne T. Carr as Eddie comes through just fine. The standout performance in this show is by Monique Whittington who plays both Josephine's mother (a poor laundress who only wants the best for her little girl) and Big Bertha the "headliner" who takes young Josephine on in her show. Ms. Whittington steals the show and is worth seeing the show for! On minor point to critique: I felt that the almost bare stage would have been even better without the platform (made of unpainted wood) as for the most part it served very little purpose.
"Josephine Tonight! a new musical" through March 26th
The Theatre Building Chicago
1225 W. Belmont
Tickets: General admission (no reserved seating)
Reservations: 773-327-5252 or at all Ticketmaster outlets
*****
'Nina Simone: The High Priestess Speaks'
The Black Ensemble Theater's "Season of Women" program is presenting the World Premiere of a new musical, produced by Jackie Taylor entitled "Nina Simone: The High Priestess Speaks" written by Ebony Joy and directed by Ms. Taylor. This is a wonderful production dealing with the life and music of the talented (and controversial) legend.
Nina Simone was a solid performer and a woman who, during times of trouble for her race, spoke up and made her feelings known. What started out to be a spark of talent as a pianist changed when she was denied entry to continue her studies due to her race. Forced to work at playing and singing in a bar, she changed her name to Nina Simone to save her family the embarrassment and became a hit. She recorded an album and launched her career—the start of a legend. Her music was a mix of jazz, soul, folk, gospel, pop, blues and, of course, classical. Some of her songs were "message songs" striking out against the civil injustices of the times. This is a strong story with a strong performance by Yahdina U'Deen as Nina. I would say the best word to use to describe her stand out performance would be WOW! Watching her work is such a pleasure! When she does "Mississippi Goddam" you want to leap to your feet and join her—she is one exciting performer! Dawn Mitchell gives a strong performance (and has another powerful voice) as Nina's Mother and Allen D. Edge is a solid Andy Stroud, her husband/manager. The musicians behind Ms. U'Deen are led by Jimmy Tillman and these guys are great with a capital G!
The small stage lights up with this production, and I only hope that they will keep the intimacy of this theater when they move to their new home.
"Nina Simone: the High Priestess Speaks"－open run
The Black Ensemble Theater
4520 N. Beacon
Tickets: $35
Reservations: 773-769-4451 or Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500 or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Alan Bresloff writes theater reviews for the Chicago area.
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