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Three Women “Talking About Godard” Unfiltered
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies Curious Theatre Branch’s “Talking About Godard” is a very frank, ambling conversation by three roomates in their domicile, hubbing around the work of French/Swiss filmmaker Jean Luc Godard. The set itself is a living room, with overflowing ashtrays, knick-knacks, odds and ends, and lots of suitcases; the reason for […]
Travel Far With The “Spaceman”
By Wes Hessel with D’Arcy Mies [producingbody]’s production of “Spaceman” is an intriguing exploration of what a pioneer inter-planetary expedition could look like. For starters, on your way into the theater, you stop at the box office to put your shut-off phone in a Yondr pouch for the duration of the show, making for fuller […]
Molière’s “Tartuffe” Continues to Be Relevant
By Wes Hessel with Beth Tomas The Conspirators’ production of “Tartuffe, or, The Charlatan”, directed by William Bullion, is staged rather intimately; the set has rough scenery drawn on three muslin tarps, “pro punk” and anarchy graffiti scrawled across the drawings. Players make full use of the stage area and much takes place within five […]
American Blues Is “Always…” Excellent
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano American Blues Theater’s production of “Always…Patsy Cline”, created by Ted Swindley and directed by Harmony France, is an homage to the music performed by the country legend (exceptionally played by Liz Chidester) and her real-life friendship with fan-atic Louise Seger (jubilantly portrayed by Molly Hernandez), a single mother with […]
Writers Theatre – A “Job” Well Done
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano Frantic tension sums up the play “Job”, written by Max Wolf Friedlich, and the directorial debut of David Esbjornon at Writers Theatre in this two character drama. Jane (Rae Grey) is a content moderator for a tech company – Loyd (Christopher Donahue) is a psychotherapist who she needs to […]
Paramount Theatre’s “…Enchanted Evening”
By Cate Rees-Hessel with Wes Hessel Paramount Theatre’s “South Pacific” is the finest production of this classic musical that I have seen to date. The sets are absolutely wonderful; a tropical paradise that is lovely – even the orchestra pit is fenced in bamboo. A large propeller is brought on to the stage at one […]
Party Like It’s 1985 With “The Wedding Singer”
By Cate Rees-Hessel & Fran Besyk “The Wedding Singer” at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is a musical full of belly laughs; the score is absolutely fabulous, complete with a lively seven piece band, and the dancing is so incredibly amazing that we wondered how they could still sing so beautifully while moving with such […]
Cerqua Rivera Reaches for the Sky and Each Other
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The rain outside did not stop the audience of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre to be present for their amazing performance at the Dance Center of Columbia College the first weekend of May. The first piece, a world premiere titled “Immense World” and choreographed by Shannon Alvis, was an incredible, […]
Riveting “’night Mother” Not for the Faint of Heart
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The Redtwist production of the intense play “’night Mother” portrays the broken relationship of a controlling mother and the daughter who now lives with her. Jessie (the daughter) has been sorting through things and finds her dad’s old gun. Years of hurt and resentment, loveless marriages for both, the […]
On the Hunt for “The Movement You Need”
By Wes Hessel with Flo Mano The talented Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso’s co-creator/writer/“Coach Beard”) wrote and performs a witty one-man autobiographical show “The Movement You Need” at the Steppenwolf Theatre. He goes down memory lane: his connection to Chicago as a Southsider (Oak Lawn) and Northsider (Rogers Park), an ode to his lifelong love for […]
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