Review: Man from Nebraska (Redtwist Theatre)

Broad collection of fervent scenes doesn’t quite make a whole

Redtwist Theatre presents

Man From Nebraska

Written by Tracy Letts  Directed by Andrew Jessop at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr (map) through April 24  |  tickets: $25-$30  |  more info

Reviewed by Paige Listerud

Redtwist Theatre has pulled off wonders within the confines of its black box theater space, such as morphing into a cheerfully bland New York hotel lobby with Lobby Hero (our review ★★★½) or, for their production of The Pillowman (review ★★★), a claustrophobic interrogation room adjoined by macabre mini-theaters at both ends. But they may have bit off more than they can chew staging Tracy Letts’ 2003 play Man From Nebraska. Stephen H. Carmody’s set design does all it can with movable stages that serve for car and hotel scenes; Christopher Burpee’s lighting design can be impressively transformative at the right moments; Andrew Jessop’s video provides sly and suggestive white noise when the television becomes an extra character in a scene. Still, the play’s stop-and-start shifts are hell for any director to draw a cohesive arc from. Though Jessop’s direction crafts gorgeous, singular jewels with each theatrical moment, it cannot ameliorate the overriding fragmentary nature of Letts’ writing, which seems more relevant for the screen than the stage.

Only one abiding element comes close to binding the production—Chuck Spencer’s performance, authentic to the bones, as Ken Carpenter, a man who awakens in the middle of the night to question everything he once held true. Jan Ellen Graves provides quiet backup as Ken’s sorely tested helpmeet, Nancy, but the show remains Spencer’s in every way. One could consider his portrayal of Ken as the bookend to his 2009 triumph as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman at Raven Theatre (review). He seems born to play the quintessential life of quiet desperation.

The opening scenes do everything to depict Ken and Nancy’s somnambulant routines and corn-fed complacency, right down to silently shared dinners over chicken-fried steaks and mashed potatoes. But then Ken’s midnight crisis of faith hits hard and stands in abrupt, violent contrast to everything that’s gone before. Ken, Baptist born and raised, realizes to his horror that he does not believe in God–Spenser successfully sells every raw moment of Ken’s lifetime of belief pulled out from underneath him.

The rest of the play Ken searches for what he truly believes in; how various people respond to his earnest and heartfelt quest eventually reflects more on them than the protagonist. Small theatrical moments shine with humor, veracity, warm simplicity, yet sometimes we are never really far from a sharp Lettsian edge. Reverend Todd (Michael Sherwin) proves to be as cheerfully vapid and materialistic a clergyman as Satan could ever send to test the faithful, yet it is on his recommendation that Ken take a vacation that shapes his quest. Equally, daughter Ashley (Julie Dahlinger) seems too caught up in the things of this world to ever understand her father’s driven personal inquiry. In worldly company, Ken seems like an oddity—the guy who cares too much about spiritual matters that everyone else has let go of long ago.

Spencer is up to giving a performance that makes Ken more than an accidental tourist in the realms of moral ambiguity. Unfortunately, the script itself doesn’t plumb the depths of Ken’s emotional or spiritual quest but leaves a lot of it inchoate. Furthermore, the play’s fragmentary nature makes it difficult to tie in Ken’s search for truth with what is going on with Nancy at home. So many actors give strong and mature performances, it’s a shame that the whole struggles to gel. It’s worth it just to go and view the production as an assortment of excellent scenes in the hands of sure and capable craftsmen. Certainly, Ken and Nancy’s powerful reunion will stays long after the show is over. But, all in all, we have to accept Man From Nebraska as a lesser work of Chicago’s currently most successful playwright.

Rating: ★★★

Man From Nebraska continues through April 24th at the Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, with performances Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm.  Tickets are $25 on Thursdays, $27 on Fridays and Sundays, and $30 on Saturdays, and can be bought online or by calling 773-728-7529.  Reserve seats by e-mailing reserve@redtwist.org.

REVIEW: Shining City (Redtwist Theatre)

God is elusive in Redtwist’s captivating ‘Shining City’

Redtwist Theatre presents

Shining City

Written by Conor McPherson Directed by Joanie Schultz  at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr (map) through Feb 27  |  tickets: $25-$30  |  more info

Reviewed by Dan Jakes

There is a moment in Redtwist’s Shining City where, lurking behind a door, a split-second spark of divinity is revealed. It is bloodied, silent, and is at once horrifying and reassuring.

To call Conor McPherson’s play a “ghost story” would imply it provides some answer to the nature and existence of another world or its inhabitants. But in the streets and isolated dwellings of McPherson’s Dublin, there is no such certainty. Even when an apparition is in plain sight, its significance, meaning and reality is just painfully out of reach.

This play is rather, for all its melancholy and despair, a love story.

Set in an upstairs therapist’s office, Shining City chronicles the sessions of middle-aged widower John (the superb Brian Parry), and his ex-priest doctor, Ian (John Arthur Lewis). After the sudden death of his wife, John has begun to see visions of his spouse, moving him out of his home and into a local inn. Ian, wrestling with his own losses, has just left the woman he abandoned the Church for. The mother of Ian’s child, Neasa (Cheryl Lynn Golemo) struggles to exist separated in the unwelcoming company of Ian’s family. Two months flash between each scene, and as time goes on, the three slip further away from any assurance of who they are or the morality of the decisions they’ve made.

Each of these characters are, in one way or another, in limbo. They are all lost between homes, identities, loves, or sexualities, and seek escape in all the wrong ways. Director Joanie Schultz comments in her program note that she calls upon her own experience living out of a suitcase to relate an ambience of no refuge, which she accomplishes brilliantly in this production. Redtwist’s nearly claustrophobic performance space serves to amplify the overtones of each character’s underlying fear and wanting. Much of the action is relayed through long, patient storytelling, and just as John cannot escape his guilt and anxiety, we as the audience are seated almost in the hyper-realistic office right there with him, his deep-gravel, hypnotic voice only feet away. These characters are richly drawn, and this ensemble does great justice to them, supplying flaws and sympathies to their humanity.

In the intimate setting, no detail goes unnoticed, and play’s production team has created a scrupulously complete environment, from the window’s view of a cathedral to the ideal selection of transitional music.

McPherson doesn’t appear to relish the hell he puts his characters through, making their struggle all the more real and painful to watch. It also makes their redemption that much more believable and satisfying.

Shining City’s finale may prove to be divisive for some audiences. I encourage them to take note of John’s declared realization when considering the play’s last image: it isn’t the fact of what happens that’s important, but instead the effect. Regardless of their conclusion, the effect–like this production–will be moving.

Rating: ★★★½

Production continues through February 27th – Thu, Fri, Sat at 7:30pm and Sun at 3pm. No performance on Sun, Feb 6, but an add’l perf on Sat, Feb 26, 3pm.  The show’s running time is approximately 1:40 with no intermission. Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays & Sundays, $27; Saturdays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off).  More info: www.redtwist.org/Tickets.html.

REVIEW: Lobby Hero (Redtwist Theatre)

Redtwist’s near-perfect lesson on late-night discretion

Redtwist Theatre presents

Lobby Hero

Written by Kenneth Lonergan Directed by Keira Fromm at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr (map) through Jan 2  |  tickets: $20-$30  |  more info

Reviewed by Paige Listerud

Redtwist Theatre’s Lobby Hero, under the direction of Keira Fromm, is so organic, natural and spot-on in its shifting moods and comic timing, you’re guaranteed to get that fly-on-the-wall feeling from start to finish. Step into this lobby’s peachy and cheerfully bland environ, complete with Christmas tchotchkes, and you might be fooled into proceeding to the elevator. Picture window exposure of the street lends even greater veritas, especially when actors playing police officers have to contend with joggers, shoppers and curious passers-by for sidewalk space.

At least for the night shift, this is the domain of the doorman, Jeff (Andrew Jessop), a fairly sweet slacker dude with a sharp sense of the ridiculous, helplessly coupled to a real motor-mouth problem. Of course, it doesn’t help that Jeff’s easy-going nature leads others to confide in him beyond the normal boundaries of discretion–so perhaps speaking before thinking isn’t just Jeff’s shortcoming. But, much like a bartender, being the late night guy who’s there to talk to puts Jeff in the crossfire between his boss William (Michael Pogue) and two beat cops, Bill (Eric Hoffman) and Dawn (Maura Kidwell).

Jessop doesn’t hit a wrong note in his blithe portrayal of Jeff’s affable lack of boundaries or appropriateness. One hardly knows if he decided in his youth on a policy of truth or if he simply can’t help compulsively saying what he thinks. Yet, whether he’s revealing his sexual fantasies to William or telling Dawn how much he wishes he had Bill’s overweening self-assurance, so that he could get away with the asshole stuff Bill gets away with, it becomes quite clear that Jeff has no sense of where he is, who he is talking to or what the ramifications of his speech could be.

So it is that Kenneth Lonergan’s humorous, quicksilver script flows easily and smoothly from this cast, with Jeff centered directly at its funny bone. But Jeff also sits at the center of peril once William, who Pogue plays with wound-tight perfection, confides to Jeff that his brother may have been involved in a terrible crime and now wants William to provide him with an alibi.

If William’s secret were Jeff’s to bear alone, there might not be any problem. But as police partners Bill and Dawn, Hoffman and Kidwell convincingly convey a menacing police presence–even as they humorously fuck up their own relationship. Kidwell’s Dawn may be a baby on the force, but she already has the intractable bearing of a cop who can commit violence in one minute and excuse it the next. Bill, for his part, works like the Mafia, backing up William’s dubious alibi for his brother at the precinct solely as a way to implicitly gain favors. One of the other comic highlights of this production is how Hoffman delivers Bill’s bad-cop excuses with stalwart conviction.

Kidwell generates laughs simply by playing an impeccable straight woman in Dawn’s growing relationship with Jeff. But Jeff hardly knows with whom he is dealing as he flirts with Dawn or wisecracks at Bill. By the end of the play, he learns full well just how little power he has in this dynamic. Lobby Hero relies upon ever-shifting circumstances to underline the ambiguity of making moral choices. Basically it comes down to this: when can the little guy tell the truth? When it’s safe for him to tell it. It’s a hard lesson in discretion to learn. No doubt, other late-night guys have had to learn it.

Rating: ★★★½

Lobby Hero runs: Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun, 7:30pm through Sunday, January 2nd.
Please Note: There are no performances on 12/24, 12/25, 12/26, 12/31, 1/1. There are no matinees.   Running Time: Approximately 2 hours, includes one intermission.

REVIEW: Dracula – A Tragedy (Redtwist Theatre)

 

Odd adaptation upends clever atmospherics

 

Redtwist Theatre presents

Dracula: A Tragedy

Written by Mark Mason Directed by Stephen James Anderson Inspired by the novel by Bram Stoker Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago (map) Through October 31  |   tickets: $15   |  more info

Reviewed by Leah A. Zeldes

Along with Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s vampire, Dracula, is among the most iconic figures of horror ever created. Even those who’ve never read the original novel (which you really should) or seen one of the scores of films inspired by it (is there anyone who hasn’t?), know something of the tale, although it has been twisted and turned and altered in innumerable ways.

For Redtwist Theatre’s perverse and gruesome version, Dracula: A Tragedy, playwright Mark Mason takes more liberties than most. He has appropriated Stoker’s characters but almost none of his plot. Instead we get an incoherent mess of spooky weirdness.

The atmospherics are great. Stephen James Anderson, who doubles as director and designer, has done a great job with the set. Arriving theater goers walk down a long dark corridor past ragged gray-robed figures muttering prayers into a long, narrow black box theater. A woman sits near a fire, working at an old-fashioned manual typewriter. At rear stage, we see a huge crucifix. Shimmery hangings enhance the creepy effects.

The music, muttering and typing continue all the while the spectators file in and the play starts. The effect is spoiled somewhat, though, by the viewers, since without a clear signal of the start of the action, the audience doesn’t know when to stop yakking and turn off their cell phones. It’s a pity, but these times require some kind of announcement.

Playing Count Dracula, Bob Pries looks the part, I’ll give him that. Deep set eyes, sharp nose, widow’s peak, prominent ears — he looks like a handsome Nosferatu — with a hokey Bela Lugosi accent.

Drac has just arrived in England on an exploding ship, and purchased a lunatic asylum, complete with inmates, and the count seems bent on making more crazies.

The novel’s chief victims, Mina Harker (Ariana Dziedzic) and Lucy Westenra (Shannon Riley) have been turned into closet lesbians; the madman Renfield (Dustin Whitehead) is Jack the Ripper. Dracula intends to take over England, apparently by forcing Mina’s husband, Jonathan (Sean Ogren), to impregnate her, an act that occurs on stage in a sort of black sabbath.

 

Anderson does some clever things with the staging, such as characters who crawl onstage out of a fireplace, but he’s aimed his cast somewhere between melodrama and over-the-top camp. That follows the script, which segues between histrionics, violence and sudden, disconcerting efforts at humor — which, judging by audience reaction on opening night — rarely succeed.

Ninety minutes without intermission, this version leaves out Van Helsing, the novel’s chief vampire hunter, as well as two of Lucy’s three suitors, Transylvania and nearly all of power of the original.

Dracula: A Tragedy, might be best enjoyed if you forget about trying to follow the storyline and just take it as a sit-down version of a haunted house. (Some of the seats in the 29-seat theater are backless benches, by the way, so arrive early for a comfortable selection.)

Rating: ★½

Delicate Balance fits in nicely with Redtwist Theatre season

An unraveling of damaged souls

 

 

Redtwist Theatre presents

A Delicate Balance

Written by Edward Albee Directed by Steve Scott at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr (map) through October 24th  |  tickets: $   |  more info

by Allegra Gallian 

“The Redtwist 2010-11 season is about fear – how we try to understand it, cope with it and overcome it. It’s arguably the greatest driving force in the history of mankind,” said Redtwist Artistic Director Michael Colluci of the theatre’s new season.

Redtwist Theatre opened its season this past weekend with Edward Albee’s Pulitzer-Prizing winning play A Delicate Balance.

A Delicate Balance, directed by Steve Scott, opens on Tobias (Brian Parry) and Agnes (Millicent Hurley), an upper-middle-class couple, in their home. The couple discusses their daughter Julia (Jacqueline Grandt) and Agnes’s sister Claire (CeCe Klinger). Agnes and Tobias are burdened but obliged to their family members in need. Claire is an alcoholic and Julia has walked out on her fourth marriage.

The family is joined by Agnes and Tobias’s best friends Henry (Chuck Spencer) and Edna (Jan Ellen Graves). Harry and Edna are overly anxious and show up announced to stay with Agnes and Tobias after having to leave their home due to an unexplained terror they felt.

With a house full of unsteady people in one way or another, each person tiptoes around until breaking points are reached.

A Delicate Balance fits in nicely with Redtwist’s theme of fear as the characters face (or run from) their own demons both literally and figuratively. Edna and Harry have run away from home based on an irrational and sudden fear they both felt. Agnes confronts her fear of possibly going mad and Julia delves into her fear of losing her place in her parent’s lives. Each character at some point faces their fears out in the open in front of all the others, shattering pretenses and politeness in the way of truth.

Redtwist does not disappoint with this fine production.  It’s definitely worth a look-see.

A Delicate Balance at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., plays through October 24. Tickets are $25 to $30 and can be purchased through the theatre’s Web site.

 

Running Time: approx. 2:35 
Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays & Sundays, $27; Saturdays, $30 (Seniors & Students, $5 discount)   URL: www.redtwist.org/Ticketsdelicate.html

Schedule:
Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat 7:30pm; Sun 3pm Please Note: There is no performance on Sat, Oct 23. There is an add’l performance on Sat, Oct 16 at 3pm
Closes: Sun, Oct 24

REVIEW: Equus (Redtwist Theatre)

A Gripping Tale of Equestrian Mutilation

 

Redtwist Theatre presents

Equus

Written by Peter Schaffer Directed by Michael Colucci at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr (map) through August 29  |  tickets: $22-$30  |  more info

reviewed by Barry Eitel

Peter Schaffer’s 1973 psychological-detective caper Equus, with its sparse props list and focus on metatheatrically recreating journeys to the psyche, thrashes the audience about the dark corners of the mind. The plot is based on Schaffer’s re-imagining of a story he heard about a boy blinding 26 horses. Maybe not surprisingly, with such a screwed-up headline, the rumor was that the young man came from a twisted religious household which Schaffer included in his first drafts of the play. In one of those great tales of revision, Schaffer edited his work so that boy actually creates his own religion, one that worships the horses he stabs. The final product is a terrifying plunge into spirituality and faith that rips into both contemporary views of morality and normative psychology.

Michael Colucci’s searing production at Redtwist Theatre puts this mental mess mere inches away from the audience, which includes the entire cast seated beneath eerie horse heads. We’re led through this forest by Brian Parry as Dr. Martin Dysart, who dissects the mind and actions of the disturbed Alan Strang (Andrew Jessop) in an attempt to piece together how anyone could do such a senselessly destructive act (the number of horses is reduced from 26 to 6 in the play). What he uncovers is a collage-like, one-person cult that ties together commercial jingles, children’s literature, Judeo-Christian theology, calendar photos, horses, and a pervading life force that bleeds through all existence. It’s a pretty interesting feat for a 17-year-old.

One of my favorite aspects of the play is that Alan’s parents (portrayed by Debra Rodkin and Laurens Wilson) are decidedly un-dysfunctional. Yes, Mrs. Strang is strongly Christian, Mr. Strang is loudly socialist, and the family is by no means the model of child-rearing. But Schaffer paints Alan’s background as relatively normal, and therefore avoids an easy “blame-it-on-the-parents” morality tale. While sometimes they come off as stock oppressive procreators, Rodkin and Wilson find the right subdued quality for the grieving family.

Watching this tragedy unfold demands a lot from the audience. Parry leads brilliantly, gently taking our hands like we’re one of his patients yet never talking down to us. Jessop plays off Dysart’s questions with the required restraint, letting fly just enough vulnerability among the steaming piles of disinformation.

Redtwist produced this epic a few years ago, but Colucci’s version is considered a new envisioning. It’s not without its kinks. The second half doesn’t build correctly; it jerks, rather than swoops, towards the inevitable crash. The famous nude scene, which sort of counts as the spectacular finish in this spectacle-stripped play, feels unearned. Most of this is due to the lack of chemistry between Jessop and Holly Bittinger, who plays his almost-lover Jill. They overplay the awkwardness and can’t quite hit the animal magnetism.

I wasn’t completely sold on the cramped set, designed by Jessop as well. The intimacy is interesting, but it lacks the cathedral-sized magnitude of religious ritual. Alan’s creation feels as grand as any of the polytheistic faiths of antiquity, and it follows that the idols should be as imposing as any old Sphinx or statue of Zeus. The effigies here are closer to hobby-horse size. Of course, this is a limitation of the space, and we do gain a tight focus on the characters. But either way, something feels missing.

With a space this small and a script this bombastic, a production of Equus could easily be overblown and awful. However, Colucci, Parry, and Jessop commit fully to the text for the whole 2.5 hours, never loosening their vise-like grip over the house. Schaffer’s final thoughts on spirituality versus normalcy are pretty bleak, and there is no attempt here to brighten them up. Colucci leaves it up to the audience to decide how to balance the gods present in our lives and the petty realities we face everyday, perhaps going beyond Schaffer’s words.

Rating: ★★★

Non-Equity Jeff Awards nominees announced

2010 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominees

 

 

Production – Play

Busman’s Honeymoon – Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★) Death of a Salesman – Raven Theatre (review ★★★½) Killer Joe – Profiles Theatre (review ★★★½ ) The Pillowman -  Redtwist Theatre (review ★★★) St. Crispin’s Day – Strawdog Theatre Company (review ★★) Wilson Wants It All – The House Theatre of Chicago (review ★★★)

 

Production – Musical

Chess  -  Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre i/a/w Michael James (review ★★½) Evolution/Creation  -   Quest Theatre Ensemble (review ★★★) The Glorious Ones   -  Bohemian Theatre Ensemble (review ★★★) The Who’s Tommy -  Circle Theatre

 

Director – Play

Aaron Todd Douglas: Twelve Angry Men – Raven Theatre  (review ★★★) Michael Menendian: Death of a Salesman – Raven Theatre (review ★★★½) Michael Rohd: Wilson Wants It All – House Theatre of Chicago (review ★★★) Kimberly Senior: The Pillowman – Redtwist Theatre (review ★★★) Rick Snyder: – Killer Joe – Profiles Theatre  (review ★★★½)

  

Director – Musical

Fred Anzevino & Brenda Didier: Chess – Theo Ubique Theatre (review ★★½) Jeffrey Cass:  The Who’s Tommy – Circle Theatre Stephen M. Genovese: The Glorious Ones – Boho Rep (review ★★★) Andrew Park: Evolution/Creation – Quest Theatre Ensemble  (review ★★★)

 

Ensemble

The Glorious Ones -  Bohemian Theatre Ensemble (review ★★★) Red Noses – Strawdog Theatre Company Twelve Angry Men -  Raven Theatre  (review ★★★) Under Milk Wood  – Caffeine Theatre  (review ★★)

 

Actor in a Principal Role – Play

Tony Bozzuto: On an Average Day – BackStage Theatre Company  Darrell W. Cox: Killer Joe – Profiles Theatre  (review ★★★½) Andrew Jessop: The Pillowman – Redtwist Theatre (review ★★★) Peter Robel: I Am My Own Wife – Bohemian Theatre  (review ★★★★) Chuck Spencer: Death of a Salesman – Raven Theatre  (review ★★★½)

 

Actor in a Principle Role – Musical

Courtney Crouse: Chess – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre  (review ★★½) Tom McGunn: The Who’s Tommy – Circle Theatre Eric Damon Smith:  The Glorious Ones – Bohemian Theatre (review ★★★) Jeremy Trager: Chess – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre   (review ★★½)

   

Actress in a Principle Role – Play

Brenda Barrie:  Mrs. Caliban – Lifeline Theatre  (review ★★★★) LaNisa Frederick:  The Gimmick -  Pegasus Players (review ★★) Millicent Hurley:  Lettice & Lovage – Redtwist Theatre (review ★★★★) Kendra Thulin: Harper Regan – Steep Theatre  (review ★★½ ) Rebekah Ward-Hays: Aunt Dan and Lemon – BackStage Theatre

 

Actress in a Principle Role – Musical

Danielle Brothers: Man of La Mancha – Theo Ubique Theatre  (review ★★★) Sarah Hayes: Man of La Mancha – Theo Ubique Theatre   (review ★★★) Maggie Portman:  Chess  -  Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre  (review ★★½)

 

Actor in a Supporting Role – Play

Chance Bone: Cooperstown – Theatre Seven of Chicago  (review ★★) Jason Huysman:  Death of a Salesman – Raven Theatre (review ★★★½) Edward Kuffert:  The Crucible -  Infamous Commonwealth (review ★★★) Peter Oyloe: The Pillowman – Redtwist Theatre   (review ★★★) Phil Timberlake:  Busman’s Honeymoon – Lifeline Theatre  (review ★★★)

 

Actor in a Supporting Role – Musical

Eric Lindahl: The Who’s Tommy – Circle Theatre Steve Kimbrough: Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical -  Hell in a Handbag John B. Leen:  Chess -  Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre  (review ★★½)

 

Actress in a Supporting Role – Play

Nancy Friedrich: The Crucible – Infamous Commonwealth (review ★★★) Vanessa Greenway: The Night Season – Vitalist Theatre i/a/w Premiere Theatre & Performance (review ★★★★) Kelly Lynn Hogan:  The Night Season – Vitalist Theatre i/a/w Premiere Theatre & Performance (review ★★★★) Kristy Johnson: A Song for Coretta -  Eclipse Theatre  (review ★★) Mary Redmon:  The Analytical Engine  – Circle Theatre  (review ★★★)

 

Actress in a Supporting Role – Musical

Kate Garassino:  Bombs Away!  – Bailiwick Repertory Theatre   Danni Smith:  The Glorious Ones  -   Bohemian Theatre (review ★★★) Trista Smith: Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical  -  Hell in a Handbag Dana Tretta:  The Glorious Ones  -  Bohemian Theatre   (review ★★★)

 

New Work

Aaron Carter:  First Words  -  MPAACT (review ★★★★) Ellen Fairey:  Graceland  -  Profiles Theatre  (review ★★★) Tommy Lee Johnston:  Aura  -  Redtwist Theatre Andrew Park and Scott Lamps:  Evolution/Creation  -   Quest Theatre Ensemble (review ★★★) Michael Rohd & Phillip C. Klapperich:  Wilson Wants It All  -  The House Theatre of Chicago  (review ★★★)

 

New Adaptation

Bilal Dardai: The Man Who Was Thursday -  New Leaf Theatre   Sean Graney:  – Oedipus  – The Hypocrites (review ★★★★) Frances Limoncelli:  Busman’s Honeymoon – Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★) Frances Limoncelli:  – Mrs. Caliban  – Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★★) William Massolia: Little Brother  – Griffin Theatre

 

Choreography

Kevin Bellie:  The Who’s Tommy  -  Circle Theatre Brenda Didier:  Chess   -  Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre (review ★★½) James Brigitte Ditmars:  Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical  – Hell in a Handbag Productions

 

Original Incidental Music

Andrew Hansen: Treasure Island  -  Lifeline Theatre  (review ★★★½) Kevin O’Donnell:   -  Wilson Wants It All  -   House Theatre   (review ★★★) Trevor Watkin:  The Black Duckling  -  Dream Theatre

 

Music Direction

Ryan Brewster:  Chess  – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre (review ★★½) Gary Powell:  Evolution/Creation  -  Quest Theatre   (review ★★★) Nick Sula:  The Glorious Ones  -  Bohemian Theatre   (review ★★★)

 

Scenic Design

Tom Burch:  Uncle Vanya -  Strawdog Theatre  (review ★★★) Alan Donahue:  Treasure Island -  Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★½) Heath Hays:  On an Average Day  -   BackStage Theatre Company Bob Knuth:  The Analytical Engine  -  Circle Theatre (review ★★★) Bob Knuth:  Little Women  -   Circle Theatre (review ★★★) John Zuiker:   I Am My Own Wife  -   Bohemian Theatre (review ★★★★)

 

Lighting Design

Diane Fairchild:  The Gimmick  -  Pegasus Players (review ★★) Kevin D. Gawley: Treasure Island – Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★½) Sean Mallary:  St. Crispin’s Day  – Strawdog Theatre Company (review ★★) Jared B. Moore:  The Man Who Was Thursday – New Leaf Theatre Katy Peterson:  I Am My Own Wife -  Bohemian Theatre (review ★★★★)

 

Costume Design

Theresa Ham:  The Glorious Ones  -  Bohemian Theatre  (review ★★★) Branimira Ivanova:  Treasure Island  -  Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★½) Joanna Melville:  St. Crispin’s Day  -  Strawdog Theatre Company (review ★★) Jill Van Brussel:  The Taming of the Shrew  -  Theo Ubique  (review  ★★★) Elizabeth Wislar:  The Analytical Engine  – Circle Theatre (review ★★★)

 

Sound Design

Mikhail Fiksel:  Oedipus – The Hypocrites (review ★★★★) Michael Griggs:  Wilson Wants It All -  The House Theatre (review ★★★) Andrew Hansen:  Treasure Island -  Lifeline Theatre  (review ★★★½)   Joshua Horvath:  Mrs. Caliban -  Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★★) Miles Polaski:  Mouse in a Jar -  Red Tape Theatre  (review ★★★)

 

Artistic Specialization

Kevin Bellie: Projection Design, The Who’s Tommy  -   Circle Theatre Elise Kauzlaric: Dialect Coach,  Busman’s Honeymoon  – Lifeline Theatre (review ★★★) Lucas Merino: Video Design, Wilson Wants It All – The House Theatre of Chicago (review ★★★) James T. Scott:  Puppets, Evolution/Creation – Quest Theatre (review ★★★)

 

Fight Choreography

Geoff Coates: On An Average Day  -  BackStage Theatre Company Geoff Coates:  Treasure Island  -  Lifeline Theatre   (review ★★★½) Matt Hawkins:  St. Crispin’s Day -  Strawdog Theatre Company (review ★★) R & D Choreography:  Killer Joe  -  Profiles Theatre  (review ★★★½  )

 

More info at the Jeff Awards website.