Theater

Little Shop of Horrors – Porchlight Music Theatre – Biograph Theater – Through Dec. 13, 2026

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I’ve now seen the designer run, tech rehearsal and official opening of this production, from workout duds and a piano in a rehearsal studio to costumes, wigs, a lively orchestra, a full set and actual sound effects, as opposed to someone at the director’s table saying ring-a-ling in lieu of a bell when a door opened.

Also, don’t be scared, but I swear that Audrey II (the person-eating plant from outer space, in case you’ve been living in the Himalayas the past 65 years) has actually grown in the process.

According to the Natural History Museum website, “there are currently around 630 species of carnivorous plant known to science.” They are divided into five categories – Snap Traps, Pitfall Traps, Adhesive Traps, Suction Traps and Snare Traps. I would guess that Audrey II is a snap trap but it might be a combination or a different kind altogether, as this list is based on known, earth species.

Spoiler alert – Audrey II is really a puppet. I have a puppet thing, but not a fetish. (Certainly not like Woogie’s shoe fetish in There’s Something About Mary.) I’ve seen Avenue Q multiple times and one year attended the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which almost took me in the opposite direction, as if Pennywise had shape-shifted from a clown to a puppet.

Anyway, a shout out to Josh Bernaski for his work manipulating Audrey II in this show. As someone remarked to me – it must be awfully hot in there.

As is the norm, Audrey II’s off-stage voice is performed by someone else, in this case Juwon Tyrel Perry, who, thanks to some pre-show negotiations with Alan Mencken, gets to show his face and treat us, as a form of encore, to the Oscar-nominated song, not normally in the stage version of the show, Mean Green Mother from Outer Space.

Steve McDonagh, a foil of sorts as the shop owner Mr. Mushnik, not to be confused with the shop owner Mr. Maraczek from She Loves Me, provides the expert glue from start to finish.

Adam Fane, playing 10 parts, with different voices and different physical presences, once again brings unending comedic energy, especially as Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. Normally, I might say that he steals the show, but that’s tough when the leads present unforgettable performances.

Alina Taber honors Ellen Greene, the revered, original stage and movie musical Audrey, while bringing her own interpretive touches to the role, including one walk-off reaction that brings a roar from the audience. Coincidentally, Greene’s father was a dentist, though hopefully not a sadist.

In the other iconic role, Andrew Linden, as Seymour Krelborn, is as big a nebbish as you’d ever want to see, until he isn’t. As Agatha Christie once wrote – “everyone is a potential murderer.”

Because everything old is new again, Little Shop has its own, updated version of the Greek Chorus, the Street Urchins, played here to the hilt (not Hilty, as in Megan, who played Audrey in the 2018 Broadway Center Stage production) by Kiana J. Beverly, Donnalesly Fondjo and Aneesah Jemei, with voices and dance moves that would amaze the ancients, just as they thrilled today’s audience.

This is the best stage version of Little Shop I’ve seen. I heartily recommend that you buy a ticket and plant yourself in the audience.

Little Shop of Horrors – Porchlight Music Theatre – Designer Run – October 24, 2026

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While watching the designer run for Porchlight’s upcoming production of Little Shop of Horrors, it struck me that there were several similarities to the movie Gremlins that hadn’t previously occurred to me. Spoiler alert: you already know all this.

In Little Shop, the plant (Audrey II) is purchased in a market from a Chinese merchant. In Gremlins, the Mogwai (Gizmo) is purchased from a Chinatown shopkeeper.

In Little Shop, the problems start when Seymour feeds the plant. In Gremlins, feeding the animals after midnight starts the havoc.

In Little Shop, the plant’s reproduction exacerbates the problem. In Gremlins, the same happens.

Joe Dante directed Gremlins. Joe Dante started his career with Roger Corman, who directed the original Little Shop movie.

A few words about designer runs from an article on TimeLine Theatre’s website. It’s “a complete run of the entire play that everyone in attendance accepts in advance is not going to be good.” WRONG. This one was a blast, including some interesting off stage goings on involving a large carnivorous plant that you don’t get to see from the audience in the actual run.

“Given that it is the first time the actors have an audience, there is always a need to defuse the situation for them – to remind them that everyone understands they are about to witness a train wreck.” WRONG AGAIN. No humans, plants or trains were harmed in this designer run and the actors, and the few lucky attendees, had a great time. I hope the actors don’t tone down any of their hamming it up in the upcoming performances. It was FUN.

The show opens at the Biograph Theater on November 4, but I hope to report more before then, after I see the last tech rehearsal, when I’ll be a plant in the audience.

The Attic – Goodman Theatre – October 11, 2026

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Unfortunately, there were no toys in this attic, unless you count the fitness hoops (I don’t want to assume they were Hula Hoops) that one of the performers twirled around her body during one of the countless acrobatic routines that, as a whole, went on way too long, even while exhibiting memorable talent and physicality.

The show is subtitled Things I’ve Seen While Lying on My Back, so it wasn’t really necessary to repeat that line over and over again, and yet.

Thank goodness there was some music to relieve the repetition-induced ennui, but even in that regard the one song I remember was Childless Mother, which only made me yearn for the Richie Havens Woodstock version of Motherless Child.

The most memorable scene may have been the one resembling a Stephen King-induced nightmare that featured hands coming up out of the mattress of a hospital bed.

The story line was confusing, even more so if you didn’t read the description ahead of time, with the absolute best thing being the three trapeze lessons, particularly the one about the weightlessness of the dead spot in aerial acts, which was apropos.

The Icons Gala – Porchlight Music Theatre – Venue West – October 4, 2026

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This is the seventh Icons Gala I have attended, not counting the 2020, Covid-induced, online version, which I don’t.

It’s a great occasion to support the theatre, mingle with friends, make some new ones and see some great young talent display their skills. It also can present the opportunity to see the icons up close and personal, and even have a chat with them. But not this year. In four of the last five years the honorees were there in person (2023 being the notable exception), posing for photos and telling stories about their careers. But not this year.

I understand the economics that have overtaken the theater community. Appearance fees and travel costs can eat into a budget in a hurry. But a couple minute video of Alan Mencken sitting at his piano saying thank you did nothing for me. I thought maybe he would actually play the piano while giving us a glimpse of his creative process. But no.

Well, at least we always have been treated to a good meal. But not this year. I wish I had eaten before I came.

The performances were, as always, wonderful, and I enjoyed speaking with a few of the performers, in particular Adam Fane, whom I’ve enjoyed watching in the past in Titanique and Avenue Q, but the room was missing the excitement of having the honoree there watching. I’m all for continuing some kind of group gathering, but it may be time to retire the Icons Gala and replace it with something more appealing.

Meanwhile, Porchlight opens Mencken’s Little Shop of Horrors in November. I expect great things from the cast members I saw perform at the Icons Gala, including Adam, who will play Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.

 

Come From Away – Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre – Through Oct. 18, 2026

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The Marriott always does an amazing job moving people on, off and around their theater-in-the-round stage, but they may have outdone themselves, again. The twelve cast members are in constant motion, entering, exiting, moving set pieces, pretending to be on moving vehicles, playing multiple roles and, oh ya, doing some extremely fine acting and singing,

I don’t know how the responsibilities for the movement are divided between director and choreographer, but kudos to both, Jessica Fisch and Katie Spelman respectively.

And here’s something I’ve never done before – a shout out to the Dialect Coach, in this case, Sammi Grant. Her contribution was indirectly brought to my attention in Alex Goodrich’s opening when he mentioned the peculiar accent found in Newfoundland, which he described as part Irish, part Fargo.

I also would like to single out Justin Albinder, who played at least three or four very different characters with distinction, reminding me of fellow cast member Matt Crowle’s turn as nine members of the D’Ysquith family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder at Porchlight Music Theatre in 2019.

You come away from Come From Away having seen a show that’s tearjerking, funny, and inspirational.

The Front Page – Northlight Theatre – Through October 25, 2026

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Another opening, another new theater. The Front Page is Northlight Theatre’s first production at its new 285-seat space in Evanston. The parking situation confused me, but I’m easily confused. Nice place to see a show.

This was the second play from 1928 that I saw this year, the first being Holiday at the Goodman Theater, which makes me wonder if someone will be producing Animal Crackers any day now.

It seems like just yesterday that I wrote about a different production of Front Page, though it actually was over eight years ago. The one constant – I am forever amused by the Earl Williams character hiding in the desk, a feature that I find more fun in person than in either of the filmed versions I’ve seen.

There are familiar faces in the cast, all doing good work, in this tight, well-paced comedy that provides some nice laughs, but the one actor I want to single out, appearing in a smallish, but delectable, role, is Tim Kazurinsky, as Pincus. Tim and I were at Second City about the same time. He was in the main stage cast and I . . . wasn’t, though I was able to procure a tragically unsuccessful audition. I’m sure that if we had ever spoken to each other we would have become fast friends. But he was busy flying around the theater, making a name for himself, and I was . . . around.

Play On! – Chicago Shakespeare Theater – Through October 18, 2026

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Turns out it wasn’t Duke Orsino of Illyria who said “If music be the food of love, play on,” but rather Duke Ellington of Harlem, at least in the world created on stage at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, in a show featuring hits such as It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), Don’t Get Around Much Anymore and Mood Indigo.

Worked for me, as I prefer my Shakespeare to be nontraditional. For example, the last time I saw one from the bard at this eponymous theater was As You Like It, featuring 23 Beatles songs. Before that there were such pleasures as The Flying Karamazov Brothers performing in the Comedy of Errors; Gary Busey’s One Man Hamlet; The Second City’s Romeo and Juliet Musical: The People vs. Friar Laurence, The Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet; and The Q Brothers presenting Othello the Remix.

The show features a host of wonderful performances and a great band. There’s never a dull moment, or, for that matter, a dull color among the jazz-age costumes.

New Faces Sing Broadway 1976 – Porchlight Music Theatre – The Biograph – Sept. 16, 2026

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New faces, new season, new venue. Add in a new director (long-time singing and acting favorite Lorenzo Rush Jr. stepping into the role for this show), a new host (the wonderful Erica Stephen, who wowed us in Cabaret, among other shows), and a new energy resulting from all of the above (I even walked up and down the stairs to the second floor theater instead of taking the elevator) and you’ve got a great evening.

The new venue gave the new director and the new faces a new freedom to explore staging and performance possibilities previously unavailable in these annual shows. So, instead of a parade of people walking on and off the stage, we had an actual set that allowed interaction throughout the night, thereby enhancing the experience and allowing performers to show off a little more of their personalities.

The event still features a few more unfamiliar songs than I would like, as there is very little room in my brain to process new information, but the mix was good, and the ever-present photos shown on a screen behind the stage and the background information articulated by Stephan were easily interesting enough to keep my mind from wandering. Not once, until now, did I think about John Dillinger having been shot as he left The Biograph after seeing Manhattan Melodrama. I do wish, however, that autocorrect would stop trying to change Biograph to Biography.

To add to everything else, there was actual room to mingle in the lobby and there were comfortable seats in this, the smaller of the two spaces in the building. I peeked into the larger one, which will be the site of Little Shop of Horrors, starting November 4, and it looked terrific. Suddenly I want to see more and can’t wait to see what Porchlight feeds me in that production.

Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares – Steppenwolf Theatre – August 9, 2026

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According to Laura Benanti, one of her daughters told her, in response to some personal revelation, that nobody cares.

Her daughter was wrong. I cared. Well, maybe not cared, but certainly enjoyed hearing about her life, through her particular off-kilter lens, as did the entire audience. It was a great show.

I had heard Benanti sing in radio highlights of her 2013 show In Constant Search Of The Right Kind Of Attention and in the wonderful, filmed version of the 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me. In person, even better.

I knew she was funny from the above and from her many TV appearances, but she’s even funnier than that. Great personal stories told with impeccable, comedic timing and highlighted by attention to every detail.

I didn’t know how well she moves her body. Not your average stand-up comedian or cabaret singer.

She also co-wrote the show’s original, funny, no-holds-barred songs with Todd Almond. Some of them contained lyrics that reminded me of material that Garfunkel and Oates (Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci) used to put out, and that’s a good thing.

Iceboy! – Goodman Theatre – Through Aug. 16, 2016

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According to the Broadway Maven Substack, ever since Oklahoma! started the trend, 5% of  Broadway show titles have ended in an exclamation point, a custom that “has become mostly ironic.” often, according to Broadway historian Laurence Maslon, “intentionally self-referential and not meant to be [taken] seriously.”  Definitely the case with Iceboy!

Richard Kind is not in Iceboy. But he was in the audience when I went. He needs to stop following me around. Almost exactly 10 years ago he was standing in line next to me at TKTS Times Square as I scored my last-minute ticket for Something Rotten.

But before I went to court for a restraining order, I did some research and discovered that Kind is in the just-released “Heads Will Roll; Heir Apparent” with Megan Mullally on Audible, whatever that is, so he probably was at Iceboy to see her starring in the show, not to stalk me.

The play is like a collection of Mel Brooks outtakes. The 40,000 year-old Iceboy even does a dance ala the monster in Young Frankenstein, which is only fitting in this mashup, as Mullally originated the role of Elizabeth Benning (Madeline Kahn in the movie) in the original Broadway production of YF.

There are a lot of laughs, many of which are provided by Mullally’s real-life husband, Nick Offerman, who costars as Eugene O’Neal, often speaking directly to the audience as part of the convoluted plot line.

The musical melodies are forgettable, which is a shame because I sat there thinking what Cole Porter could have done with some of the ideas being conveyed. The best song lyrics are in FM, which also probably got the biggest ovation. I won’t tell you what the title stands for. You’ll have to go see twice Tony-nominated performer Sarah Stiles perform it.

Mullally is intentionally over-the-top, which is appropriate for the material, but I don’t think her voice choice did her any favors, as, interestingly, her best comedic efforts came when she hardly spoke at all.