Mary Wisniewski

2 months ago | newcitystage.com | Mary Wisniewski

RECOMMENDEDEarly in “The Cave,” a new play by A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble member Sadieh Rifai, a family plays a game in which the youngest daughter is wrapped in an afghan. The afghan is brightly colored and lovely but a bit ragged—there are stray bits of yarn sticking out that should either be worked into the pattern or snipped away. The play is like that afghan.

2 months ago | newcitystage.com | Mary Wisniewski

RECOMMENDEDElliot Esquivel is a unique and mesmerizing presence in the new Shattered Globe production of “Lobby Hero.” Slim, floppy and buzzing with energy, he suggests a young John Turturro mixed with Ray Bolger. He seems to be filled with straw or air, like a sky dancer advertising a car wash. He’s delightful and we root for him, worrying that he’s going to mess up his seedling start at a new life. Esquivel plays Jeff, the graveyard-shift security officer at a drab New York apartment building.

2 months ago | newcitystage.com | Mary Wisniewski

When Lookingglass Theatre announced in the summer of 2023 that it was pausing production and reducing its staff of twenty-four to ten, a chill went through Chicago theater. Local companies were already staggering in the aftermath of the pandemic, with closings and programming cuts. But Lookingglass had long been one of the city’s brightest lights—creating groundbreaking work since 1988 and winning a 2011 Tony award for excellence in regional theater.

Jan 13, 2025 | lit.newcity.com | Mary Wisniewski

For all significant artists, there are fans, and there are fans. An ordinary Beatles fan, for example, may have all the albums on CD plus a general biography, like Philip Norman’s “Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation.” A Beatles fan will have all of the above, plus the records on vinyl and in mono, recordings of alternate takes, multiple biographies, a “Yellow Submarine” cookie jar, etc. The same goes for Chicago literary giant Nelson Algren.

Jan 9, 2025 | newcitystage.com | Mary Wisniewski

Tyrone Phillips apologizes for talking so fast—he blames his Jamaican-American heritage for his rapid patter. But he has a lot to say. At just thirty-four, Phillips is one of the region’s top theatrical directors, whose experience includes work at Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Writers Theatre and American Players Theatre. He’s also the founding artistic director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre.