Greenhouse Theater | Stowaway Travel Writing & Editorial Services

I saw another play! It was… unsatisfying. A story about two hoarding brothers in 1930s Manhattan has a lot of possibility, and yet we spend more time with a pair of stereotypical Irish cops than with the eccentric hoarders. This could’ve been a kind of Grey Gardens, if it had stayed focused. Ah well–there were some good parts, especially the physical comedy bits. Here’s an excerpt of my review:

Homer spends the entire first act of the play trying to get away from Langley, although he’s bound by a promise to his father to take care of his naïve younger brother. When the tables are turned in the second act and Langley takes care of Homer, there’s an opportunity to explore what that means to each of them, but instead we’re asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” and are told, without subtlety, “yes.”

You can read the rest of the review at Centerstage.

I recommend you see “We Live Here” at Greenhouse Theater Center in Lincoln Park. It’s an original work, with eight authors contributing individual stories of their quintessential Chicago moments. It’s a snapshot of Chicagoans approaching 30, and as such the stories skew young. A couple stories hint at more experienced writers (a woman who miscarries several times, a man who lived in the Tree Studios when they were still artists’ living spaces and not chi-chi shops), but mostly the stories are about bike messengers, recent college grads, people making their first big move or recovering from their first big heartbreak. It’s about people starting out or just starting over, and as such it’s infused with an exciting energy. The cast is marvelous, and the nimble direction kept my eyes riveted to the stage. Here’s an excerpt of the review:

But perhaps the highest praise I can give for this show is that the next day, as I sat in a train car lurching along the el, I looked around the car and wondered what stories my fellow Chicagoans were just waiting to share.

You can read the rest of the review here.

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In other news, it’s vacation time! I’m headed to my last wedding of the summer and a beach house rental starting on Friday, and I can’t wait. I won’t be posting next week, so try not to pine away too much, and I’ll be back on August 23rd. Do come back then! Wouldn’t want to lose any of you lovely readers. Have a great week.