Latest news with #NorthlightTheatre
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Editorial: Norm on ‘Cheers'? George Wendt meant far more to Chicagoans.
Anyone who craved a life of sitcom fame had not spent time with George Wendt, a man who could not walk into a restaurant or take a stroll in the fresh air without cacophonous cries of 'Norm!' coming at him from all directions from the mouths of people who seemed to think they were the only people ever to be so witty. Being a gentle and kind spirit, Wendt would smile wryly, like a man with an eternal cross to bear. He'd typically say afterward that he at least made people smile just by his existence. But for those who work or care about Chicago theater, the barfly Norm from 'Cheers' was not what first came to mind when the actor died Tuesday at the age of 76. Rather, the city's creative community lost not just one of its most important comedic actors and spokespeople, but one of its most enthusiastic supporters. Long after 'Cheers' was gone from our screens, Wendt was willing to leverage his fame and his regular-guy authenticity, being such a stereotypical Chicagoan, in service of the city that nurtured him (Wendt grew up in Beverly). He showed up for most every Second City reunion. He always talked happily to this newspaper. Playing a gruff, arts-loving Chicago cop, he even made a commercial (at no charge) for the League of Chicago Theatres with the tagline, 'Now That's What I Call Theatre.' He appeared in two shows for the Northlight Theatre: Richard Dresser's 'Rounding Third' in 2002 and Bruce Graham's 'Funnyman' in 2015. In the latter show about an old school comic, Wendt actually confronted what it meant to be known everywhere as a lovable comedian. 'People stop me on the street all the time,' his character said. ''Say something funny!'' We all have a Wowza! — the one thing that people think we do and that we're sick of doing.' For anyone who saw Wendt do that show, it was clear that Wendt's 'Wowza!' was Norm from 'Cheers,' even though he was always careful to say that he was appreciative of the fame and fortune from the beloved sitcom. Wendt long had faced health problems, but that didn't make his death any less of a jolt. Over the years, Chicago has had some entertainment figures indelibly associated with the city. The late John and the living Jim Belushi, both complex figures, certainly come to mind. So does Joe Mantegna. And Chris Farley. But while we're praising what you might call the Mike Ditka school of Chicago comedy (Da Bears), let's agree that Wendt was the gentle leader of that particular Chicago Rat Pack. So long, George. We appreciate all you did for us in this town. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Norm on ‘Cheers'? George Wendt meant far more to Chicagoans.
Anyone who craved a life of sitcom fame had not spent time with George Wendt, a man who could not walk into a restaurant or take a stroll in the fresh air without cacophonous cries of 'Norm!' coming at him from all directions from the mouths of people who seemed to think they were the only people ever to be so witty. Being a gentle and kind spirit, Wendt would smile wryly, like a man with an eternal cross to bear. He'd typically say afterward that he at least made people smile just by his existence. But for those who work or care about Chicago theater, the barfly Norm from 'Cheers' was not what first came to mind when the actor died Tuesday at the age of 76. Rather, the city's creative community lost not just one of its most important comedic actors and spokespeople, but one of its most enthusiastic supporters. Long after 'Cheers' was gone from our screens, Wendt was willing to leverage his fame and his regular-guy authenticity, being such a stereotypical Chicagoan, in service of the city that nurtured him (Wendt grew up in Beverly). He showed up for most every Second City reunion. He always talked happily to this newspaper. Playing a gruff, arts-loving Chicago cop, he even made a commercial (at no charge) for the League of Chicago Theatres with the tagline, 'Now That's What I Call Theatre.' He appeared in two shows for the Northlight Theatre: Richard Dresser's 'Rounding Third' in 2002 and Bruce Graham's 'Funnyman' in 2015. In the latter show about an old school comic, Wendt actually confronted what it meant to be known everywhere as a lovable comedian. 'People stop me on the street all the time,' his character said. ''Say something funny!'' We all have a Wowza! — the one thing that people think we do and that we're sick of doing.' For anyone who saw Wendt do that show, it was clear that Wendt's 'Wowza!' was Norm from 'Cheers,' even though he was always careful to say that he was appreciative of the fame and fortune from the beloved sitcom. Wendt long had faced health problems, but that didn't make his death any less of a jolt. Over the years, Chicago has had some entertainment figures indelibly associated with the city. The late John and the living Jim Belushi, both complex figures, certainly come to mind. So does Joe Mantegna. And Chris Farley. But while we're praising what you might call the Mike Ditka school of Chicago comedy ( Bears), let's agree that Wendt was the gentle leader of that particular Chicago Rat Pack. So long, George. We appreciate all you did for us in this town.
Chicago Tribune
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: In ‘Prayer for the French Republic,' past is prologue for a Jewish family in Paris
I first saw 'Prayer for the French Republic,' Joshua Harmon's epic exploration of the legacy, or legacies, of antisemitism, just a few weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. At the time, I marveled at how the play, penned some two years earlier, seemed so prescient in its exploration of an upper-middle class Jewish family, feeling and being unsafe as right-wing politics begin to take hold in France in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century. Now this rich, sprawling and heartfelt drama arrives at Northlight Theatre, in a co-production with Chicago's Theatre Wit, with opening night taking place just three days after antisemitic graffiti was found on (and quickly removed from) the campus of Northwestern University, basically down the road. Northlight is even preparing to move back to Evanston, the hometown of many of its subscribers. So there I was again, marveling at Harmon's timeliness, even though his play is about a family of French jews madly in love with Paris, even when the City of Lights does not love them back. I wrote in a review of 'Good Night, and Good Luck' the other day that prescience is easier to achieve in the theater than most people think, being as human behavior doesn't change all that much, however much we think society is transforming itself. 'Prayer for the French Republic' is yet another example of that phenomenon. Antisemitism does not go out of style. The title is clever. This is a play that contains many Jewish prayers and rituals, even though many of its Parisian characters are mostly secular in how they choose to live their lives. Harmon's main point, I think, is that the characters lead split identities; fiercely French, and thus invested in that nation's future and loath ever to leave and yet keenly aware of the lessons of history, especially the one where it behooves Jewish families to have a sense of when danger is increasing to the point where is advisable to get out. Harmon's play is set mostly in 2016-17. We see an American exchange student (played by Maya Lou Hlava) who has rolled up like Emily in Paris, beret and all, at the home of her relatives, the Salomon/Benhamou family, whose past is built on a piano-selling business — it's now represented by two married doctors (played by Janet Ulrich Brooks and Rom Barkhordar) and their two adult children, one secular and feisty (Rae Gray) and the other spiritual and soulful (Max Stewart). But Harmon also shows us the Salomon family's Parisian life during and in the immediate aftermath of World War II in other scenes; the actors Henson Keys, Torrey Hanson, Kathy Scambiatterra, Nathan Becker and Alex Weisman show us a family ripped apart by the agonizing question of whether to leave or stay and, in so doing, the play makes us see in a strikingly immediate way that what happened in the middle of the 20th century is still within living memory. Even if France seems to have forgotten. All of this story is narrated by a somewhat cynical and avowedly secularist figure, another Salomon who is the brother of the female doctor (sardonically played by Lawrence Grimm) and who looks at both history and family with a jaded eye. One of the big questions of the night is whether or not his realpolitik is justified, although I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the play ends up by focusing on the promise of a new generation, which has to make its own set of decisions. 'Prayer,' which has three acts, is a long play and Jeremy Wechsler's empassioned but sometimes choppy production struggles with momentum some in Act 3, when the stakes don't entirely rise to the levels they should and the pace sags. The show could use more evenness of tone. And while the dark comedic elements are very much in place, I found myself craving more of the crucial conversational reality, offering the feeling of everyday life as it was, and is, lived, specifically in France. Still, this is a very skilled ensemble of actors and there are moments of real dramatic force. Weisman unpacks layers of trauma and I found the show's younger cast members all rich in their understanding of how much and how wisely Harmon has placed most everything in their hands. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@ Review: 'Prayer for the French Republic' (3 stars) When: Through May 11 Where: North Shore Center for the Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes Tickets: $49-$91 at 847-673-6300 and
Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Northlight Theatre looks locally for its final season in Skokie
Northlight Theatre has announced a four-play subscription season for 2025-26, the final slate of shows at the North Shore Center in Skokie before Northlight's anticipated move into a new theater space that the 50-year-old Chicago-area company is building in Evanston. Artistic director BJ Jones said in an interview that Northlight is emphasizing the work of local writers and actors in the coming season. 'The World of Television' (Sept. 4 to Oct. 6), a play by Chicago scribe James Sherman, is the first title. This world premiere is set in mid-20th century TV broadcasting and will star veteran Chicago actress Cindy Gold as Gertrude Berg, best known for the CBS comedy drama 'The Goldbergs.' 'Gaslight' (Nov. 28 to Dec. 28) by Steven Dietz will run during the holidays. Jessica Thebus will direct this Victorian thriller, based on the original 1938 script of that name by Patrick Hamilton. Kate Fry and Timothy Edward Kane, a married Chicago acting couple, have signed on as the leads. 'Mary Jane' (Jan. 22 to Feb. 22, 2026), the recent Broadway hit, will follow. Penned by Amy Herzog and directed at Northlight by Georgette Verdin, this highly emotional play looks at a single mother's dedication to her ill child. 'The Angel Next Door' (April 9 to May 10, 2026) will be the final show in the season. A world premiere by Paul Slade Smith, a longtime Chicago actor who became a playwright, the play follows the fortunes of a young novelist hoping to get his work to Broadway. Linda Fortunato directs. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Musical theater's beloved show 'The Last Five Years' finally makes it to Broadway
NEW YORK (AP) — Nick Jonas was only 9 and portraying a teacup on Broadway when he first heard about a buzzy new musical playing way downtown. 'All my adult castmates were talking about how great the show was and how amazing the music was,' Jonas recalls of his days in 'Beauty and the Beast.' 'I went to the record store with my dad and picked up a copy of the cast recording and really fell in love with it.' What he adored was 'The Last Five Years,' a two-person stage show with a cult-like following that he is now leading onto a Broadway stage for the first time, capping a 24-year journey. It opens Sunday. 'In a time where musicals are based off of movies, are based off records or coming from London, this is a great American piece by an American composer, writer, songwriter,' says its Tony-nominated director Whitney White. 'This is kind of one of our great American masterpieces." What the show is about Jonas co-stars with Tony Award-winner Adrienne Warren in the heartbreaking look at a five-year marriage between aspiring novelist Jamie and budding actor Cathy from both points of view. Her musical arc traces their relationship backward, from their parting kiss to their meeting five years earlier. Jamie's arc moves in the opposite direction, beginning with a song about his excitement at encountering the woman of his dreams, moving forward in time to the unhappy unraveling of their marriage. 'I think everyone can relate to falling in love, meeting someone, that relationship evolving to something else," says Warren. "There's marriage involved and there's breakup and heartbreak. I think we all have experienced one of those things in our lifetimes, if you're lucky enough.' Composer and writer Jason Robert Brown's show debuted in Illinois in 2001 and then arrived off-Broadway the next year. It has become a staple in regional theaters and colleges and made into a movie starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. 'I think the brilliant thing about the writing is that it really makes you ask a lot of questions about yourself,' says Jonas. 'And I certainly kind of looked inward as I've been digging into this work.' A marriage under stress The marriage of Jamie and Cathy comes under stress when his career starts taking off and hers does not, exploring how imbalances can test a relationship. 'I will not fail so that you can be comfortable, Cathy. I will not lose because you can't win,' he tells her. 'There was something about the way this crystallizes what it is to be a young artist in this business, or really to be a young artist in any business,' says Brown. 'I think that's sort of what the show is about, and I think it's why young artists connect to it as much as they do.' White is a superfan of the show, having seen it when it premiered at the Northlight Theatre outside Chicago. She wants to celebrate its intimateness and realness. 'We all know the stresses of one partner being the earner and the other partner struggling, right? Capitalism comes into our bedrooms and affects our lives and in a very unpredictable way,' she says. Warren, who won a Tony playing Tina Turner, learned about 'The Last Five Years' while studying musical theater at Marymount Manhattan College. 'I always heard my fellow students singing it in class, and so I became a fan of the music from afar,' she says. 'I always thought it was an interesting piece. I just never thought it was something that I could ever perform or be a part of.' Flash-forward to her auditioning for Brown, marking the first time she looked at the score and sang the music. 'I sang two songs and he looked at me and he was like, 'I'm done. This is it.'' Taking sides? White, Jonas and Warren each insist they don't want the audience to side with one or the other partner on stage. They want us to invest in the couple. 'I have been Jamie in relationships, and I have been Cathy, so I can't judge either of them. I've been both of them at different times in my life,' says White. 'I love both of these characters so equally that I'm just trying to love on them at every beat in the story and not judge them. I feel very non-judgmental about this portrait of failure.' To make the leap to a larger stage — the Hudson Theatre has some 977 seats — Brown has given the show a bigger sound and has updated some of the references, moving it to modern day. In some productions, the two lovers only interact once, but this new one has them reach out a lot even though they are in different timelines. Brown says seeing it on Broadway — now starring a huge pop star beside a theater powerhouse — is a little surreal, laughing that there are cocktails named after his doomed lovers at the bar. 'I've never had ambitions for this piece to be a Broadway musical. It was always this little weird, intimate show.' he says. 'I'm very protective of my little show. And at the same time, I have to let it go do its thing in the world.'
