Leo Lionni’s Frederick, A New Musical by Chicago Children’s Theater

Leo Lionni’s Frederick, A New Musical by Chicago Children’s Theater

Reviewd By Parker Cunningham, 7

Nettelhorst School, Room 116, Ms. Levinsky

I gave it 25 stars because the set design and singing was great.  

My favorite character was Frederick because he was funny and the main character.  
It was about teamwork. 

My favorite part was the machine because it was funny and did the boogie dance.

I love musicals. This play was a musical.

I think all kids should go. I mean the book won a Caldecott award. 

If you would like to be a theater blogger for StudentsXpress, please contact rachel@studentsxpress.com

Leo Lionni's Frederick will play through November 16, 2014 

at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. 

While other mice are gathering food for the winter, Frederick daydreams the summer away. When dreary weather comes, it is Frederick who has stored up something special for the long cold winter. The classic, much-loved early reading book celebrates the idea that there is a place for all of us in this world. 

This production is ideal for ages 3 and up. 

Single tickets are on sale now, starting at $28. Or, cost-conscious, theater-loving families should entertain purchasing a Membership Pass to save up to 20 percent on single tickets to Chicago Children's Theatre's 2014-15, three-play season, which also boasts a remount of CCT's 2008 smash hit, The Selfish Giant by Blair Thomas and Michael Smith (January 23-February 22, 2015) and a second world premiere musical, Wonderland, Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure, co-created by Michael Mahler and Rachel Rockwell (April 22-May 24, 2015).

Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (872) 222-9555 to purchase tickets or CCT membership passes. For information on deeply discounted group rates for schools, playgroups, birthday parties and scouting groups, email GroupSales@chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (773) 227-0180 x 13.

Fatherhood Plays Major Role In Goodman Theatre's Smokefall

Review by Robert E. Croston,
Interim Principal at Jenner Elementary

Smokefall is Noah Haidle’s, playwright, surrealist perspective on the power of fatherhood. In a play where in utero fetus explore existentialism and the doctrine of “original sin,” there is potential for misunderstanding.  However, once the characters begin to reveal their motivating forces, one realizes how powerful fathers are to intergenerational stability. The absence and abandonment of the father turned upside down the family for three generations. Although love can be lost in a lifetime, the love of a father or spouse, Haidle challenges us “to love anyway. All love ends by death or by someone falling out of love.” Like all great experiences in life, love must come to an end. A sobering idea for anyone considering sharing her love with another. The trick, according to the Colonel, is to hold on to love while it lasts because it is not supposed to last forever. “Be grateful [because love] won’t come again.” This is the 21 century echo of Alfred Lord Tennyson “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”.  The storytelling is mesmerizing in a Toni Morrison Beloved kind of way. The set design is breathtaking and serves as an additional cast member to visually capture the power of a broken home. I highly recommend this play to adults seeking to explore their personal struggles with identity as it relates to their childhood. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to see it again. 

(L to R) Mike Nussbaum (Colonel) and Catherine Combs (Beauty)

(L to R) Eric Slater (Fetus 1) and Guy Massey (Fetus 2)

Mike Nussbaum (Colonel), Eric Slater (Daniel) and Katherine Keberlein (Violet)

Kids Review CATS

Ethan and Betty before the show

The musical CATS is playing at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora through Oct. 12. Ethan S. from Nettelhorst and Betty S. from Hamilton both attended the press opening on Sept. 13, and here's what they had to say.....

ETHAN: During the weekend I went to see a wonderful play in Aurora called Cats. It was wonderful in so many ways, starting off with the songs. Magical Mister Mistofellees was my personal favorite but each song was special in so many ways. The soundtrack was definitely something I would listen to all day. Along with the songs came amazing dances that made the songs that much more interesting, vivid and amazing. I loved the acrobatics, the flips, and the dances where they just stayed on their feet. And to go with all of  this they had a simple yet interesting story that kept your attention. I loved this play very much.

Illustration by Betty S.

BETTY: This was the first Broadway  (or at least has been on Broadway) play that I’ve ever seen and it has set my expectations high for all those to come. All the actors had beautiful voices and all of them were so flexible making the dance choreography have no exact limit. The set was very colorful, strategic, and the lighting was even part of it. This play stuck to its original roots, but still this company kind of put their own spin on it which wasn’t such a bad thing. In conclusion, my overall evaluations of this beautiful Broadway production is that it is sure to stick in my “Memory”

If you would like to be a theater blogger for StudentsXpress, please contact rachel@studentsxpress.com.

 Production Photos 
by Liz Lauren

My Finest Hour.....by Drew Swartz

Pictures of Peace

The fall issue of StudentsXpress focuses on PEACE and will be delivered soon!
Here's a sneak peek at some of the fabulous artwork you'll find inside.....

Cats at the Paramount is Sure to Entertain

SEPT. 10-OCT. 12 AT AURORA’S PARAMOUNT THEATRE    

I'm really excited to see Cats for the first time at Aurora's Paramount Theatre, as they kick off their 2014-15 Broadway Subscription series. Check back here for the review of the show, and in the meantime, maybe get some tickets for yourself and your kids. It's rated G, and sure to be a lot of fun.

Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, CATS is one of the most popular and beloved theatrical productions on the planet, filled with unforgettable music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lush orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber. 

  

Performances are September 10-October 12, 2014.

Show times are Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

To purchase, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 2 hours prior to evening performances. 

Cats is based on T.S. Eliot’s collection of poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The action takes place on the most sacred night of the year as a tribe of felines prepare for the Jellicle Ball. Every member of the tribe tries to prove they’re worthy enough to be “the one” selected to be reborn in the afterlife and live for eternity in the glorious “Heaviside Layer.”

It takes more than six words to cover the whole scope of Heartscape

Funny. Happy. Sad. Love. Talent. Entertaining.

Those are the six words my 9-year-old daughter used to describe Heartscape, the performance put on by Goodman Theatre’s General Theater Studies group. She only used six words because that’s what the 80 cast members used as their bios in the “who’s who” section of the program. This was a great way to peak our interest before the show started. 

By the end, when the cast introduced themselves, we wanted to find out who Kyle was (his six words were “I’m the sexiest person here, baby.”) and who played Detective Pumpernickel. She had us laughing so much, we had to read the six words she used in her short bio.

But the Goodman’s GTS Program can’t possibly be described in only six words. It is so much more than that. A comprehensive six-week program is designed to further critical thinking, literacy and storytelling skills in 14-18 year-old students, emphasizing the fundamentals of writing, oral history, storytelling and ensemble. Members also learn the basics of production, direction and design from some of the finest teaching artists in the city. At the end of the six weeks, the teenagers come together for two performances at the Goodman Theatre. This year, the focus was on love. The participants did research with family, friends and members of their communities around the question “When was a moment you had to fight for love?” The resulting showcase, titled Heartscape, was a mixture of comedy and tragedy, with songs and dancing to keep the energy level high and upbeat. 

What struck me the most about the performance was how well the students worked together and how much fun they seemed to be having —especially apparent at the very end when they each introduced themselves to the audience. They really put their heart (and soul) into Heartscape—and it showed.

The mission of the Goodman Theatre’s GTS program is very similar to that of StudentsXpress—to give young people a voice to express themselves through their joys and pains, triumphs and sorrows. Heartscape did all of this. As Director of Education and Community Engagement, Willa Taylor, explained before the students took to the stage, "if we allow young people the power of their voices, the power of their stories, the world will be a much better place. The arts have the power to transform lives." It was obvious that Heartscape was more than just a performance for these teenagers. I can only imagine what a wonderful summer they must have had learning all they did, working together to put on such a wonderful show.

I attended the performance on Monday, August 11, with my daughter and my 11-year-old son. Here is his review:

What I loved so much about the play Heartscape was that there was one big story that consisted of so many elements inside and was executed so well. Never was I even close to being bored, my mind was only fixated on the play. The story was in-a-way dramatic but the comedy incorporated in it made it all very pleasant to watch, and I can truly tell you that I enjoyed every bit of this play, from start to finish—for its elements of laughter and overall story line.

If you would like to be a theater blogger for StudentsXpress, please contact rachel@studentsxpress.com.