Displaying items by tag: liz cloud
A King Lear So Good It Must Be Seen
Let me apologize for gushing (and being late with this review), but Brian Parry’s performance as King Lear at Redtwist Theater is nothing short of astounding. One of the finest Shakespeare performances I have ever seen, Parry brings goosebumps and rushes from his first few lines. He acts the role deeply and well. He is King Lear.
But Parry is also a consummate thespian, there is no other way to describe it – a master of delivery of the Elizabethan English, with cadence and emphasis so deft that the language is clear as a bell. While English is filled with ancient words whose meaning changes over centuries, the new meanings are accretions on top of the old ones. When uttered with skill, we hear with both our modern minds and our primitive souls. With Parry we hear it all.
My intuition tells me every actor on that stage knows what Parry is up to. I have to imagine they were all drawn to this demanding work because of their passion for it, and perhaps because they would have a chance to be immersed in such a wonderful enterprise with Parry as Lear.
The story of King Lear is a mythical tragedy, a storyline set up by Shakespeare to allow for drama. The aging king decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. Determining which portion to give to each, he asks them how much they love him.
The oldest, Goneril (Jacqueline Grant) and middle daughter, Regan (KC Karen Hill) both married, are effusive in their expressions, and they warm the cockles of Lear’s soul. Hill and Grant open what will be noteworthy performances, on par with Parry.
But his youngest daughter, Cordelia, is less effusive, and more rational – pointing out to Lear she must love him more since she has no husband splitting her away from him. Angry, Lear disinherits and banishes Cordelia and the Earl of Kent (Cameron Feagin) who has defended her. Cordelia’s suitor abandons her after this loss of wealth – though the King of France steps in to marry and rescue her.
Enter tragedy, as we learn the people who really love Lear have been cast off, and the two oldest daughters and their husbands begin to diminish Lear’s standing – refusing his 150 person retinue, and tossing him between castles like an unwanted in-law.
The whole company is so remarkably good there is not a performance that falters – an electricity of excellence coursing through the stage. Particularly impressive were Kayla Raelle Holder as Lear’s youngest daughter Cordelia and Mark West as Edmund, illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Cordelia challenges Lear, and Holder has the chops to do it. Edmund is conniving and duplicitous, a bastard figuratively and literally – and West’s eyes glisten with his evil cunning.
Complicated roles and performances were those of King Lear’s Fool (Liz Cunningham) and the Earl of Gloucester’s legitimate son, Edgar (Robert Hunter Bry). Both play their character, as well as an alternate characters. Cunningham’s Fool took awhile to grow on me, for Shakespeare makes fools speak in puzzling ways – but I caught on.
And Bry’s Edgar is unprepossessing at first, outshown by his half evil half brother Edmund. When he adopts alternate characters - one a rustic bumpkin who guides his blinded father to safety - Bry shines. It occurred to me after this show that I had never really seen King Lear live before – though I have seen scenes from it. The role calls to actors – Glenda Jackson notably took it on in New York recently – and this production at Redtwist Theatre gives us a glimpse of the best that actors can be when inspired. Don’t miss it (it runs through August 2 at Red Twist Theatre at 1104 W Bryn Mawr.
Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by…
Lookingglass presents Ice Cream Circus, June 2-7, as part of Night Out in the Parks
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreLookingglass Theatre Company presents Ice Cream Circus! 2026, a free, family-friendly theatrical event presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out…
YI Love Jewish and Arts Judaica Chicago Premiere of A PEOPLE at Theater Wit June 18 – July 5
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreThe South Florida based YI Love Jewish and Chicago-based Arts Judaica proudly join forces to present a limited engagement of the Chicago…
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Coming to Chicago July 9th
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreJK Entertainment is proud to announce the final production of their inaugural season: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the cult-classic created…
Chicago City Opera presents 'Der Rosenkavalier' June 5
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreChicago City Opera (CCO) presents one of late-Romantic composer Richard Strauss' most beloved works, Der Rosenkavalier. In CCO's signature pared…
Porchlight Announces Felicia P. Fields and Anthony Rapp join its Artistic Advisory Board
27 May 2026 in Theatre BuzzAward-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s…
Kokandy Productions Presents HAIR - July 2 – September 13, 2026 at The Chopin Theatre
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreHot off their record-breaking, award-winning runs of Jekyll & Hyde and Amélie, Kokandy Productions is pleased to launch its 2026 Season with the revolutionary "love-rock"…
Babes With Blades presents the world premiere premiere of yo ho., July 19 - August 29
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBabes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly…
PrideArts to present BEHIND THE CURTAIN: UNTOLD STORIES FROM CANADA’S TEAM BROADWAY on Monday, July 6th
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatrePrideArts announced today that Craig Ramsay and Catherine Wreford will bring the magic of Broadway to the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at…
Music Theater Works presents WEST SIDE STORY, August 13 - 30
24 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreMusic Theater Works is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the second production of its 2026 season, West Side…
Whammy, Indeed: Koechner’s Stand‑Up Evolves at The Den
24 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewDavid Koechner stormed into The Den Theatre’s Mainstage this weekend with the kind of unruly, big‑hearted presence that instantly reminded…
League of Chicago Theatres welcomes the summer theatre season
22 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreChicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays…
Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void
22 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSpaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile…
Inside a Real ‘Fire House’ You Are Immersed in Phantasmic Lives of Firefighters
22 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSet in Chicago’s oldest fire station (now Firehouse Art Studio) the immersive play "Fire House” is only loosely tethered to…
Spamalot Is Every Monty Python Fan’s Dream Come to Life
21 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSpamalot rides into the Windy City courtesy of Broadway In Chicago, inviting theatergoers to join King Arthur’s quest now through…
Raven Theatre announces the 2026-27 season
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreRaven Theatre, under the director of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry, announces its 44th season, to include Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange…
Steppenwolf Theatre Presents ALEX EDELMAN: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFollowing a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run of Just For Us at Steppenwolf Theatre and around the globe, Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman returns…
Announcing the 26/27 Season at Goodman Theatre
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreOn the heels of an unprecedented Centennial Season, Goodman Theatre sets a bold stage for its second century. Walter Artistic…
Black Button Eyes Productions to stage Conor McPherson's one-actor play ST NICHOLAS, June 26 - July 26
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBlack Button Eyes Productions has announced it will follow up its hit co-production (with City Lit Theater) of STRANGE CARGO:…
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces As Long As You're Asking: A Conversation with Jason Alexander
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreChicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the return of Jason Alexander for a special event, As Long As You're Asking: A Conversation with Jason Alexander.…
Midsommer Flight to stage Shakespeare's comedy AS YOU LIKE IT free in six Chicago parks June 26 – August 2
20 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFor its 13th free summer production, Midsommer Flight will present one of Shakespeare's most highly regarded and popular comedies. AS YOU…
Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes back fan favorite Ondřej Pšenička for a limited run this summer
19 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreChicago Magic Lounge, Chicago's home for close-up magic, announces the return of world-renowned magician Ondřej Pšenička in a limited run of his hit…
Porchlight's FREE Summer Concert Series Returns - BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD
19 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatrePorchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, July 6 - September…
Ian Frank named Shattered Globe Theatre’s new Producing Artistic Director
19 May 2026 in Theatre BuzzChicago’s Shattered Globe Theatre announced today that Ian Frank has been selected, following a national search, to be the company’s…
OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO PRESENTS VERY VERISMO! JUNE 13 AT THE JARVIS OPERA HALL
19 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreOpera Festival of Chicago opens its 2026 festival season with Very Verismo!, that includes a VIP reception and a captivating concert celebrating…
Couch Penny Ensemble presents An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch, running June 19-July 5 at the Greenhouse Theater Center
18 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreTwo actors. One has rehearsed the play. The other has neither seen nor read it. A different performer joins the…
AstonRep Productions to stage US Premiere of Liisa Repo-Martell's new adaptation of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA, June 18 – July 5 at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre
18 May 2026 in Upcoming DanceAstonRep Productions, the theatre and film production company that has produced over 30 stage productions in Chicago, has announced it…
A Red Orchid’s The Targeted Builds a Case for Compassion
18 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewIf you’ve ever worked in an urban coffee shop, chances are you’ve encountered at least one ultra-paranoid kook who believes…
Rocky in Concert Delivers a Knockout Night Despite Technical Stumbles
17 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewMarking Rocky’s 50th anniversary, Rocky in Concert arrived at the Auditorium Theatre in a highly anticipated Auditorium Philms presentation featuring…
No Dialog, Yet Strongly Affecting, Trap Door's 'Le Bal' Is Like Nothing You've Seen
16 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewCan you have a play run 90 minutes with no dialog? Indubitably, as Trap Door Theatre demonstrates with its new…
Latest Articles
-
Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
Written by Buzz Center StageBroadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by ABC 7 Chicago, the concert begins at 6:15 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.) and is… -
Chicago City Opera presents 'Der Rosenkavalier' June 5
Written by Buzz Center StageChicago City Opera (CCO) presents one of late-Romantic composer Richard Strauss' most beloved works, Der Rosenkavalier. In CCO's signature pared down style, the grand opera is stripped down to its raw essentials, highlighting the complex relationships, sophisticated humor, and nuanced…
-
Porchlight Announces Felicia P. Fields and Anthony Rapp join its Artistic Advisory Board
Written by Buzz Center StageAward-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s Anthony Rapp, have joined the Artistic Advisory Board. Porchlight's Artistic Advisory Board consists of seasoned professionals who have excelled in their…
-
Babes With Blades presents the world premiere premiere of yo ho., July 19 - August 29
Written by Buzz Center StageBabes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly “CB” Cason, July 19 - August 29 at The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. The running time is approximately two…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.