When the family patriarch dies, a poor African-American family living on Chicago’s South Side, must decide what to do with the soon-to-arrive insurance settlement.  Should it be used to establish a liquor store, as son Walter Lee plans to do, hopefully moving the family out of poverty?  Or should his mother’s religious objections to alcohol be considered?  Family tensions rise as the future of the Younger family is weighed against the difficulties of the harsh and changing world in which they live.  Questions of race and politics, of assimilation and historical awareness are seamlessly interwoven in this touching and wrenching family drama. Taken from the website 

May. 21 — Jun. 18, 2016

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THE UNCERTAINTY FILES- Based on a series of intimate interviews, playwright McLean talked with several Americans, transcribing their discussions (as well as the sounds around them of traffic, doors closing or a refrigerator humming) and created a one-act play about the uncertainty of the future, the hereafter, about love and about ourselves. This is the first time the play has been done in the United States. Taken from the website 
 
The comedy one-act WHAT LOVE IS opens the evening, examining the relationship of a loving, slightly cantankerous husband and wife in their twilight years, as well as their grown daughter, who is acting as a reluctant and less than happy caretaker. Aging, illness, the beauty of the tango and the happy feeling you get from a good shortbread are all tackled in a quirky, meaningful way reminiscent of Samuel Beckett at his funniest. Taken from the website 

May 20 – June 11th 2016 

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Photo: Ken Howard / LA Opera)

Following the lives of four young bohemians as they fight, fantasize and fall in (and out) of love in the face of poverty, La Boheme is widely regarded as one of Puccini’s greatest works, spawning myriad adaptations, even becoming the basis for hit musical RENT. Although the struggle and strife (and excitement) of 1840’s Paris may seem worlds away to us now, the themes have remained timeless and universal. Taken from the website 

May 22nd  – June 12th

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(photo credit: Kevin Parry)

Synopsis :  In this play spanning 30 years and six presidential administrations, Hester Ferris throws Georgetown dinner parties that can change the course of Washington’s politics. But when her beloved son suddenly turns up with an ambitious Reaganite girlfriend and a shocking new conservative world view, Hester must choose between preserving her family and defending the causes she’s spent her whole life fighting for. Take from the Website

May 17th – June 4th 2016 

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7.5 Overall
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Synopsis: Winner of the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play, this is master playwright Brian Friel’s best. Set in a small village in 1936 Ireland, five unmarried sisters share a small home and dreams of life beyond their native land.  Taken from the website 

MAY 6 – JUNE 12, 2016

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Above Average
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7.8 Overall
10 Users (1 vote)
Story9
Set & Design6.5
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Actors Co-op Dancing at Lughnasa is true to Brian Friel
I am a fan of 99 seat theater and frequent the Actors Co-op. I was lucky enough to see Brian Friel's (pronounced Freel) Dancing at Lughnasa (pronounced loo-na-sah) opening weekend. I was excited to see what reviewers had to say and this review is unfortunate. I know the play well and the Actors Co-op did a beautiful job. The actors were, as stated, remarkable and play the story gorgeously. The play is dialogue. However, what is not being said, is what is fueling the story. The Mundy sisters beautifully walked the line of ordinary discussion while peeling back moments of deep regret and fear. The magic of these characters shows when each of them reacts and copes differently with challenges they face. We are given three solid examples: Jack's return, Gerry's(pronounced Jerry) return and Rose's return. Kate is mad in all of those moments, Maggie covers but is curious, Agnes & Chris are afraid. But each sister is written to show the wide array of human reaction. While this review is right, the story is Michael looking back on his life and seeking his purpose, the show is not trying to tie up the story with a bow. The story is flawed. The last monologue of the play describes the memories as floating and without fact, images and nostalgia carried through music. We, the audience do not get every detail because Michael himself, does not have every detail. That is why Brian Friel wrote the character of young Michael to be invisible. That is why Michael walks through the show as its narrator. That is why it is told out of time. The show is in a thrust theater, so while you may not see the faces of all characters the story is told beautifully across the room , many moments are in reaction. Depending on where you sit decides who you see speak, who you see respond. I thought it was beautifully staged and reflective of memory. While you may not leave the theater understanding everything, you will have connected and engaged in the story. This reviewer didn't understand the theater's space, the story's convention and he missed the point of the play. That being said, Actors Co-op did not. They were stunning. If you are a theater person and love this classic, you will not be disappointed. I rate this play five stars.
May 17, 2016, 5:06 pm
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Synopsis: The story of a girl who did everything she was supposed to do and ended up exactly where she never wanted to be. “No, I Won’t Take You to the Airport!,” is a story of completely true stories. Taken from the Website

April 13 – June 8th 2016
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(photo courtesy: NICK AGRO)

April 29 – May 15, 2016

Synopsis : The groundbreaking Broadway musical! Green Day’s powerhouse album is brought to life in this electric-rock musical of youthful disillusion. The two-time Tony Award-winning hit musical American Idiot, based on Green Day’s Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album, boldly takes the American musical where it’s never gone before. this high-octane show includes every song from Green Day’s album American Idiot, as well as several songs from follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown. Taken from the website buy


Synopsis: Lee Blessing’s brilliant and surprisingly humorous play of ideas, based on a true event, seems more timely than ever. Nearing the end of the Cold War, a pair of arms negotiators — a clever, cynical Russian and an idealistic young American — step away from the bargaining table to meet in the woods outside Geneva for a series of talks to explore the obstacles their countries face on the path to peace. There, they debate politics, the future of the free world, the nature of mankind, and the very survival of humanity. Can they find a common place between the politics that divide us and the humanity that unites us? Taken from the website 

APRIL 27 – MAY 22 2016
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7.5 Overall
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