The Huffington Post, April 17, 2010 — There are at least two levels in just about every great piece of theater. On one level, we should believe the characters we’re seeing onstage are real. On another level, we’re fully aware of the fact that we’re watching a performance… Read my review at the Huffington Post.
Category: Theater
Censorship in Chicago theater
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in March 2010. Chicago used to be the kind of town where actors were afraid of saying words like “hell” or “damn” on the stage. And taking off their clothes during a play? Unthinkable. These days, smoking a cigarette is just about the only thing that… Continue reading Censorship in Chicago theater
On fight choreography
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in February 2010. Staging a fight scene for a play is a bit like designing a rollercoaster ride: it should look dangerous, but it needs to be safe. Those swords you see onstage don’t have sharp edges, but they can deliver some serious bruises. Many… Continue reading On fight choreography
What is a dramaturg?
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in October 2009. Of all the people listed in a theater program, the most mysterious may be the dramaturg. Or should that be dramaturge? The spelling is hard to pin down, and so is the definition of exactly what this person does. “I wish I had… Continue reading What is a dramaturg?
Chicago theater lingo
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in September 2009. Theater people have a language all their own. But the lingo doesn’t always translate from house to house. Take the term “Strawberry Shortcake,” for example. It was coined at Lookingglass Theatre in 2001, when the actress Lauren Hirte needed a costume to… Continue reading Chicago theater lingo
Randolph Street, Chicago’s theater row
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in June 2009. If you took a stroll down Randolph Street in Chicago’s Loop in the early 1900s, chances were pretty good that you’d rub elbows with an actor. The sidewalks were crammed with thespians almost every afternoon on Randolph, a street with so many… Continue reading Randolph Street, Chicago’s theater row
Exploring O’Neill at the Goodman
The Huffington Post, April 10, 2009 — The Eugene O’Neill festival now in its final days at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre wasn’t exactly designed as an introduction to this great American playwright. Nor was it a celebration of his best and most famous works… Read my blog post at the Huffington Post or Underground Bee. Photo by… Continue reading Exploring O’Neill at the Goodman
Some critics enjoy shooting ‘Buffalo’
The Huffington Post, December 27, 2008 — American Buffalo came and went pretty damn fast on Broadway this fall. The reviews were not exactly glowing for director Robert Falls’s revival of David Mamet’s drama, which is widely regarded as one of the playwright’s best plays. It’s worth remembering, though, that critics did not greet American Buffalo with universal acclaim… Continue reading Some critics enjoy shooting ‘Buffalo’
John Mahoney discusses ‘The Seafarer’
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on December 3, 2008. When John Mahoney needed a refresher course on how to do a Dublin accent, he went straight to an expert — the acclaimed Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. Mahoney, the Oak Park actor best known for his role in the 1993-2004 sitcom “Frazier,”… Continue reading John Mahoney discusses ‘The Seafarer’
2008 John Mahoney interview
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on December 3, 2008. When John Mahoney needed a refresher course on how to do a Dublin accent, he went straight to an expert — the acclaimed Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. Mahoney, the Oak Park actor best known for his role in the 1993-2004 sitcom “Frazier,” was working… Continue reading 2008 John Mahoney interview