Feb. 26--Someone hitting it out of the park -- theatrically speaking -- is always a joy to watch. But I've long been an admirer of the all-important (and much rarer) successful follow-up. What's better than a hit? A hit directly followed by another hit.
So who's on a roll this winter?
American Theatre Company, for one. That North Side theater's production of Stephen Karam's prismatic piece "The Humans" (now closed) was one of the best and most popular shows in its history. The show was extended so many times -- ATC did not fall into that common Chicago trap of nixing a hit too soon -- that ATC's planned production of Marco Ramirez's "The Royale" had to be postponed for three weeks. Often when that happens in very small companies, focus moves away from the show that follows.
Not this time. "The Royale," a play about Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world, is another sizzler. Dynamically acted and potently directed by Jaime Castaneda, this piece is a showcase for Jarod Haynes, who is following up on his performance in "Native Son" at Court Theatre with another blistering central performance. "The Royale" is a very different show from "The Humans," but both are examples of top-drawer pieces of new writing produced as to make the playwright proud. Both plays have bleeding hearts and a level of stakes that keep you fully engrossed. If you're judging theater companies on recent one-two punches, American Theater Company knocks out the competition.
So there's a company and an actor. What about some directors on a notable streak?
Nick Bowling is one. His production of "The King and I" was a highlight of the fall Marriott Theatre season, bursting with fresh staging ideas. Bowling then turned around and came up with Porchlight's superb "Sondheim on Sondheim," featuring the talents of pianist and musical director Austin Cook. Porchlight is a small-budget operation with limited funds to pay for talent, but Bowling still put together a very fine little ensemble. This show, which I thought the best work I've seen from this company in many years, took advantage of the intimacy of its space to really engage the audience of Sondheim fans with the man himself, who appears on video. It's a very classy piece of work and highly distinctive.
Keira Fromm is another. Fromm followed up on her very solid fall production of "Luce" at Next Theatre (alas, a company now defunct) with a terrific little show for About Face Theatre. "A Kid Like Jake" is all about gender, child rearing, marriage and, most notably, the competitive world of kindergarten admissions for private schools in New York City. "A Kid Like Jake," which you can see at the Greenhouse Theater Center, is a very warm and compassionate production filled with vulnerable performances ringing with authenticity.
Louis Contey, the director of the Apple Family Plays at TimeLine Theatre, goes even one better, serving up two excellent shows at once. Contey's double bill of "That Hopey Changey Thing" and "Sorry," two contemporary Chekhovian dramas by Richard Nelson, are playing in repertory at TimeLine Theatre, replete with the acting of Mike Nussbaum, who is following up, brilliantly, on his amazing performance in Noah Haidle's "Smokefall" at the Goodman Theatre.
So here's your theater-going week: "The Royale," "Sondheim on Sondheim," "A Kid Like Jake" and both Apple Family plays. Every one worth seeing. Every one proof of an artist who cannot be called a flash in any pan.
And the triple? Harder yet. I'm still waiting.
cjones5@tribpub.com
