There are two major U.S. holidays in November - Veterans Day (Nov. 11), and Thanksgiving (Nov. 27). But let's be thankful for a slew of theater, dance, and music performances filling the city's stages throughout the month too, with many of them being brought to light by a wide array of Jewish artists. Here is a diverse overview of their work.
Carla Gordon in
Blacklisted - Songs McCarthy Didn't Want You to Hear
History can repeat itself in interesting ways. And the musical Blacklisted - Songs McCarthy Didn't Want You to Hear is an ideal example. The musical will be staged for one-night-only-Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m.-as a benefit performance for the Season of Concern, a nonprofit supporting Chicago-area theater artists impacted by illness, injury, or circumstance.
Look back to the early 1950s when Senator Joe McCarthy blacklisted American citizens who he deemed to be communists-notably members of the country's entertainment community-and he called before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Blacklisted
-a show first produced almost a decade ago, and performed at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, the Acorn Theater in Michigan, and the Skokie Theatre-was written and directed by singer, songwriter, and producer Carla Gordon, who describes herself as "a Jewish girl born and bred in Chicago." The show features music directed by Beckie Menzie, with performances by David Meulemans and several others.
The show focuses on the work of such well-known artists of the period as Judy Holliday, Zero Mostel, Yip Harburg, Leonard Bernstein, Marc Blitzstein, Paul Robeson, Peter Seger, as well as Jewish greats Zero Mostel, Leonard Bernstein, and Marc Blitzstein. As Gordon has noted: "It asks you to think about your grandparents and others who came to America for freedom and then lived through the 1950s in this country. You will now have the sense of a broken promise."
The show will be performed at Columbia College Chicago's Sherwood Recital Hall. For tickets, visit
here
.
Yohay Sponder: Droll Israeli comedian headed to Windy City
I only recently learned about Yohay Sponder, the Israeli stand-up comedian who is now making stops in the U.S. and Canada, and giving a one night only performance in Chicago at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Park West.
But, I have watched a slew of his performances online, and was impressed by his winningly droll and sardonic sense of humor, how he riffs about his Jewish identity, and how his comedy has evolved since October 7.
Described as "a class clown and jokes technician" during his school days, Sponder has acquired more than 20 years of experience that has been described as "bringing a unique outlook on life to the stage throughout his career." He has starred in multiple TV and radio shows, produced and headlined an Israeli comedy performed in English, performed all over the world, and gained a massive following on social media. He will bring his new show, Self Loving Jew-in which it is said he talks about "self love, identity, and faith with a blend of humor, smart wit, and an unapologetic attitude-the perfect antidote for even the toughest of times for Israel."
As one interviewer noted, "He truly believes he can cure the world's troubles one laugh at a time…although by this time the joke's on him."
For tickets, visit
gotickets.com
or call 773-929-1322.
And there's more to catch this month:
Revolution (s)
: This world premiere musical, running through Nov. 9 at the Goodman's Owen Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, is about a young artist returning to the U.S. after service as a soldier in Afghanistan. The playwright, Northwestern University professor Zayd Ayers Dohrn, is the son of Bernadine Dohrn, a member of the leftist Weather Underground in the 1970s. As he has written: "My mom is Jewish and raised us as secular Jews. Her dad changed the name Ornstein to Dohrn, a kind of Ellis Island name change."
For tickets, visit
goodmantheatre.org
or call 312-443-3800.
Amadeus
: This Tony Award-winning play runs from Nov. 6 to Jan. 4 at Steppenwolf Theatre at 1650 N. Halsted. This masterwork, dating from 1979, was one of the many plays written by the late Sir Peter Shaffer-who was born into a Jewish family in Liverpool, England. The story captures the intense rivalry between Antonio Salieri, the emperor's composer who held court until the flamboyant entrance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the musical prodigy and wild child.
The play is directed by Robert Falls, the longtime Goodman Theatre director now working for the first time at Steppenwolf. Todd Rosenthal is the scenic director, while Mikhail Fiklsel is the music director for the play, which makes significant use of the music of Mozart and Salieri.
For tickets, visit
Steppenwolf.org
or call 312- 335-1650.
Black Milk
: Choreographed by Israel's Ohad Naharin, is one of several pieces on the program to be performed by the Hubbard Street Dance company at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre from Nov. 14 to 23.
For the first time in over 20 years, this dance-choreographed by Israel's Ohad Naharin-will be performed by the Hubbard Street Dance company at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre from Nov. 14-23.
An extremely physically demanding work, it is described as "a ritualistic quintet ballet both elegant and feral." For tickets, visit hubbardstreetdance.com or call 312-850-9744.
As You Like It
: A production of the classic Shakespeare comedy-which depicts a dreamlike tale of faithful friends, feuding families, and chance encounters-is being staged at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe now through Dec. 14. The show features an original adaptation with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, a Jewish actress, singer, and composer.
For tickets, visit writerstheatre.org or call 847-242-6000.
Hedy Weiss, a longtime Chicago arts critic, was the Theater and Dance Critic for the
Chicago Sun-Times
from 1984 to 2018, and currently writes for WTTW-TV's website and contributes to the
Chicago Tonight
program.
