The Theatre Critic

Why am I a theatre critic? Good question. I am a theatre aficionado who has been going to see stage plays and musicals all my life. My grandmother and uncle took me to see Mary Martin in Peter Pan when I was 11 years old. I’ve been ‘hooked’ ever since. I truly believe that ‘I’ll never Grow Up.’

 Each year during my youth, Uncle Dave would take me to New York to see the Broadway shows. We would see 7 or 8 shows from Wednesday through Sunday. It was a glorious annual event. I still do a ‘Mecca’ to the Big Apple occasionally. I have had the pleasure of seeing many theatre icons perform such as Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews (My Fair Lady), Ethel Merman (Annie Get Your Gun) and Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl). I could make a long list of the ‘greats’ I have witnessed. Thanks Uncle Dave!

Over the years, I have exposed my friends to the joys of the stage and became a ‘theatre advisor’ to my blue collar Northwest Side Chicago friends. They were never quite sure which play or musical to see, so they’d call me. I would tell them which show to see and why they should go. When we were in the dating age, I explained that a way to a girl’s heart was through a romantic Rodgers & Hammerstein or Jerry Herman show. I got many “Thank you Tom, that show really worked” messages! 

I have written some theatre and I have produced and directed a couple of revues in South Florida. (I even was an actor performing in two very forgettable shows). These experiences gave me respect for the efforts of all involved in the performing arts. That’s why I go to a show looking for the good. I empathize and I secretly cheer for the actors and the playwright. My respect for those who dare to expose themselves live on stage is enormous. My regard for the written word leaves me to like almost any show that is written with care and craft. 

I advise people to be extremely open-minded and just let a show into their hearts and minds. If they do that, most theatrical works will entertain and enlighten them. It works. Try it. 

So when I had the opportunity to become a published professional theatre critic, I jumped at the chance to have my opinions read. Wow! How cool! I want to thank Tony Prieto, the owner and publisher of the Wicker Park Voice for having the faith in me to entrust theatre reviews to a beginner.

I am indebted to Jonathan Abarbanel for letting me attend the American Theatre Critics Annual Conference last June in Chicago where I got to meet many of the most respected critics in America. I learned more about theatre and how to analyze it during that week than a lifetime of study would have revealed. Thanks to all.

The lights turned on for me after seeing a lousy play when a critic asked me what I thought. When my analysis was finished, another well-known New York critic joined us and was asked the same question. Amazingly, the NYC critic used almost the exact words I used to pan the terrible show we all witnessed.

That’s when I realized that I’m not too far off with my opinions. I also knew that my knowledge of theatre was adequate if I continued to learn the craft of the theatre critic. I guess I learned what the elements of theatre should be by seeing the great shows performed by the great actors of our time. An argument for high standards. Those hundreds of shows did teach me some things. Reading the classic plays, listening to soundtracks from musicals and viewing the tapes of the MGM musical films of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s helped round out my theatrical references. Today, so much theatre is recorded on tape that one only has to drop in a cassette to learn about theatre. 

Although the above helps, there is no substitute for the dynamics of a live show. I believe it is the ultimate storytelling form. The power and intimacy of the stage can never be duplicated on film or TV. The connection an actor makes with an audience is unique and transfixing. The power of subtly and nuance carries more weight in a live performance. I cherish being part of a fine performance and I strongly desire to share my experience with everyone I come into contact with. Now I have a platform to ‘preach’ theatre to a large audience.

It is one of my goals as a critic to get people to experience the joys of the stage. I want to get young people to get into the habit of seeing theatre. There are too many white hairs in today’s theatre audiences. Knowledge is power if you reach the proper audience. If I can help someone choose a play to see this week, then I’ve done my job.

 My role is to help those new to the theatre sift through the maze of plays being offered in Chicago so that they can find one that has a chance to entertain them. I want them to go and I give them a reason. I’ll always tell you in personal concrete terms why I think a play has or hasn’t enough merits to warrant your time and money. You’ll always know my personal biases in order to understand how I arrive at my conclusions.

 Checkout my feature article, The Rules For Enjoying A Broadway Musical to gain some insight on my philosophy of theatre. This website (www.chicagocritic.com ) is my attempt to offer guidance and information so you can pick the plays that suit your taste. I appreciate your opinions and feedback. Send me an email or give me a call to let me know if I have been any value to you in your search for shows to see. From time to time, I take people with me to see a show. Send me an email and sign up for my newsletter and let me know what kind of shows you’d like to see and your availability. I do invite subscribers to see shows with me. Let me know…and…see a play this week!

Thanks

Tom Williams

Lifelong Theater Fan Spreads Magic Onstage

By Max A. Herman

(Article published in Chicago Arts & Entertainment Newspaper 1/2/03)

“I’m going to help (you) sift through the 50 shows that are showing on any given day,” said theater critic Tom Williams. Going to plays nearly every night gives Williams the chance to call each production just how he sees it, yet objectively.

“I try to go in there like a naive, golly-gee-whiz hick with a piece of corn stuck in my teeth,” said the matter-of-fact Williams. “Really, just go there and absorb it. If people do that, they’ll find that most theater will entertain them.”
Williams isn’t going to lie. He has his biases, just like everyone else. He may not be able to stand rock music in a production, but what sets Williams apart from the crowd is that he’ll let you know his biases from the get-go.
“Some critics say that you should just talk technically and let the people make up their mind - I say no,” Williams said. “I take it real personal. If people read my site, they’ll get to know my biases.”

The site he’s referring to is his independent enterprise www.chicagocritic.com, which receives nearly 805 visitors per day.
Here, he provides comprehensive and upfront reviews of nearly every show this city has to offer. Williams isn’t quite making a living off of the site yet, but he has so many deals in the works that this could very well become a reality.
With his online platform, Williams aims to be more than informative - he wants to be an advisor.

“People want to be led,” Williams said. “Sometimes people go, ‘You didn’t like the show, but guess what? You were wrong.’ You know how I am to that? I tell them ‘Thank you. You went to see the show.’ That’s my goal.”

Even before he became an official critic, Williams let his blue-collar Northwest Side friends know what shows were worth heading downtown for.

Today, Williams takes along a variety of acquaintances to every production he attends. In fact, Williams spoke of how he once took a 21-year-old rock musician, new to theater, to a production and he flat-out loved it. This is one of Williams’ many success stories. He wants to convert you, too.

Since experiencing his first play, Peter Pan, at age 11, Williams has been entranced by the magic that can be formulated on stage.
And thanks to the editor of the Wicker Park Voice, this grown-up theater enthusiast was given a chance to put his opinion on paper.

When Williams was able to talk the editor into flying him to a theater critic’s association convention in New York, he was reassured that he knew what he was talking about when it came to theater

After seeing a bomb of a production, Williams and his fellow critics were waiting for the bus when post-show conversation was ignited. In the crowd were critics from.publications such as The New York Times who didn’t realize Williams was a rookie. So Williams proceeded to give a five-minute shtick about why this show didn’t work. As it turned out, they all agreed with him.

“They went, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right.’ The New York Times critic and one from the New Yorker, I believe, came and joined us on the bus,” recalled Williams. “And the guy asked the New York critic what he thought. He said almost word for word what I said. And this was a guy who’s been doing it for, like, 25 years. It was pretty obvious this show was bad, but he had the exact little comments that I had. He had no way of hearing what we said ’cause he was outside.”

Williams said that during the conference he realized that he could blend in with the best of them. What I had learned from years of going to shows was that I wasn’t too far off,” said Williams. How’s that for a self-trained critic?

Williams now plans to do a radio show which would include interviews and contrary opinions - slightly similar to Siskel & Ebert, but without all of the arguing, said Williams. You may see Williams on TV and in print soon, as well. For now, make sure to log on at www.chicagocritic.com Remember, Williams is so insistent on you going and seeing a good show that he might even take you along.

Beverly Friend

Email Address: friend@oakton.edu

Free lance writer, lecturer, and desktop publisher, Beverly Friend, Ph.D., currently is Theater Critic for the Pioneer Press City Group (Skyline, New Star, Booster), and formerly was the Science Fiction Book Reviewer for the Chicago Daily News. An Emeritus Professor of English and Journalism at Oakton Community College, and Executive Director and Website Publisher for the China Judaic Studies Association (http://www.oakton.edu/~friend/chinajews.html), her numerous articles have appeared in journals and academic publications.

 As a founding member of the Science Fiction Research Association, she has chaired several national conferences and was head of the Academic Track for the 2001 World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago. Her books include "Science Fiction: The Classroom in Orbit, (Educational Impact 1974) "The Science Fiction Fan Cult" (dissertation, Northwestern University, 1975), "Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng (with Professor Xu Xin, KTAV, 1995). 

 She serves on the boards of the Oakton Community College Emeritus and Annuitants Associations, and Free Arts of Illinois, and lectures for Oakton's Emeritus Program and the Bluestem Humanities Festival, as well as on topics related to China/Judaic studies. She was a member of the steering committee for the American Theater Critics at their annual conference when it met in Chicago. She has led a tour to China, presented Elderhostel classes, and last summer lectured for Page and Stage during their annual Stratford, Ontario Theater Tour. 

 Friend is also a percussionist with Heavy Shtetl, the Jewish Reconstructionist Synagogue Klezmer Band. In addition, she annually selects the winner and presents an award for literary criticism at the Society of Midland Authors, in memory of her late husband, James Friend.

Beverly Friend's autbiograpy -- “No Girls in the Marching Band A Memoir” --
is avaliable at http://www.cafepress.com/friendmemoir.177560266
 

Richard Allen Eisenhardt

richard@chicagocritic.com

Theatre Critic

Richard Eisenhardt fell in love with the theatre at the age of five when his parents took him to see ”Hellsapoppin” with comedians Olsen and Johnson at the old Selwyn Theatre.

In 1976, he saw a production called “Dillenger” that Victory Gardens did in the now Club Metro Building with William Petersen. The show got good reviews but the Friday night performance he paid to see only had twenty people in attendance.

He was impressed and felt radio, TV and the papers did not give enough press to professional regional theatres. He then started his own homemade publication and paid for it out of his daytime salary with the railroad as an accountant. It grew from six pages to 150 pages giving free publicity to all professional theatres. “Theatre 76” was a terrific paper. Its named change to “Theatre (the current year) until 1990 when “Theatre 90” ceased publishing as Eisenhardt move to become a columnist and theatre reviewer for ‘Streetwise’ newspaper. He wrote for that paper for 9 years.

Currently he does theatre reviewing for “Our Village” newspaper. He also interviewed Paula Scrofono and John Reeger on Chicago Stage Talk Radio Show on UIC Internet Radio and he has done a number of cable TV shows out of Plano, Illinois.

Mr. Eisenhardt feels that there is a play out there for everyone if people will only discover and support it. Parents should take their children to the theatre at an early age so that can occupy their minds with wonderful entertainment.

Editor’s note: Richard Eisenhardt will post reviews on Chicagocritic.com and he’ll contribute with the “Aisle Seat” theatre column on Talk Theatre Radio Station in 2005.

Evan Kuchar

evan.kuchar@gmail.com

Evan Kuchar is a composer, musician, and teacher from Downers Grove, IL. He earned his undergraduate degree from Augustana College in Music and French and his Master's degree from the University of Iowa in Music Composition.

While not composing, he finds various ways to make a living. During the school season, he teaches piano and drums at the Maywood Fine Arts Association, and in the summer he gives bike tours through Bobby's Bike Hike.

As a composer, he tends to favor new music to old, although he believes strongly that we are lost without our history. In chronological order, his most overt influences are: Josquin des Prez, Beethoven, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Steve Reich, Nirvana, and Radiohead.

Editor’s Note: We welcome Evan to cover opera, classical music as well as modern musical forms. Evan may also cover theatre.

Tom Williams

Randy Hardwick

randyontheglobe@yahoo.com

Randy Hardwick is an educator and sometime theatre critic. He is a former member of the Drama Critics’ Circle in Denver, Colorado where he published several entertainment related magazines and hosted The Heavyweights of Gambling, a weekly radio call-in show about casino gaming. During the 1980’s Randy was president of Tracks International, a nightclub chain renowned for its high-energy clubs in Denver and on the East Coast. Hardwick first came to Chicago in 1999 and recently returned to his beloved Rogers Park neighborhood following three years of teaching at a university in Mexico.

Editor’s Note: Randy will be covering an assortment of Chicago Theatre