Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site

Masterful production suffers from too large of performance space Goodman Theatre presents: Hughie / Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett and Eugene O’Neill directed by Robert Falls and Jennifer Tarver through February 28th ( more info ) review by Barry Eitel Hughie and Krapp’s Last Tape are the results of two Nobel Prize winning playwrights exploring the idea of loneliness. Both works dive headfirst into aching, despondent, cringe-worthy isolation—not sexy loneliness or quirky loneliness, but the brand of depressing loneliness caused by years of self-inflicted solitude. Samuel Beckett and Eugene O’Neill ’ , neither of whom is known for their sunny view of life, ... Read Full Story

There's little doubt in my mind that 2009 was the best year in recent memory for the revival of straight plays in New York City, and the year was bookended by two of the very best. In January, vaunted Chicago import Our Town turned what had always been a more intelligent play than its reputation preceded and turned it into an essential meditation on mortality in a jaded recession-era New York. The year ended with a revival of an even more unlikely source of contemporary weight: Eugene O'Neill's 1920 play Emperor Jones , a relic of pre-Golden Age American drama that, despite its importance, ... Read Full Story

Two-time Tony Award-winner Brian Dennehy has thrilled Chicago audiences in unforgettable productions over the past two decades in Desire Under the Elms, Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh and Death of a Salesman; now, his portrayal of contrasting roles in the double-bill of Hughie by Eugene O’Neill and Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett is "sheer theatrical dynamite" (Toronto Star). First, Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls directs Hughie , featuring Dennehy as the wise-cracking, down-on-his-luck gambler Erie Smith, and Joe Grifasi as night clerk Charlie Hughes. Then, in "a transformation of extraordinary stature" (Associated Press), Dennehy becomes the title character in Beckett’s ... Read Full Story

For someone who was written off as passe long before he died in 1953, Eugene O'Neill still has an uncanny ability to grab headlines and spark debate among theater critics. Robert Falls — artistic director of Chicago's Goodman Theatre, and known as an O'Neill specialist — has an appreciation for that ability and used it to assemble a two-month festival aimed at bringing America's only Nobel Prize-winning dramatist back to center stage. "O'Neill is frankly my favorite writer," Falls said in a recent interview. "Here's an author who was very much formed in the 19th century and defined American drama in the 20th century. ... Read Full Story

Event Date:  Wed, 2010-01-27 Teaser:  Music and Broadway for Ephman goes together like beaches and ocean.  He loves them.  So when FELA! was heading to Broadway he was so happy.  What makes this even cooler is that some awesome African beats will be hitting that stage. Bill T. Jones is one of the best choreographers out there.  He's already won a Tony.  And without seeing this play yet, Ephman's betting that he'll be up for another one.  He's just that awesome a talent.  So Bill and Jim Lewis wrote a book about a pretty controversial fellow named Fela Kuti.  He was a Nigerian musician ... Read Full Story