Additionally, on the city's South Side, you'll find a pair of gay bars that cater predominantly to African-American patrons, Club Escape and Jeffery Pub. You can find extensive lists of establishments in the Chicago Lakeview Gay Nightlife Guide and the Chicago Andersonville Gay Nightlife Guide. These neighborhoods are a lot of fun, but they're also a bit of a haul - by cab or public transit - from downtown Chicago, which is where most of the city's hotels are.įortunately, there are a couple of very fun gay nightspots right in the heart of downtown, not to mention an almost endless supply of terrific restaurants, many of them with mixed gay/straight followings. It’s a testament to Carter’s and Mitchell’s ability that you want to hiss them during the curtain calls.īut, to slightly misquote a past president, “don’t hiss organize.” And a good first step might be to go see this new telling of an old story: the dreadful consequences of a fearful society attempting to stifle a younger generation.Although Chicago has among the greatest selection of gay nightspots in the country, the majority of these hangouts - from bars and discos to LGBT-popular restaurants - are in popular mixed residential-commercial neighborhoods on the north side of the city. These characters are almost without exception ignorant, self-righteous and judgmental. I also want to single out McKinley Carter and Michael Joseph Mitchell who have the unenviable task of playing every adult character in the show. Taylor may have the most beautiful voice in the cast, plaintively displayed in a pair of duets, “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind” and “The Dark I Know Well,” and, finally, in the show’s eleven o’clock number, “Purple Summer.” Tiffany T. Tiffany Taylor’s performance as schoolyard outcast Ilsa is also worthy of special mention. I happened to be sitting behind his sister when I saw the show she is very proud of him. One part pure punk-rock adrenalin, and another part sheer vulnerability, Kelch’s performance stays with you long after you leave the theater. DeCesare’s lovely voice and sensitive portrayal convey Melchior’s bright promise spoiled by the trials awaiting him.Īnd Kelch? … Kelch’s Moritz is an emo-fired talent explosion that detonates across the theater. Jack DeCesare and Quinn Kelch join Hlava as the musical’s two other leads: Melchior (DeCesare), a top-of-his-class school standout, and Moritz (Kelch), a student barely hanging on by his fingertips, both of whom revolt against the pressures confining them. Hlava is a talented singer and actor who almost too easily breaks the audience’s collective heart with her sadly sweet depiction of teenager ill-used by a society (and parents) that insists on infantilizing her.
Maya Lou Hlava, who portrays protagonist Wendla, is captivating as a young girl caught between her own naivete and its terrifying consequences. The actors literally sing from the rafters as they jump to perches high above the stage to belt Sheik’s rock and roll anthems. The almost-uniformly excellent cast are aided by Jeff-award winning director and choreographer Brenda Didier’s energetic staging and Patrick Chan’s innovative lighting design on a spare set flanked by a more-than-capable onstage band. Porchlight’s current production certainly is worth our attention.