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- Press Archive -
2010-11 SEASON
2010-11 Season - Press Release
Review by Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times
"Livewire Chicago Theatre has invested much care and affection into its production... Under Steve Wilson's sensitive direction, the six actors all but glow with innocent charm... And Elise Kauzlaric's pristine dialects, coupled with Anders Jacobson and Judy Radovsky's delicate decor, invoke, to the last exquisite detail, the fantasy ville lumière where love is in the air—literally—just waiting to be discovered by foolish sweethearts of any age, era or opinion."
Review by Monica Westin, Flavorpill
"The most romantic play you'll see all year... director Steve Wilson anchors the cast's all-out passionate performances with quicksilver humor."
Review by Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
"What is love? Smart has some finely tuned observations about modern love... Ewing has massive reserves of charm."
Review by Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
"The play has genuine heart."
Patron Reviews from Goldstar (4.5 out 5 stars from 48 members)
"Bravo! Excellent performance!! Poignant, thoughtful but also funny. A winner! Wonderful story and wonderfully acted. I nearly split my sides with laughter and nearly cried. Highly recommended. What a beautiful story! This show was funny, entertaining and moving. The venue is just the right size to do a show like this one. Wonderful acting as well!"
TIme Out Chicago's Kris Vire interviews playwright Mat Smart
Newcity Stage's Monica Westin interviews Smart
The 13th of Paris - Press Release
Review by Keith Griffith, Chicago Reader
"Compelling original works from playwrights Brett Neveu and Mat Smart buoy this quirky, eclectic short play festival curated for LiveWire Chicago Theatre by Chris Zdenek."
Review by Monica Westin, Flavorpill
"Shockingly affecting... Erin Barlow's The Kink is a sharply imagined tragicomic Thanksgiving dinner... Mat Smart's A Sudden Fluke of Physics packs more humanity into a ten-minute love story than we've seen in many full-length plays.”
VisionFest3: Feast Line-up Announced!
Review by Zac Thompson, Time Out Chicago
"A seamless blend of fact and fantasy, Progeny accomplishes for the Romantics what Tom Stoppard did for Elizabethans in Shakespeare in Love but with more subtlety and fewer in-jokes for English majors."
Review by Albert Williams, Chicago Reader
"Jessica Hutchinson's production and its scenic design, employs the Storefront Theater's state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems to evoke a dramatic environment."
Review by Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
"Hillary Williams gives a lovely performance steeped in melancholy — an unsettled woman not quite sure what to expect of herself, let alone those around her."
Review by Monica Westin, Flavorpill
"Dendinger's dialogue is inventive and Stoppard-esque in her vivid, updated reimagining. Jessica Hutchinson's direction is equally fresh, dispensing of British accents and costumed drama affect, while actors bring the energy and claws appropriate to the party of narcissistic, brilliant poets that the Romantics were."
Review by Don Hall, Angry White Guy in Chicago
"Go see the show. It's a genuinely interesting and well performed take on a story most of us don't know and a chance to see a Steppenwolf quality production for about a third of the ticket price."
Hideous Progeny comes to the DCA Theater
DCA Theater announces LiveWire's Hideous Progeny as part of their Fall 2010 Season
Download Image Pack here
2009-10 SEASON
Review by Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader
"Weinstein's muscularly poetic dialogue... neo-Brechtian epic theater."
Review by Lisa Buscani, Newcity Stage
"Noah Lepawsky scores as the piece’s holy fool; Malcolm Callan’s brutish landlord is happy to abandon civility. Brian P. Cicirello captures the voice of compassion; Earliana McLaurin amuses as the smarmy voice of governmental intervention that everyone needs but resents."
Review by John Beer, Time Out Chicago
"Following their lovely work on Redtwist’s "The Pillowman," Anders Jacobsen and Judy Radovsky design a splendidly decrepit environment... LiveWire is surely right to think that theater should grapple with the harsh realities of today’s economics."
Review by Tom Williams, ChicagoCritic.com
"A 21st Century Grapes of Wrath."
Review by Zev Valancy, Centerstage
"Rebekah Scallet's staging is clear and always interesting to watch, Cicirello and Earliana McLaurin give engaging performances, and Anders Jacobson and Judy Radovsky's set is very evocative."
Review by Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
"Noah Lepawsky connects as Bumm, a basketball-obsessed panhandler who manages to strike a comedic balance between a heart of gold and a chip on his shoulder."
LowerDebt - Press Release
"Hunger in America: 2010" Study from Greater Chicago Food Depository
LiveWire Theatre captivates audience with a modern Everyman tale
"After a well-paced, thoughtful and language filled hour and fifteen minutes of “Lower Debt”, the audience readily stayed in their seats to talk about what they had just seen, and to offer feedback about the changes that could be made before LiveWire Chicago Theatre launches a fully produced version in Spring 2010." - Posted by DCA Theater
DCA Theater 2009 Fall Season Release
Review by Margo O'Hara, Gapers Block
"The street corner is a perfect setting for six short performances because the audience is already relating to it. Anything can and does happen on a street corner and each audience member has her own stories that start with "I was at the corner of..." Madeline Long and Joel Ewing's performances stand out in several of the scenes. "
Review by Chris Arnold, ChicagoCritic.com
"The joy of attending a festival of new works is everyone (for the most part) is experiencing the work for the first time. The plays are free of previous baggage and expectations to meet. Whether or not you are a fan of new work, I strongly advise you to make your way to LiveWire Chicago’s 2nd Annual VisionFest 2009: Six Worlds on One Street Corner."
Review by Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
"BE by Erin Barlow provides a charming snapshot of a couple on their first date. Monica Dionysiou's Sarah is an emo version of Annie Hall, and Joel Ewing's Dave is patient and bemused by her self-lacerating chatter."
Patron Reviews from Goldstar
"This was an awesome show! The actors did an amazing job in "Canceling Christmas." I loved how big the characters were. "Waiting for Oprah" was nothing that I would have expected it to be and then it lead into the final scene and I could not stop laughing. Very talented group of actors! -- This is a GREAT show. The actors are extremely talented and the material is witty and original. The last two stories are FABULOUS. I was crying from laughing so hard. This is a MUST SEE event. -- All actors are extremely talented (Hollywood should take notice). I especially enjoyed Monica Dionysiou and Joel Ewing. -- My boyfriend and I saw this on a Friday night. ... I'd had a really long week and was tired, but the show was really engaging and a lot of fun! I've signed up to be on the Livewire Theater Co mailing list so that I don't miss future performances."
VisionFest 2009 - Press Release
Playwrights' Bios
2008-09 SEASON
2008-09 Season - Press Release
WONDER OF THE WORLD
- Jeff Recommended -
Review by J. Scott Hill, Chicago Stage Review
"The performer that really wins me over is Deborah Craft as six — count ‘em, six — characters. From a crazy wig lady to a clown/marriage counselor/game-show host, Craft broadly brings a hilarious half-dozen distinct personalities to life."
Review by Venus Zarris, Steadstyle Chicago
"Livewire Chicago Theatre is an extremely gifted company on the verge of a real hit."
Review by William Scott, NewCity Chicago
"Pace and timing in this well-constructed comedy is pretty sharp."
Review by Brian Nemtusak, Time Out Chicago
"Cass (Madeline Long) and sidekick Lois (Chris Blumer) have an energy and rapport that outclass the material."
Review by Albert Williams, Chicago Reader
"Directed by Zachary Davis, LiveWire Chicago Theatre's energetic production has its humorous moments."
RED ANGEL
- Jeff Recommended -
- Anders Jacobson, Jeff Nominated for Outstanding Scenic Design -
- Best of Fringe 2008 - Honorable Mention, Chicago Tribune -
- Steve Wilson & Erin Barlow, Top 5 Male & Female Performances in
NewCity's Top 5 of Everything 2008: Stage -
Review by Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
"This LiveWire production has it nailed."
Review by Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
"Joshua Aaron Weinstein's thoughtful and calibrated production in the tiny Side Studio space (made to feel much more expansive by Anders Jacobson's terrific book-lined set) teases out the tensions with wit and intelligence."
Review by Christopher Shea, Time Out Chicago
**** "... As Leena, [Erin] Barlow offers an austere sexuality perfectly tailored to her inamorato’s scholarly tastes."
Review by Venus Zarris, Chicago Stage Review
"Anders Jacobsen’s scenic design creates excellent detail and surprising visual depth, given the small space at The Side Project Theatre."
Review by Monica Westin, NewCity Chicago
"A startling intimate production."
VISIONFEST 2008
Preview Article by Monica Westin, NewCity Chicago
"Control Freaks: LiveWire Chicago Theatre’s new VisionFest lets the audience call some of the shots."
VisionFest 2008 - Press Release
2007-08 SEASON
2007-2008 Season - Press Release
SOLDIERS: THE DESERT STAND
- Madeline Long, 2008 After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance in a Play -
Review by Monica Westin, NewCity Chicago
"...the play's comic sensibility is impressive and in perfect balance with the chilling moments that result from the appropriation of cartoon violence, exploration of the play between reality and fantasy of war games and mediation on the media coverage of war."
Review by Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
"Madeline Long’s all-in performance as the foul-mouthed, lisping, violence-crazed preteen does her country proud. -
Venus Zarris, Gay Chicago Magazine
"LiveWire Chicago Theatre is yet another example of the talent that brims from every nook and cranny of this city...proof that a tiny show can look, sound, feel and play great...Their world premiere of “Soldiers: The Desert Stand” displays excellence in creative and technical execution..."
Albert Williams, Chicago Reader
"nihilistic lampoon"
Soldiers: The Desert Stand - Press Release
THE COLLECTOR
- Jeff Recommended -
- Matt Kelly, Jeff Nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Play -
Brian Nemtusak, Chicago Reader
...the two performers are thoroughly commanding...Michele Kline is heartbreaking, disintegrating convincingly...Matt Kelly is all monolithic banality-the counterintuitive but correct choise, conveying a creeping menace...
Review by Tim Lowery, Time Out Chicago
**** "Kelly’s performance imbues a gentle, even warm underbelly to the man—so much so that, in an odd way, you’re almost pulling for him, hoping the girl can afford him some scraps of dignity."
Review by Mary Shen Barnright, Windy City Times
"Matt Kelly and Michele Kline, who navigate the demands of their ambivalent universe with commitment and patience"
2006-07 SEASON
2006-07 Season - Press Release
Feature Article/Review by Brian Nemtusak, Chicago Reader
"Glenn Proud's production for LiveWire Chicago Theatre is straightforward too, neither rigidly classical nor self-consciously modern, placing the story in a thoughtful approximate antiquity with Erin Fast's simple costumes and Anders Jacobson's vaguely Attic set."
Review by Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times
"LiveWire has assembled a largely good cast filled with plenty of standout performances. Danielle O'Farrell navigates the initial innocence and later outrage of Philomele masterfully, especially when played against her worldly wise nurse, Niobe ( Justine Serino in a wonderfully rueful and underplayed performance)."
Review by Novid Parsi, Time Out Chicago Review
"It takes an equally chameleonic set of actors to execute this ambitious work’s differing, sometimes opposing styles, at once meta and mundane."
Review by Don Hall, An Angry White Guy in Chicago
"Erin Barlow (as the older sister Procne) manages to balance the two tonal shifts effectively throughout and gives a fully realized, nuanced performance from minute one - Barlow was simply excellent."
League of Chicago Theatre's Interview with Glenn Proud
Review by Tim Lowery, Time Out Chicago
**** "There’s plenty to admire about writer-director Weinstein’s short head trip... this sounds a lot like Woody Allen territory, as do Weinstein’s insights."
Review by Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
**** "[Christopher] Dennis’s production is appropriately dark and chilling but carries moments of comic relief (many coming from [Hall] Hall’s jittery, sweaty version of Cradeau)... Chicago newcomer [Saren] Nofs-Snyder’s icy malice, however, makes it clear that Inez is the darkest soul in the room."
Scott Foutz, Foutz.net
"Although all the cast was excellent, particularly Don Hall, it is without doubt that Saren Nofs-Snyder's wholly convincing and piercing depiction of Inez holds the entire play's intensity together."
Reviewed by Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
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