Burning Bluebeard (The Ruffians) This deconstructive take on a real Chicago tragedy-the Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903, which killed more than 600 theatergoers-was originally staged by the Neo-Futurists in 2011. The six-person cast (which included writer Jay Torrence), along with director Halena Kays, apparently wanted to revisit the piece badly enough they formed an ad hoc company to do so. The performances by Torrence, Dean Evans, Leah Urzendowski Courser, Anthony Courser, Molly Plunk and Ryan Walters were richer and riskier the second time around.
Original review: Burning Bluebeard at Theater Wit
Constraining the best of Chicago theater to ten best plays feels too limiting in a high-quality year like 2013. Since Chicago's stages have a long-held reverence for ensemble work (influenced by the Steppenwolf model), it seems fitting to recognize the collective strengths displayed by these ten top-notch casts, presented in alphabetical order.
RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best of 2013
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