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Griffin Theatre’s ‘Golden Boy’ traces a fighter’s tragic search in rings of destruction

Mar 13, 2014 – 11:16 pm
As his trainer (Jason Lindner, left) and father (Norm Woodel, center rear) look on, Joe (Nate Santana) gets a pep talk from Eddie (David Prete). (Michael Brosilow)

Review: Meet boxer Joe Bonaparte: smart kid, tough, determined, wickedly fast hands. And one more thing, self-destructive. You could say Joe, the anti-hero of Clifford Odets’ classic 1937 play “Golden Boy,” launches his own career, hurtles himself into a high orbit. The beauty, if that’s the word, of Nate Santana’s portrayal of this increasingly ugly character, in Griffin Theatre’s punchy production, is that you can’t take your eyes off him even as he pummels his life into a bruised mess. ★★★★

Theater 2013-14: Chicago premiere leads off Porchlight’s exploration of musical landscape

Aug 15, 2013 – 6:57 pm
The Aguilar brothers - Adrian and Alexander - play a couple of song and dance men on deadline in 'Double Trouble' (Brandon Dahlquist)

Fourth in a series of season previews: Porchlight Music Theatre prides itself on taking a new approach to classic musicals, “as if the script just came across the desk,” says managing artistic director Michael Weber. Opening with the Chicago premiere of the two-hand farce “Double Trouble,” Porchlight’s 2013-14 season reflects that spirit of approaching a show “with an understanding that we can stretch it and explore it in a different way.”