“tuesdays with Morrie”

Highly Recommended**** I for one, have never been to the Skokie Theatre, an old movie theater that has been brought back to life, at first as a “Cabaret” venue and now under the direction of MadKap Productions, as a theater as well. This is an intimate space with a comfortable seating area that allows for great sight lines from anywhere in te house. While the stage is small, it lends itself perfectly to their initial production, “tuesdays with Morrie” , a 90 minute autobiographical journey with noted journalist Mitch Albom and the driving force in his life, his college professor Morrie Schwartz. The play adaptation was written , based on the novel by Jeffrey Hatcher ( with Mr. Albom).

Albom , during his college days, found himself attracted to the mind and being of his professor and each Tuesday night, he became a class of one where one talked and the other listened. Sixteen years after they parted ways, Mitch sees Morrie on TV and learns that he has ALS ( Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and decides to take a side trip to Boston and pay his old teacher/mentor a visit. This small visit becomes a weekly ritual as their lives intertwine and Mitch learns more about life and death than he had ever anticipated. This is a story about people needing people an dthe importance of having another person to hear the things you feel and see that you are heard.

Directed by Stephen M. Genovese, who takes a very small stage and makes it work, the two characters become as one, knowing all they need to about the other- inside and out. Adam Kander is quite believable as young Mitch, a man who chose a life different from what his father wanted for him and never regretted doing so. His closeness to Morrie is very real to the audience and Howard Raik is a fabulous Morrie. He is that endearing old man who knows everything, but has a way of making you do the work to get the results. I have seen many versions of this play and in many cases never felt the warmth  and the chemistry that these two men bring to the stage. It is a shame that the run is so short, as this is a play that should be seen.

The show will continue at The Skokie Theatre, located at 7924 N. Lincoln Avenue ( just South of Oakton) through May 11th with performances :

Fridays,Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

May 9th there will be a 2 p.m. show as well.

Tickets are only $25 ( $20 for seniors and $15 for students) and can be purchased by calling 847-677-7761 or online at www.SkokieTheatre.org

There is plenty of parking in the area and plenty of dining as well. Skokie is a quiet little community that now has more to offer and a reason for people to leave Chicago ( at least for a few hours of entertainment).

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-up and click at “Tuesdays with Morrie”