Great Movies
"The BlackWhite Love Play," Jackie Taylor's celebrated musical about Roger and Chaz Ebert, is kicking off its final two weeks at The Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago.
"Kevin Pollack's portrayal of Roger is on target: [...] stolid, earnest and self-deprecating," writes Albert Williams of the Chicago Reader. "Pollack movingly conveys the boundless, boyish joy that Roger [...] found in embracing Chaz's world, including a large, close-knit family and the black church, with its rousing musical tradition—infectiously conveyed here in gospel selections ranging from Hezekiah Walker's 'I Feel Your Spirit' to the classic hymn 'His Eye Is on the Sparrow' to Taylor's original anthem 'No Matter What Race.'"
"Rashada Dawan as Chaz is the glue of the play, and takes on that role with the same strength and purpose that Chaz herself had displayed at Roger’s side during his illness," says Patrick McDonald of Hollywood Chicago. "The frustration, the sadness and difficulties are all on display in the second act as the cancer takes hold, and Dawan also gets her opportunity to sing as a symbolic gesture toward the situation."
"Long after our memories fade from history, Chaz and Roger Ebert will remain enshrined in the annals of enduring love stories through precisely such artifacts as this warm-hearted revue," declares Mary Shen Barnidge of Windy City Times.
Click here to read Chaz Ebert's rave review of the play, and click here to read our interview with the play's stars, Kevin Pollack and Rashada Dawan.
To purchase tickets, call the Black Ensemble Theater box office at 773-769-4451, or visit the venue's official site. The theatre is located at 4450 N. Clark St. in Chicago. The play runs through Sunday, November 15th. Showtimes are 7:30pm on Thursdays, 8pm on Fridays, 3pm & 8pm on Saturdays and 3pm on Sundays.
