TimeLine Theatre Presents BOULEVARD OF BOLD DREAMS Review — Masterclass in Acting and Storytelling

Click here to read more Picture This Post Timeline Theatre stories.

It’s February 29, 1940, and bartender Arthur Brooks enters the closed bar. He begins to take chairs down off the tables, and shuffles around with bins of glasses. The space is quiet, and Arthur moves around as if on autopilot. As he shelves glasses behind the bar, he pauses on one, and slowly looks around. Once confirmed that he is alone, Arthur comes down center stage.

As Arthur moves, a projection of the audience at the Academy Awards hits upstage. The once dark, natural lighting of the bar transforms to a wash of blue and purple. Arthur is no longer holding a bar glass, but rather an Oscar trophy for Best Director of a Motion Picture. As he presents his speech, cheers fill the space, and we as an audience are fully transported into his dream.

When Dottie Hudson enters, the fantasy shifts back to the empty bar we saw at the beginning. Lights pull a quick 180 and it is as if the scene never happened. However, for the briefest moment, the audience was right there with Arthur as he imagined all of the possibilities.

TimeLine Theatre presents Boulevard of Bold Dreams

Written by LaDarrion Williams, this world premiere transports us to February 29, 1940 – the night of the historic academy awards in Hollywood, California when Hattie McDaniel changed history and became the first black actor to win an Oscar for her performance in Gone with the Wind. Hattie (Gabrielle Lott-Rogers) enters a bar on that night and meets Arthur (Charles Andrew Gardner), a bartender and aspiring movie director, and his best friend Dottie (Mildred Marie Langford), a cynic who feels stuck in her circumstances as a maid in California. When Hattie decides not to attend the Academy Awards, Arthur and Dottie do everything to can to convince her otherwise – inviting the audience to join them on twisting, emotional journey full of memories, heartache, and dreams.

Helmed by Director Malkia Stampley, the artistic team transforms Timeline’s intimate space into a 1940s bar. Being in such close proximity to the actors, the audience almost becomes part of the story – which you might find turns into quite the roller coaster. A night with so much historical significance is going to carry its challenges – especially when each character on that stage had been told not to dream in some way over the course of their lives. This writer certainly felt that watching each actor navigate those gut-wrenching stakes became a masterclass in the art of performing.

Pockets of Hope

Taking place in the 1940s, the story is going to navigate some painful terrain as Williams explores what it means for a black actor to be nominated for an Oscar Award. Hattie has so much stacked against her, and even if she is nominated, she must deal with the fact that she still is not granted the same treatment as the other actors on the ballot.

While the play lives in an emotional and often heartbreaking place, Williams is careful to include windows of hope – especially in the new friendship that forms between Hattie, Arthur, and Dottie.

When Hattie happens upon a screenplay that Arthur has been working on, she invites him to share some of his vision. Nervous at first, Arthur starts to read, and the lights shift back to a wash of blue and purple. He slowly gains confidence as his vision unfolds before him, and Dottie enters in a sparkling, floor-length silver dress. He narrates as she slowly crosses the bar to the piano and with Hattie playing the piano, Dottie starts to sing. Arthur’s musical movie comes to life before his eyes, and this Opening Night audience silently watched the magic unfold. As Dottie finished her song, the audience cheered, and Arthur stood in awe of what he had created. Arthur believes in the magic of Hollywood and filmmaking, and for the briefest moment, we are invited to witness that hope through his eyes.

Astounding performances, heartfelt writing, and gorgeous design make Williams’ world premiere a story to remember – particularly for those dreamers in the audience. Boulevard of Dreams is not only a look back at history, but also an invitation to imagine what is to come.

RECOMMENDED

Nominate this for The Picture This Post BEST OF 2023???
Click Readers' Choice!

Check out the 2022 Winners!
Readers' Choice 2022

Yes!! Please note my vote to add this to the
Picture This Post BEST OF 2023

CAST:

Charles Andrew Gardner (he/him) as Arthur and Mildred Marie Langford (she/her) as Dottie. Gabrielle Lott-Rogers (she/her) plays Hattie McDaniel. The production team includes Ryan Emens (Scenic Designer, he/him), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer, she/her), Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer, he/him), Rasean Davonté Johnson (Projections Designer, he/him), Daniel Etti-Williams (Co-Sound Designer, they/them) and Andre Pluess (Co-Sound Designer,he/him), Lonnae Hickman (Properties Designer, she/her), Khalid Y. Long (Dramaturg, he/him), and Dina Spoerl (Dramaturgical Display Designer, she/her).

CREATIVE TEAM:

Ryan Emens (Scenic Designer, he/him), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer, she/her), Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer, he/him), Rasean Davonté Johnson (Projections Designer, he/him), Daniel Etti-Williams (Co-Sound Designer, they/them) and Andre Pluess (Co-Sound Designer,he/him), Lonnae Hickman (Properties Designer, she/her), Khalid Y. Long (Dramaturg, he/him), and Dina Spoerl (Dramaturgical Display Designer, she/her).

WHEN:

February 9 – March 19, 2023

Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.

WHERE:

TimeLine Theatre,
615 W. Wellington Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657

TICKETS:

$52+

For more information and tickets visit the Timeline Theatre website.

Photos: Joel Maisonet

Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.

Read about more Chicago plays on stages now or coming soon.

Check for Half-Price Deals from Hot Tix:

Lauren Katz

About the Author: Lauren Katz

Lauren Katz is a freelance director and dramaturge, and new to the Chicago Theatre Scene. She recently moved from Washington DC, where she worked with Mosaic Theater Company of DC in Company Management, as well as directed around town with various theaters.

Click here to read more Picture this Post stories by Lauren Katz.

Share this:

Make a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *