Blending the old with the new. Rooting yourself in the past, looking at the future, yet remaining firmly in the present. Taking any and all storytelling forms and creating a theatrical mash-up. Players and audience are always aware that they’re creating something together, in the moment. Those are the key goals set out by the young and (by all accounts) very talented playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. His triple bill known as The Brother/Sister Plays has landed at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. So do the pieces hit the mark? We talk with Eight Forty-Eight’s Dueling Critics Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman to find out.

On Stage:
The Brother/Sister Plays
Through May 23
Steppenwolf Theatre

Jonathan’s Pick:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Through Mar. 7
Redmoon Theater

Kelly’s Pick:
Hughie and Knapp’s Last Tape
Through Feb. 28
Goodman Theatre

Music Button: Allen Toussaint, “Bright Mississippi”, from the CD The Bright Mississippi, (Nonesuch records)