I’m amazed that it’s been 18 years or so since I first saw a Hell in a Handbag production. Though it seems like yesterday, my first experience with Handbag was taking in their production of The Poseidon Adventure at the cozy and artistic Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park. It was…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Poor People! The Parody Musical
- Hell in a Handbag Productions
- Chopin Theatre
- David Cerda
- Tyler Anthony Smith
- Stephanie Shaw
- Dakota Hughes
- Sydney Genco
- Matty Bettencourt
- Brittney Brown
- Caitlin Jackson
- Elizabeth Lesinski
- Taylor Dalton
- Shane Roberie
- Patrick O’Keefe
- Tommy Thurston
- Christopher Kelley
- The Chopin Studio Theatre
- Andrew Milliken
- Parody
Monday, 13 May 2024 10:50
Dance and Sing to the Beat of Life with ‘Last Stop on Market Street’
Bree Samani
Despite the fact that I have never read the Newberry Award-Winning children’s book called Last Stop on Market Street, I chose to see the musical adaptation on a sunny Saturday afternoon. And I have to say, I am impressed with this fun-loving musical at the Young People’s Theatre of Chicago.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 10 May 2024 13:18
Review: The Thanksgiving Play at Steppenwolf Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
“Together we created this nothingness,” says Audrey Francis in Steppenwolf’s production of Larissa Fasthorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’. Hot off its Broadway run, this madcap comedy cuts right to the bone. Under Jess Mcleod’s direction, the intimate cast leaps right off the stage. ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ is about three elementary school…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 07 May 2024 12:50
1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE to commemorate the arrival in America of the first African slaves and examine the peoples' progress since then
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer and performer Ted Williams III. The musical commemorates the arrival of the first 20 Africans on the shores of Point Comfort, Virginia on August 20, 1619. In it, three modern…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 01 May 2024 12:30
Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' at The Edge Innovative… radical… courageous… confusing
Sarz Maxwell
Blue in the Right Way audaciously chose for their inaugural production a 400-year-old play, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, written in 1621 by Thomas Middleton and adapted by the company’s co-founders Kevin Smith (Kevin/Kevin’s, also director) and Daiva Bhandari (she/her, also lead actor and choreographer). WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN was abstractly staged, accompanied…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Blue in the Right Way
- Women Beware Women
- Thomas Middleton
- Kevin Smith
- Daiva Bhandari
- Kidany Camilo
- Bree Perry
- John Zhou Duncan
- Shail Modi
- Leo Mock
- Rick Gilbert
- Victor Bayona
- Lynne Baker
- Ryan Wright Cassidy
- Johnny Moran
- Huy Nguyen
- Keenan Odenkirk
- Christin Prince
- Mia Van De Mark
- Brandon Wiman
- Katie Mazzini
- The Edge Theater
Friday, 03 May 2024 11:06
'Judgment Day' a Top-drawer Production That Will Leave You Laughing, and Maybe Changed for the Better
Written by Bill Esler
Crowds will flock to see “Judgment Day,” having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. While many will be drawn by its star, Emmy and Tony-winning actor Jason Alexander of “Seinfeld” fame (George Costanza), and he is definitely a draw—but just one of many—in this remarkably funny,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 28 April 2024 12:22
Red Theater's 'Hamlet' at The Edge Off Broadway - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are… hilarious!
Sarz Maxwell
I think my favorite thing – well, one of my favorite things – about Wyatt Kent’s take on HAMLET is imagining just how much fun everyone must have been having with it! everyone except Hamlet, of course, but the entire play is about Prince Hamlet (Ashley Fox) having a Very.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 25 April 2024 15:10
Review: Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Goodman Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Director Chuck Smith returns to Goodman with another major August Wilson revival–“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”. This is the second play in Wilson’s 10-play “American Century Cycle”. Goodman produced the first play in the series, “Gem of the Ocean” in 2022 as well as “Two Trains Running” in 2015. Both…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 26 April 2024 08:53
Eerie, Human Mystery In Captivating ‘Jump’ by Shattered Globe Theatre
Written by Bill Esler
As the audience takes its seats we are greeted by an atmosphere of foreboding, a trestle bridge girder to the left, and in the evening air, foggy wisps drift about the stage. Already something is up, but we don’t know what. Just something in Charly Evon Simpson’s captivating and mysterious…
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Theatre in Review
Tagged under
More...
Tuesday, 23 April 2024 14:58
Comedy & magic collide in RIDICULOUS! with David Williamson, May 16-June 30 at Rhapsody Theater
Written by Buzz Center Stage
David Williamson, regarded as one of the top magicians in the world today, makes his Rhapsody Theater debut with Ridiculous! Known for his tours with Circus 1903 and The Illusionists on Broadway, Williamson’s Ridiculous! is a brand new solo full-length magic production created for The Rhapsody Theater. Mixing mind-bending illusions, side-splitting comedy, and a dash of anarchy, the show…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 21 April 2024 14:12
Northlight Theatre’s BROOKLYN LAUNDRY Highlights Solid Acting and Thought-Provoking Script
Written by Lauren Katz
When life’s chaos is full of impossible choices, how are we possibly meant to move forward? Brooklyn Laundry is about a lot of things. There’s love. There’s heartbreak. There’s family, and there’s grief. However, at its center, you might find that the play boils down to the central question above.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 20 April 2024 10:29
Babes with Blades triumph over time and space in THE S PARADOX!
Sarz Maxwell
I would absolutely bomb out of jury selection cos I have a very definite bias: I’ve been a fan(atic) of Babes with Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) forever – since their very first show in 1997. Favoritism notwithstanding, I try to always be scrupulously fair in my reviews, and it’s certainly…
Published in
Theatre in Review
You got trouble, my friends, if you’re going to put on Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. If you’re going to stage a show that’s been staged ten thousand times since its 1957 Broadway debut—from Hugh Jackman on the stage to Matthew Broderick on the screen to every doggone high school…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Latest Articles
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'Poor People! The Parody Musical' is rich in laughs
Written by Kimberly KatzI’m amazed that it’s been 18 years or so since I first saw a Hell in a Handbag production. Though it seems like yesterday, my first experience with Handbag was taking in their production of The Poseidon Adventure at the… -
Bramble Theatre Company presents Festival of Unfinished Work June 26 - June 30
Written by Buzz Center StageBramble Theatre Company, is proud to announce the third annual Festival of Unfinished Work at the new Bramble Arts Loft located on the second floor of the historic Capital Garage building at 5545 N. Clark St, June 26 - 30. The Festival's performance schedule… -
Porchlight Shares Dates and Parks for its Free, Summer Concert Series: BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD, June 6 - August 6
Written by Buzz Center StagePorchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, now in its fourth year, June 6 - August 6, as part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s…
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Dance and Sing to the Beat of Life with ‘Last Stop on Market Street’
Written by Bree SamaniDespite the fact that I have never read the Newberry Award-Winning children’s book called Last Stop on Market Street, I chose to see the musical adaptation on a sunny Saturday afternoon. And I have to say, I am impressed with…
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