Wednesday, 22 June 2016 12:07
Review: The Grapes of Wrath at The Gift Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
"It's a wicked book," Steinbeck once said of his Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Grapes of Wrath". The seminole book about the Great Depression appeared in early 1939, just as the U.S. was clawing its way out of the trenches of poverty and into the boon of WWII. It tells…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 22 June 2016 17:26
Vegas Report - Vegas! The Show Brings Back the Golden Olden Days of Vegas with New Energy
Written by Ken Payne
As I sat down in my second row center seats in Planet Hollywood Casino Hotel and Casino’s Saxe Theater, the couple next to me told me excitedly that they had seen Vegas! The Show as VIP's to meet the cast afterwards ten times! This lovely couple in their early sixties…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 22 June 2016 17:15
Vegas Report - Jabbawockeez Is An Exciting Dance and Comedy Adventure for Everyone
Written by Ken Payne
Las Vegas - Dazzling light displays, glitzy hotels with themes ranging from some of the planet’s most desired locations such as Paris, Venice and Egypt, exciting casinos filled with the sounds of cheering and the cha-chings of slot machines, energetic clubs with sexy dancers and, maybe best of all, some…
Published in
Theatre in Review
When it comes to an engaging mystery thriller, the need for finely-written, well-executed twists, turns and the unexpected are imperative. Afterall, a good suspense story on stage that has the ability to genuinely captivate its audience members can be one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences we can have. In…
Published in
Theatre in Review
When I say the name Ben Hecht most of you will look at me with confusion not knowing who I am talking about. That is understandable, given that most people don’t seem to care about anything before 1990. I myself did not have the strongest handle of who the man…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 15 June 2016 10:21
Bat Boy: The Musical – A Unique Tabloid Musical
Written by Michelle Reidy
In the early 90’s, the now defunct supermarket tabloid Weekly World News, published a story about a creature - half boy half bat - found in a West Virginia cave. That story became the inspiration for Bat Boy: The Musical written by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming with music and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Charles Busch, creator of the camp classics, Die, Mommie, Die!, Psycho Beach Party and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom seems to have written The Divine Sister just for David Cerda and his fabulous cast of rotating members in Hell in a Handbag Productions. Affectionately making fun of films like The Song…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 12 June 2016 10:14
The Art of Falling: An Amazing Collaboration of Dance and Comedy
Written by Michelle Reidy
Some things were just meant to go together, even if they do sound a little odd at first. Like peanut butter and bananas, apple pie and cheddar cheese, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet; The Art of Falling is amazing collaboration between Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and The Second City. The…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Mediocrity, is usually the best word most people try and avoid when they aspire to make and or do something great. The idea is that if a person is part of something truly great that idea, performance, or invention will be remembered throughout history. Look at the radio and how…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Chicago is alive with the sound of music, thanks to the return of Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic musical now playing at Cadillac Palace that comes with a delightfully vibrant cast and an orchestra that is able to capture the uttermost essence of the original score. Directed by three-time Tony Award…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 08 June 2016 17:16
American Theater Company's Xanadu is a Triumph of Comedy and Love!
Written by Kimberly Katz
"A place where nobody dared to go The love that we came to know They call it Xanadu And now, open your eyes and see What we have made is real We are in Xanadu A million lights are dancing And there you are, a shooting star An everlasting world…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Last year the Chicago theatre community lost a major piece of its landscape. Longtime American Theater Company artistic director PJ Paparelli died abruptly before solidifying the company's thirty-first season. It's almost ironic that a man responsible for bringing so many uncomfortably topical dramas to the Chicago stage had such a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 04 June 2016 23:23
Each scene played five ways in Steppenwolf’s challenging Constellations
Written by Bill Esler
Watching one scene acted four or five ways is intrinsically interesting. It’s regularly played to comic effect at Second City. But what about an entire play strung together from a series of such scenes? This structure, used in Constellations at Steppenwolf Theatre, may put your interest to the test. But…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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