Sunday, 22 October 2023 20:59
Musical ‘Young Frankenstein’ on Stage Is Funny as Mel Brooks’ Original Film
Written by Bill Esler
“Young Frankenstein,” a live stage musical version of Mel Brooks hysterical 1974 comedy film, is an absolute hoot in its new production at Chicago’s intimate Mercury Theatre on Southport. WIth priceless comic bits, great costumes, dancing, and singing that is notably excellent, “Young Frankenstein” is underpinned by a bullet-proof script…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 15 October 2023 11:31
Review: 'The Zoo Story' at Gwydion Theatre Company
Written by John Accrocco
It’s hard to imagine a time in which Edward Albee was considered an “emerging” playwright, but his first play, ‘The Zoo Story’ failed to impress New York producers in 1958. Of course, the play has since gone on to become a classic and is currently being revived by new-to-Chicago Gwydion…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 15 October 2023 11:13
A Peek Into the Macabre at ‘Exquisite Corpse,’ an Eerie Puppet Peep Show at Steppenwolf Garage
Written by Bill Esler
Well suited to the season, Rough House Theater brings its third annual edition of a macabre puppet show, “The House of the Exquisite Corpse III,” to the Merle Reskin Garage Space at the Steppenwolf Theatre campus on Halsted Street in Chicago. The one-hour immersive experience gathers audiences in groups of…
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Saturday, 14 October 2023 09:54
‘A Wonderful World’ Will Leave You Jazz Scattin’ and Smilin’
Written by Bree Samani
We all know him—the Jazz King—the legend who single-handedly transformed music with a trumpet, gravelly voice, and his big dazzling smile. Louis Armstrong is the man who made us and still makes us desire a Wonderful World. As soon as I heard of the new Broadway-bound musical, "A Wonderful World," would have…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 07 October 2023 14:34
In Moving Cantata ‘Soldier Songs,’ Chicago Opera Kicks Off 50th Season at Epiphany Center
Written by Bill Esler
There could not have been a better site than Chicago’s Epiphany Center for a one-night performance of a truly moving work—”Soldier Songs,” a one-hour cantata with libretto and score composed by David T. Little. This sweeping reverie on the internal life of a soldier, from boyhood through mature adulthood, expresses…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 04 October 2023 10:12
Redtwist Tiny Black Box Theatre is Howling with "Wolves"
Sarz Maxwell
Maybe it’s good for a theater reviewer sometimes to be … befuddled? Disquieted? Stupefied? Certainly my companion was. He’s not new to things theatrical, but has seen little of Chicago’s signature storefront ‘tiny black box’ theatres that I love so much. So Redtwist Theatre's "Wolves" was a pretty strenuous piece…
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Theatre in Review
“You might cry, you might not,” says playwright Sarah Ruhl in the show notes of Writers Theatre’s revival of her 2003 play ‘Eurydice’. Under new Artistic Director Braden Abraham, there’s a youthfulness in both casting and staging that feels like a big breath of fresh air for the Glencoe theatre…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 01 October 2023 23:27
Scary Good: 'American Psycho' at The Chopin Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
When my husband announced that his company holiday party this year was 80s themed, my first thought was that it had been done before. I’d donned enough leg warmers and sported enough side ponytails at enough parties. My second thought was why not the 90s? Surely in 2023 people want…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 30 September 2023 07:08
'The Nacirema society' Requests you PREPARE YOURSELF TO HAVE A BALL
Written by Wesley David
GRACE -- “Let me try to explain something to you. The Nacirema Society is not a social service group nor a political organization. Our challenge and our joy is to celebrate the best of us, not by giving scholarships and financial assistance, but by recognizing the fact that there are…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 28 September 2023 12:39
'The Lehman Trilogy' Is an intergenerational exploration of the American Dream
Nena Martins
A smash hit in London and New York, "The Lehman Trilogy" is now on stage in a definitive production at TimeLine Theatre. Written by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power, and co-directed by Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling, it's easy to see why this Tony-winning tale of an unimaginably successful…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 25 September 2023 12:01
Review: 'The Flying Dutchman' at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Ahoy matey! Climb aboard Lyric’s thrilling, new-to-Chicago production of Wagner’s ‘The Flying Dutchman’ This spooky, nautical classic opens the 2023/24 season and is a perfect way to kick off the Halloween season. While short by Wagner standards, this two-and-a-half-hour opera is performed without intermission, but the cinematic score and dazzling…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 25 September 2023 20:33
Combat -Centered Babes With Blades Theatre Nails It in 'Duchess of Malfi'
Sarz Maxwell
"Duchess of Malfi" is another winner from Babes with Blades Theatre Company, a troupe I have loved for 20 years. As part of its core mission, Babes With Blades uses stage combat to "tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy." Stage fighting is an interesting vehicle…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 24 September 2023 13:25
Powerful 'Sanctuary City' Plumbs Emotional Depths of Undocumented Americans
Written by Bill Esler
“Sanctuary City,” Steppenwolf’s latest production by Pulitzer-winning playwright Martyna Majok ("Cost of Living") takes us somewhere audiences likely haven’t been before—deep into the emotional experiences of undocumented American immigrants. “Sanctuary City” may seem confusing at first. A series of quick cut, apparently repetitive scenes take place on a bare stage…
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Theatre in Review
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Outrage Made Manifest in “Bust: An Afrocurrentist Play”
Written by Wesley DavidSomething extraordinary happens on a street in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Woods (Keith Randolph Smith), a hard-working Black man in the community, is involved in a traffic stop with two cops (Mark Bedard and Jorge Luna) - a scene witnessed far… -
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Full Casting Announced for Hell in a Handbag's QUEEN FOR A DAY - July 9 – August 3, 2025 at Bramble Arts Loft - World Premiere!
Written by Buzz Center StageHell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to conclude its 2024/25 Season with the world premiere of QUEEN FOR A DAY written by ensemble member Tyler Anthony Smith* and directed by Stephanie Shaw. This gay fantasia on national themes... wait, wrong play. This one-act comedy/drama/cry for help…
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Redtwist Theatre's GARY: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus: Who mops up after the royals' butchery?
Written by Sarz MaxwellI reviewed TITUS ANDRONICUS in mid-February, so I was eager to see the sequel! In TITUS, Shakespeare tells the story from the viewpoint of the regnant major characters: Empress Tamora and her sons Chiron, Demetrius and Bassianus; Lucius and the…
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*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.