Sunday, 07 July 2019 22:21
Hitler’s Tasters Tells of 15 German Girls Ready to Lay Down Their Lives for Their Fuhrer
Written by Bill Esler
It’s no secret Hitler feared he would be killed, by political assassins, rivals or enemy troops. He spent much of the war seeking security underground at The Wolf’s Lair, his heavily fortified command center 400 miles east of Berlin, while directing action on the Eastern front. One of his fears…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 06 July 2019 13:42
Suppressed by the Nazis, ‘The Flower of Hawaii’ Blossoms at Folks Operetta
Written by Bill Esler
The Flower of Hawaii (originally Die Blume von Hawaii) is a 1931 operetta by Hungarian composer Paul Abraham. Working in Berlin, Abraham was popular for his light operatic works, the type that live in the niche between grand opera and our classic Broadway musicals. In recent years, operettas seem to have been…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 29 June 2019 00:44
Something Clean: Terrific Performances, Great Chemistry Make It Something Wonderful
Written by Bill Esler
Something Clean, directed by Lauren Shouse, gives us a compelling story, very well acted, and with that touch of magic that comes from a great chemistry in the performers. The script (by Selina Fillinger) is notable for the way it depicts real human beings who develop and change in the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 21 June 2019 12:18
Wicked Little Town: 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' at Theo Ubique
Written by CJ Burroughs
I’ve probably said this before — the sheer volume of shows we here in Chicago have on offer makes me count my lucky stars whenever I enter a theater, be it for an opulent touring production or for a more intimate local performance. But it’s always the latter for which…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 June 2019 12:04
Review: 'If I Forget' at Victory Gardens Theater
Written by John Accrocco
Does not supporting Israel make you an anti-semite? This is the central theme of playwright Steven Levenson’s work ‘If I Forget’ now running at Victory Gardens under the direction of Devon De Mayo. Levenson is best known for providing the book to Broadway’s smash hit ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. “If I…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 14 June 2019 16:58
We Forecast Box Office Boffo for The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe
Written by Bill Esler
The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe is a new musical comedy that is so good I found myself lamenting half-way through Act 1 that its run at Underscore Theatre ends July 14 – or ever! It is hard to imagine anyone not being smitten by it; it is just the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Friday, 07 June 2019 22:27
In Service To America: If Only We Could Have Had Ms. Blakk for President
Written by Bill Esler
When Chicago drag performer Joan Jett Blakk ran for President in 1992 – the year Bill Clinton was nominated – it was certainly the most outré act of political insurrection Americans had seen – for those who noticed, anyway. It’s unlikely the Tribune and Sun-Times gave her candidacy much coverage.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 05 June 2019 18:09
Chicago's Physical Theater Festival Brings Exciting World Performance Artists to Your Doorstep
Written by Bill Esler
The Physical Theater Festival, running through June 9 at Stage 773, is an exciting opportunity to really enjoy theater from around the world. It overcomes the biggest barrier to shows from abroad – language – by reducing or eliminating the spoken script, subordinating it to broad movement, pantomime, facial expressions…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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The Den Theatre returns to original programming for the first time in nearly five years. Director Lia Mortensen directs their revival of the Joel Drake Johnson play ‘Four Places’. In the intimate space at the Den, ‘Four Places’ gets its first Chicago production since its premiere in 2008 at Victory…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Friday, 31 May 2019 08:37
Didn't Get The Memo? Then Don't Miss This Orwellian Farce by Václav Havel.
Written by Bill Esler
Organic Theater has done such a wonderful job in The Memo, it is hard to imagine a more perfect presentation of this play by Czech writer and statesmen, Václav Havel. The Memo is at turns funny and unsettling. While the original The Memorandum is rooted in the totalitarian Eastern Europe,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Cirque du Soleil is back in Chicago with its latest touring production, Volta. Volta’s inspiration comes from the culture of street sports and just about any acrobatics that could have originated in an urban jungle. Written and directed by Bastien Alexandre, the theme of Volta is finding freedom from the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 20 May 2019 15:47
Long drive and it's outta here! 'Miracle' is a homerun!
Written by Ken Payne
With the Cubs finally winning the World Series in 2016 after a 108-year drought, it was probably inevitable a theatrical production would be created at some point to recreate the special magic Chicagoans felt over that incredible year. And so ‘Miracle’, the new musical by William Marovitz and Julian Frazin,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Really? Another ‘Frankenstein’? The 2018/19 season was the year of ‘Frankenstein’. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic thriller, four theatre companies produced wildly different adaptations of the novel. If you find yourself wondering whether these companies knew of each other’s productions, they surely did. The beauty…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Citadel's 'A Jukebox for the Algonquin" - The Reality of Life in a Senior Center sets the Stage for Tunes, Friendship and Rebellion!
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