Long before Jeffrey Eugenide’s novel 2003 ‘Middlesex’ brought intersexuality to the mainstream lexicon, there was David Reimer. ‘BOY’ by Anna Zeigler is a new play inspired by the real life story of a boy raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. Reimer was known only as the “John/Joan” case…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 22 January 2018 10:36
Witness the Passion and Lamentations of Rose Kennedy in Stunning One-woman Show
Written by Bill Esler
Rose, the one-woman show featuring the matriarch of the Kennedy family, has returned to the Greenhouse Theater Center. In an extraordinary performance by Linda Reiter, Rose provides a back-story on the family dynamics at play among the Kennedy’s - a window into the powerful maternal force that delivered so many…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
With six women onstage pulling no punches and taking no shit – like The Vagina Monologues, if it were freaking hilarious – She the People is the show we need right now. Written, designed, and performed by the women of The Second City, these funny and talented actresses use their wits…
Published in
Theatre in Review
With the homecoming and family-visit season safely in the rear-view, Shattered Globe presents a new play by Rachel Bonds about the places we come from. “Five Mile Lake” is directed by Cody Estle, his first production with the company. Bonds writes about a feeling that many city transplants can relate…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 16 January 2018 11:02
Traitor Mixes Hilarious Send-up With Biting Commentary on Our Times
Written by Bill Esler
The mayor of small-town East Lake, Illinois is facing a crisis: lead contamination was just discovered under a thriving magnet school, one that has become a sparkplug over the past few years for a dramatic influx of new residents, real estate development and a thriving local economy. Complicating matters for…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 12 January 2018 23:22
Once More for Nevermore!: Edge Theater’s newest play worth seeing again
Written by Kendall Royzen
Once upon a winter’s glow, I did venture to see a show, A show so dark and oddly brooding, filled with misery and woe. A new musical did appear, At the Edge Theater it did premiere, Nevermore: The imaginary life and death of Edgar Allen Poe. Upon the stage…
Published in
Upcoming Theatre
Tagged under
Friday, 12 January 2018 23:22
Once More for Nevermore!: Edge Theater’s newest play worth seeing again
Written by Kendall Royzen
Once upon a winter’s glow, I did venture to see a show, A show so dark and oddly brooding, filled with misery and woe. A new musical did appear, At the Edge Theater it did premiere, Nevermore: The imaginary life and death of Edgar Allen Poe. Upon the stage seven…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Echoing the western world’s most debated issue of late, For The Loyal was inspired by the Penn State sexual abuse scandal involving one of the college football coaches. Written by Lee Blessing and directed by James Yost, the play is presented as part of Interrobang Theatre Project’s ‘RAW Series’. Five…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 December 2017 15:34
Absurdity, Treachery, Heartbreak....and Laughs in BLKS at Steppenwolf
Written by Bill Esler
BLKS, a new comedy premiering at Steppenwolf Theater, tracks three young black women sharing an apartment in New York City, through 24 hours laced with sex and romance. Packed with high drama and high jinx, this first play by Aziza Barnes makes for an entertaining show. It may sound like…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
More...
Tuesday, 12 December 2017 23:30
Gorgeous Musical Journey by Greyhound Richly Revives the Broadway Gem, Violet
Written by Bill Esler
I was blown away by how great the score, acting and singing were in Griffin Theatre’s new show, Violet. I didn’t have time to learn about it before opening night, so maybe I came away with a completely unbiased assessment: “Boffo!” as the trade rags say for this over the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Tuesday, 05 December 2017 00:42
"Rudolph the Red Hosed Reindeer" is Funnier and more Glamorous Than Ever in 2017!
Written by Kimberly Katz
This is Hell in a Handbag’s 15th Season and yet every year I look forward more than ever to seeing a Christmas show that's as irreverent and funny as "Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer". This year Handbag's Artistic Director and writer of the original, and yearly refreshed, Christmas production, David Cerda,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 08 December 2017 17:44
Review: 'Turandot' at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Finding love is hard. What someone else wants can sometimes be a riddle, but in the case of Puccini’s ‘Turandot’ it’s quite literal. The Lyric Opera of Chicago welcomes back the classic Eastern-flavored piece that is new to Chicago but has previously been seen in a few other American cities.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
While I’d yet to see Beautiful: The Carole King Musical since it premiered to much acclaim (and a U.S. tour) a couple years ago, I entered the Cadillac Palace Theatre for its latest Chicago debut a lifelong Carole King fanboy. I knew her songs. I knew her story. But for…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Register
Login
Latest Articles
-
Chicago Opera Theater presents Chicago leg of the world premiere tour of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s newest opera Before It All Goes Dark May 25 & 26 at the Studebaker Theater
Written by Buzz Center StageChicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and reimagined opera, closes its 50th Anniversary season presenting the final performances of the world premiere tour of Before It All Goes Dark, the latest opera by the most famous American opera writing duo working… -
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre announces 2024 season - celebrates local artists and two of the most significant Black female writers of the past 50 years
Written by Buzz Center StageTim Rhoze, Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, has announced the company's 2024 season of four productions. The season 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…
-
Comedy & magic collide in RIDICULOUS! with David Williamson, May 16-June 30 at Rhapsody Theater
Written by Buzz Center StageDavid 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…
-
Ballet 5:8's 'Lost Women of Juárez' in a word - evocative!
Written by Sarz MaxwellBALLET 5:8 is a female - and minority-led ballet company resident at Harris Theatre in Millenium Park. Under the leadership of co-founder, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer Julianna Rubio Slager the company is ‘dedicated to engaging communities in conversations of…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*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.