Sunday, 21 October 2018 22:15
The Lonesome West - Dark Comedy From That Man Who Gave You Three Billboards Outside Billings
Written by Bill Esler
Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West brings us Coleman and Valene Connor, two brothers fighting continuously over issues large and small: which brand of potato chips is better, who of the two do girls find more attractive, and who really owns their house. As the play opens, Coleman (Robert Tobin), the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 21 October 2018 00:02
Go! Go! Go to Idomeneo! - or - Thank the gods!
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is opera as it should be, transcending all expectations. Don’t miss it! Indeed, we wonder why this uncommonly extraordinary performance did not open the Lyric Opera of Chicago season. Happily, after going dark for more than a week, forcing the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 17 October 2018 04:54
Like an onion; SHREK THE MUSICAL has layers of fun for the whole family
Written by Kendall Royzen
The anti-fairytale is something everyone can get behind. Though there have many of these attempts over the years, Shrek is still the stand out, the one that broke the mold, the OG. Now everyone's favorite ogre is back in an hilarious stage spectacle, based on the Oscar-winning, smash-hit film. An…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 17 October 2018 22:26
Review: Remy Bummpo's 'Frankenstein’ at Theater Wit
Written by John Accrocco
You may be wondering why four of the city’s most formidable houses are each mounting productions of ‘Frankenstein’ this season. You may be also asking yourself which, if any, to see. It appears that Lifeline, Remy Bumppo, Court Theatre and Lookingglass have all included unique adaptations of the sci-fi classic.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 16 October 2018 02:02
Strawdog has great idea with 'Masque Macabre', but...
Written by Vika Lvova
It’s that spooky time of year when we crave cheap candy and scary movies, and when deserted storefronts suddenly pop their doors open to sell Halloween costumes. Strawdog Theatre Company launches its 31st season with the world premiere of Masque Macabre, a Halloween-y show inspired by the works of Edgar…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 10 October 2018 18:50
When We Don't Know What To Do With Them, We Send Them Downstate
Written by Bill Esler
“Downstate” is a bit of a dog whistle for Chicagoland, suggesting a cultural distinction between urbanites in the north, and the vast agrarian expanses to the south – downstate - where trash goes, sewage flows, and where the state government builds prisons. The word becomes generalized in Downstate, a new…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 14 October 2018 21:58
Waist not, want not - 'Waistwatchers the Musical' at Royal George Theatre
Written by Mariah Sulaiman
Forget about the lofty plans you had for the day, the goals you had set. Grab your girls, all your friends, your snacks, your drinks, and head over to Miss Cook’s Women’s Gym! WaistWatchers the Musical will have you and your friends laughing hysterically and cheering along with MC, Cheryl,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 10 October 2018 05:51
Christian Gray Victoriously Brings Poe Alive in First Folio's "The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story"
Written by Ken Payne
The excitement begins as you walk up to the Mayslake Peabody Estate. It screams Poe, despite the fact that it was built around 1920, some 70 years after the great American writer’s death. Upon entering we are given a dance card. Two colors are distributed – blue and yellow. The…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 12 October 2018 00:00
A Powerful Parable of Insidious Gamer Hate Groups: Fun Harmless Warmachine
Written by Bill Esler
The new show running at the Den Theater, Fun Harmless Warmachine, may surprise you. While treating the world of video games, which struggles for recognition against more established art forms, it delivers an important commentary on a powerful social phenomenon. Video games are a cultural mainstay; when a new game…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Having been close with many people with disabilities over the course of my life, I’m often hesitant when it comes to media about such individuals. Too often, books or films or plays dealing with disabilities end up being either demeaning to the folks who have them or cloying and saccharine…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 06 October 2018 21:20
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Oriental Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
Before the curtain rose for the start of the Oriental Theatre’s current traveling production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the sole image onstage was a giant silhouette of the character most associated with the beloved tale — a tale told in Roald Dahl’s original novel, in two Hollywood films,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 08 October 2018 01:36
Overlit 'Boheme' fails to illuminate
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2018-19 season with Puccini’s beloved “La Boheme” last Saturday evening. Essential to any Puccini production, more than most other composers, is a faithful rendition of the specific intentions of the composer, whose theatrical instincts were equal to if not better than his musical gifts.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 08 October 2018 11:04
Steep Theatre’s ‘Zürich’ provokes and entertains
Written by Vika Lvova
If shock is the intent, then the opening scene of ‘Zürich’ is right on. The set: a hotel room, cleverly separated from the audience by a glass wall, furnished with a bed, a couple of tables and a mini-fridge. In the first scene it’s a couple of complete strangers who…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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