Sunday, 29 January 2017 20:45
Druids Rule in Norma, a Surpassingly Beautiful Bel Canto Opera
Written by Bill Esler
Watching an inner circle of Druids contemplate the eventual fall of Rome, my thoughts turned to Game of Thrones, to Mad Maxx’s Thunderdome, even alighting ever so briefly on our own political landscape. Lyric Opera’s production Bellini’s beautiful 1831 opera carefully builds such a world, with Iron Age sets in…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 26 January 2017 23:34
Review: About Face Theatre's "The Temperamentals"
Written by John Accrocco
"The Temperamentals" by Jon Marans makes its Chicago premiere at About Face Theatre. Artistic director Andrew Volkoff revisits this 2009 Off-Broadway play in a critical time for LGBT rights in America. This play was selected for their season long before the election, but serves to remind that the struggle for…
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Theatre in Review
The House Theatre of Chicago artistic director Nate Allen introduces the world premiere of Diamond Dogs, an adaptation of a short story by Alastair Reynolds, by noting that it is “hard sci-fi” and a departure from the optimism usually implicit in House Theatre shows. Since a significant plot point of…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 22 January 2017 18:03
Arc Theatre Puts Refreshing Spin on Classic "Steel Magnolias"
Written by Kimberly Katz
As I found my seat in the very intimate forty-seat or so Red Curtain Theater in First Congregational Church House to see Robert Harling's popular American classic Steel Magnolias, made popular by the movie starring Julia Roberts, I was very drawn in immediately by Mark Boergers' set design which places…
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Theatre in Review
If you don’t already know about the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn, now’s a great time to check it out. For ten years, the Equity company run by Ann Filmer in the basement of the Berwyn Cultural Center has endeavored to produce high-quality work for an affordable price while paying…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 20 January 2017 14:32
Review: Circumference of a Squirrel at The Greenhouse Theater Center
Written by John Accrocco
“Circumference of a Squirrel” by John Walch finishes out The Greenhouse Theater’s inaugural Solo Celebration. This one-character play festival featured only single narrative storytelling. It’s not often you see a one-person fiction play, and while some may cringe at the concept, these short works explored highly relevant themes. Will Allen…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 18 January 2017 10:32
New Colony's "Psychonaut Librarians" A Funny, Romantic Reminder for Gentle People to Fight Their Fears
Written by Kimberly Katz
I was a "psychonaut librarian” as a child without even knowing it. My grandparents’ house was only two blocks from the beautifully built, stunning Coral Gables Library in South Miami, Florida. I spent all my spare time there, drinking in the smell of library books and wisdom. Each new book…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 13 January 2017 13:08
Review: Her America at The Greenhouse Theater Center
Written by John Accrocco
Brett Neveu is a playwright to watch. To call him up-and-coming would be unfair as his work has appeared at The Goodman, Writers Theatre and Red Orchid Threatre. His new play "Her America" is being presented by The Greenhouse Theater Center as part of their Solo Celebration Series. Directed by…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 12 January 2017 12:52
Review: Men On Boats At American Theater Company
Written by Michaelle Bradford
American Theater Company's (ATC) regional premiere of Men on Boats, written by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by artistic director Will Davis, took on the story of the one-arm captain, William Wesley Powell, who was commissioned by the U.S. government in 1869 to map the Green and Colorado rivers of the…
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Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 28 December 2016 12:02
Review: Light Opera Works' Die Fledermaus
Written by John Accrocco
By the end of January, most people are over holiday theater. In the days between holidays, the Loop is a ghost town almost exclusively sustained by last minute ‘Christmas Carol’ and ‘Nutcracker’ matinees. Locals tend to stay local. For Evanston residents looking for quality theater, Light Opera Works is a…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 24 December 2016 13:04
Astounding Shadow Animations in Amazing Mr & Mrs Pennyworth
Written by Bill Esler
Just two actors share the credits, yet the stage is crowded with characters in Lookingglass Theatre’s Mr. & Mrs. Pennyworth. This fabulist romp is delightful and fully satisfying, conjuring up characters with artful stagecraft and puppetry that remind us of Red Moon Theatre when it was really cranking. The puppetry…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 16 December 2016 17:42
Pigpen's "The Hunter and the Bear" One of this Year's Best
Written by Ken Payne
PigPen’s “The Hunter and the Bear” is one of the best theatre productions of 2016. It’s really that simple. Staged at the state of the art, newly constructed, Writers Theatre in Glencoe, audience members are in for a unique experience that is as haunting as it is moving. The story…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 16 December 2016 17:06
Mega-church Pastor Calls Down a Rain of Destruction on The Christians
Written by Bill Esler
A tragedy is unfolding at Steppenwolf Theatre, a good thing for audiences, less so for the denizens of Lucas Hnath’s The Christians. In this show, with powerful performances by Glenn Davis, Shannon Cochran, Tom Irwin and Robert Brueler, the show stopper is Jacqueline Williams’ marvelous turn in the role of…
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Theatre in Review
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