Saturday, 20 May 2017 12:45
How Josephine Baker Earned Superstardom to Become the Black Pearl
Written by Bill Esler
Josephine Baker leapt from the Harlem Renaissance via the Paris Folies Bergère to become a global phenomenon, the first black international superstar. Consider this: Baker’s fame was so great in her day among African-Americans, that Coretta King immediately appealed to her to guide the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 11 May 2017 05:30
Refugee Struggles To Maintain His Identity in Powerful Objects in the Mirror
Written by Bill Esler
Objects in the Mirror, an outstanding play having its premier at Goodman Theatre, will soon have you wanting to know more about its author, Charles Smith, a Chicago playwright. Starring Daniel Kyri as Shedrick Yarkpai, this play springs from the true story of the real life Yarkpai, a refugee who…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 12 May 2017 15:52
This One Man Show Is really About Every Man and Woman
Written by Bill Esler
It was a third-grade history lesson on civil rights and Rosa Parks that spawned Brian Quijada’s one man show, “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?” Blacks were in the back, whites up front. What about Mexican-Americans like him? “You weren’t around,” his teacher answered. With that hook Quijada draws…
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Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 10 May 2017 14:37
Theatre at the Center's Cabaret "Perfectly Marvelous"
Written by Ken Payne
It’s the wild 1930’s in Berlin and it’s anything goes at the Kit Kat Klub where an impish Emcee feasts on making the haunt as alluring as possible to its guests. He loves the boys, he loves the girls and he loves the orchestra. Headliner Sally Bowles leads the cabaret…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 06 May 2017 14:54
Marriott Theatre's "She Loves Me" Will Make You Take a Chance on Love, Too!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Try to remember a time before the Internet, before dating sites, before personal ads and instant cameras and you will eventually discover the age-old path of finding love and dating for men and women called "Lonely Hearts Clubs". In Marriott Theatre’s “She Loves Me", a musical with a book by…
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Theatre in Review
There was so much energy when I went into The Den Theatre, which I will rightfully chalk up to Haven Theatre Company’s infectious vibe. Upon entering, patrons were greeted with ear plugs before being thrust into a cloud of fog, as though attending a rock show. Curious, yet anxious, the…
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Theatre in Review
The play Threesome is an ambitious work, taking aim at the ease with which we become stuck in patterns of bad behavior like possessiveness in relationships. It also reaches into threats to women's freedom in other cultures. As the lights come up we meet a married couple already in bed,…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 03 May 2017 20:14
"Lady X" Full of Funny, Talented Heroines Worth Saving!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Set in the 1930's, this melodrama has all the ingredients you'd expect, sex, drugs, murders and the quick, clever banter of women fighting for their lives in a film noir-colored seedy underworld of a dance hall/nightclub/whorehouse. In the latest Hell in a Handbag production "Lady X - The Musical", director…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 30 April 2017 21:03
Lyric Opera's My Fair Lady an Overall Enjoyable Experience
Written by Michelle Reidy
The Lyric Opera continues its Broadway at Lyric series, with the fifth installment in the series - My Fair Lady which opened on Saturday to a full house. The musical is based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and inspired by the Greek myth of Pygmalion, a sculptor…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 30 April 2017 15:15
"Chicago" at Drury Lane A Sultry, Humorous Story of Courtroom Shenanigans in the Jazz Age
Written by Ken Payne
It’s been quite some time since “Chicago” has actually been performed in Chicago (or thereabouts), but after a ten-year road in obtaining the show’s rights, Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook brings home the popular musical created in 1975 – and we are glad they did. With music by John Kander,…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 30 April 2017 12:23
Queen Has Strong Buzz for a Reason: It's Exceptionally Good
Written by Bill Esler
Let's cut to the chase on this review: Queen is the best show in town. Having its world premiere at Victory Gardens Theater, in Queen, Madhuri Shekar has delivered a knockout script, deftly directed by Joanie Schultz, and brought to life by a strong cast. Two PhD students - Sanam …
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 24 April 2017 14:29
"What's The Buzz?" Paramount's Reinvention of Jesus Christ Superstar is Boldly Delicious
Written by Ken Payne
Of the many Andrew Lloyd Webber hits, Jesus Christ Superstar has always been a personal favorite of mine. It rocks, it moves and…it’s back. After a lengthy absence, the award-winning musical has returned to the Chicago area, this time with a bit of a twist as, unlike past productions, the…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 21 April 2017 23:26
Disney's "Aladdin" Brings Classic Romance, Fun and Freedom for All to a 'Whole New World' of Theater Goers
Written by Kimberly Katz
I have to admit Aladdin is one of my all-time favorite Disney films so I was very optimistic upon entering Cadillac Palace to see the stage version. Turned into a live musical in 2011, Disney’s Aladdin has landed in Chicago for a five-month run with over three million people having…
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Theatre in Review
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