The Chicago premiere of a Tom Stoppard play is one of the most hotly anticipated events of this season. We’re never short for great Stoppard productions in this town, but The Hard Problem was Stoppard’s first new play in nine years when it debuted in 2015, and since Court Theatre’s…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 15 March 2017 01:31
Do You Like To Laugh Until It Hurts? Spamilton Delivers
Written by Bill Esler
The hip-hop Broadway in Chicago sensation Hamilton, which, has spawned a secondary market in pricey theater tickets, has also delivered a pair of spin-offs. Shamilton, an improv riff at the Apollo, and now, notably, Spamilton, a send up of the original musical about the founding fathers of the U.S. Is…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 15 March 2017 19:16
10 Out of 12 Offers an Eye-opening, Behind the Scenes Look into Theater Production
Written by Ken Payne
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes leading up to opening night at the theater? Do you have any idea how much detail goes into a stage production? Can you imagine the funny moments that could take place while building a set or rehearsing lines? Do directors really get as…
Published in
Theatre in Review
"The Wiz" is a perfect collision of disco and show tunes. Appearing on Broadway in 1975, "The Wiz" went on to win the Tony for Best Musical. Though it was not the first all-black production on Broadway, the cross-over appeal of its music made it a sensation. A few years…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 12 March 2017 18:04
The Source is Both Thriller, and Timeless, Existential Drama
Written by Bill Esler
In The Source, Gabriel McKinley has penned what may be destined to become a stage classic. A gripping thriller, The Source is a timeless existential drama as well. It centers on a pair of journalists – a writer, and a photographer – holed up in a hotel, waiting to connect…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 09 March 2017 12:11
Off to a Good Start, The Infinite Wrench Has Big Shoes to Fill
Written by Kimberly Katz
Replacing the twenty-eight-year long-running hit show "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind", which was known for delivering thirty original plays in sixty minutes with an ever-changing cast, is a new troupe of high energy players each with their own personal gifts and comedic skills. In the same tradition,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Charming, colorful and inventive, the Marriot Theater’s Madagascar – A Musical Adventure, for young audiences, is a fun-filled ride with themes that will surely resonate with both kids and adults. Based on the popular 2005 film by DreamWorks Animation, Madagascar centers around four main characters from the Central Park Zoo:…
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Theatre in Review
Just after the show’s beginning, Jackie Taylor asks the crowd what the world needs. In unison, many voices shout back, “Love!”. And when do we need it? “Now!” Love is the theme in Black Ensemble’s latest production, From Jackie with Love (What the World Needs Now), a three-day engagement that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 06 March 2017 13:11
Flanagan's Wake A Frightfully Funny, Interactive Send Off for the Dearly Departed
Written by Ken Payne
Flanagan is dead. Crushed by luggage, the resident roustabout has left us too early. Leaving a healthy amount of family and friends behind, we gather at a local pub in Grapplin, County Sligo, Ireland to celebrate the life of our dear Flanagan. A large, wooden crate holding the body of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 05 March 2017 19:45
The Scene: Watching the decline and fall of a moderately good man
Written by Bill Esler
We first meet Clea as she traipses into the great room of a sky-high Manhattan penthouse, enraptured by the “surreal” view. Looking on disdainfully are Charlie (Mark Montgomery), an actor who has been struggling to get cast lately, and his wing-man Lewis (La Shawn Banks). In the world of theater,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 01 March 2017 13:43
Lifeline Breathes Magical Life into Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
Written by Ken Payne
Lifeline Theatre is currently bringing to life the 1963 Madeline L’Engle award-winning, sci-fi novel for young adults, A Wrinkle in Time. It is the first in a series of five books that follow the escapades of Meg Murray, a thirteen-year-old student whom her teachers see as stubborn and difficult. The…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 23 February 2017 20:35
"Jesus the Jew" Delivers the Most Important Message of our Time with Grace and Humor
Written by Kimberly Katz
I thoroughly enjoyed the world premiere of Jesus the Jew: As Told by His Brother James. The play is the seventeenth work produced by Forum Productions. The one-man show by playwright William Spatz is very well-written and in my opinion contains some of the answers of the most important issues…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 25 February 2017 14:23
The Best of Bri-Ko An Innovative, Comedy-Crammed Experience
Written by Ken Payne
For those looking for about as much funny as can be compacted into sixty minutes, one would be hard pressed to find as many laughs as The Best of Bri-Ko, a sidesplitting theatre experience where the absurd is creatively implemented into a series of sketch acts, each one stranger than…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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