Saturday, 14 February 2026 12:16
Gwydion's The Lower Depths at Chopin Theatre: An Avalanche of Anguish
Sarz Maxwell
I like theatre that’s deep, thoughtful, angsty. There’s much to be said for a play providing undemanding escape, but I prefer to challenge my mind, to make me think. And THE LOWER DEPTHS, as adapted by Grayson Kennedy for Gwydion Theatre Company, certainly did that. Don’t see this alone –…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- The Lower Depths
- Gwydion Theatre Company
- Grayson Kennedy
- Maxim Gorky
- Alex Levy
- Katherine Schwartz
- Matt Mitchell
- Brynn Aaronson
- Tommy Thams
- Hannah Freund
- Christopher Meister
- Bryan Breau
- Evan Bradford
- John Nicholson
- Howard Raik
- Maddie Hillock
- Abraham DeitzGreen
- Maya Moreau
- Chopin Theatre
- Chicago
- theatre
Saturday, 14 February 2026 13:57
Where Loneliness Meets Light: Dear Evan Hansen at the Paramount Theatre
Written by Kimberly Katz
Paramount Theatre’s staging of Dear Evan Hansen brings fresh dimension to the Tony‑winning contemporary musical. Under Jessica Fisch’s direction, the story follows Evan, an anxious, isolated teenager whose therapist‑assigned letters to himself inadvertently spark a misunderstanding with the Murphy family - one that grows into a lie swelling far beyond…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 February 2026 14:19
Goodman's HOLIDAY – A Modern Take on a Dramedy About the True Price of Wealth
Written by Mary Beth Euker
Holiday is a play written by Philip Barry in 1928 before the tragic stock market crash of 1929. It has been made into two movies, most notably in 1938 starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. This adaptation, artfully authored by Richard Greenberg, has brought a case study in the class…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 February 2026 22:40
A stylish and concise Hedda Gabler at Remy Bumppo
Written by John Accrocco
An Ibsen play on a cold winter’s evening just feels right. Marti Lyons delivers a stylish (and concise) production of “Hedda Gabler” at Remy Bumppo. With an impressive cast of Remy Bumppo ensemble and new faces, this 100-minute version gets right to the point. Among the countless translations and adaptations…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 February 2026 12:58
In Hilarious 'The Dance of Death' It's as if 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf' Was Played for Laughs
Written by Bill Esler
If you can imagine “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” being played for laughs, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s in store at Steppenwolf Theatre's production of “The Dance of Death.” Written in Swedish by August Strindberg in 1900, the remarkably comical show is loaded with laughs in Irish…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 08 February 2026 15:29
Black and Highly Flavored Ignites Second City’s UP: A Joyride of Wit, Warmth, and Wild Energy
Written by Maddie Burroughs
As a longtime comedy fan, seeing a show at Second City has been on my bucket list for years, so when the opportunity to attend Black and Highly Flavored came up, I jumped at it. That excitement, however, was paired with some hesitation: I questioned whether I was the right…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 08 February 2026 11:08
Trial in the Delta: Bearing Witness in Collaboraction’s New House of Belonging
Written by Wesley David
Collaboraction Theatre Company could not have chosen a more resonant inaugural production for its new House of Belonging than Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. In this sleek, in-the-round studio in Humboldt Park, the company inaugurates its new home by opening an old wound—one that America has…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till
- House of Belonging
- Collaboraction Theatre Company
- G Riley Mills
- Anthony Moseley
- Dana N Anderson
- Roy Bryant
- JW Milam
- NK Gutiérrez
- Darren Jones
- Mysun Aja Wade
- Donald Fitzdarryl
- Jim Crow
- Richard Alan Baiker
- Tyler Burke
- Matt Miles
- Emmy Weldon
- Mamie TillBradley
- Judge Curtis Swango
- Trial in the Delta
- Mickey Dolan
- John Henry Roberts
- theatre
- Chicago
Friday, 06 February 2026 17:32
Drury Lane's On Your Feet! A Rhythm-Fueled Night in Oakbrook
Written by Kimberly Katz
Drury Lane’s On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan opens with a confident, inviting energy that immediately sets the tone for the evening. The production draws the audience into its momentum with ease, creating a lively atmosphere without ever feeling over the top. It’s an engaging, high‑spirited…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 03 February 2026 10:53
COSI FAN TUTTE or ‘Thus Do They All’ - In other words: ‘Wimmin are like dat’
Sarz Maxwell
COSI FAN TUTTE translates loosely as ‘Thus Do They All’, referring to the inconstancy – fickleness, even infidelity – of women. ALL women. The opera, composed by Mozart with libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, begins with two infatuated men, Ferrando (Anthony Leon) and Guglielmo (Ian Rucker) extolling the virtues of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 01 February 2026 14:23
Matters of the Heart: Patti LuPone’s Evening of Memory, Mischief, and Grace
Written by Wesley David
Patti LuPone’s long-running concert piece Matters of the Heart unfolded on the stage of the National Historic Landmark The Auditorium Theatre not as a greatest-hits parade, but as a seasoned artist’s intimate conversation with her own past. Premiering some 25 years ago at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in New…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 31 January 2026 14:23
Chaos Checked In: Unnecessary Farce Brings Down the House at The MAC
Written by Kimberly Katz
Paul Slade Smith’s Unnecessary Farce - a 2006 comic whirlwind that is fast becoming a modern staple of the genre - lands with full force in Buffalo Theatre Ensemble’s lively production at The McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn. The show is a reminder of how exhilarating a well‑constructed farce…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 30 January 2026 11:26
Little Shop of Horrors at Marriott Theatre: Somewhere That’s Green
Written by CJ Burroughs
Back in simpler times, what seems like decades ago, during a global pandemic, I remember watching an NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring the Broadway cast of Little Shop of Horrors. In the middle of the string of incredible songs from the show, the songs’ composer Alan Menken sat down at…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 29 January 2026 11:23
Broadway in Chicago’s Stereophonic is Full of High-Stakes Drama and Emotional Performances
Written by Lauren Katz
“There’s a fine line between compromise and losing yourself.” So many of us have that story of a favorite band. A group brought together by a shared passion and realizes they have that special something that can make them huge. So often that passion takes a dramatic turn, and the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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