Saturday, 06 April 2024 22:15
Welcome to The Jungle: The Choir of Man Rocks Chicago
Written by Kendall Royzen
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Sometimes you want to be surrounded by people to experience the intimacy of being in public. Lately the types of places where someone could venture to for either experience are dwindling in numbers. It's the loss of third places, a place…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 01 April 2024 11:12
'American Fiction' Oscar Boosts Percival Everett's Latest Work, 'James,' at 'Authors on Tap'
Written by Bill Esler
Author Percival Everett is having his moment, and Exile in Bookville gave us a chance to meet him up close and personal, part of the bookstore’s ongoing Authors on Tap series at the lovely Studebaker Theater in Chicago. Everett is the author of “Erasure,” which was adapted for the Oscar winning…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
‘Jersey Boys’ is back in Chicago, bringing with it a little East Coast to the Third Coast. The hit Broadway musical about the lives of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons played for over two years in the mid-00s at the CIBC Theater and helped establish Broadway in Chicago as…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 28 March 2024 15:11
Take Flight and Feel the Magic with ‘Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical'
Written by Bree Samani
After many years without seeing the movie or reading the story of Peter Pan, the moment I learned that Peter Pan: The Hit Broadway Musical was coming to Chicago, my inner child couldn’t contain its excitement. I arrived at the James M. Nederlander Theatre, quickly found my seat, and noticed joyful children…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:16
“Navigating Family, Truth, and Legacy: A Must-See Journey in ‘Purpose’”
Written by Wesley David
The expansive, opulent home exudes an air of solid middle-class comfort, boasting a formal dining area, an upright piano, and multiple doors leading to various sections of the house. A bay window graces an alcove, while a grand staircase ascends to the sleeping quarters on the second floor. Adorning the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:32
Review: Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's "Love Song' at Theater Wit
Written by Susan Lieberman
When a play’s opening moment is mystifying and its closing moment is satisfying, the stuff in between must be doing its job. John Kolvenbach’s Love Song presents us with a young man in a spartan room, silently observing a lamp that seems to have a mind of its own. Love?…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 13:12
Eddie Izzard performs Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" in limited engagement, April 19–May 4
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today a thrilling addition to the season: Tony Award-nominated actor Eddie Izzard brings her celebrated solo theatrical performance of Hamlet to Chicago, direct from a triple-extended New York run at the Orpheum and Greenwich House Theaters and prior to launching a highly anticipated London transfer at Riverside Studios. Izzard portrays 23…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Friday, 22 March 2024 13:06
Review: A Streetcar Named Desire at Copley Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
If there's one play every American should see in their lifetimes, without a doubt it's Tennessee Williams' perennial classic A Streetcar Named Desire. It's the type of play that transcends theatre and stands alone as one of the best contributions to contemporary literature. Its complexities and social commentary make it…
Published in
Theatre in Review
I love all things Shakespeare, particularly modern iterations and adaptations of his works, and I’ve had good experiences with Idle Muse Theatre Company. So naturally when I learned that Idle Muse was mounting a new version of "What the Weird Sisters Saw," I was pretty excited. Fifteen years ago, when…
Published in
Theatre in Review
More...
Sunday, 17 March 2024 02:42
Music Theater Works’ ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ a sparkling and witty production
Written by Kimberly Katz
Who will the best speller be? Who will be able to withstand the pressures of competition? Who wants it the most? I’m sure these are among the questions you must be asking yourselves once the play begins. Well, without giving the ending of the story away, I’ll just say that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 15 March 2024 09:08
Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad' Is a Zesty Romp, Even If a Bit Cerebral
Written by Bill Esler
“The Penelopiad” is a zesty romp and very entertaining. With a script by a writer I adore, Margaret Atwood of “The Handmaid's Tale” fame, and based on her novella by the same name, it tells the story of Odysseus’ wife Penelope (played stunningly by Jennifer Morrison)—and how she occupied herself during…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
There’s a reason Elton John’s Broadway musical adaptation of ‘Aida’ was one the most popular musicals of the early aughts. Verdi’s classic has all the romance and tragedy that opera fans crave, but with a relatively easy to follow plot. For that reason, ‘Aida’ is a more accessible work for…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 11 March 2024 11:14
'Bill W. and Dr. Bob' Tells About AA Founders, and What It Was Really Like to be their Wives
Written by Bill Esler
“Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” in its Chicago premiere at the Biograph Theater, tells the exciting story of the 1935 origins of Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA. Ubiquitous (though by its own traditions it doesn’t advertise), AA has spawned some 200 similar addictive behavior treatment programs (for drugs, compulsive sex and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Register
Login
Latest Articles
-
Elizabeth McGovern's AVA: The Secret Conversations to play in Chicago
Written by Buzz Center StageFollowing an acclaimed run at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and NY City Center in New York, AVA: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-nominated actress and Evanston native Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey, Ordinary People, Once Upon… -
Kokandy Productions Presents the Chicago Premiere of AMÉLIE
Written by Buzz Center StageKokandy Productions invites you to spend the summer in Paris (Montmartre, to be exact), as it kicks off its 2025 Season with the Chicago premiere of Amélie, the charming tale of young woman and the fantastical world of whimsy and romance that surrounds her. Amélie will…
-
THE DEN THEATRE ANNOUNCES JULY COMEDY SHOWS
Written by Buzz Center StageThe Den Theatre today announced upcoming July 2025 shows at the theatre's Wicker Park stages at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., including Sammy Obeid July 5 - 6; Martin Amini July 10 - 12; An Evening With Masood Boomgaard & Self-Help Singh on July 13; Jane Wickline & Liva…
-
Writers Theatre concludes its 2024/25 Season with the World Premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue
Written by Buzz Center StageWriters Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, concludes its 2024/25 Season with Madhuri Shekar's Dhaba on Devon Avenue, directed by Chay Yew. Dhaba on Devon Avenue will run June 19-July 27, 2025 in the Alexandra C. and…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.