safronia at Lyric Opera of Chicago emerges as a deeply personal story of the Great Migration - one that resists grandiosity in favor of something more intimate, more lived-in, and ultimately more affecting. Drawn from the family history of Chicago’s inaugural Poet Laureate avery r. young, the work feels less…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 21 April 2026 14:16
At Steppenwolf, Windfall Doesn’t Cash In on Its Promise
Written by Wesley David
Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s, Windfall arrives with all the promise its pedigree suggests. Written by Academy Award–winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Awoye Timpo, the production aspires to be a pulsing, lyrical meditation on grief, justice, and the uneasy intersection of activism and capitalism. What unfolds instead is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 18 April 2026 16:46
Teatro Vista and Steppenwolf’s BOTH Twists Family Truths Into a Slow‑Burn Thriller
Written by Angelo Campos
From the moment BOTH starts, the play demands attention. Flashing lights, sirens, and the sounds of heavy breathing build as Xochi (Paloma Nozicka) locks herself inside, trying to shut out the world. She just lost her twin brother, and nothing will be the same. Co-presented by Teatro Vista Productions and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 17 April 2026 12:24
Northlight’s Angel Offers Charm, Even Without Full Lift‑Off
Written by Angelo Campos
Screwball comedy went the way of the dinosaur after the 1940s, but Northlight Theatre attempts to revive it with The Angel Next Door. For those unfamiliar, screwball was a film subgenre that mixed romance, slapstick, and banter, like Mentos and Coke, and watched them explode to great effect. Stars like…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Northlight
- The Angel Next Door
- Paul Slade Smith
- Ferenc Molnar
- Garrett Lutz
- Sean Fortunato
- Katy Sullivan
- Aja Alcazar
- andres enriquez
- Erin Noel Grennan
- Linda Fortunato
- North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
- on stage
- live theatre
- chicago theatre
- plays Chicago
- Events Chicago
- Skokie
- comedy
- screwball comedy
Thursday, 16 April 2026 12:21
Marriott’s Heartbreak Hotel: The Rise, the Rebirth, the Return
Written by Kimberly Katz
Marriott Theatre’s Heartbreak Hotel takes on the tricky task of charting Elvis Presley’s early ascent, walking the line between the mythic figure we think we know and the unpolished young man still figuring out who he was becoming. What emerges is a brisk, music‑driven portrait that leans into the volatility…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Marriott theatre
- Elvis Presley
- Gladys Presley
- Vernon Presley
- Priscilla Presley
- AnnMargret
- ’68 Comeback Special
- Tyler Hanes
- Rob Lindley
- Jackson Evans
- Sam Phillips
- Colton Sims
- Elizabeth Telford
- Anna Louise Bramlett
- Amanda Walker
- Alexandra Palkovic
- Karl Hamilton
- Naiqui Macabroad
- Fredrick Webb Jr
- Jake Busse
- Zac Richey
- Trevor Lindley Craft
- Melanie Brezil
- Deidre Goodwin
- Scotty Moore
- Bill Black
- Fats Domino
- Ed Sullivan
- Frank Sinatra
- rock 'n' roll
- live theatre
- on stage
- chicago theatre
- Lincolnshire
- Now playing
- Chicago arts
- Performing Arts
- Musical theatre
Monday, 13 April 2026 13:21
Drury Lane’s Father of the Bride Charms with Effortless Fun
Written by Angelo Campos
The 1950s is easy to idealize. Men styled tailored suits, women dazzled in pleated dresses, and everything glimmered like it was in a commercial. Life’s troubles were solved with a talk from pop or a hug from mom – or that’s how it seemed. Drury Lane Theatre’s Father of the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Drury Lane Theatre
- Father of the Bride
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Spencer Tracy
- Steve Martin
- Michael Heitzman
- Joe Dempsey
- Rachel Sullivan
- Kyle Ringley
- Charlie Long
- Aurora Penepacker
- Jake DiMaggio Lopez
- Michele Vazaquez
- Ed Kross
- Maya Hlava
- Curtis Moore
- Oakbrook theatre
- live theatre
- plays Chicago
- Events Chicago
- on stage
- wedding day
- Stanley Banks
Monday, 13 April 2026 00:45
Poor Behavior at Oil Lamp Theatre: When Good Company Goes Bad
Written by Ken Payne
Theresa Rebeck’s Poor Behavior at Oil Lamp Theatre, directed by Lauren Katz, opens with the easy warmth of old friends reconnecting - only to reveal how quickly a shared history can curdle. Within minutes, the play exposes the messy, magnetic dynamics that will drive the evening off the rails. Peter…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 11 April 2026 12:13
BrightSide's Private Lives Bring Public Laughs
Written by Angelo Campos
You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone and married someone else – that’s how Noel Coward’s Private Lives sees it. For those unfamiliar with Coward, his scripts have bite and humor that were ahead of its time when they first hit the stage in the 1930s. Today, the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 11 April 2026 12:22
Merry Mischief in Windsor: Chicago Shakespeare’s Fast, Funny Triumph
Written by Wesley David
Shakespeare’s comedies share a familiar architecture: mistaken identity, disguises, intersecting plotlines, a generous helping of prose, and language that delights in wordplay and double entendre. They are also, crucially, driven by sharp, intelligent women who often see more clearly than the men around them. With that foundation in mind, Chicago…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 11 April 2026 00:15
A Spoonful of Magic: Lyric Brings Mary Poppins to Life
Written by Ken Payne
Lyric Opera of Chicago’s film‑with‑live‑orchestra series has become one of the city’s most engaging hybrid arts experiences, transforming the opera house into a cinematic concert hall where classic films gain new dimension through live performance. Recent presentations such as Singin’ in the Rain (February 2025) and Coco in Concert (October…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Mary Poppins
- Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra
- orchestra
- Anthony Parnther
- Dick Van Dyke
- Julie Andrews
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
- step in time
- feed the birds
- film to concert
- Live Music
- Events Chicago
- msuci Chicago
- Concert
- Chicago
- live orvhestra
- on stage
- Mary Poppins in Concert Live to Film
Friday, 10 April 2026 21:16
At Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Mrs. Krishnan’s Party Feeds the Soul
Written by Wesley David
As I entered the black box studio at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, I’ll admit - I wasn’t in the best frame of mind. Before leaving home, I’d watched the news: the endless cycle of violence, bombings, and that tired “us versus them” narrative that seems to define our moment. My spirit…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 10 April 2026 01:45
Where Rock Meets Ruin: Bat Out of Hell Ignites the Auditorium
Written by Ken Payne
Depending on the source, Bat Out of Hell ranks among the top‑selling albums of all time, so its eventual leap to the stage in 2017 felt almost inevitable. Written by Jim Steinman and performed by Meat Loaf, the album’s grandiose ‘70s sound hardly suggests a post‑apocalyptic narrative, yet that’s the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 07 April 2026 22:22
Goodman’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Delivers a Powerful Revival
Written by Wesley David
Goodman Theatre’s production of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom arrives with the weight of expectation - and under the dual direction of Chuck Smith and Harry Lennix, it does not merely meet that weight, it reshapes it. This is not a revival of August Wilson’s searing text; it is a precise,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Ma Rainey
- Goodman Theatre
- CHUCK SMITH
- Harry Lennix
- august wilson
- E Faye Butler
- Al’Jaleel McGhee
- David Alan Anderson
- Matt Decaro
- Linda Buchanan
- Jared Gooding
- American blues
- Mother of the Blues
- live theatre
- on stage
- Theatre Chicago
- plays Chicago
- Events Chicago
- Chi Theatre
- blues
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
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