It's not often you'll hear cool and the play 'Picnic' in the same sentence, but director Will Davis' new version at American Theater Company is just that. This is William Inge's 1953 Pulitzer Prize winner as you've never seen it before. For many, 'Picnic' triggers high school boredom flashbacks. When…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 22 March 2017 15:18
A Comic Delight, Destiny of Desire Also Has Plenty of Smart and Sexy
Written by Kimberly Katz
Destiny of Desire begins with the actors breaking the fourth wall, walking among the audience, encouraging them to relax and have fun. As they complete their tasks setting up the empty Goodman soundstage on which the telenovela we are about to watch is being shot, the entire cast announces with…
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Theatre in Review
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After a 146-year run, Ringling Bros. Circus, is finally bringing down its curtain for what has been tabbed as “The Greatest Show on Earth”. That’s right. With final shows in May of 2017, one of the world’s most popular events will come to a close after nearly a century and…
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Theatre in Review
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…
Published in
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…
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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…
Published in
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,…
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Theatre in Review
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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:…
Published in
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
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
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