Monday, 19 February 2024 13:22
Review: Young People’s Theatre of Chicago’s 'The Diary of Anne Frank’ at Greenhouse Theater Center
Written by John Accrocco
It’s been almost 80 years since the publication of Anne Frank’s Diary, and yet it remains one of the most significant personal accounts of the Holocaust on record. Though ‘The Diary of A Young Girl’ is a well-established work of young adult literature, it continues to be challenged by parents…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 19 February 2024 13:12
BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL is Coming to Chicago
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Lead producer Colin Ingram together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back to the Future film trilogy, and Broadway In Chicago are thrilled to announce the 2022 Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical, BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical will come to Chicago as part of its upcoming season package. The Broadway and West End hit…
Published in
Upcoming Theatre
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Saturday, 17 February 2024 14:59
Alex Edelman’s ‘Just for Us’ at Steppenwolf unbelievably funny and painfully relevant
Written by Bree Samani
Imagine being Jewish and attending a White Nationalists meeting undercover. Sounds crazy, right? In the award-winning comedian Alex Edelman’s acclaimed Broadway Solo Show, Just for Us you get to hear the story of how Edelman does the unthinkable by putting himself in an extremely uncomfortable situation among White Supremacists. It…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 18 February 2024 12:12
Review: Blade Runner in Concert at Auditorium Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Blade Runner Live? Don’t worry, it’s not a musical adaptation of Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic. It’s the inaugural film in The Auditorium Theater’s new series, Auditorium Philms, in which five films will be live scored by the Chicago Philharmonic. Performances are scheduled throughout the year and include a special…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 17 February 2024 14:03
Review: 'The Band's Visit' at Writers Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
There are but a few evenings in life that can ultimately change your destiny, David Yazbek’s The Band’s Visit tells the story of one such evening in the lives of those residing in a small Israeli town. When a lost bus drops off an Egyptian Police Band, a community offers…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 15 February 2024 13:52
Broadway in Chicago’s 'GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY' Features Standout Vocalists and Touching Story
Written by Lauren Katz
“May God bless and keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you stay forever young May you stay forever young” For many,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Court Theatre culminates its "Oedipus Trilogy" with a captivating production of "Antigone," marking an exhilarating conclusion. For those who witnessed the illuminating "Oedipus Rex" and the soulfully performed "Gospel at Colonus," the profound experience of "Antigone" brings a bittersweet moment of reflection. A fitting finale to the house of Oedipus.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 15 February 2024 12:56
'A Home What Howls' Nails the Way Things Work for People in the Margins
Written by Bill Esler
Matthew Paul Olmos is a playwright on the rise, and under the direction of Laura Alcalá Baker we have a chance to see a beautiful production of an exceptional work in its world premiere at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. As the vernacular title suggests, “A Home What Howls (or the house…
Published in
Theatre in Review
After half an hour into Loy Webb's "Judy's Life's Work," I found myself silently reciting the dialogue, though not necessarily every line, as the familiar narrative unfolded predictably before me. The tale revolves around a classic trope: a familial feud over inheritance. While it pays tribute to the themes of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 13 February 2024 17:32
In One-Woman “Love Songs Are Weird” Comedic Singer Rachel Silvert Goes for the Laughs
Written by Bill Esler
Rachel Silvert plumbs the lyrics of a dozen of Broadway’s classic romantic songs, in “Love Songs Are Weird—and other reasons I’m single,” a one-woman cabaret show at Davenport’s Piano Bar on Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Silvert often begins the numbers by singing pieces straight up, then breaks between stanzas or…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Friday, 09 February 2024 16:02
Timeline Theatre NOTES FROM THE FIELD is a Deeply Moving and Unforgettable Experience
Written by Lauren Katz
Why do we learn about history? This question has been asked for ages and is often met with the response: So that history does not repeat itself. When it comes to plays about history, that question is often met with some version of the same answer. We witness historical events…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 05 February 2024 15:39
'Stardust: From Bach to Bowie' Breaks to Bonds of Traditional Ballet Casting
Written by Kimberly Katz
I really enjoyed this unique program of ballet created and choreographed by Dwight Rhoden (formerly of Alvin Ailey) and Desmond Richardson and performed by Complexions Contemporary Ballet company that features an interesting combination of the music of Johann Sebastian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach along with the prolific rock icon, David Bowie.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
I remember when my dad, then a much younger man than I am now, had just lost his first parent. Anything—a TV show or a song or a greeting card or something he’d read—that hinted at aging or mortality could be an emotional trigger and start him crying. Most of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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'Blue' Holds Mirror to Race in America
Written by Betsy SchmittWhen Francesca Zambello, director of The Glimmerglass Festival, commissioned an opera about race in America, the country was reeling from a spate of police shootings of young African-American men in Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. By the time the… -
Review: 'Falsettos' at Court Theatre
Written by John AccroccoEven 40 years later, the AIDS crisis continues to shape American life. Long before Hollywood brought AIDS stories to the cultural mainstream, the theatre was a safe place for actors and writers to explore their fears and sense of injustice… -
Delightful Send-up of 1930s Musicals, 'Dames at Sea' Nearly Sunk by Bad Sound
Written by Bill EslerOverall Citadel Theatre’s ‘Dames at Sea’ has a smashingly great cast of singers and dancers, perfect for a musical comedy satirizing the over-the-top 1930s movies and Broadway revues that were light on plot and heavy on costumes, dance routine, and… -
Disney's The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane: An Inspiring and Delightful Production Celebrating Girls' Unique Voices
Written by Kimberly KatzI thoroughly enjoyed Drury Lane's enchanting stage production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid from start to finish. While few are overly familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s original, darker tale of ill-fated romance, the Disney animated film and this stage adaptation,…
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