Goodman Theatre welcomes back audiences with Lynn Nottage’s Broadway hit, “Clyde’s”. Collaboration between Goodman and playwright Lynn Nottage goes way back, including the 2019 production of her second Pulitzer Prize winner “Sweat”. This food-filled dramady is directed by Kate Whoriskey who has directed several of Nottage’s plays around the country.…
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Tuesday, 20 September 2022 15:09
“Red Summer” at Governors State University Center for Performing Arts in Collaboration with MPAACT – Just one story of a shameful past
Written by Wesley David
The term "Red Summer" was coined by civil rights activist and author James Weldon Johnson, who had been employed as a field secretary by the NAACP since 1916. It is the period from late winter through early autumn of 1919 during which white supremacist terrorism and racial riots took place in more than…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 19 September 2022 14:08
Review: Kokandy Production's 'Sweeney Todd' at Chopin Theatre
Sarz Maxwell
Oy … where to begin with Stephen Sondheim’s SWEENEY TODD? Let’s begin with what one sees first: the venue. Chopin Theatre opened in 1918 at the Polonia Triangle in Wicker Park. Over 100 years the building has variously housed (among other things) a bank, a thrift shop, and a discotheque. In…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 15 September 2022 13:52
The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington funny but not funny ha-ha, funny like, oh sh*t!
Written by Wesley David
Black and Irish Twitter had a field day upon the death of Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II. No tears were shed other than tears of laughter and joy at the demise of a colonizer. Telling Black twitter to be respectful of the death of the woman who inherited the legacy…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 11 September 2022 11:09
Drury Lane’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ Delivers A Fine Whodunit the Leaves Us Guessing to the End
Written by Kimberly Katz
Ken Ludwig has adapted the beloved Agath Christie whodunit 'Murder on the Orient Express' in a rich and wonderful way. The play revolves around the murder of a wealthy businessman aboard a luxurious train. Detective Hurcule Poirot is on the case and there is no shortage of suspects aboard the…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 12 September 2022 15:29
Review: 'Arsenic and Old Lace' at Court Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Murder’s a hoot in Court Theatre’s revival of Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Lighthearted and stylish, director Ron OJ Parson’s production makes for a charming season opener. Court Theatre was awarded a Tony award for best regional theatre and it feels fitting for a well-known classic to be this…
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Tuesday, 06 September 2022 10:58
Babes in Blades 'Richard III' at The Edge Theater Very Highly Recommended
Sarz Maxwell
RICHARD III tells the story of Richard of Gloucester, Shakespeare’s cruelest yet most compelling protagonist. Richard III was the last king of the House of York. He was the last English king to die in battle, at the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, marking the end of the Middle Ages…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 01 September 2022 15:16
GIRLFRIEND at the PRIDEARTS THEATRE “IN A WORD: SWEET”
Sarz Maxwell
Sweet is the best word for GIRLFRIEND for several reasons. First, it showcases the songs of Matthew Sweet, and the book is by Todd Almond, to get another flavor in the mix. ‘Sweet’ also describes the era that GIRLFRIEND is set in – 1990’s: pre-9/11; before cell phones and PDAs;…
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With MY BROTHER LANGSTON, Black Ensemble Theatre continues its 2022 Season of Excellence: The Season of Healings. This third of four world premiere musicals showcase the power of music to heal. Jackie Taylor, BET’s Founder & CEO, says: “… through these outstanding plays, the spirit of the music, the hope…
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Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 14 August 2022 13:10
CAMPAIGNS, INC: the Origin of Fake News, circa 1934 at TimeLine Theatre
Sarz Maxwell
Smear tactics are nothing new in politics; Octavian became Emperor of Rome by distributing coins printed with negative slogans against Mark Anthony. The printing press provided a more easily reproduceable vehicle for misinformation, with the written material later reinforced by manipulated (long before Photoshop!) photographs. And now, of course, we…
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Theatre in Review
Midsommer Flight is a not-for-profit company that believes ‘Shared Joy and Flights of Fancy’ are for everyone, and that ‘BIPOC, LGBTQ, disabled, gender-diverse and body-diverse people are integral to our community.’ They are therefore the perfect troupe for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, and last night was a midsummer night to…
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Saturday, 23 July 2022 10:31
Review: 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' at Mercury Theater
Written by CJ Burroughs
Arriving at the quaint Mercury Theater—a century-old nickelodeon turned comfy neighborhood cabaret—for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the excitement of the other theatergoers coming and going, outside near the Music Box Theater and inside the Mercury’s cabaret room sipping their drinks, hinted at the show I was about to see.…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 25 July 2022 10:23
'The Kramer Project' at Center on Halsted - Highly Recommended
Sarz Maxwell
When George W Bush won his second term in November 2004 Larry Kramer delivered the watershed speech The Tragedy of Today’s Gays, a speech that was “the most difficult I’ve ever had to give”. Director David Zak worked with Kramer adapting the speech for theatrical performance, continuing after Kramer’s death…
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Theatre in Review
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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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