America was a different place in 1965. Jim Crow was alive and well in southern cities, American schools were still on the way to being integrated, African-Americans were getting their heads busted in trying to cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Alabama, there were race riots in major northern cities,…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 02 March 2020 14:51
The Writer and the Writer’s Brother – The Pillowman at Gift Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
Kids these days… I went into opening night of Gift Theatre’s production of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman only knowing that my 16-year-old daughter was excited to be my date. “It’s dark, Dad,” she warned me. Boy, was she right. “But it’s amazing, Dad,” she also assured me. And boy, was…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 28 February 2020 08:35
Great Acting and Staging in Lifeline's Middle Passage
Written by Bill Esler
Set in 1830, Lifeline Theatre’s Middle Passage, beautifully directed by Ilesa Duncan, is an exciting show: absolutely entertaining, well-produced and well-acted. And yet, entertaining as it is, Middle Passage also recounts the horrific enslavement and transport of Africa’s Allmuseri people, their inhumane treatment by a cruel ship’s captain, and the…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 26 February 2020 13:08
'Book of Moron' is a Fantastically Fresh and Funny Way to Get Your Brain Clean and Running Again!
Written by Kimberly Katz
It's been 24 hours since I enjoyed this play and I'm still reeling from the super intelligent "trance-formation" delivered with rapid fire accuracy by Robert Dubac's one man show Book of Moron. Dubac plays out the thought patterns of a man who has traumatically lost a portion of his memory and is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 22 February 2020 17:39
You be the detective: 'Shear Madness' returns to Chicago
Written by Ken Payne
There’s something about a good mystery that keeps us engrossed. Maybe it’s the colorful suspects, maybe it’s the dissecting of clues involved, maybe it’s our own morbid curiosity that comes with murder - after all isn’t Forensic Files still one of the most watched TV shows? We like the detective…
Published in
Theatre in Review
There is a saying among the Maasai people that if you do not give an elephant a proper burial, it will haunt you for days. Lynn Nottage’s play Mlima’s Tale is an elephant ghost story. And in it we learn, elephants never forget! Mlima is a legendary elephant on the savannas…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 18 February 2020 14:19
Theatre at the Center's 'Almost Heaven' a beautifully performed tribute to the late, great John Denver
Written by Ken Payne
When I remember John Denver, it’s hard not to think about crisp country air, clean rivers, pristine mountains and, well, just a healthy planet. John loved nature. It was abundantly clear in his music. His life was cut short at just 53 years old when a plane he was piloting…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 19 February 2020 21:04
A Tough Hand To Play- The Queen of Spades at Lyric Opera
Written by Kendall Royzen
Some reviews are as easy to write as 1, 2, 3; an intro, a body, and a conclusion. Some reviews are more difficult to write, even when following that simple formula. Even time is broken into three parts: past, present, and future. Well, I cannot go into the past to…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 15 February 2020 22:19
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical Is Captivating and Poignant
Written by Bill Esler
Though I loved her music and her voice, I knew little about the celebrated Queen of Disco, Donna Summer - before seeing the Broadway in Chicago show about her. Summer: The Donna Summer Musical tells it all, an engaging narrative spiced with the diva’s great music, beautifully performed. Musically, Donna…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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We are rarely privy to the forthright conversations traded among the wealthy about class dynamics and privilege. Doubly so when they involve the rarified class of rich, well-borne African Americans. In Stickfly, playwright Lydia Diamond said she wanted to “write a play that talks about class and class strata within…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Raven Theater has a penchant for aptly timed revivals, and their production of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House is no exception. Published and set circa 1879 in Norway, the play offers a snapshot of domestic life at the time, reminding us how much progress has been made since then --…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 09 February 2020 16:33
Drury Lane's 'An American in Paris' - they've got Rhythm and a whole lot more
Written by Ken Payne
Drury Lane has wowed audiences over and over with big song and dance productions. Not only recognized for its intricate choreography, the theater has also been known for its dazzling sets and stunning costume design. From ‘42nd Street’ to ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to ‘West Side Story,’ impressive musical stage…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 08 February 2020 17:33
Review: The Boys in the Band at Windy City Playhouse
Written by John Accrocco
"Life's a god damned laugh riot," writes Mart Crowley in his 1968 play "The Boys in the Band". Windy City Playhouse revives the iconic play under the direction of Carl Menninger. This is the first revival in Chicago in over twenty years. "The Boys in the Band" just ended a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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