Sunday, 13 October 2019 12:14
In Mosquitoes, Good Performances Don't Redeem Overblown Script
Written by Bill Esler
Playwright Lucy Kirkwood was named “Best Newcomer” when her first play debuted in London in 2009. Her Chimerica played to acclaim all over, including a well regarded production at Timeline Theatre in 2016. Kirkwood’s 2017 Mosquitoes, now running at Steep Theatre, depicts today's societal clashes between advocates of post-Enlightenment rationalism,…
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Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 08 October 2019 12:55
"The Facts of Life – Satan’s School for Girls" is a Rollicking Good Way to Get Your Halloween On!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Here comes Halloween, one of my favorite holidays of all and, of course, the incomparable Artistic Director David Cerda of Hell in a Handbag Productions along with composer Andrew Milliken have created a Halloween camp extravaganza that is sure to satisfy even the blood/laugh thirstiest of Handbag's extensive loyal fan…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 09 October 2019 13:34
Review: 'The Hound of Baskervilles' at City Lit Theater
Written by Michael Chandler
What’s the big deal about Sherlock Holmes? What is it that makes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle work some of the most well-known mysteries of all time? Sherlock Holmes and his adventures were published over a century ago, yet Doyle's writing has continuously surfaced through time on film, television, and theater.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 08 October 2019 13:41
'The Brothers Size' doesn’t miss a beat as it makes its comeback to Steppenwolf Theatre
Written by Michael Chandler
There are a few plays that focus on the love between two brothers. There are even fewer that will allow you to understand the brother’s fears, desires, and dreams throughout their heartfelt journey together. A story of two brothers who not only try to find peace between each other but…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 08 October 2019 13:20
McKillip, Foust deliver big in First Folio's 'Sherlock's Last Case'
Written by Ken Payne
The pairing of Kevin McKillip as Sherlock Holmes and Joe Foust as the sleuth’s ever-loyal sidekick Dr. Watson could not have been any more perfect. The chemistry between the two alone, as audience members are treated to a volley of entertaining banter back and forth throughout, is well-worth the price of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 08 October 2019 21:32
Invisible: They Rallied for the KKK in a Women’s Movement Gone Wrong
Written by Bill Esler
Invisible, a new play by Mary Bonnett, tells a provocative story about a little known slice of history – the emergence of the women’s arm of the Ku Klux Klan – the WKKK. Bonnett is also artistic director of Her Story Theater, and has produced eight such works with powerful…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 07 October 2019 15:00
'The Silence in Harrow House' is a memorable Halloween haunted house experience
Written by Vika Lvova
This Halloween season the Rough House Theater brings a very different haunted house experience to the Chopin Theatre. Written by Mark Maxwell and Clara Saxe, under the direction of Mike Oleon, The Silence in Harrow House is an updated version of last year’s production called The Walls of Harrow House,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 05 October 2019 14:37
Review: 'Oh Sh#t! It's Haunted!' at Factory Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
So, remember a while back, when I took my kindergarten daughter with me to review the American Girl Doll Musical? No? Well, I wish I didn’t remember it, either. But I do. And I learned two lessons from it in the time since. First, before the show started, my daughter…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 06 October 2019 09:27
Peter Shaffer's Equus Receives a Vivid Production By AstonRep, But Is a Tad Rushed
Written by Bill Esler
The late British playwright Peter Shaffer broke into new and radical territory with Equus. First produced in 1974 (and based loosely on a true event), the play tells of a grotesque crime by a teenaged boy, Alan Strang (Sean William Kelley is excellent) who put out the eyes of six horses…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 03 October 2019 15:46
Review: 'A Doll's House' at Writers Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Is love a commodity? Ibsen’s enduring drama “A Doll’s House” has asked audiences for over a century. Writers Theatre unveils a new 90 minute pared-down adaptation penned by Sandra Delgado and directed by Lavina Jadhwani. “A Doll’s House” is one of Ibsen’s most known plays. It tells the story of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 04 October 2019 15:20
‘Every Brilliant Thing’ Is Touching, and Brilliantly Entertaining
Written by Bill Esler
When you arrive at Windy City Playhouse South for Every Brilliant Thing, you will be ushered into an elevator and emerge at the third floor loft theater entrance. There a young woman greets you at a display case. Somehow, she seems to be in character already. In fact you will…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 30 September 2019 12:58
Review: 'The Barber of Seville at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Written by John Accrocco
Many operas are funny, but laugh out loud funny is harder to achieve. Lyric Opera opens the season with the ever-crowd pleasing commedia “The Barber of Seville”. Tara Faircloth directs this revival which first appeared at Lyric in the 2013/14 season. This production’s humor comes from an all-star cast of…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 29 September 2019 12:31
Review: 'Hello Again' at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Written by Earl Cochran
If you haven’t already made plans to see 'Hello Again' at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, don’t wait another minute! Director/Choreographer Brenda Didlier’s reimagination of this 1993 off-Broadway musical. The story is composed of 10 interwoven vignettes focusing on 10 love affairs portrayed in a frolicking, whimsical, lighthearted tone and yet…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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