Thursday, 12 July 2018 18:00
"Murder for Two" at Marriott Theatre a perfect blend of suspense and comedy
Written by Ken Payne
When we think of traditional whodunits, we think of a carefully plotted murder, a list of suspects, and an inquisitive detective who gradually pieces new clues together until the crime is solved. Marriott Theatre’s “Murder for Two” is just that, albeit a musical-comedy that stars just two actors taking on…
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Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 19:30
Reclaimed Gem Gives Unforgettable Voice - “The Csardas Princess” at Stage 773
Written by William and Margaret Swain
Margaret and I have had to wait nearly thirty years to enjoy another production of Emerich Kalman’s “Die Csardasfurstin”, often translated as “The Csardas Princess” or “The Gypsy Princess”, and Folks Operetta’s production running at Stage 773 through July 22 was well worth the wait. The Csardas, or Czardas, is…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 02 July 2018 17:06
Review: ‘Support Group for Men’ at Goodman Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
It’s a tough time to be a straight white male. Playwright Ellen Fairey returns to Chicago with a new play called ‘Support Group for Men’ now running at Goodman Theatre. Fairey’s work was last seen in Chicago when the now defunct Profiles Theatre produced her smash hit ‘Graceland’ in the…
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Theatre in Review
Written by Abbey Fenbert and directed by Elizabeth Lovelady, Red Theater’s new play Sickle takes on the very little-known subject of Holodomor (or “Golodomor”, Famine-genocide, or “death by hunger”). The story takes place in 1932-33, in a Ukrainian village, one of many Ukrainian villages sacrificed by Stalin to advance his…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 05 July 2018 18:33
In Tilikum, Suffering Seen Through the Eyes of the Killer Whale
Written by Bill Esler
Tilikum, by Kristiana Rae Colon, is based on the real-life tale of four killer whales – technically orca whales - held captive at an aquatic park in Florida. It is drawn from a 2016 incident at SeaWorld Orlando, in which an orca whale named Tilikum killed its trainer, Dawn Brancheau.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 28 June 2018 18:19
"Thank You For Being Our Friend!" David Cerda's "Golden Girls Vol. 2" Brings Laughter to Women of a Certain Age Just in Time!"
Written by Kimberly Katz
Hell in a Handbag is at it again, this time following up last summer’s smash hit The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes with a Volume 2 that might even be funnier than its predecessor, if that’s even possible. Last year, Handbag’s Golden Girls was so successful it added a second…
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Theatre in Review
Call your mother seems like the resounding theme of Jen Silverman’s new play ‘The Roommate ‘now running at Steppenwolf. Directed by famed television and stage actress Phylicia Rashad, this new play explores the often overlooked lives of women over a certain age. Sharon (Sandra Marquez) is a middle-aged woman living…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 30 June 2018 18:44
He Read My Mind! Mark Toland Delivers Quick-paced, Entertaining 'Mind Reader'
Written by Bill Esler
With a mix of non-stop banter and radiant charm, Mark Toland’s one-man show, Mind Reader, is 75 minutes of fun. While audiences are told to keep quiet about what happens during his show, I can reveal that it is very entertaining, each show freshly scripted based on “reading the minds”…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 16 June 2018 15:15
Impeccable Production of Guards at the Taj is Must -See Theater
Written by Bill Esler
Guards at the Taj, now playing at Steppenwolf Theatre, is certainly among the best shows ever to play in Chicago. Set in 1648, Guards at the Taj recounts a gruesome legend that surrounds the construction of the renowned masterpiece, the Taj Majal in Agra, India. That apocryphal story holds that…
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Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 14 June 2018 19:55
Stephen Marley and Matisyahu chill out at Ravinia
Written by Kendall Royzen
It’s nearly summertime in Chicagoland. As the weather turns warm, our minds inevitably turn to music festivals, picnics, and long lazy nights filled with cold drinks, good friends, and somewhere that combines all of these into one experience: Ravinia. Ravinia opened their 2018 season in May and has since had…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 11 June 2018 00:17
Lookingglass Immerses Audience in '20,000 Leagues Under the Seas'
Kerstin Broockmann
Jules Verne wrote one of the first science fiction novels in 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, the story of three travelers who find themselves imprisoned on the Nautilus, a submarine captained by the megalomaniacal Captain Nemo. The novel was light on political detail, though Captain Nemo occasionally claimed to use…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 13 June 2018 14:13
Hamlet with Smart Phones and a Good Measure of Verve
Written by Bill Esler
The tiny Gift Theatre, occupancy 50, has bitten off a big challenge with its determination to present Hamlet. Featuring Daniel Kyri in the title role of Shakespeare’s classic, director Monty Cole has hewed to the melodious Elizabethan English of the script. The production has contemporary touches that largely respect the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 09 June 2018 20:17
Love’s Labor’s Not Lost: “Broadway & The Bard”
Written by William and Margaret Swain
“Broadway & The Bard”, Len Cariou’s idea of combining his two great loves – Shakespeare and the American Musical, is a heartwarming and tender paean to the art forms which made him an icon of the American stage. Conceived following his Broadway appearances as Shakespeare’s Henry V in 1968 and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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