When one first thinks of improvised comedy (and perhaps this is an unfair assumption), the mind immediately jumps to the image of a group of extremely energetic and theatrical actors, running onto the stage and asking the audience for a suggestion. From the start, TJ and Dave’s take on long-form…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 15 July 2024 11:49
Plan Now for the Next 'Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah'
Written by Bill Esler
It’s not too early to mark out January 11 and 12 and reserve tickets for a “Too Hot to Handle,” a unique holiday event to be staged at the Auditorium Theatre. For 17 years, Chicagoans have reveled in the glory of this dramatic adaptation of Handel, what reviewers describe as…
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Upcoming Theatre
Saturday, 13 July 2024 11:16
Stop and Savor the Moment; Savor After Hours Sizzles at Broadway Playhouse
Written by Kendall Royzen
100 days of summer. The unofficial Chicago holiday season between Memorial Day and Labor Day is a local challenge to get out and experience all the city has to offer from 1:20 games at Wrigley to concerts on Northerly Island, festivals, fairs, and everything in between. I can think of…
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Theatre
Thursday, 11 July 2024 15:10
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Rocks Anew at The Den
Written by Betsy Schmitt
You might think that a rock musical featuring a genderqueer, hard-rockin’ and brokenhearted performer born on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall and the recipient of a sex-change operation gone horribly wrong might not be the show for you. But you would be making a big mistake. Hedwig and…
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Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 13:55
U.S Premiere: Robert Lepage & Guillaume Côté’s The Tragedy Of Hamlet: Prince Of Denmark
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Ex Machina, Côté Danse, Dvoretsky Productions and presenting partner Show One Productions today announced the U.S. premiere of The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, a captivating fusion of theater and dance by internationally acclaimed artists: the legendary director Robert Lepage (Metropolitan Opera, Stratford Festival, Cirque du Soleil) and the renowned dancer/choreographer Guillaume Côté, best known for his long…
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Upcoming Theatre
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 12:39
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" Enchants at The Goodman Theatre
Written by Wesley David
“Truth, like art, is in the eye of the beholder” Jim Williams The Goodman Theatre has conjured a spellbinding spectacle with the world premiere musical adaptation of John Berendt's captivating "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Tony Award winning Director Rob Ashford masterfully weaves together a tapestry of…
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Theatre in Review
Richard Willis, lead producer of ALI, the new musical celebrating the life and legacy of the heavyweight boxing champion and humanitarian Muhammad Ali, today announced the production will premiere in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre April 22 through May 18, 2025. Groups of 10+ are on sale now by…
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Upcoming Theatre
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Broadway In Chicago announced today that the individual tickets for the National Tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, will go on sale tomorrow, July 12. Ticket prices range from $25.00 to $125.00 with a select number of premium seats available. THE BOOK OF MORMON will play…
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Upcoming Theatre
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There is something timeless and lasting about 1920s and 1930s jazz. The lively tunes and sultry tempos defined an era and resonates throughout every aspect of our culture from movies and cinema, music and radio, and to literature and theatre. I jumped at the opportunity to revisit the art-deco, jazz-fueled…
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Theatre Reviews
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Sunday, 30 June 2024 12:51
Writers Theatre’s “The Hot Wing King” with extra sauce
Written by Wesley David
Katori Hall is an acclaimed American playwright, screenwriter, and director, known for her vivid portrayal of African American experiences and social issues. Her notable works include "The Mountaintop," which won an Olivier Award, "Hurt Village," and "Pussy Valley," which she adapted into the successful TV series "P-Valley." Hall's "The Hot…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 27 June 2024 10:49
Laurie Metcalf Shines on Expressive Barcaloungers in 'Little Bear Ridge Road’ at Steppenwolf
Written by Bill Esler
Steppenwolf’s Laurie Metcalf gives us a tour de force performance in playwright Samuel D. Hunter’s masterful “Little Bear Ridge Road.” But you might find this is a little different than the roles from Ibsen and Albee for which she won Tony’s on Broadway. As Sarah, the 60ish cranky nurse living…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 23 June 2024 21:28
The Butler with the Candlestick in the Study: CLUE Walking Mystery Experience Spoilers
Written by Kendall Royzen
The running joke in my family is that we’ll go to the opening of an envelope if it were being opened at a theatre in Chicago. Whatever the show, the restaurant, the experience, we’re in. The third largest metropolitan in the United States boasts never before seen shows, touring productions,…
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Theatre Reviews
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Tuesday, 18 June 2024 13:52
Review - 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Ted Williams III At Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre
Sarz Maxwell
My first impression was, naturally, of the set: a stunning mural by Sholo Beverly in shades of blues and grays, the only color the red white & blue of an American flag. A series of posters were hung from the ceiling, from an announcement of a slave auction through Emancipation,…
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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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