Tuesday, 24 February 2015 00:00
Redletter Raises Smart Questions About News Coverage
Written by Ken Payne
Redletter is the latest creation by the Neo-Futurists, this piece written by ensemble member Lisa Buscani and directed by Jen Ellison. As Buscani puts it, “Everyone’s bemoaning about the ‘death of news’. But the news will never die, not as long as humans do newsworthy things.” That’s true…to a point…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 19 February 2015 00:00
Marie Antoinette Projects Compassion for the “Killer Queen”
Written by Kimberly Katz
Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi opens with a spectacular video presentation of the massive gardens and castle of Versailles along with a full on catwalk style fashion show by the queen, her girlfriends and the rest of the royal cast. I loved the staging of this show by a six…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Tuesday, 17 February 2015 00:00
Review - The Trial of Moses Fleetwood Walker at Black Ensemble Theater
Written by Ken Payne
Though Jackie Robinson is heralded as the first African-American baseball player to participate in the Major Leagues, more than a half of century earlier Moses Fleetwood Walker challenged the color barriers by integrating the game of professional baseball in the year 1884 when the Toledo Blue Stocking were admitted into…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 15 February 2015 00:00
FYI - First Date, The Musical Comedy, is both Funny and Informative!
Written by Kimberly Katz
I really enjoyed this funny little musical comedy about the ups and downs of mastering your first date with someone special. Aaron and Casey have been set up in a blind date by mutual friends. Aaron is a slightly nerdy Jewish boy in a steady finance job while Casey is…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 16 February 2015 00:00
Review: Game of Thongs! A Game of Thrones Burlesque
Written by Anne Rakowiecki
Game of Thrones, breasts, and booty: if you're an admirer of any of these three -- scratch that, four -- things, then you are well-suited to play the Game of Thongs. A burlesque revue of the wildly popular HBO show and book series by George R. R. Martin, Game…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Lauren Yee's new play at Victory Gardens Theatre is a refreshing addition to the modern canon of American playwriting, in the ilk of Sarah Ruhl and Noah Haidle. 'Samsara' was developed by Victory Garden's annual Ignition festival, a contest seeking minority voices. Yee takes a meta-theatrical look at the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Get ready for men dressed lavishly in drag, big laughs and plenty of high-flying dance action. Kicking off their 40th season in fabulous fashion, Marriott Theatre presents the smash hit musical La Cage aux Folles, a comedy that can be as touching as it is glamorous. In this musical that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 02 February 2015 00:00
Laughter on the 23rd Floor - A Smorgasbord for These Fine Character Actors!
Written by Kimberly Katz
Well, you just can’t go wrong with Neil Simon, one of the greatest Jewish playwrights of all time and a solid grouping of well trained Chicago character actors like the cast assembled at First Folio Theatre in Oakbrook. “Laughter” is based on Sid Caesar’s beloved “Your Show of Shows” where…
Published in
Theatre in Review
White Guy on the Bus is a powerful and very well-acted drama that asks several questions about modern day racism. In this highly provocative piece by Bruce Graham, we are met with race issues and opinions based on life’s experiences coming from both sides of the fence. We see how…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 24 January 2015 18:00
Chicago Bailiwick's Princess Mary Demands Your Attention
Written by Kimberly Katz
I decided to review this wonderful new play by Aaron Holland partly because I loved the title and in spite of the mention in the PR materials saying that Holland’s inspiration were in part from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. I’m so glad I did because this play about one…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 27 January 2015 00:00
Tango Buenos Aires Astounds Auditorium Theater
Written by Rachel M Payne
A one-time performance by the touring Argentinian group, "Tango Buenos Aires" was as invigorating as it was eloquently graceful! Presented in the stunning, historical Auditorium Theater in Chicago's downtown, the theatre interior rivaled the beauty of the dancers. Built in 1889, and acquired by Roosevelt University some years ago, the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 24 January 2015 00:00
Drury Lane's West Side Story an Aggressive Feast of Dancemania
Written by Ken Payne
"Breeze it, Buzz it Easy does, it Turn off the juice, boy" But the juice is not turned off in this keyed up production. If you are looking for high-energy dance numbers performed with grace and precision, powerful harmonies engulfed in beauty and emotion, a story of tragedy, hope and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
By 2015 it stands to reason that most people have seen STOMP, or at least know what it is: performers in street clothes drumming, banging, rattling, and clanging on trash cans and hubcaps and dozens of other ordinary items to make different rhythms and sounds. While the idea that "we…
Published in
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… -
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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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