Monday, 04 August 2025 11:37
Review: Kokandy Productions' 'Amélie' at Chopin Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
Earlier this summer, The New York Times asked its readers to submit their lists of the top 100 films of the 21st century. Scrolling through social media, it was clear the 2001 French film ‘Amélie’ was a millennial fan favorite. A whimsical rollick through Montmartre seems like ripe fodder for…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 04 August 2025 00:21
Uptown Music Theater Highland Park’s ‘Hairspray’ Shimmies, Shines, and Steals Hearts
Written by Kimberly Katz
Uptown Music Theater Highland Park hits all the right notes with their electrifying staging of Hairspray - a radiant production bursting with kinetic energy and a message that feels as relevant today as it did in the 1960s. Under Tor Campbell’s dynamic direction and deft choreography, the show dazzles with…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 26 July 2025 12:13
Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Billie Jean a Thrilling Journey Down the Road to Legend
Written by Mitchell Oldham
Sometimes we can’t fully appreciate the giants who walk among us until we have the chance to view them and their achievements through hindsight. In the case of tennis great Billie Jean King, that process is being bolstered through the arts. Now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST), a powerful…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 24 July 2025 08:17
Farce or Fun: 44- The Musical Sneak Preview at Studebaker Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
When an opportunity arose to see a sneak preview of a new musical about President Barack Obama, there was a clash amongst younger generations to see who would get the chance to see it. Though it has been nearly two decades since Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated into his first…
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Theatre in Review
Sunday, 20 July 2025 17:38
Twenty Roles, One Truth: Identity Explored in Tin Drum’s Incognito
Sarz Maxwell
Fans of highly intellectual and nonlinear storytelling will love INCOGNITO. Playwright Nick Payne is known for plays with inventive narrative structures and deep philosophical inquiry—qualities that are clearly in evidence in INCOGNITO. This production is the Chicago debut of INCOGNITO; across the Pond the work has been praised for the…
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Theatre in Review
Friday, 18 July 2025 21:15
More Than You’ll Ever Know: Twisted Melodies Resound at Northlight Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
Do we ever really know what someone is going through? We devour what people create, savoring the beauty in their art; we read the words they write, feel the emotions they convey, listen to the music they play, but do we really know what is just beneath the surface? One…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 17 July 2025 11:41
Review: Blank Theatre's 'Passion' at Greenhouse Theater Center
Written by John Accrocco
It’s refreshing to know there are lesser-known Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine collaborations to continue exploring. While ‘Into the Woods’ and ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ may endure as musical theatre opuses, later works like ‘Passion’ showcase these two brilliant artists’ legacy together. The relatively young Blank Theatre Company…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 13 July 2025 12:09
From Rome to Skokie: Slaves, Soldiers & Satire Still Killing It in MadKap ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’
Written by Kimberly Katz
MadKap Production’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum bursts onto the Skokie Theatre stage with rollicking energy and infectious chaos, blending sharp wit with rapid-fire comedy. Featuring the unforgettable music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim and a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, this timeless…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 11 July 2025 13:54
Tale as Old as Time—Broadway in Chicago Presents ‘ Disney's Beauty and the Beast’
Written by CJ Burroughs
While I might have been born too late to experience Beatlemania or Woodstock or the Jazz Age in real time, I’ve been fortunate enough to live through plenty of moments that have already become milestones in our cultural consciousness. One of those was what’s now called “The Disney Renaissance.” I…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 10 July 2025 12:08
Review: In 'White Rabbit Red Rabbit,' the Audience Becomes the Play
Written by Bree Samani
"White Rabbit Red Rabbit" isn’t your typical night at the theater. It’s unscripted, unpredictable, and unlike anything you’ve seen before. Performed cold by a different actor each night, it’s a play that blends humor, vulnerability, and a quiet kind of bravery—both from the performer and the audience. There are plenty…
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Theatre in Review
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Wednesday, 02 July 2025 11:40
Seeing Purple: Goodman Theatre’s Stunning Revival Honors Alice Walker’s Vision
Written by Wesley David
In the Goodman Theatre’s stirring new production of The Color Purple, director Lili-Anne Brown delivers a version of Alice Walker’s landmark novel that feels both stripped down and soulfully expansive. Forgoing spectacle in favor of raw emotional clarity, Brown places the story’s heart—female resilience and love—center stage, and the result…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 30 June 2025 20:58
'Dhaba on Devon Avenue' a Local Story with Universal Meaning
Written by Bill Esler
In its world premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, “Dhaba on Devon Avenue” is a strong play, from a promising writer, Madhuri Shekar, winner in 2020 of the Lanford Wilson Playwriting Award. A TimeLine Theatre production, it is directed by Chay Yew. Another of Shekar’s plays, “A Nice Indian Boy,”…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 30 June 2025 12:37
Angels in America Soars at Chicago’s Invictus Theatre
Written by Wesley David
New York City in the 1980s—marked by Reagan-era conservatism and the devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic—was in decline. This is the backdrop for Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, a sweeping two-part epic that earned the Pulitzer Prize, multiple Tony Awards, and a lasting place as one of the most…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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