Saturday, 21 June 2025 17:50
Sensational Musical Salutes an Unparalleled Trio of Living Legends
Written by Mitchell Oldham
Taking part of its title from a defining song that drew attention to the AIDS crisis in the mid 80s, That’s What Friends Are For: Gladys, Dionne and Patti combines thoughtful storytelling and fantastic music to honor the cultural contributions of three outstanding artists. Currently playing at Black Ensemble Theater…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 21 June 2025 17:03
Sweet Dreams and Steel Guitars: Drury Lane’s Tender Tribute to Patsy Cline
Written by Kimberly Katz
Always...Patsy Cline is a poignant and entertaining jukebox musical that honors the legacy of iconic country singer Patsy Cline through the heartfelt story of an unexpected friendship, which is currently beautifully staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook. Conceived and written by Ted Swindley, the production is inspired by…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 17 June 2025 16:06
Unimaginably Good: “An Iliad” Is the Best Show I Have Ever Seen
Written by Bill Esler
Court Theatre has brought back to its stage “An Iliad,” a surpassingly wonderful riff on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, “The Iliad.” Starring Timothy Edward Kane in a reprise of his sensational one-man performance as The Poet, it is directed by Charles Newell. This is the fourth time Court has staged…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Monday, 16 June 2025 13:17
Review: You Will Get Sick at Steppenwolf Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
If ever given the chance to see Amy Morton on her home stage at Steppenwolf–take it. She stars in the Chicago premiere of Noah Diaz’s ‘You Will Get Sick’ alongside fellow ensemble members Cliff Chamberlain, Namir Smallwood, Jordan Arredondo and Sadieh Rifai. Steppenwolf Theatre Artistic Director Audrey Francis directs this…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 11 June 2025 15:01
42 Balloons Soaring High at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Written by Lauren Katz
It’s 1982 and Larry Walters approaches his lawn chair. On either side are bags and containers full of various items like Coca Cola and Miller Lite – all meant to add various levels of weight to the contraption. His girlfriend, Carol, gives him a final embrace before he takes his…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 12 June 2025 10:52
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late: Kimberly Akimbo a Must See at CIBC Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
I like to think that I am hip and with it (insert millennial Gif here). I like to think that I am knowledgeable about the latest trends even if I don’t participate in them myself; not so much fashion and viral TikTok challenges, but more the books that everyone wants…
Published in
Theatre in Review
“Ripe material for a comedy,” chuckles Atra Asdou, writer and star of ‘Iraq, but Funny” now playing at Lookingglass Theatre. Asdou’s new madcap play is part comedy, part history, part family drama. Directed by Dalia Ashurina, this hard-to-define play feels like the kind of thing we absolutely need more of.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 04 June 2025 22:52
A Remarkable Story Based on Real Events: 'Six Men Dressed Like Stalin'
Written by Bill Esler
“Six Men Dressed Like Stalin,” now at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago and directed by dado, draws upon the true story of Felix Dadaev, drafted in 1942 to stand in for Josef Stalin, Premier of the Soviet Union. The character Soso (Esteban Andres Cruz) is based on Dadaev. Like…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
Saturday, 31 May 2025 10:00
It's Funny What Can Happen on a "Neighborhood Watch," Now Running at Jackalope Theatre
Written by Bill Esler
You’ll want to join this “Neighborhood Watch," a fast-paced comedy having its world premiere in Jackalope Theatre’s performance space in the Broadway Armory. Harsh Gagoomal plays Mo Rizvi with deft emotional range, a bearded, swarthy Middle Easterner who has moved into a house in white suburbia, in the weeks just…
Published in
Theatre in Review
More...
Sunday, 25 May 2025 12:47
History. Passion. Power. A Love That Changed an Empire - Scandalous Boy at
Sarz Maxwell
I’m a geek, I admit it; I love seeing theatre that’s … well … real. Like SCANDALOUS BOY – you’ve heard of Roman Emperor Hadrian, yeah? He reigned from 117 to 138 CE (that was even before Diana’s wedding!) and occasioned a slew of building projects, epitomized by Hadrian’s Wall in…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 26 May 2025 17:53
Evanston Salt Costs Rising: Stormy souls on salted streets at First Floor Theater
Written by Susan Lieberman
Recent Chicago-area winters have been relatively easy ones. Lest we forget howling blizzards or subzero temperatures, Will Arbery’s Evanston Salt Costs Climbing serves as a reminder. Director Micah Figueroa stages First Floor Theater’s production of this idiosyncratic play in a way that creates a deep freeze – visually, aurally and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 20 May 2025 16:05
Review: HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston
Sarz Maxwell
HONEYPOT originated as a creative nonfiction book by E. Patrick Johnson, Dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University. Johnson has a passion for oral history; for HONEYPOT he interviewed a number of Black Southern women, documented in his book of the same title. Johnson always imagined the work…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 20 May 2025 12:09
The Title Says it All in Conspirators Remarkable ‘Chicago Cop Macbeth’
Written by Bill Esler
It was a dark and stormy night as I motored to The Conspirators “Chicago Cop Macbeth,” with a fog of dust giving the streets an eerie feel. As the lights came up at the Otherworld Theater, the storm continued, the three witches of MacBeth gathered tightly around a fiery oil…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Register
Login
Latest Articles
-
Premiere of OUT HERE at Court Theatre a Charming Deconstruction of Marriage and Musical
Written by Kerstin BroockmannEveryone encounters many crossroads in their lives, where they make a choice that determines the future…and many people live to regret it. That is where Dawn, the protagonist of Out Here, the new musical receiving its premiere at Court Theatre… -
safronia soars at Lyric Opera
Written by Wesley Davidsafronia at Lyric Opera of Chicago emerges as a deeply personal story of the Great Migration - one that resists grandiosity in favor of something more intimate, more lived-in, and ultimately more affecting. Drawn from the family history of Chicago’s… -
At Steppenwolf, Windfall Doesn’t Cash In on Its Promise
Written by Wesley DavidSteppenwolf Theatre Company’s, Windfall arrives with all the promise its pedigree suggests. Written by Academy Award–winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Awoye Timpo, the production aspires to be a pulsing, lyrical meditation on grief, justice, and the…
-
THE GREAT GATSBY is Now Playing at Cadillac Palace
Written by Buzz Center StageBroadway In Chicago is excited to announce that the smash hit Broadway musical and global sensation, THE GREAT GATSBY, based on the beloved novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald , is now playing at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.). The party…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.