Sunday, 01 March 2026 20:47
The Glitch in the New Normal - Shattered Globe Theatre’s Morning, Noon & Night
Written by Wesley David
Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon & Night, currently receiving its Midwestern premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre, is an ambitious, mind-bending exploration of the “new normal” in post-pandemic America. Greenidge, a playwright unafraid of tonal hybridity, situates her story at the uneasy intersection of middle-class and magical realism. Under AmBer Montgomery’s direction,…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 01 March 2026 14:08
The Play That Goes Wrong at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre A Most Perfectly Planned Train Wreck
Written by Ken Payne
The Chicago Metropolitan area has a soft spot for a beautiful disaster, and The Play That Goes Wrong delivers the kind of exquisitely engineered chaos that feels tailor‑made for this theater‑loving region. What begins as a straightforward 1920s whodunit quickly mutates into a full‑throttle demolition derby of missed cues, mutinous…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- The Play that Goes Wrong
- Metropolis Performing Arts Centre
- Jahanna McKenzie Miller
- Ryan Armstrong
- Eric Amundson
- Casey Ross
- David Blakeman
- Ryan Michael Hamman
- Richaun Stewart
- Teah Kiang Mirabelli
- Natalie Henry
- Angela Weber Miller
- Gigi Wendt
- David Moreland
- Henry Lewis
- Henry Shields
- Jonathan Sayer
- Arlington Heights
- Chicagoland
- Chicago area
- Theater
- theatre
- comedy
- Farce
- live theatre
- comedy theatre
- farce theatre
- on stage
Monday, 23 February 2026 14:27
At Raven Theatre, Churchill’s Top Girls stings harder than ever
Written by Susan Lieberman
When Raven Theatre’s artistic staff decided to include Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls in their current season, they could not have predicted that the opening would coincide with major eruptions in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Now, with the former Prince Andrew in jail and the President of the United States bloviating…
Published in
Theatre in Review
For some, an evening of Chekhov may sound like pure misery, but Red Theater’s “The Seagull” running at The Edge Off Broadway soars. The original adaptation by Red Theater cohort Ian Mayfield imagines Anton Chekhov’s emotionally searing dramady as a chamber play. Under his direction, this faithful version is a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 22 February 2026 14:18
Marriott’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Is Pure Imagination
Written by Betsy Schmitt
Beloved children’s author Roald Dahl’s timeless story of the quirky and mysterious candy-maker looking for his heir apparent comes to life in an energetic and magical performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences’ musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory now on stage at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Marriott theatre
- Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
- Theatre for Young Audiences
- Roald Dahl
- Lincolnshire
- Willy Wonka
- The Candy Man
- Violet Beauregarde
- Mike Teavee
- Veruca Salt
- children's theatre
- live theatre
- Musical
- OompaLoompa
- George Keating
- Gene Wilder
- Elias Totleben
- Elin Joy Seiler
- Avelyn Lena Choi
- Gordon Henry Heisler
- Amber Mak
- Golden Ticket
- Charlie Bucket
- Kai Edgar
Saturday, 21 February 2026 13:41
Factory Theater’s Kubrickian Features Standout Performances
Written by Lauren Katz
“The story of these characters has already begun.” When you enter the Factory Theater space for Kubrickian, you will notice that the actors are already on stage. Lights are fully up, and the three actors are moving about the stage. One is stretching, another is pacing, and another is doing…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Friday, 20 February 2026 14:16
Definition Theatre Strikes Gold with Black Cypress Bayou
Written by Wesley David
I love when I’m surprised by a writer I assume is new to the scene, only to discover she has been honing her craft for years, quietly building a body of work the rest of us somehow missed. I love it even more when that discovery feels like striking gold.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 17 February 2026 13:32
Citadel’s Riveting Admissions Asks Which Will Tip the Scale – Right or Ambition
Written by Mitchell Oldham
What do you do when something in life, an unforeseen occurrence, challenges what you thought was one of your most deeply held beliefs? What direction do you take if adhering to your convictions could mean sacrificing something exceedingly dear to you? Do you follow your moral compass or choose the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 15 February 2026 15:05
Court Theatre’s Miss Julie Sacrifices Proximity for Concept
Written by Wesley David
There is something almost perversely apt about staging Miss Julie inside a birdcage. Under the direction of Gabrielle Randle-Bent, August Strindberg’s most celebrated chamber play, Miss Julie—an autopsy of class warfare disguised as seduction—arrives at Court Theatre in a production as conceptually bold as it is frustratingly self-defeating. Scenic designer…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Monday, 16 February 2026 10:31
Shakespeare Is in Love Again in 'Hamnet' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Written by Bill Esler
“Hamnet,” a stage play adapted by Lolita Chakrabati (known for Life of PI and Red Velvet), and directed by Erica Whyman is in its U.S. debut at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. This production originated and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company for its U.S. tour, has generated a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 14 February 2026 12:16
Gwydion's The Lower Depths at Chopin Theatre: An Avalanche of Anguish
Sarz Maxwell
I like theatre that’s deep, thoughtful, angsty. There’s much to be said for a play providing undemanding escape, but I prefer to challenge my mind, to make me think. And THE LOWER DEPTHS, as adapted by Grayson Kennedy for Gwydion Theatre Company, certainly did that. Don’t see this alone –…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- The Lower Depths
- Gwydion Theatre Company
- Grayson Kennedy
- Maxim Gorky
- Alex Levy
- Katherine Schwartz
- Matt Mitchell
- Brynn Aaronson
- Tommy Thams
- Hannah Freund
- Christopher Meister
- Bryan Breau
- Evan Bradford
- John Nicholson
- Howard Raik
- Maddie Hillock
- Abraham DeitzGreen
- Maya Moreau
- Chopin Theatre
- Chicago
- theatre
Saturday, 14 February 2026 13:57
Where Loneliness Meets Light: Dear Evan Hansen at the Paramount Theatre
Written by Kimberly Katz
Paramount Theatre’s staging of Dear Evan Hansen brings fresh dimension to the Tony‑winning contemporary musical. Under Jessica Fisch’s direction, the story follows Evan, an anxious, isolated teenager whose therapist‑assigned letters to himself inadvertently spark a misunderstanding with the Murphy family - one that grows into a lie swelling far beyond…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 10 February 2026 14:19
Goodman's HOLIDAY – A Modern Take on a Dramedy About the True Price of Wealth
Written by Mary Beth Euker
Holiday is a play written by Philip Barry in 1928 before the tragic stock market crash of 1929. It has been made into two movies, most notably in 1938 starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. This adaptation, artfully authored by Richard Greenberg, has brought a case study in the class…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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