Monday, 28 January 2019 20:43
No Small Task - 'The Magic Parlour' starring Dennis Watkins hits major milestone
Written by Ken Payne
January 25th is now Palmer House, A Hilton Hotel and Magic Parlour Day in Chicago as so declared by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement last week. The day is named so for good reason. An idea that took shape in 2011 has now become one of Chicago’s great attractions…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 27 January 2019 10:07
Baby, you can't go wrong - 'Million Dollar Quartet' at Marriott Theatre
Written by Kimberly Katz
Just imagine if you could be a fly on the wall during that infamous night when four legendary stars of rock and roll - Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis got together for one epic night at Sun Studios. That historic meeting had the young stars…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 27 January 2019 23:55
Scientist Rosalind Franklin Finally Gets Credit for DNA Research Role in Photograph 51
Written by Bill Esler
Walking in as curtain time neared for Photograph 51, the towering set took my breath away: a backdrop nearly three-stories tall, built of a latticework of delicately framed, vertical windowpanes with spiral staircases swirling down at each end, to meet a floor of foot-square hexagonal tiles. Heavy quarter-sawn oak laboratory…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 21 January 2019 17:56
Review: 'The Realistic Joneses' at Theater Wit
Written by John Accrocco
Sometimes we see couples in restaurants and think how on earth did they ever end up together? Sadly, the couple in question might be feeling the same way. Is it the idea of settling or just assumed gender roles that lead so many married couples to this place? Will Eno’s…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 19 January 2019 19:44
Noises Off Is a Hilariously Funny Take on a Play That Goes Wrong
Written by Bill Esler
Backstage comedies and dramas are a beloved genre – David Mamet’s Main Street, Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser, Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, Mel Brooks The Producers– known for sending up actors, directors, and show business. Michael Frayn’s Noises Off – the phrase is basically British for “Quiet on the Set” -…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 16 January 2019 07:39
Brendan Coyle nothing short of perfection in Goodman's 'St. Nicholas'
Written by Ken Payne
Brendan Coyle is no Mr. Bates when it comes to his latest stage endeavor. Instead, the Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for his role on Downton Abbey as the likeable, mild-mannered, ever so loyal valet to Lord Crawley – Mr. Bates, takes on a persona far removed from what most…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 14 January 2019 23:43
Fuente Ovejuna: a #MeToo Event in 15th Century Spain. Even More Remarkable? It Really Happened
Written by Bill Esler
An alluring play with a less familiar name - Fuente Ovejuna – is delivering a startlingly great moment of theater. Written in 1619 by Lope de Vega – the prolific writer who is considered the foremost playwright of Spain’s golden age - it is based on a true story that…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 10 January 2019 19:48
Making the Old New Again: 'The Lightning Thief' at the Oriental Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
Despite being both a writer and a fanboy of books aimed at readers much younger than I’ve been for what seems like millennia, I never got around to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Maybe I thought it was a knockoff of the, at the time, immensely popular…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 29 December 2018 01:52
La Ruta Inspires Us with the Valiance of Families Facing the Unthinkable
Written by Bill Esler
La Ruta accomplishes an impossible feat: drawing a luminous theater experience from a horrific factual account. This premier at the Steppenwolf tells the tale of the scores of young women who have been kidnapped and murdered near Juarez over several decades. And yet, it is an uplifting and inspiring show. …
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 23 December 2018 21:21
It Takes a Village: 'Fiddler on the Roof' at the Cadillac Palace Theatre
Written by CJ Burroughs
The above phrase has become a regular one spoken in my home and in the homes of friends in the village of Skokie, first as an inside joke and now as a communal mantra. A mantra of togetherness. A mantra of character. A mantra of love. That same mantra kept…
Published in
Theatre in Review
It is that time of year again to ring in the daze of the Holiday season with some Cirque Du Soleil Holidaze at the Chicago Theatre (175 N. State St), December 14th -16th. Holidaze is a two-hour spectacular, brightly lit and sparkling holiday themed show that encourages audience members and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 17 December 2018 02:58
Good Tidings They Bring: CTT charms at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts
Written by Kendall Royzen
The holidays bring many traditions for different people. Some rewatch home alone, some bake cookies, some see Christmas lights, and some watch The Nutcracker with family. To me, it isn’t Christmas until I've seen the ballet at least five times. I've always loved the ballet, especially around the holidays. But…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 16 December 2018 00:33
Theo Ubique Delivers The Full Monty in Its Wonderful new Cabaret Theater
Written by Bill Esler
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater has kicked-off the opening of its tailor-built home, with a very good production of The Full Monty – a Broadway musical adapted by Terrence McNally and David Yazbeck from a well-regarded 1997 British film. The troupe was crammed into the heartland Café and No Exit bar…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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A WONDROUS SOUND - Orchestra and Chorus of the Chicago Lyric Opera is a wondrous compilation of the best of the best!
Written by Sarz MaxwellThe repertoire for this fabulous program - A WONDROUS SOUND, showcasing the full force of Lyric’s amazing orchestra and chorus, was developed in collaboration between Lyric Conductor Enrique Mazzola and Chorus Director Michael Black. The orchestra started it off with… -
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