Language may be the backbone of human communication, but there’s a lot that happens between the lines. Sanaz Toosi’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner ‘English’ explores what we learn when studying a new language. Director Hamid Dehghani assembles an all-Iranian cast for Goodman Theatre’s Chicago debut of this exciting new play.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 21 May 2024 14:15
A Compelling Vision of Desperation and Injustice: Lifeline Theatre's 'Native Son'
Written by Wesley David
Lifeline Theatre’s production of "Native Son," directed by Ilesa Duncan and adapted by Nambi E. Kelley from Richard Wright’s seminal novel, is a masterful exploration of urban naturalism. With powerful performances and an incisive adaptation, the play captures the harrowing tale of Bigger Thomas, a young Black man whose life…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 22 May 2024 13:00
'Viva La Mort' A Novel Update to 1960s Film Falls Short in Script
Written by Bill Esler
“Viva La Mort: A Play With Songs” mines the 1956 Swiss novel “The Visit” by Friedrich Durrenmatt that came to further fame in a 1964 Hollywood melodrama with Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. In the original, a wealthy woman arrives in the poverty-stricken hamlet of her childhood, offering to restore…
Published in
Theatre in Review
TimeLine Theatre has entranced me for years with its historically- and politically-significant plays, riveting and educational – just my cup of tea! So, I felt honor-bound to pay homage to the final event TimeLine will produce in their current (way-too-small) Lincoln Park venue, where they’ve been for a quarter century.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
“James was deeply aware of the anguish associated with denying others their authenticity; His famous Frankenstein wasn’t a murderous monster. His heart’s desire was friendship cleverly bestowed upon him by a blind man”. Norm Woodel Frame of Reference Productions In Association with The Woodel Inspiration Fund has embarked on a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 20 May 2024 11:00
So Be-Coming: Death Becomes Her Brings Magic and Dark Comedy to Cadillac Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
It’s often quoted in reviews that we are unworthy of such beauty or splendor the arts and humanities afford us. The turn of phrase elicits images of Wayne and Garth of Wayne’s World bowing at the feet of Alice Cooper, or a dashing Bridgerton man dropping to a knee at…
Published in
Theatre in Review
I arrived at City Lit Theater’s MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL expecting a heavy, serious, doubtless thought-provoking but rather intimidating major work of literature. By the end of the performance, I wanted to rush out, buy the book and read it immediately. Any production that accomplishes this in three hours must…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 12 May 2024 02:12
'Poor People! The Parody Musical' is rich in laughs
Written by Kimberly Katz
I’m amazed that it’s been 18 years or so since I first saw a Hell in a Handbag production. Though it seems like yesterday, my first experience with Handbag was taking in their production of The Poseidon Adventure at the cozy and artistic Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park. It was…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Poor People! The Parody Musical
- Hell in a Handbag Productions
- Chopin Theatre
- David Cerda
- Tyler Anthony Smith
- Stephanie Shaw
- Dakota Hughes
- Sydney Genco
- Matty Bettencourt
- Brittney Brown
- Caitlin Jackson
- Elizabeth Lesinski
- Taylor Dalton
- Shane Roberie
- Patrick O’Keefe
- Tommy Thurston
- Christopher Kelley
- The Chopin Studio Theatre
- Andrew Milliken
- Parody
Monday, 13 May 2024 10:50
Dance and Sing to the Beat of Life with ‘Last Stop on Market Street’
Written by Bree Samani
Despite the fact that I have never read the Newberry Award-Winning children’s book called Last Stop on Market Street, I chose to see the musical adaptation on a sunny Saturday afternoon. And I have to say, I am impressed with this fun-loving musical at the Young People’s Theatre of Chicago.…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Friday, 10 May 2024 13:18
Review: The Thanksgiving Play at Steppenwolf Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
“Together we created this nothingness,” says Audrey Francis in Steppenwolf’s production of Larissa Fasthorse’s ‘The Thanksgiving Play’. Hot off its Broadway run, this madcap comedy cuts right to the bone. Under Jess Mcleod’s direction, the intimate cast leaps right off the stage. ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ is about three elementary school…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tuesday, 07 May 2024 12:50
1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE to commemorate the arrival in America of the first African slaves and examine the peoples' progress since then
Written by Buzz Center Stage
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer and performer Ted Williams III. The musical commemorates the arrival of the first 20 Africans on the shores of Point Comfort, Virginia on August 20, 1619. In it, three modern…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 04 May 2024 10:11
One Fine Show: Beautiful The Carole King Musical dazzles Paramount Theatre
Written by Kendall Royzen
Growing up our radio dial was tuned to one channel, K-Earth 101. In Southern California that station was the oldies, the classics, belting out hits from the 1950s and 60s; Sam Cooke, Buddy Hall, Mel Carter, Peggy Lee, The Ronettes, and so many more artists’ melodies and lyrics that are…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Wednesday, 01 May 2024 12:30
Blue in the Right Way's 'Women Beware Women' at The Edge Innovative… radical… courageous… confusing
Sarz Maxwell
Blue in the Right Way audaciously chose for their inaugural production a 400-year-old play, WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN, written in 1621 by Thomas Middleton and adapted by the company’s co-founders Kevin Smith (Kevin/Kevin’s, also director) and Daiva Bhandari (she/her, also lead actor and choreographer). WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN was abstractly staged, accompanied…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Tagged under
- Blue in the Right Way
- Women Beware Women
- Thomas Middleton
- Kevin Smith
- Daiva Bhandari
- Kidany Camilo
- Bree Perry
- John Zhou Duncan
- Shail Modi
- Leo Mock
- Rick Gilbert
- Victor Bayona
- Lynne Baker
- Ryan Wright Cassidy
- Johnny Moran
- Huy Nguyen
- Keenan Odenkirk
- Christin Prince
- Mia Van De Mark
- Brandon Wiman
- Katie Mazzini
- The Edge Theater
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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… -
Review: 'Falsettos' at Court Theatre
Written by John AccroccoEven 40 years later, the AIDS crisis continues to shape American life. Long before Hollywood brought AIDS stories to the cultural mainstream, the theatre was a safe place for actors and writers to explore their fears and sense of injustice… -
Delightful Send-up of 1930s Musicals, 'Dames at Sea' Nearly Sunk by Bad Sound
Written by Bill EslerOverall Citadel Theatre’s ‘Dames at Sea’ has a smashingly great cast of singers and dancers, perfect for a musical comedy satirizing the over-the-top 1930s movies and Broadway revues that were light on plot and heavy on costumes, dance routine, and… -
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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