Wednesday, 13 June 2018 14:13
Hamlet with Smart Phones and a Good Measure of Verve
Written by Bill Esler
The tiny Gift Theatre, occupancy 50, has bitten off a big challenge with its determination to present Hamlet. Featuring Daniel Kyri in the title role of Shakespeare’s classic, director Monty Cole has hewed to the melodious Elizabethan English of the script. The production has contemporary touches that largely respect the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 09 June 2018 20:17
Love’s Labor’s Not Lost: “Broadway & The Bard”
Written by William and Margaret Swain
“Broadway & The Bard”, Len Cariou’s idea of combining his two great loves – Shakespeare and the American Musical, is a heartwarming and tender paean to the art forms which made him an icon of the American stage. Conceived following his Broadway appearances as Shakespeare’s Henry V in 1968 and…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 09 June 2018 05:50
‘Burnham’s Dream: The White City’ brings to life the events surrounding the 1893 World's Fair
Written by Ken Payne
Being a Chicagoan, it’s always fun to take in city history – to learn about the great things that made Chicago what it is today – one of the best known metropolitan areas on the planet, rich in history and tradition. In ‘Burnham’s Dream: The White City,' the play focuses…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Strindberg’s quintessential battle of the sexes play, ‘Mies Julie’ is retold by award winning South African playwright Yael Farber. ‘Mies Julie’ is a modernized version set eighteen years after the abolishment of apartheid. Directed by Dexter Bullard, Victory Gardens presents this regional premiere. ‘Mies Julie’ has been a controversial play…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Monday, 28 May 2018 19:36
Review: "A Little Night Music" at The Greenhouse Theater
Written by John Accrocco
Even if you’re not familiar with Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music,’ chances are you’ve heard the song ‘Send in the Clowns.’ BoHo Theatre revives the 1973 musical farce under the direction of Linda Fortunato. Surely there’s not a more romantic summer musical than ‘A Little Night Music – and this…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Sunday, 27 May 2018 19:05
Review: “Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies” at Athenaeum Theatre
Written by Mariah Sulaiman
During a time when the world is discussing the role of women in a society among men, of a world of equality to men, there was a woman who stood out before her time, a woman independent and liberated in an industry dominated by men, Bette Davis. Embodying the screen…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Saturday, 26 May 2018 11:28
The Originalist Tells Why Justice Scalia Thought He Was Never Wrong
Written by Bill Esler
The Originalist, now playing at Court Theatre, poses Antonin Scalia as a tragic figure. The late Supreme Court Justice saw his opinions as unimpeachable; he thought he was never wrong, even when his views did not prevail in Court decisions. “Where would the country be without me,” Scalia asks the…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 24 May 2018 05:05
Damascus: Tightly Crafted Script Delivers Intense and Suspenseful Thriller
Written by Bill Esler
Buckle up for Damascus, the intensely suspenseful thriller having its world premiere at Strawdog Theatre. Bennett Fisher’s tightly crafted script follows the journey of Hassan, a financially struggling Somali-American taxi driver at the Minneapolis airport, as he ferries Lloyd, a young man who says he is desperate to catch a…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 24 May 2018 02:34
"Cry It Out" portrays motherhood in brutally honest ways
Written by Kendall Royzen
It could have been any other Friday night for me; coffee, friends, and a few brief moments away from the responsibilities of motherhood, to talk and vent about the responsibilities of motherhood. But it wasn’t a Friday night with my friends, but Cry It Out, a new play written by…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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Sunday, 20 May 2018 15:37
History WIll Show That Having Our Say Is A Great Show
Written by Bill Esler
The power of Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years will creep up on you. It also reminds us that in theater, context can be everything, as this revival of a Broadway success may pack even more punch 25 years after its original appearance in book form. On…
Published in
Theatre in Review
a“There’s no honor in self destruction.” An interesting line to ponder when thinking about what Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize winner ‘Buried Child’ says about our current times. Sadly we lost Sam Shepard recently. Writers Theatre’s production of ‘Buried Child’ serves as a fitting homage. Director Kimberly Senior assembles a dream…
Published in
Theatre in Review
Thursday, 10 May 2018 21:28
"Forever Plaid" is in Perfect Harmony for Forever Dreams of Stardom
Written by Kimberly Katz
It seems strange to me that after all my years of writing theater reviews I have never seen "Forever Plaid". I am now one of the lucky ones to have seen this marvelous production of the hit show written by Stuart Ross at Theater at The Center with this "over…
Published in
Theatre in Review
There’s something special about tuning into a b-movie on a summer night. Kitschy tales of shlock and horror are as American as baseball, and who better to tell them than Tennessee Williams? The much-esteemed playwright is better remembered for Pulitzer Prize winners like ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘Cat on…
Published in
Theatre in Review
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